Ernie Els played a solid final round of golf to clinch the Claret jug for the second time in his career after Adam Scott threw away a commanding lead.

Els finished seven-under-par after he birdied the 18th hole. Scott bogeyed the final four holes to leave him one shot adrift at the challenging links course at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Els, who started the day six shots off the lead, wins his fourth major title ten years after he won his first British Open in 2002.

“I am just numb at the moment, I feel for Adam Scott, he is a great friend of mine,” said the 42-year-old South African. “We both wanted to win so badly, but I really feel for him. That is the nature of the beast, that is why we are out here.”

“It was my time. I was hoping at best a play-off. A lot of people never thought I would win but I started believing this year, getting a lot of help from my family and the professionals around me,” he added.

Scott had a four-shot lead with four holes to play, and will regret not making the most of the opportunity to secure his first major win.

His meltdown was reminiscent to Rory McIlroy’s 2011 US Masters crumble, which saw the Northern Irishman lose a four-shot lead in spectacular fashion in the final round of last year’s event at Augusta.

“I’m very disappointed but I played so beautifully for most of the week I really shouldn’t let this bring me down,” said Scott.

“I know I’ve let a really great chance slip through my fingers today, but somehow I’ll look back and take the positives from it,” he added.

Elsewhere, Tiger Woods played, by his standards, fairly poor golf. A triple bogey at the seventh hole saw his chances of a 15th major championship disappear, but he birdied the final hole to finish tied for third with Brandt Snedeker.

World number one Luke Donald had a solid four days, but would have liked to have holed more putts on a tough course. He finished in a tie for fifth place with Graeme McDowell, whose final round struggles saw him drop from second place overnight.

It was the 16th consecutive major with a different champion, a trend that looks likely to continue with a wealth of up and coming young golfers.

Results:-7: Els (SA)-6: Scott (Aus) -3: Snedeker (US), Woods (US)  -2: Donald (Eng), McDowell (NI) - 1: Aiken (SA), Colsaerts (Bel)

Image Courtesy of   photogolfer / Shutterstock.com

The article Ernie Els Wins the British Open appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Belfast’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade drew thousands to City Hall, as organisers incorporated the upcoming Titanic centennial and the success of local golfer Rory McIlroy into the festivities.

This year’s parade kicked off at 12pm and lasted a full half hour, during which the thousands of spectators were treated to sights including: aerial acrobatics from two machine-operated figures; a float bearing the likeness of current World Number One golfer Rory McIlroy, who hails from Northern Ireland; a special Titanic display to commemorate the upcoming centennial anniversary of the ship’s infamous sinking, as well as to publicise the launch of the new Titanic quarter opening in Belfast; and a 20-ft high float depicting an Olympic athlete carrying the Olympic torch, in honour of this summer’s Games which will take place in London and hopefully by extension attract tourists to Northern Ireland.

The parade was, and has always been, a family-friendly event, with attendees ranging in age from 6 to 60, and almost everybody wearing some sort of themed-clothing. The most popular piece of apparel was undoubtedly the shamrock, which could be seen on lapels, hats, t-shirts and even sunglasses. By the time that the parade had ended, shamrock flags littered Donegall Square.

In other parts of the city, people were treated to a free open-air concert at Custom House Square headlined by Scottish bagpiping act ‘Red Hot Chili Pipers’ and 2011 X Factor contestant Sophia Habibis. Habibis made it to the live finals of the popular British talent show, but was controversially eliminated in the fourth week of the competition. Also at the concert, which maintained the family-friendly feel by being an all-ages affair, were folk band Ashelin and The Royal Tara School of Irish Dance.

It was a day of full-on promotional moves by the city’s most popular bars, with Black Box in particular offering free entry and pints of Guinness for just £2.50, in the hopes of attracting some of the tourists who travel to Belfast and Dublin every year to soak up the ‘Irishnesss’ of the day.

