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6th June 2010 will truly be a memorable day in the life of Justin Rose. It will perhaps mark the onset of  success for this 29 year old Briton who has become the winner of the Memorial Tournament in Ohio. This is the first win for Rose in any PGA tour out of his 162 appearances in United States. Moreover, it will also boost the golfer’s chances of taking part in the immensely popular European Ryder Cup.

Justin Rose Does It!

From the very beginning of the game, Rose showed extreme class and precision to leave behind runners up Rickie Fowler by a number of points. Unlike his previous rounds, where the young Briton had made some deficits, Rose paid utmost attention to his shot selection and guided the balls to the holes with accuracy. In spite of the erratic breeze at the Muirfield Village golf course, the shots were well directed  with correct speed and momentum. The splendid display of skills along with a cool head led to the success of Rose.

Let us see how it all went. Rose had to overcome a four shot deficit in the final round but he did not look nervous at all. He succeeded the great feat of 1-putt greens on 8 holes and closed the day with a result of  6-under-par 66 to become the winner. He had missed just 1 fairway in the round but it did not create much effect. Once the par was tapped at the 18th hole, spectators saw a rejoicing Rose who raised his fist in air and ran on to hug and lift his little son Leo.

This win helped Justin Rose to finish 18 under 270 and fetched him a huge sum of $1.08 million. More than money, it will really boost his confidence and help him face rivals with ease in the forthcoming tournaments. In fact, this golfer has had his share of recognition when he secured the fourth position in the 1998 British Open at a young age of just 17. Since then his game and style of playing have improved to a great extent and made him proud winners of 6 major tournaments.

The Winners Smile

After winning, Rose acknowledged and thanked the support of the crowd and said that he had a long way to go to reach the top spot. He also expressed hope about faring well in the 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier, the next day itself.

Justine Rose’s win is indeed a great news for all golf fans. It now needs to be seen how this Brit prepares himself for the Ryder Cup and faces the stalwarts of the game.

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods

As Tiger Woods marched towards his 14 majors this year, there was one person on the course for whom I feel pity. It was none other but Phil Mickelson who made Tiger sweat all the way till the final hole.

There was a stage in the tournament when Mickelson was tied at front nine low of 6-under 30 at Augusta and the Masters looked to be in his kitty. All channels flashing golf news were waiting eagerly to crown Mickelson. And why not? After all Phil needed to shoot a 2-under on the back nine to get through to the playoffs and a 3-under back to win the Augusta Masters crown. But after a double bogey on the par 3 12th Mickelson could only muster 1-over for the back nine. After that his downward trend continued with him missing plenty of chances, with 4 footers and an eagle on 15 and birdie on 17.

What would be the gains if Mickelson had won Augusta Masters tournament?

* He would have got the No. 1 ranking by overtaking Tiger Woods
* He would have won his 3rd Masters and 4th Major golf tournaments
* Staging a comeback from 7-shots down Mickelson would have played the best Sunday ever (shooting a 9-under 63) that would be even better than Jack Nicklaus’s historic final round score of 65 in 1986.

So close yet so far, only a 3-under on the back nine! Phil Mickelson would have entered the history books of professional golf being the best golfer after the Tiger Woods era. Just a little magic with the iron and Mickelson wouldn’t have broken thousands of hearts!

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Tiger Woods holding the Accenture Match Play Championship trophy

Tiger, tiger burning bright!
Its the time for celebration for all the Tiger fans! Yes, Tiger Woods is back in action with a bang. Woods overcame a front-nine wobble to win his first match at the Accenture Match Play Championship. Incidentally this was his first professional outing since last June when he won the US Open. Right after this victory Tiger Woods had to undergo a reconstructive knee surgery.

Thank God! The long hibernation did not leave any mark on his game. Woods had a whopping 3&2 victory over the young Australian golfer Brendan Jones and marched to the second round of Accenture Match Play Championship. Organized at the picturesque Ritz-Carlton Club Tiger Woods managed to live up to the expectations of the crowd and smashed a 460-yard par-four in the opening hole. Woods went on to bogey the four-par at the seventh and hit a birdie in the eighth hole. Tiger Woods went ahead of his opponent in 12th and 13th holes and soon took the control of the game in his favor by winning the 16th hole.

Though the spectators were quite happy with the victory but Tiger Woods himself admitted that he “had some loose irons in the middle part of the round”. According to him the saving grace to his play was the strong start that the world champion had. It was great news for the Tiger fans as the star himself admitted about his knee that “it felt good”.

My father only heard about Golf when he was a child. There were more football and hockey at that time. Cricket wasn’t that popular and was considered the game of riches. But there was no golf, at least not in the news or in anything that common man has any association with.

But I know golf. I can name all the players who have been successful in this sport and have created their identities. Golf is also making headlines in news today. We know about the various tours and the Master’s tournaments. We know how Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa are doing at the various tournaments. And there are television commercials endorsed by the golfers!

The Sophisticated Game of Golf

More people are now interested in golf since there are fame and money attached to the sport just like they are with any other sports. It is common to find many youngsters gathering at the open fields on weekends with the hope of becoming another Jeev Milkha Singh in their heart. It is also heartening to see that golf is receiving so much support from the business communities as well.

My father often regrets for not getting the same football or hockey nowadays. I hope my pride will be alive for many more years when more Indians will come forward to rule the international golf courses.