Thursday, 29 January 2009
European Ryder Cup Captain Finally Announced
Despite a late spanner in the works by Jose Maria Olazabal, the worst kept secret in world golf was finally confirmed at the European Tour Tournament Committee meeting in Dubai. Golf Predictor wishes Colin the best of luck in his difficult new job. We anticipate that his brilliant record and five triumphs in Ryder Cup matches will inspire his team to greater things!
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
How to Win a Golf Tournament
We here at Golf Predictor would never suggest that the golfers practiced more after getting hitched to get away from domestic nagging! Rather, the obvious reason is that the golfers are blissfully happy and the support of a loving wife propelled them to victory!
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Week 8 Betting Performance
Monday, 26 January 2009
2009 - Week 9 Predictions Online
Both tournament entry lists this week feature many former champions. The list of pre-2004 champions in the FBR Open (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Chris DiMarco (2002), Mark Calcavecchia (2001, 1992 & 1989), Tom Lehman (2000), Rocco Mediate (1999), Jesper Parnevik (1998), Phil Mickleson (1996), Tommy Armour III (1990) and Paul Azinger (1987). The corresponding list for the Dubai Desert Classic is Robert-Jan Derksen (2003), Ernie Els (2002, 1994), Thomas Bjorn (2001), Jose Coceres (2000), David Howell (1999) Jose Maria Olazabal (1998), Richard Green (1997) and Colin Montgomerie (1996).
Sunday, 25 January 2009
2009 - Week 8 Winners
Stricker Takes Over as Duck Hunter in Chief!
Former champion, Jesper Parnevik, shot a 61 yesterday but still missed the cut in this unrelenting birdie fest! If Stricker continues in this vein on the final day, he'll breach the -40 mark, which would be an unbelievable score. We here at Golf Predictor think that they'll have to think about blindfolding the golfers next year as this is getting ridiculous!
Saturday, 24 January 2009
Golf Book Recommendation
Be warned however - it may disabuse you of your dream! It can't have been all that bad though; the book is gushingly dedicated to the golfer!
*We are not connected to the author in any way!!
Friday, 23 January 2009
European Ryder Cup Captaincy Saga Continues
The long winded process for selecting the Ryder Cup captaincy has taken yet another twist. Jose Maria Olazabal has thrown a spanner in the works by announcing that he wants to captain Europe in Wales in 2010. While it was previously reported far and wide that Monty had it in the bag, Olazabal has decided not to wait until 2012 before going for the honour. He apparently wanted to play his way into the 2010, but unfortunately his ongoing injury problems (including rheumatism) seem to have put paid to that idea.
Where this leaves the overall state of things remains unclear. Will Faldo's vice-captain be promoted or while Monty get the gig? Rumour has it that Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle are not out of the running either. The intrigue will finally be ended next Wednesday in Dubai, when the European Tour Tournament Committee meet again. We at Golf Predictor hope the dithering stops then!
Japanese Prodigy Invited to Masters
Rory McIlroy won't be the youngest pro teeing it up in the Masters this year following the announcement by the green blazers that the young Japanese sensation, Ryo Ishikawa, has been given one of the international invitations.
Ishikawa-san is only 17 years and four months but is already a seasoned pro. He is currently number 5 on the Japanese money list, the youngest ever to win a tournament on a major tour (when he was a mere 15!) and the youngest pro ever to break into the world top 100. He's currently ranked 60th, so he could still make the Masters under his own steam. Not a bad record for someone not technically a man yet!
We here at Golf Predictor say gambatte kudasai (good luck/do your best) to Ishikawa-san!
Perez Shoots Record Number of Ducks!
