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/ 19 September 2005
New Zealander Michael Campbell picked up a million-pound jackpot by beating Ireland’s Paul McGinley two and one in the World Match Play Championship on Sunday and immediately revealed that the money didn’t matter. ”We play for the honour of being part of history,” said the 36-year-old Kiwi.
According to the ”king” of golf, Arnold Palmer, professional golfers drive for show and putt for dough — unless you’re Tiger Woods, that is. Woods (29) made a mockery of golf’s most famous edict when he won the ,5-million WGC-NEC Invitational on Sunday, pocketing ,3-million for his trouble.
Phil Mickelson might be the new PGA champion but it is Tiger Woods who will be firm favourite to collect the ,3-million first prize at this week’s WGC NEC Invitational. In the six previous NEC’s, Woods has amassed a stunning -million in prize money. He has won three times and never finished worse than fourth.
A dramatic last-hole birdie saw Phil Mickelson capture his second major title when he won the storm-delayed 87th PGA Championship on Monday. The 35-year-old American carded a closing two-over 72 to finish on four-under 276 for the year’s final major tournament.
The 2005 season started with dreams of golf’s ”Big Five” fighting it out for the Majors. After three of them, reality has been restored. It’s back to the ”Big One” and the rest are reduced to scrambling for the crumbs. Tiger Woods won the Masters, could not putt to save his life but still came second in the US Open, and won the British Open with a stunning display of controlled golf.
A determined Jack Nicklaus began his farewell march in spectacular fashion at the British Open on Thursday when he birdied the opening hole. Nicklaus (65), paired with five-time Open winner Tom Watson and England’s Luke Donald, received a massive welcome from the huge gallery. Watson matched Nicklaus’s birdie at the first.
Bid leader Sebastian Coe and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are being credited with masterminding London’s stunning upset victory over Paris for the 2012 Olympics. As Paris bid chiefs start an inquiry into how they fell from being firm favourites to end up losers, IOC members were singing the praises of the London leaders.
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/ 15 October 2004
South African Retief Goosen rewrote the record books of the World Match Play Championship when he overran American Jeff Maggert 12 and 11 in their rain-hit first-round showdown at Wentworth on Thursday. While Goosen was wreaking havoc, fellow countryman Ernie Els was looking too strong for Scotland’s Scott Drummond.
South Africa’s Retief Goosen won the 104th US Open on Sunday in a dramatic shoot-out with Masters’ champion Phil Mickelson. Goosen, the US Open winner in 2001, closed with a one-over 71 to beat Mickelson by two shots. Mickelson, too, fired a final round one-over 71.
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/ 24 November 2002
World rugby leaders are eagerly watching this week’s
International Olympic Committee Congress here to discover if they will finally get themselves into the Olympic Games.