But without question, the place to be was in Fibber Magees Pub in the heart of the city. From 2pm to 2am, local musicians performed Irish music and entertained the packed house, with the establishment’s proximity to Belfast’s popular Europa Hotel making it the number one stop for any and all tourists making their way into Belfast for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The article St. Patrick’s Day in Belfast appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

With the recent conclusion of The 140th British Open Championship, there are many storylines that the can be focused on.  Some of theses storylines include, the Success of Chubby Chandler, the wave of success that golfers from Northern Ireland have enjoyed and the struggles of Rory McIlroy, but more importantly the triumph of McIlroy’s fellow countryman, Darren Clarke, who was able to win his first major championship.

Luck of the Irish

It is the luck and fortune of Northern Ireland that is catching the golf world by surprise. With Darren Clarke’s recent British Open win, Northern Ireland has, “more of golf’s recent major champions than anyplace on Earth.” Speaking of Northern Ireland’s recent success, Clarke, a native of Northern Ireland himself, says, “We have fantastic golf courses, we have fantastic facilities. But to have three major champions from a little small place in a short period of time, it’s just incredible.”

The win by Clarke gives Northern a reason to boast; he is “Northern Ireland’s third major champion in the past 13 months” and cements the small country of Northern Ireland as the home to “three of the last six major winners.”

What makes Northern Ireland’s recent success and triumphs all the more amazing is the countries small size and population. As Jeff Shain, of the Orlando Sentinel, pointedly writes, “Statistically speaking, Northern Ireland covers about the same amount of land as Connecticut and boasts a population equivalent to metropolitan Charlotte.”

Rory McIlroy

Obviously, one major storyline coming into this British Open was how Rory McIlroy would fair, especially after coming off a phenomenal performance at the U.S. Open back in June. After shooting a dazzling total of 16 under par, though four days at the U.S. Open, McIlroy was rightly favored to win going into the British Open championship.

Compared to the caliber of play he showed he is capable of during the U.S. Open, McIlroy couldn’t muster up anything close to the same performance during this championship; McIlroy finished at a dismal seven over par through four days.   Even more horrendous was the fact that McIlroy finished the tournament tied for 25th on the leader board. The fact is he put up a very ugly and lackluster performance.

Darren Clarke

This British Open was Clarke’s 54th major of his career and his first major win; there is no doubt the guy has been around the block. Despite the 42-year-old Clarke not being as well recognized as the Tiger Woods’s and Rory McIlroy’s of the world, his win at the British Open cannot but be admired, especially considering his past.

The guy has gone through adversity. “Clarke lost his wife, Heather, to [breast] cancer in 2006”. Despite this devastating loss, Clarke has rebounded from this solemn past. Clarke’s turnaround from this heartbreaking tragedy is a story that defines perseverance; one would be hard pressed not to feel happy for the guy.

As BBC Sports reporter and blogger Rob Hodgetts eloquently states about Clarkes triumph at the Open championship “this is the vindication for a man who has weathered his share of life’s storms, but kept his eye on the prize and not lost his belief ”.  Before the Open trophy, Clarke was quoted saying, “I always believed I would get myself back up here…I always believed I had enough talent to challenge and win one.”

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that everyone who knows Clarke gets along with him. He is liked by many of his piers on the PGA Tour quite possibly because of his genuine and easygoing personality.  In reference to Clarke, Hodgetts says, “The man from Dungannon [Northern Ireland] had always been popular, with the public and fellow pros alike.

A man the fans could identify with, not a gym-obsessed robot. A man who liked a drink and a smoke and carried a bit of weight. Downing a pint of Guinness on the K Club balcony in celebration only served to reinforce the image.” He’s a down to earth guy who doesn’t mind having a bit of fun.

Chubby Chandler

An equally compelling storyline at the recently played British Open, is Agent Chubby Chandler’s. Chandler represents some of golf’s biggest stars, including all three of the golfers that have won major championships this year. If Chandler ends up representing the winner of the PGA Championship this year, a new term might come of it; that term is the “Chubby Slam”. “This year Charl Schwartzel (who won US Masters in April), Rory McIlroy and Clarke make up three-parts of the “Chubby Slam”.

