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Tiger Woods splits from Sean Foley

Tiger Woods has parted ways with Sean Foley after a four years of working with the Orlando based coach. During his time with Foley, Woods won nine PGA Tour events, but, crucially, never added to his tally of 14 majors.

On a statement released on his website, the American thanked Foley for his hard work in their time spent together.

“I’d like to thank Sean for his help as my coach and for his friendship,” said the world No.12. “Sean is one of the outstanding coaches in golf today, and I know he will continue to be successful with the players working with him.

“With my next tournament not until my World Challenge event at Isleworth in Orlando, this is the right time to end our professional relationship.”

“It was a lifelong ambition of mine to teach the best player of all time in our sport.” – Sean Foley

Sean Foley, whose students include recent Barclays champion Hunter Mahan, leaves Tiger after fulfilling what he describes as a ‘lifetime ambition’.

“My time spent with Tiger is one of the highlights of my career so far,” said the Canadian. “I am appreciative of the many experiences we shared together. It was a lifelong ambition of mine to teach the best player of all time in our sport.

“I am both grateful for the things we had the opportunity to learn from one another, as well as the enduring friendship we have built. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him.”

Who’s next for Tiger Woods?

After dropping Sean Foley, the door is open for another coach to take up the role. But Tiger Woods insist he doesn’t have anyone lined yet.

“Presently, I do not have a coach, and there is no timetable for hiring one,” said the 38-year-old.

His past coaches include Butch Harmon and Hank Haney. The bridge between Woods and Haney is long since burned after Haney’s explosive book documenting his years with Woods ‘The Big Miss’.

However, there have been calls for the injured star to go back to Harmon. Whether Woods will swallow his pride, or Harman will have the time to work with Tiger again, remains to be seen.

Who will be Tiger Woods’ next coach?

Butch Harman

David Leadbetter

Chuck Cook

Randy Smith

Pete Cowan

Rick Smith

Claude Harman

Jim McLean

Peter Kostis

Michael Bannon

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PGA Tour's website lacking?

For the biggest and most lucrative golf tour in the world, the PGA Tour’s website just isn’t up to scratch. It’s hard to navigate, and sometimes times just plain frustrating.

Nobody is perfect – I’ve made more than my fair share of mistakes – yet still, for a ‘brand’ like the PGA Tour, its online presence is so poor.

In general, pgatour.com overwhelms the user as you get lost among the different offshoots and information shoved in your face.

It was recently revamped to be more mobile friendly, but that’s come at the expense of the site itself. It just isn’t as easy to use as it should be.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell what exactly you should be looking. And when you’re looking for something, you can’t find it.

Does the PGA Tour ignore the Ryder Cup?

Want to find out about the Ryder Cup? It’s a mega event. Go onto the PGA Tour’s homepage and there’s nowhere to click to get info on the biennial match. It’s like it doesn’t exist.

If you want a quick scan of the leaderboard in the latest PGA Tour event you have to work for it. Make it more visible on the homepage.

Looking to find out the leaderboard from past tournaments? Well, unless it’s last year’s standings you’re after then forget it.

If you head over to player profiles, you’ll see Tiger Woods, ranked 218th in the FedExCup rankings. Shouldn’t the No.1 player in the world be the first thing we see?

Want to know stats for a particular tournament such as driving distance, putts per round or GIR? They’re nowhere to be found, either. Those stats might be somewhere. I just gave up looking.

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Catriona Matthew on life in Scotland

Speaking to the Ladies European Tour, defending champion and two-time winner of the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, Catriona Matthew, discusses her life and loves at home.

  Where were you born and where is it exactly in the country?

Edinburgh, the Scottish capital city in the east of Scotland.

  Tell us more about where you were born.

Edinburgh is probably one of the most scenic cities in the world. It is full of history from Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace to modern day history with the Scottish Parliament. It has great museums and art galleries, one of the best universities in the world and is a great place to visit. There is something for everyone.

  What is the best thing about your country?

The fact that wherever you go, anywhere in the world, everyone knows where Scotland is and has either visited there or it is top of their list on places to go. I think that is pretty special.

