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Poorly python

ovi — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 08:42:31 +0000

A snake in the Australian state of New South Wales has had a lucky escape after a sneaky snack led to emergency stomach surgery.

The 80-cm (32-inch) carpet python mistook golf balls - left by a couple in their chicken coop to encourage hens to lay - for eggs, and ate four of them.

The couple took the python to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where vets decided that the snake had no chance of passing the balls.

Vets operated on the snake, making an incision through which the golf balls were successfully removed.

Vets say the snake, nicknamed Augusta after the US golf course, is making a full recovery and will be returned to the wild.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

PGA tour to go high-tech on Golf Channel

ovi — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:30:09 +0000

New radar technology will allow the Golf Channel to provide exact measurements of golfers’ swings and ball movement during next year’s PGA Tour, the network said Wednesday.

It will use the TrackMan Tour System, a Doppler radar technology, to measure a golfer’s exact, three-dimensional club movement and ball flight and provide precise data on ball launch, ball flight and ball landing, among other statistics.

TrackMan, previously available only to Tour pros, will be used on two holes during Golf Channel’s live primetime telecast of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii beginning January 3.

“We will be able show a 3-D representation of a player’s tee shot and then fly around it during flight to show different angles of its trajectory,” Golf Channel vp production and executive producer Tony Tortorici said. “Different shots from different players also can be compared simultaneously, which can provide some pretty cool visuals and reveal player tendencies.”

TrackMan has been used sparingly for television, Golf Channel said. The network said it would be the first to incorporate the technology on American broadcasts of regular-season PGA Tour events.

Source: canada.com

Indian golf on upswing in 2007

ovi — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 09:29:50 +0000

A couple of Asian Tour titles by seasoned campaigners may not count for much but Indian golf was clearly on the upswing as the year gone by set the tone for a bumper 2008 with mega co-sanctioned events lined up in the country.
Individually, however, it turned out to be an average season for the country’s top-ranked pro Jeev Milkha Singh, who could not come anywhere close to replicating last year’s phenomenal success, which yielded four titles.
After the high of reaching 37th in the world rankings in 2006, Jeev had to settle for 77th at the end of this year.
The 36-year-old failed to defend the four titles — Volvo Masters of China and Volvo Masters of Europe and a couple of Japan Tour trophies — that he won last year.
The best that he could manage was tied third at the Japan Tour’s season-ending Nippon Series JT Cup and even this seemed disappointing, considering the defending champion was within touching distance of holding on to the title.
Where even a bogey would have forced a play-off, Jeev ended up with a double bogey on the last hole which dropped him to a tie for third.
After a punishing 40-week schedule over the past couple of years, the golfing nomad decided to take a break and will resume playing in January with the Royal Trophy between Asia and Europe in Thailand.
In contrast, it turned out to be an astounding year for Jyoti Randhawa, who became only the second player, after Australian legend Peter Thomson, to lift three Indian Open titles to continue his love affair with the Delhi Golf Club.
The 35-year-old also made his debut at the year’s fourth major, the PGA Championship in August, but packed off after playing just four holes, wilting under the excruciating temperatures at the Southern Hills Course in Oklahama.
The experience in the United States may not have been all that pleasing for the Delhi pro but he made sure that his European sojourn remained pleasant.
In November, Randhawa capped a decent run in the European Tour by signing off tied ninth in the Volvo Masters of Europe at the Club de Golf Valderrama in Sotogrande, Spain.
He ended a creditable 33rd in the European Tour’s Order of Merit after pocketing Euro 849,895 from 26 tournaments.
At home, he captured the AIS Open in April before wresting the DLF Masters in May, taking time off his European schedule to adhere to his commitment as a founder member of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
Besides, he also held on to his postion as Indian’s second best golfer, finishing the year 87th in world rankings.
Gaurav Ghei also had reason to smile after he won the inaugural Pine Valley Beijing Open to add a third Asian Tour title to his credit.
Ghei’s consistent form on the Asian Tour saw him close at 10th on the Order of Merit with earnings of USD 261,057 from 20 tournaments.
The 38-year-old also had a reasonably good run at home with top-10 finishes in the AIS Golf Open, Color Plus Open and the DLF Masters.
He also teamed up with Randhawa in the Missions Hills Golf World Cup but while the latter was in red hot form, Ghei’s niggling shoulder and neck problems meant the Indian duo had to content with a tied 17th finish in the event won by Scotland.
Meanwhile, after a breakthrough season in 2005, in which he won the Volvo Masters of Asia besides being named the Asian Tour rookie of the year, title drought continued for Shiv Kapur but the young golfer did well enough to earn USD 239,085 in 11 Asian Tour events for a 12th place finish in the Order of Merit.
Elsewhere, Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra, made waves with his maiden PGA Tour win in the Ginn Sur Mer Classic at Tesoro Club, Florida.
The title came after a frustrating 14-year wait and soon Chopra was in sight of his maiden European Tour title at the Mastercard Masters in Australia but three-putted for a bogey in a nail-biting play-off to hand the trophy to local challenger Aaron Baddley.
Not surprisingly, the 34-year-old, a product of the DGC Junior Golf programme and a close friend of Jeev, is now in contention for a place in the European Ryder Cup team.
Source: ndtv.com