Thursday, 22 January 2009
English Open cancelled
Let's hope that they can sort themselves out and get back on track for 2011 as planned. Regrettably, we have removed the tournament from Golf Predictor.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Charts and Amendment for 'Results By Positon (All)' Page

2009 - Week 8 Prediction Update (Bob Hope)
Best Golfers Never to Win a Major
- Colin Montgomerie. Without a doubt, Monty is one of the finest golfers Europe has ever produced. Winner of a record eight Order of Merits and many time Ryder Cup hero, poor old Colin kept heaping the pressure on himself in the majors. His best chances came mainly in the US Open and he was somewhat unlucky on occasion. However, he did choke once or twice, most famously with a seven iron on the 72nd fairway in the 2006 US Open. Unfortunately, it looks like his chance is gone, although Jack Nicklaus won his last major at 46 and Kenny Perry (see below) should have won at 48....
- Sergio Garcia. Despite dodgy pressure putting, definitely the best player today without a major under his belt. He's had his chances too, from the youthful exuberance of his audacious challenge (including the wonder shot) to Tiger during the 1999 US PGA to choking down the stretch in the 2008 US PGA. While Harrington seems to have his measure (much to his chagrin), it is only fair to point out that he missed a par putt on the 72nd hole to win the 2007 British Open by a fraction (guess who won?!). If that had gone in, who's to say Garcia and his nemesis wouldn't have swapped recent histories?
- Adam Scott. The man whose swing is more Tiger-like than even Tiger's! He's going through a sticky patch, but Scott is a class player who definitely has the swing (see above!) to win a major, if not the putting. His best performance thus far is a third place in the 2006 US PGA. He has had a couple of other top tens in the majors, but it's about time he got the result his talent deserves.
- Lee Westwood. A long time stalwart of the European Tour, Westwood was never really in the running for a major victory (despite 3 top six finishes) until 2009. However, a rush of blood to the head on the 72nd green cost him a chance of victory in the British Open. He has the game and the temperament to win a big one, but he better get his skates on!
- Kenny Perry*. The token American in the list, Perry is the highest all-time money winner on the US PGA Tour without a major. Arguably the best ever over forty golfer (at least until Tiger gets that old!), the 49 year old is still in the world top five. He's had his chances, losing a 1996 play-off to Mark Brooks in the US PGA Championship and more recently throwing away a two shot lead with two to play at the 2009 Masters. Time is against him now so will that be his last chance for a major title?
*Replaces Stewart Cink who finally won a major at the 2009 British Open Championship!
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
European Ryder Cup Captain "Not Known"!
Word on the street is that the players favoured a younger man who was more in touch with the current players. Many took this as a swipe at the outgoing captain, Nick Faldo, who was never much of a people person (to say the least!). Lyle's runner from last year's British Open didn't do him any favours and Olazabal wants to play his way on the team. Many, including Harrington, were surprised that Monty would take the job now instead of doing likewise. Many thought he would set his sights on the role for the 2014 Ryder Cup in his native Scotland.
Still, the European Tour seem to be making a hames out of the appointment procedure. We here at Golf Predictor don't know why they thought it wouldn't get out. Full marks to the decisive Americans for the announcement of Corey Pavin as their captain. Let's hope all this pfaffing around is not a sign of things to come for the Europeans.
Monday, 19 January 2009
2009 - Week 8 Predictions Online
The list of pre-2004 champions in the Bob Hope Classic (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) includes Mike Weir (2003), Joe Durant (2001), Jesper Parnevik (2000), David Duval (1999), Fred Couples (1998) and Mark Brooks (1996). The corresponding list for the Qatar Masters is defending champion Adam Scott (2002), Rolf Muntz (2000), Paul Lawrie (1999) and Andrew Coltart (1998).
2009 - Week 7 Betting Performance
While Perry let us down, it was looking very good for Hanson until the back nine on Sunday. A poor finish of +1 on the homeward stretch allowed several players to overtake him. He slid from a safe 5th to a tie for 10th as we agonisingly followed the tournament. Unfortunately, the 3 way tie for 10th meant our original odds (9/2) were divided by 3. We won't be retiring on those winnings and we more or less ended up even for the 2 transactions. Just one less shot from Hanson over the week and we'd have been in the black! Ah well, there's always next time!