  Give some examples of the traditions from your home that you like or love doing.

Every New Year’s Day we run into the sea for the New Year’s dook. It is absolutely freezing but good fun and an amazing number of people from North Berwick take part.

Tell us something about your festivities.

At Halloween we go around the neighbours’ houses with the girls and they go trick and treating. They love having a big bucket of sweets at the end of the night.

  What is your favourite place in Scotland and why?

My favourite place in Scotland is North Berwick. Its home and I feel very lucky to live in such a great place.

What are the typical food and drinks from your area that you love?

I love haggis, neeps and tatties.

  What food from your country do you like to cook?

I don’t really like cooking. I do like to cook breakfast though (pancakes or French toast) and I enjoy baking and like to make scones and cupcakes with the girls.

  Be our travel guide… what places would you recommend us to visit in your country and things to do?

Edinburgh for culture… East Lothian for golf and a quick visit over to St Andrews. You really need a good couple of weeks. Even though I am from here there are loads of places I have never been.

When you are not on tour and you are not preparing for any tournament, how do you spend a typical weekend?

A typical weekend at home is up at seven – the girls never sleep in. Usually followed by a trip to the swimming pool, park and a walk or play on the beach.

  What is the most popular sport in your country?

Football is by far and away the most popular sport in Scotland. It baffles me as to how much media coverage it gets as the standard of it is awful.

  Golf is popular too. Women’s golf in Scotland like Britain is not as popular amongst the young. I think there is almost a missing generation in most golf clubs in Britain of women between 30-45 years up the game so something needs to be done about that. Maybe more nine hole competitions so it doesn’t take so long. The pros should show an example too and play quicker.

  What are your favourite sports and teams that you support?

My favourite sports team is Manchester United and I’ve attended several games.

  Who is your favourite celebrity/personality/idol from your country?

I am most proud of all the famous inventors and scientists that have come from Scotland, but specifically Alexander Fleming for coming up with penicillin which has over the years saved countless lives.

Who is your favourite golfer and sports personalities from your country?

I think Colin Montgomerie’s consistency over the years on the European tour when he won seven in a row is incredible and something that will be hard to ever repeat.

Andy Murray is obviously the most high profile sportsman from Scotland and has been unfortunate not to have won more grand slam events. Liz McColgan is my favourite sports woman because of her drive and never give up attitude.

  What do you miss from home when you travel?

Katie and Sophie.

  Is there something unusual from your country that you could explain to us?

We have two national flags, the Saltire, blue with a white cross which also makes up part of the Union Jack symbolising our part in the UK and also the Lion Rampart, which is a yellow background with a red lion standing on its hind legs, symbolising national pride and belonging.

  What are your favourite “Scottish” sayings?

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Tiger Woods :: When will we see him again?

The career of Tiger Woods has, for the last few years in particular, been plagued by a series of questions.

Will he ever get back to his best? Has his best been and gone? Will he win another major? Will he pass Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors? What is a microdiscectomy? And those are just for starters.

However, on the back of his early exit from the PGA Championship last week, there is one question that is perhaps more pertinent than all the others: when will we next see him play?

Woods is currently 218th on the FedExCup standings and, even if he had opted to play in this week’s Wyndham Championship, the final qualifying event for the Playoffs, he’d have no chance of gaining the ground required to feature in the lucrative end-of-season shoot-out. So, The Barclays, Deutsche Bank Championship, BMW Championship and Tour Championship will take place without him.

Then there’s the Ryder Cup. For the most part of Tiger’s spell on the sidelines this season, US captain Tom Watson has insisted that he’d pick Woods if he was fit and playing well. He’s doing neither of those things. He also finished 70th in qualifying for the match at Gleneagles next month, with the nine automatic spaces for Americans sewn up at close of play in the PGA Championship last night. To have even an outside chance of getting one of Watson three’s picks on September 2, Woods would most likely have to play in an upcoming event on the European Tour, which is never going to happen. So, any hopes of seeing him in Perthshire in six weeks’ time are bleak at best.

All this takes us up to the end of September, after which Tiger traditionally doesn’t play a great amount of golf.