The term grand slam in golf means that a golfer has won all four major championships in the same year. These four majors are, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the PGA Championship. Because he isn’t a golfer, Chubby Chandler isn’t technically qualified to win the grand slam.

However, if Chandler ends up representing the PGA champion, he would be an agent who has notched all four majors this year. If in fact Chandler does end up representing the winner for each of the four majors (this year), one could argue, it would be notionally the same as winning the grand slam.

Three Northern Irishmen: Three Competitors And Three Friends

Graeme McDowell, who was last year’s U.S. Open champion, relinquished this year’s U.S. Open trophy to his fellow countryman in Rory McIlroy. Following his outstanding performance at the U.S. Open (this year), McIlroy was heavily favored coming into the British Open (this year). However, like he beat Graeme McDowell (this year) Darren Clarke beat him in the British Open.

First, Graeme McDowell won a major, then, so did Rory McIlroy, and now Darren Clarke. These three fellow countrymen who are challengers on the golf course now share the bond of winning a major like the bond of friendship they share off the course. Despite their competitiveness on the golf course, all three have an unwavering unity for Northern Ireland and admiration and each other.

All three are known to be close friends.   Speaking of the relationship, Clarke says, There’s a huge rivalry between us all, but also a huge respect. We all get on great, otherwise we wouldn’t be in Chubby’s stable. We hang out and eat with each other a lot. But stepping on to the first tee, the competition is there and always has been.”

The Story starts with Clarke, who showed McDowell and McIlroy the path to success. As agent Chubby Chandler says, “Darren led them…Darren was the one who set the bar, went over [to the United States]. G-Mac’s followed him, and now Rory. It’s a great thing. They all look up to him.”

These guys all look up to one another and are truly supportive friends as well. This might be attributed to the fact that, “Northern Ireland is a very small place. It’s all a very close-knit community.” For example, it was Clarke who convinced McIlroy to sign with ISM’s (International Sports Management’s) agent, Chubby Chandler.

Now, these guys are tweeting each other and partying together after their big wins. After Clarke’s recent win at the British Open, McDowell tweeted, “Darren Clarke aiming to be the first Northern Irish golfer to win a major in almost four weeks!” McIlroy was equally excited by Clarke’s win tweeting “And the winner of the gold medal, the champion golfer of the year, from northern Ireland DARREN CLARKE!!!!!” In another tweet McIlroy proclaimed gleefully, “Northern Ireland…..Golf capital of the world!!” Since Clarkes win, MacIlroy has also tweeted, “@Theprincedc [Darren Clarke]” saying “you’ve made everyone proud!”

Despite the age difference between these guys, they still celebrate together too. There have been many parties taking place in Northern Ireland lately due to the success of these three guys. There was a “Party for G-Mac [last year] at Portrush and party for Rory a couple of weeks ago,” said Clarke.

“I’m sure they’ll have another one this week.” Clarke even skipped a tournament in Germany to join McIlroy in celebrating his US Open victory. The day after Clarke’s triumph McDowell tweeted,  he will, “probably [be] drinking a few pints with the 2011 Open Champ”. And how right he was; McDowell has since shared celebratory details of the three friends tweeting, “I won theGuinness pint-drinking contest (vs McIlroy & Clarke). That’s my first win of the season.”

Clarke said it all when he proclaimed, “We’re blessed to have obviously two fantastic players in Rory and Graeme and I’m just the old guy coming along behind them.” Clarke may be older but lest anyone forget, he is a core member of the fantastic trio from Northern Ireland that has taken the majors by storm, and he certainly enjoys a fresh pint of Guinness and a good celebration to boot, with his two fellow countrymen.

Compelling Enough?

I am sure that there are many people out there who will say this British Open wasn’t at all compelling, however I am not one of them. I was heartened to see 42-year-old Darren Clarke win a major. I am particularly heartened, because of the tumultuous hardship he must have gone through when his former wife passed away.

Now, Clarke can bask in the glory of what he has been dreaming since he was a young boy: winning the British Open. In the words of Clarke, it’s been a dream since I’ve been a kid to win the Open, like any kid’s dream is, and I’m able to do it, which just feels incredible.”