2009 - Week 7 Winners
The US PGA Tour stayed in Hawaii for the second week in a row for the Sony Open. Zach Johnson (ranked 12th by Golf Predictor) claimed his fifth PGA Tour title, holding off Adam Scott (ranked 8th) and David Toms (ranked 26th). It wasn't a good week for the big names and our top pick, Geoff Ogilvy, finished in a tie for 32nd place. We had about 6 out of the top 15.
*Two of our top 10 ranked players (Jimenez and Schwartzel) did not compete, so we bump those ranked lower up 2 places.
Friday, 16 January 2009
Campbell's Hawaiian Boo-Boo
What a sickener, but we here at Golf Predictor reckon that there are far worse places that you could end up in with nothing to do! Campbell reportedly played a round of golf on a different course on Sunday morning before heading back to Dallas that evening, no doubt feeling fairly foolish!
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
'Results By Positon' Pages Added to Golf Predictor
The first page allows you to find out who finished in a particular position at a particular tournament. Clicking on the 'All Tournaments' link brings you to a page which allows you to find out who finished in a particular position at all tournaments in the chosen season. You can go back to the first page using the 'Specific Tournament' link.
These pages allow you to find out who finished in certain positions without the need to sift through entire tournament results. Note that some positions do not exist in some tournaments due to ties e.g. if 2 golfers are tied third, there is no 4th place. Also, some tournament fields are bigger than others, so searching for positions at the tail end may not return any results for certain events.
In both pages, you simply enter a position in the text box and press the 'Find' Button to see the results for the selected tournament/season. You may alter the season/tour/tournament selections to see who finished in the same position with your new choice(s).
Entering '1' in the position box on the 'All Tournament' page returns the same results as the 'Tournament Winners' page. However, this new page is much more flexible, allowing you to see, for example, all the runners up or all those who finished 5th in a season.
Just another way to make Golf Predictor even better for our users! We hope you find this new functionality useful.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
New Winners Charts Added to Golf Predictor
In addition to the 'winners by nationality' charts, there are now 2 new 'wins by golfer' charts. These show who has won the most tournaments in a given season on a given tour. These charts are similar (but not the same) as the charts available in the 'Stats Analysis\Season History' page. Those existing charts only contain golfers competing that week and exclude the results of the current tournament (and all future ones that season).
These 2 new charts are available to all Golf Predictor members, whether you are subscribed or not. As usual, hovering over a bar gives more information. That brings the total number of charts on the site up to an impressive 84!
Poulter to Undergo Eye Surgery
One wonders if he will continue to wear the loud outfits when his eyes get repaired!!
Results By Player Page Updated
This should make the page load quicker as now only players who played on the selected tour in the selected season are displayed. Previously, all players (from both tours) were displayed, regardless of what tour you may have been solely interested in. We have also modified the results to display the tour as all the golfer's tournaments that season on both tours will be displayed.
Monday, 12 January 2009
2009 - Week 7 Predictions Online
The list of pre-2004 champions in the Sony Open (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years) stretches all the way back to 1986 and includes Ernie Els (2003), Jerry Kelly (2002), Brad Faxon (2001), Paul Azinger (2000), Jeff Sluman (1999), John Huston (1998) and Corey Pavin (1986, 1987). This is only the fourth year of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship so all winners are accounted for in the system.
2009 - Week 6 Winners
On the European Tour, Richard Sterne (ranked 1st by Golf Predictor) decided to let someone else win a tournament in South Africa for a change. Sterne could only manage 12th place in the Joburg Open as he failed to be the first man since Seve to win three European Tour events in a row. In the end, Anders Hansen (ranked 9th) birdied the par 5 18th to secure the title by a single shot. We also had Charl Schwartzel, Andrew McLardy, and Louis Oosthuizen in the top ten. Retief Goosen finished in some style with a two on the last. By holing out from 216 yards with a three iron, The Goose managed to finish the tournament with one albatross, two eagles and sixteen birdies. That's quite an avian collection!!