Tiger Woods is pleased to see Nike Golf push the equipment envelope

ovi — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:06:54 +0000

Tiger Woods, a four-time PGA Champion and winner of 13 major Championships, made his first appearance at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Monday as the featured guest of Nike Golf’s media launch of the SQ SUMO2 5900 driver and 360 Clubfitting System.
With the Nike swoosh symbol painted into the eastern hillside of the 35-acre PGA Learning Center practice range, Woods first entertained the audience with special insight into his thoughts on equipment and performance, and later during a half-hour spent hitting balls on the range with the new driver.
Woods stepped out on to the PGA Learning Center range, and with no warm-up, was hitting balls that drew rounds of “ooohs” and “aaahs” from the media gallery, many of whom are veteran Woods followers and quite familiar with his practice routine.
Woods made his appearance while in the midst of his longest “unforced” vacation from competition. Over the past one-and-a-half months since capturing the Tour Championship, Woods has continued to bond with his newborn baby daughter, Sam Alexis. Being a father for the first time, Woods said “is the coolest ride ever.”
Nike Golf, moving with industry baby steps of its own prior to Woods’ arrival on the golf scene, is now considered a world-class player in the golf marketplace, as it has elevated its innovations and not delayed “tweaks” that Woods has requested while he serves as company spokesperson.
In 1996, Woods strode proudly into professional golf and said, “Hello world!” That declaration also signaled Nike Golf’s voyage into keeping in stride with the future No. 1 player in the world. Today, the Nike swoosh symbol and Woods are synonymous as bread and butter, or as evidenced by this past season, more Sunday back nine marches to victory.
“When I first came to Nike, we weren’t really Nike Golf at the time,” said Woods. “We weren’t a leader in the industry. We weren’t pushing the envelope, and we weren’t as focused as we could be. And that has all changed. Thanks to Bob Wood (Nike Golf president) and a lot of others, it got turned around, and here we are.”
There is no middle ground for Woods when it comes to being involved in reviewing equipment.
“If it’s not going to help my game, it’s not going into the bag,” Woods said. “I’ve learned so much, possibly infinitely more than they have learned from me. Now, I can make the tweaks from a numbers perspective.”
Woods, who has tested all of the new Nike equipment, said this translates to the average consumer just as well. “You are getting a product that can simply make you hit it longer and straighter. That’s the greatest compliment that you can possibly have.”
During the media conference, PGA of America Vice President Jim Remy, a Nike Golf staff member, addressed his affiliation with Nike over the past two years.
“Nike is the smallest large company I’ve seen,” said Remy, the vice president and general manager of golf operations at Okemo Valley Golf Club in Ludlow, Vt. “By that, I mean that it has never failed to help the PGA Professional, no matter what the issue, and has [also] made changes with the PGA Professional and consumer in mind. As a PGA Professional, if you can find a company that encourages people to play better golf, they will play more golf.”
Also in attendance at the media conference were PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb, Chief Executive Officer Joe Steranka and Board Member Frank Gumpert.
Woods said that he was pleased to see Nike move forward in the clubfitting market through its 360 Clubfitting System that incorporates measuring and fitting consumers to all clubs in the bag.
“It’s all about getting the equipment to fit you,” said Woods. “You don’t have to fit the equipment. That’s how I learned to play golf. My dad was adamant about finding equipment that fit. I didn’t have to make swing adjustments because the club was too light or too heavy. It allowed my fundamentals to get better.”
While the average player would not change clubs more than several times in one’s lifetime, Woods revealed that he changes wedges more frequently due to him “wearing out the grooves.” He also changes a full set of irons every nine to 10 months.
Nike Golf Product Line Manager Gidge Moody, of Eugene, Ore., preceded Woods on stage and introduced Nike’s SUMO2 500 technology. Moody presented a video that highlighted just how much twisting a clubhead undergoes following impact with a golf ball.
The MOI, or “Moment of Inertia,” is what golf technology followers have focused upon in recent years to build better equipment. Just how well a clubhead resists to twisting may translate into a new comfort zone for players. The growth in popularity of MOI is related to the growth in popularity of ever-larger clubheads, both for drivers and putters. High-MOI, for example, is an important component in clubs that are described as “forgiving” or designed for “game improvement.”
“Tiger’s demonstration today was perfect,” said Moody. “He really lets it go, and sometimes we don’t know what we’re going to see.”
Moody said that Woods ranks among the best communicators in assisting a manufacturer in providing the best in golf equipment research and development. Moody said that Nike Golf Sports Manager Kel Devlin, of Fort Worth, Texas, son of veteran Tour professional Bruce Devlin, and Nike Tour Manager Rick Nichols, of Fort Myers, Fla., son of PGA Champion Bobby Nichols, have teamed up to work with Woods in order to determine his best possible equipment.
“Tiger is very specific about what he’s looking for in how the club interacts with the ground and what the club looks like at address — how the club feels,” said Moody. “Our team in Fort Worth has heard that in bunches.
“He’s wonderful for input, and not just because he’s a good ball striker. He understands the Nike business model, and how to participate with the Nike business model. Our players on staff are excited about the innovations.”
Nike Golf will unveil its formal public launch of the new SUMO technology on Feb. 2, 2008.
“I feel like a 15-handicapper today,” said Woods, with a wry smile, before sending his next shot out of sight with the new SUMO driver. “I will take a look at the new theories in golf and judge whether or not they work for me. The moment of truth is whether or not it works on Sunday on the back nine. If it’s not the best, then I won’t use it. I don’t care to be ‘Ranger Rick’ and just look good on the range.”
Source: pga.com