For me the Open was spectacular to watch. I was personally thrilled and enthralled seeing Darren Clarke accomplish this gratifying achievement and to see Clarke finally capture something he had been dreaming of, almost all his life. For a while the dream eluded Clarke; but, due to his perseverance, the dream finally came true.

Image Courtesy of  http://pga.com

The article 140th British Open Championship: Five Compelling Storylines appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Oh how quickly they forget.

How quickly they forget the man who made you and I even care about golf…only three American athletes have made my mother ever speak a word of sports- Michael Jordan, Lebron James this post season and Tiger Woods.

Speaking to me about Lebron, my mother says, “Why won’t they just leave him alone? He looked like he was trying really hard.”  I couldn’t help but laugh, but she felt sorry for the man and how could she not; at least a little bit.

But back to tiger Woods, whose unfortunate circumstance as of late, have brought a little bit too much happiness to those who speak about the sport.  They seem so eager to replace a man who made golf so much money at the same time showing such greatness that we appreciated, seemed to admire and love for over 10 years.

But things have changed; we have a new wonder boy who we can’t wait to crown king.  One person, whose name escapes me right now, had the nerve to say that Rory McIlroy, the new king of golf is the best golfer he has ever seen.  A performance that is being described as the most historic performance in golf this past weekend… not only do we have amnesia, no it can’t be- it’s not amnesia because we chose to forget, we chose to forget due to his perceived disrespect on and off the course; so replace him we must.

Tiger was not the most beloved by golf purist because of his attitude on the golf course; his golf etiquette I guess was not up to par (no pun intended) but they tolerated the man because he provided great golf and gave all these golf analyst a job, making them wealthy men for ten years- 10 years in which tiger made millions as well, so no pity on that end.

Maybe this crowing has a lot more to do with Americans’ infatuation with young talent and always looking out for that next big thing or maybe it’s golfers feeling that Tiger never had any true competition throughout these years, now looking to this young talent, (which he is) to provide great competition and drive Tiger; If he ever comes back…maybe but I doubt it.  This I think speaks to a larger distain for Tiger combined with a hunger for golf to be big again.

Now I don’t want people to think that I don’t see the brilliance in young McIlroy or I didn’t watch this past weekend thinking about that great performance from tiger, a performance in which he was the only player under par in a major- I did and I loved every minute of it… but it made me sick watching a tournament where people spoke as if no one ever did this before- and this slap in the face to a great champion was un called for, showing  once again the elitist attitude that the culture of golf has always had.

They speak of a new era in golf not realizing that a different person has won the last 10 majors and there is so much more to prove for this young player.  But maybe I’m just late to the coronation, maybe I’m completely wrong.

Will Rory be a great all time player? I have no clue. If he continues to play the way he played, then yes of course he will; I just chose to wait until he does more and accomplishes half of what Tiger Woods has done.

Sportsphotographer.eu / Shutterstock.com

The article Rory McIlroy: Selective Amnesia In Golf appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

If the game of golf was ever thought to be in jeopardy with the absence of Tiger Woods, the answer came this past Sunday, with, quite possibly the beginning of a new era for the world of golf.

This new era includes, the young and talented 22-year-old Rory MciLRoy from Northern Ireland, who put on an epic performance at the U.S. Open. With his talent, MciLRoy seems to have the wherewithal to put his name up there among the likes of renowned golfers Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

This past Sunday, on the evening of Fathers day (June 19), the U.S. Open wrapped up with the 22 year old MciLRoy sinking a short putt and giving a casual first pump before embracing with his father; the embrace can’t help but bring back memories of a young Tiger Woods embracing his father when he won his first Major (the Masters) at Augusta National in 1997.

What could be seen as a difference between Woods and MciLRoy this past Sunday, was the way MciLRoy with his elbow bent and close to the his body— casually fist pumped, even after finishing off a performance, that historically ranks better than Wood’s performance during the 2000 U.S. (at Pebble Beach). Woods, starting from the first major he won at Augusta National, has always been known for his effervescent fist pumps, in which after wining a tournament he punches or undercuts the air with his arms and fist[s] extended.