At 38 – 39 in December – does he have the stomach and the patience to attempt another massive comeback?

Last year, his only three post-September events were the Presidents Cup, Turkish Airlines Open on the European Tour, and his own event, the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge. Either of the last two events are an option for him, which means the earliest we are likely to see the 14-time major winner back in action again is late November.

There are three factors at play, though, which will determine whether or not that happens: Tiger’s fitness, Tiger’s need to get fit, and Tiger’s ego.

There is no question that Tiger needs to play more. He often talks of a need to get more ‘reps’. That means putting more events on the schedule but that’s something he has largely resisted.

However, with his back continuing to cause him problems, is he better shutting things down for the rest of the year and coming back stronger and fully fit in time for the start of the 2015 season? Can his ego allow him to do that and accept the inexorable slide down the world rankings that would consequently happen? At 38 – 39 in December – does he have the stomach and the patience to attempt another massive comeback? If he doesn’t, what does that do to his legacy, his legend? Does one of the greatest and most successful players of all time bow out of golf with a whimper or, as has defined much of career, a roar?

So many questions. So few answers.

Such is the career of Tiger Woods.

Tiger Woods :: Your thoughts?

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Tiger Woods :: Time to drop Sean Foley?

When the final day’s play gets underway at the PGA Championship this Sunday, it will mark four years since Tiger Woods teamed-up with swing coach Sean Foley. It is, then, the perfect time to assess Woods’ work with the Canadian.

Above all else, Tiger Woods is judged on his performances in majors. During his time with Foley, the 14-time major winner hasn’t added to the total he amassed with previous coaches Butch Harmon and Hank Haney.

Harmon was the American’s first professional coach from when he turned pro in 1996, and was with him until early 2004. In that time, the 38-year-old arguably played his best golf. Harmon guided Woods to his first major in 1997 at the Masters, and over the course of their time together, seven more majors would come Tiger’s way. The pairs greatest achievement came in 2000 – 2001, when Woods held all four majors at once. In total, Tiger Woods won 55 times on tour when working with Harmon.

In March 2004, Tiger Woods dropped Harmon and sought the services of Hank Haney. With Haney, Woods won six major championships. He won the Masters once, successive Opens in ’05 and ’06, and two PGA Championships on the bounce in ’06 and ’07. The American also won his most recent major championship, the US Open in 2008, under Haney’s teaching. From mid 2004 to the end of 2009, Tiger won more than a third of tournaments he entered – 41PGA Tour titles to be exact.

In August 2010, Tiger teamed-up with Sean Foley, who has worked with the likes of Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose. Since that time, Woods has struggled with injury and, consequently, his form. He’s won nine times on the PGA Tour since 2010, the Players Championship last year, arguably, his most notable success.

Crucially, though, Tiger is in the midst of a six-year major drought, and Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors looks to be fading over the horizon.

So, since he began working with Sean Foley in 2010, it’s clear he hasn’t been as successful as previously. Injuries have played their part, for sure, but do you think Tiger Woods needs a change? Should he drop Sean Foley?

Have your say on Tiger Woods in our poll below.

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70-year-old thanked by Tiger returns to action

Jim Howard, a PGA pro who received personal thanks from Tiger Woods on his retirement, is set to tee it up again in the PGA Super 60s at Thorpeness Golf Club from August 14-15.

Personal letters received from the 14-time major winner upon Howard’s retirement take pride of place in Howard’s Gwent home. Although, the 70-year-old remains modest as to his impact on Woods’ career.

“For me colour was never an issue.” – Jim Howard

“Tiger said it was thanks to people like myself that had opened the door for the likes of him to get into golf,” said Howard.

“But coming from Liverpool it was just a question of ‘if you are good enough you get on’. For me colour was never an issue, it’s all about how much work you are prepared to put in.”

Jim Howard heads to the Suffolk gem eager to catch up with old friends carved out during 35 years as head professional at Pontypridd in South Wales. Howard will also have a new playing partner – Rob Watkins – by his side in the £10,000 event.

