Camilo Villegas - A future major champion?

Watched the USPGA with interest last week and the man I followed most closely was Camilo Villegas as he is my favourite golfer and I had a few euros on him... This guy played really good golf all week and only for a few silly mistakes would have won this tournament! He really rallied on day 4 and had he to par 9 and 10 of his final round he would have found himself in a playoff... Ifs and buts I know but still it was a really good performance from him!

Anyway what I am wanting to know is do you think Camilo will win a major? I think next year he will definately challenge in at least one of the majors and I will be very surprised if he does not win a major in the next couple of years...
Thoughts?

Even when Tiger loses, golf wins

So Tiger lost the USPGA and is still on 14 majors. The press want him to catch Jack so they can unequivocally state he's the greatest of all time. Most of the fans want it too, we love to see someone with such talent fulfilling their destiny.

But win or lose, Tiger is the news in golf. Knee injury? Cue bizarre articles: "inside Tiger's injury"; "will Tiger be the same on his return?". But now he's back and that's all that matters for the TV ratings. Missing the cut at the British will have been a big disappointment - though Tom Watson saved the day and made the job a lot easier for the headline-writers.

Take the following extract from PGA CEO Joe Steranka:

"You can't quantify Tiger's impact," Steranka told Reuters in an interview during Sunday's final round at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota.

"It's just extraordinary to consider all the aspects of the sport of golf, the sports industry and general entertainment that he's affecting."

TV ratings were up 150% over last year's tournament - a direct result of Tiger being back. Last year's championship saw two Europeans (Harrington and Garcia) fight out a brilliant finale. This year saw the biggest thing in golf and an unknown underdog fight it out. In reality, figures should have been similar. But you're not thinking Tiger-logic.

"Looking at the galleries you wouldn't know there's any economic downturn," said Steranka, reflecting on crowds of about 40,000 a day at Hazeltine. Our attendance is way up over last year."

He added, however: "We were in Detroit (in 2008) at the start of the recession, Tiger was not playing because of injury, so everything is up considerably over last year."

Make no mistake - Tiger is golf right now. He's effectively bailing the other guys out of this recession - the rain he makes doesn't just get him wet, it trickles all the way down.

Source: Reuters

So Tiger lost the USPGA, but who to? Y.E. Yang factfile

Tiger Woods' first loss when taking a lead into the fourth round of a major was a massive surprise - almost as much as the identity of the man who beat him. I'm sure Yang will forgive is when we say Y.E. Who? So here's our factfile on the newest major champion in golf.

Personal

Name: Yang Yong-eun
DOB: 15 January 1972 (1972-01-15) (age 37)
Country of Birth: South Korea
Residence: South Korea
Height: 5ft 9in.
Weight: 88 kg (190 lb; 13.9 st)

Career

Turned pro: 1996
Average driving distance: 292.1 yards
Major wins: 1
Previous best performance at a major: Tied for 30 at 2007 Masters
Pro wins: 9

What clubs does Yang use?

DRIVER: TaylorMade r7 Limited (Aldila NV, 75 grams), 8.5 degrees
3-WOOD: TaylorMade Burner, 13 degrees
5-WOOD: TaylorMade V Steel, 18 degrees
HYBRID CLUBS: TaylorMade Rescue TP (19, 21 degrees)
IRONS (5-PW): TaylorMade r7 TP
BALL: TaylorMade TP Red LDP

Monty's fall from grace

Poor old Monty didn't just miss the cut at Oakland Hills, he crashed out and equalled his worst ever round at a major championship - 84. He had previously shot the same score in appalling conditions at Muirfield in 2002 and stated: "That's the most difficult day since my poor score at Muirfield in 2002 – but the conditions added to that one,"

"Unfortunately, it was a reasonably good day today.

"I got off to a bad start and kept it going. When you get on a bogey run around here it’s very difficult to get off it. The course is very, very severe."

Montgomerie was instrumental in Europe's success at this course in 2004 but looked a shadow of his former self. Well actually he looked pretty porky, but you get what we mean.

Always ready to berate a reporter, the cantankerous Scot took exception to one reporter who chuckled at one of his answers: "Make that your last laugh".

We feel the last laugh was anyone's but Montgomerie's.

Whinging Poulter fumes at PGA

Everyone's favourite golfing clothes horse Ian Poulter dramatically lambasted the PGA Tour officials for their setup of the course at Oakland Hills stating: "I drove it a little better and had more shots from the fairway which makes it a little easier, but you are just trying not to bleed to death out there,"

"It's just like the PGA to slice your throat on the first tee and you have to try and make it round to the 18th without dying.

"I wish I was a couple better yesterday. I putted really well today with two putts for distance, so it is okay.

"But it is just frustrating when you stand on par threes and you are hitting five iron and aiming for a greenside bunker because you know that is the only way you can make par.

"That's pretty sad. I am very disappointed we are having to do that on such a great golf course just because of the infatuation of having to put 30 yards on par threes when they think we are hitting irons 30 yards past where we used to.

"We might hit our drives 30 yards further but we are certainly not hitting our irons, so why should we be aiming for bunkers to try and make par? That personally is not right, is not on, it's unacceptable."

Pink Poulter put in a creditable performance (phew) at last month's Open Championship, and certainly isn't out of the running on day three at the USPGA. Maybe the game does need a few dramatists to spice it up.