At the Monday practice round at Augusta for the 2012 Masters, Martin Kaymer skips his ball across the water and into the hole much to the excitement of the crowd. Amazing!

If you won’t believe it until you see it, watch it in the video below:

Ernie Els says he has only himself to blame after he failed to qualify for the first Major of the year.

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Big Easy will not be driving down Magnolia Lane when the Masters starts at Augusta on Thursday.

Els said on his website that “Obviously I’m disappointed to not be in this year’s Masters. Since I’ve been a professional at this level I’ve always played Augusta National and enjoyed it. To be honest, it’ll be quite a weird feeling not being there.”

After slipping out of the top 50 world rankings, Els needed to win the Shell Houston Open on the PGA tour last week in order to take the last spot in this year’s maiden Major championship. Earlier in the year, Els did mention that he would attempt to qualify for the Masters but a poor performance during the 2011 season has left him unqualified.

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Tiger Woods‘s victory drought has finally come to an end when he recently won the Chevron World Challenge, his first title in two years. His last victory was at the 2009 Australian Open.  A stroke behind fellow American Zach Johnson overnight, Woods fired a 3-under-par 69 at Sherwood Country Club in California to claim the 95th tournament win of his career.

Over the last two years, Woods has slipped from first to 52nd place in the world rankings as he struggled both with his fitness, form and his scandalous personal life that made a number of news headlines over the time it was exposed. Woods had gone 26 starts worldwide in more than two years without a victory as the personal struggles were followed by injuries that reduced his playing time and stalled his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles at 14.

Woods drained a 15-footer at the par-three 17th before coolly knocking in a six-footer on the 18th green and then celebrating with a roundhouse sweep through the air with his right arm. While the Challenge is not an official PGA Tour tournament, it counts toward the world rankings. ”It feels awesome, whatever it is,” said Woods, who is expected to rise from his current 52nd place in world rankings to 21st.

Johnson said he had few regrets on the day but was unhappy with his 18-foot birdie attempt at the last, which curled away from the hole and set the stage for Woods.  ”That’s the one that was frustrating,” Johnson said after which he commented that Woods is the most experienced and best player he has played against.

source: ABC News

There certainly isn’t much love lost between the world’s second and eighth placed golfers. Lee Westwood was unmistakably verbal about Rory Mcllroy’s meteoric rise to the top of the leader board at the US Open, and not in the way you might think. He was quoted as saying in reference to the eight stroke lead held by the Northern Irishmen “They don’t give trophies away” followed closely by “He had a big lead in a major and didn’t deal with it well before.”

This is in stark contrast to the hunky-dory picture of friendly bliss painted by Chubby Chandler, agent to both men. The spin-doctor enchanted the media with stories of scheduled dinners, which apparently both the former Ryder Cup teammates were extremely keen to attend.

So why this sudden surge of bad blood between the two European Tour aces that has them chucking snide remarks back and forth on social networks?  (more…)

Rory McIlroy won the US open on Sunday by eight shots and became the youngest winner  of the championship since 1923.

Eight strokes in front overnight, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman maintained ice-cool composure while carding a two-under-par 69 on a humid and overcast day at Congressional Country Club to claim his first major title.

After safely parring the last where he two-putted from just off the front of the green, he clenched his right fist and pumped it in celebration as he broke into a smile.

“It’s a great feeling,” a beaming McIlroy told reporters after posting a tournament record total of 16-under 268 to leave his nearest challengers trailing in his wake.

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Luke Donald dethroned Lee Westwood as golf‘s world number one on Sunday when he beat his fellow Briton in the PGA Championship at Wentworth.

After the pair had finished 72 holes tied on 278 — six under par — Donald produced a birdie four at the first extra hole to pick up the first prize of 750000 euros ($1,07 million).

Donald, who started the week ranked second in the world, struck a majestic third with his wedge at the 18th and the ball spectacularly spun back to finish eight feet from the hole to loud cries from the West Course crowd of ‘Luke, Luke, Luke’.

Westwood played an almost replica wedge shot to his Ryder Cup foursomes partner but his ball unluckily spun back into the moat at the front of the green and his hopes of remaining at the top of the rankings were effectively ruined.

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Tiger Woods left TPC Sawgrass in a courtesy car after just nine holes yesterday to once again fill fans with uncertainty.