Jim Howard v Bob Hope

Howard enjoyed a successful career in golf after becoming the first black PGA professional, with highlights including playing golf with Bob Hope as a young assistant at Wyke Green.

Howard’s first job in golf was with famous club-maker Jack Lovelock at Wyke Green in Middlesex. It was there that he ended up playing golf with the Hollywood legend.

The funnyman, flying into film in London, had seen the Wyke Green course from his plane on the approach to Heathrow and, as film stars do, on a whim decided he wanted a game.

“He called me again for a game when he was next in the country.” – Jim Howard

Hope phoned up, and Lovelock duly dispatched Howard to play a round with him.

It was an experience Jim Howard would never forget.

“I couldn’t quite believe it to be honest but he was quite a good player and he called me again for a game when he was next in the country,” recalled Howard.

“He also took the trouble to send me a letter and some trinkets for playing with him.”

Jim Howard back to ‘chew the fat’

With his interest in course design, Howard will certainly savour the James Braid designed course at Thorpness, but he is equally is looking forward to the chat and banter with his fellow PGA pros.

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Paul Lawrie joins sons for par-3 contest

Paul Lawrie is set to make his Farmfoods British Par-3 Championship debut this August, with the 1999 Open champ being joined by his sons Craig and Michael.

Craig Lawrie played in the event last year and won the Norma C Herd Silver Salver, recognition of the best placed finish by an amateur. Paul Lawrie’s son Michael will also play in the event, making it a real family affair for the Aberdonians.

Matthew Hayes, managing director of Champions (UK) plc – the event organiser – said he was delighted to welcome the two-time Ryder Cup star to the championship. Hayes knows Lawrie – a player who has won eight times on tour – is a great addition to the championship held at Nailcote Hall, Warwickshire.

“Paul Lawrie is without doubt one of the finest players to have played on the European Tour.” – Matthew Hayes

“Each year the Farmfoods British Par-3 Championship attracts some of the biggest names in world golf and this year is no different,” said Hayes.

“Paul Lawrie is without doubt one of the finest players to have played on the European Tour and we are very honoured that he will attend this year’s Championship.”

Overview of the British Par-3 Championship

Lawrie will be at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire for the Pro Am competition, which takes place on the middle two days of the event on August 6-7.

The British Par-3 Championship has been held at Nailcote Hall since 1998 and is the richest Par-3 tournament in the world, with a total prize fund of £100,000.

The event will be hosted by Europe’s most successful Ryder Cup captain, Tony Jacklin CBE, and takes place between August 5-8.

It features the Championship Pro-Am competition and two Celeb-Am contests, offering golf lovers the once in a lifetime opportunity to play with stars of the European Tour and Senior’s Tour, or a well-known personality from the world of sport or entertainment.

Celebrities joining Paul Lawrie

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Justin Rose :: 'This would be a dream'

It doesn’t take long for someone to transform from possible contender to favourite to win – just ask Justin Rose.

Wins in his last two events have seen the Englishman move up to third in the world rankings and he is labelled as bookies’ favourite to win the Open Championship, and he says there’s no reason why he can’t meet those expectations.

Rose said: “Had I not won in Aberdeen, I think this week would be a realistic opportunity, and I don’t feel it any less realistic because I won last week.

“I think the odds go more in my favour just through confidence and the experience of having done that the last couple of weeks.

“Winning a major championship is never easy, no matter what the circumstances are, so for me, the goal is to trust my game, to get a good game plan going, to not get ahead of myself, to get on the first tee Thursday fresh and ready to play.

“If I commit to all the things I know I have to do, all my skills, let them all come out this week, then I’m going to give myself an opportunity.”

For Justin Rose, winning the Open is something he has dreamed of since a very young age, and it was in this very competition that he first announced his arrival on the world stage by winning the silver medal back in 1998.

“This is the one that I holed the putt as a junior to win on the putting green through years of practice. I’ve won the Open Championship thousands of times in my mind. This is probably the one I’ve dreamed about most.

“I think when you’re chasing major championships, any of them will do. But if you’re lucky enough to win this one, I think it would be incredibly special.”

Justin Rose – Can he do it?