Revitalised Tiger eyes eighth victory of year

ovi — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:06:32 +0000

Holder and tournament host Tiger Woods, refreshed after a two-month break, will hunt his eighth title of the year at this week’s Target World Challenge.
The world number one has not played competitive golf since the Presidents Cup in late September and is eager to return after working hard on his fitness.
“I enjoy being mentally fresh and that’s one of the reasons I don’t play as much as a lot of the guys do,” Woods told reporters ahead of his final tournament of 2007.
“This time I got a chance to work on my body and get it stronger than I’ve ever had it, which is fun, and I haven’t put on any weight, which has been great. I’ve leaned up a little bit.”
The 31-year-old American heads a strong 16-man field that includes world number three Jim Furyk, U.S. Masters champion Zach Johnson and British Open winner Padraig Harrington.
Ten of the world’s top 20 will compete for a first prize of $1.35 million at Sherwood Country Club. The overall purse is $5.75 million.
Three-times winner Woods will tee off at the invitational tournament on Thursday as the odds-on favourite after dominating the 2007 PGA Tour with seven victories.
He clinched his 13th major title in the U.S. PGA Championship at Southern Hills in August before ending the season with record earnings of $10,867,052.
“Any time you win a major championship in the year it’s always going to be a great year and this certainly is,” said Woods, who also became a father for the first time in June.
“I would describe it as a polar opposite of last year, not necessarily because of what I did on the golf course but what happened off it,” he added, referring to the death of his father Earl in May 2006.
“The most incredible thing is everything I did on the golf course, it gets put into perspective real quick when something happens like last year and then with (daughter) Sam this year. This is the coolest ride ever.”
Woods, champion in 2001 and 2004, completed a hat-trick of titles with a four-shot victory at Sherwood last year.
Proceeds from the event go to Tiger Woods Foundation projects and the Tiger Woods Learning Centre in Anaheim.
This week’s field is: Woods, Furyk, Steve Stricker, Harrington, Vijay Singh, Johnson, Luke Donald, Rory Sabbatini, Henrik Stenson, Niclas Fasth, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Brett Wetterich, Mark Calcavecchia, Colin Montgomerie and Fred Couples.
Source: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com