Maybe MciLRoy casually fist pumped, because he knows he has a long way to go before breaking Woods’s and Nicklaus’s records of majors won. Maybe MciLRoy doesn’t want to count his chickens before the eggs hatch, but, if he plays the way he did this past Sunday, he will definitely be mentioned in the same sentence as these two golfing greats. If MciLRoy continues to emulate this masterful performance he just displayed, he will certainly be up there alongside his boyhood idle, Tiger Woods, as one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game.

Following his epic U.S. Open win on Sunday, MciLRoy’s credited his play to Woods, saying on breaking his boyhood idles record, “I couldn’t ask for much more…I know how good Tiger was in 2000 to win by 15 in Pebble. I was trying to go out there and emulate him in some way.”

MciLRoy’s appreciation for Woods has been documented before; in 1998, when MciLRoy was just nine years of age, BBC reporter Rod Nawn did interview and a news story on him. In foretelling manner during the news story, Nawn says,  “Remember the swing and remember the name, for at just nine-years-old Rory McIlroy from Holywood is following in the footsteps of his golfing hero, Tiger Woods.”

There is no doubt that this past Sunday brings Nawn’s prophetic words a little bit closer to fruition. On Sunday, MciLRoy beat Wood’s U.S. Open performance at Pebble Beach by 4 strokes, finishing at 16 under par— 4 ahead of Wood’s 12 under par at Pebble Beach back in 2000.  Other U.S. Open records MciLRoy holds following his win at Congressional Golf Course on Sunday, include,

• The 72-hole record at 268. (Courtesy of ESPN)

• The 54-hole record at 199. (Courtesy of ESPN)

• The 36-hole record at 131. (Courtesy of ESPN)

• Most under par at any point at 17 under. (Courtesy of ESPN)

With Sunday’s performance, MciLRoy joined Lee Jansen and Lee Trevino, “as the only players to post all four rounds in the 60s.” MciLRoy shot 65 in round one, 66 in round two, 68 in round three and 69 in round four, to finish at 268, beating Wood’s total of 272 at Pebble Beach. One more feat MciLRoy accomplished on Sunday was, becoming the, “Quickest to reach double digits under par”; in just 26 holes, MciLRoy reached 10 under, during the second round.

MciLRoy’s two best holes for the tournament came in round two on Friday, at the 8th hole and round four on Sunday, at the 10th hole; MciLRoy eagled both holes for his two best scores for the tournament. MciLRoy’s eagle, on the 8th hole was picture perfect. On an approach shot, MciLRoy, who was 114 yard away from the pin at the time, landed the ball “15 feet behind the flag”; despite the ball landing 15 feet back, it miraculously rolled towards the hole and in. The miraculous shot was so good, even Phil Michelson was applauding afterwards.

As good as MciLRoy played, the moments that summed up his performance the most seemed to be the awe inspired spectators. Their were, “chants of “Let’s go, Ror-eee” coming from the massive gallery, and teenagers climbing pine trees to see golf’s bright new star…” The up and coming MciLRoy must be a relief for people who rely on ticket sales and T.V. ratings. Some experts consider MciLRoy’s swing to be the best in golf and others even think it might be the best ever.

If MciLRoy lives up to the high-expectations that have been put upon his shoulders, the “Let’s go, Ror-eee” chants will become louder, the ticket sales and T.V. sales will soar and Rory MciLRoy will get the chance to have many memorable showdowns with his golfing hero—Tiger Woods. Who knows, maybe Rod Nawn is right about MciLRoy; maybe MciLRoy will follow in the footsteps of Woods and win 14 majors, Then again maybe MciLRoy will surpass him. MciLRoy definitely has the talent to surpass Woods, the question is: can he emulate his performance at the U.S. Open for years to come?

David W. Leindecker / Shutterstock.com

The article Rory MciLRoy-Puts On A Tiger-like-Performance At The U.S. Open appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.