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Asia Win Royal Trophy
The European team may have to take on Antarctica to win a team event by the looks of things!
Saturday, 10 January 2009
Tiger gets $65k for not Competing in Hawaii?
If this is true, it's the best example of "Nice work, if you can get it" that we here at Golf Predictor have ever heard of! Many of us would happily hack a ball around a field for a few days (or a year!) for that kind of dosh, never mind to get it for NOT doing it!
Recession, what recession? Just as well the US PGA locked in sponsors on multi-year deals. If the economy doesn't pick up over the next year or so, big pay cheques will become scarce, even if you have to "earn" them by playing.
Pop Ups Added to Golf Predictor
The text pop ups are marked by green text with a dotted line underneath. The pop up panels and the collapsible sections are also green to keep with the overall look of the site. One of the new pop ups on the Golf Predictor home page lists our subscription rates. This makes Golf Predictor more transparent for prospective members. Previously, one had to register first to find these rates on the Subscription page in the Member section.
Friday, 9 January 2009
Irish Open Finally Gets a Home
After Adare Manor and Mount Juliet both baulked at holding this year's event, an element of desperation was creeping into the search for a replacement. Even Baltray was considered out of bounds as the Lancome Women's Irish Close was scheduled for the same weekend. However, the ILGU took one for the team and agreed to step aside. Unfortunately, now the ladies have to scramble for a new host course at short notice.
Now that it's been finalised, we've added the Irish Open to Golf Predictor.
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Singh Faces Knee Surgery
According to the man himself, it only hurts when he's walking downhill. Too bad then that the Plantation Course at Kapalua is very hilly. Singh used a golf cart in the pro-am, which doesn't bode well for the tournament. It might be prudent to factor this injury into your betting/fantasy golf selections.
Christmas Competition Results
Stay tuned for more Golf Predictor competitions during the year ahead. You'll have to read the blog posts though as any competitions will be embedded in existing posts, just like the Christmas one. We like to reward our regular readers!
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
2009 US PGA Tour Fall Series Added to Golf Predictor
There is still outstanding information on some European PGA Tour events. When this data becomes available, we will of course update our system.
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Most AJAX Functionality Removed from sIte
This is a known issue with AJAX but there are solutions available. Unfortunately, due to matters beyond my control, I are unable to implement the solution at this juncture. I hope to be able to rectify this at some point in the near future. In the meantime, we have reverted back to non-AJAX pages, except for the Tournament Locations and Golfers pages.
I apologise for any inconvenience caused, but at least Golf Predictor still has the same great content!
GOLFERS CAN GO DEAF!
Golfers playing with the Golf Predictor Guru are more likely to be deafened by the string of expletives that invariably follow every shot!!!
Monday, 5 January 2009
2009 - Week 6 Predictions Online
Ernie Els (2003) and Davis Love III (1993) are the two pre-2004 champions in the Mercedes Benz Championship field (Golf Predictor uses the results from the previous 5 years). This is only the third year of the Joburg Open so all winners are accounted for in the system.
Sunday, 4 January 2009
European PGA Tour Boasting About Members
An impressive number of the top players on the US PGA Tour have been tempted by the injection of Arab moolah and will compete as full members or affiliates this year. While there is no doubt that the Race to Dubai has boosted the European Tour considerably, openly bragging about it seems to take the lustre off it somewhat.
Friday, 2 January 2009
Daly Banned from US PGA Tour for Six Months
This is one time Daly is probably glad he isn't a full member of the US tour and reliant on invitations. There was also a timely profession of love for the European Tour which has rather bravely welcomed him into its bosom for the lucrative 2009 season. Let's just hope for John's sake that there are no Hooters restaurants in Europe!!
What did you shoot?
Sounds like more target practice is required and any prospective invaders of Indonesia need not be overly worried about getting hit!