Rafael Cabrara-Bello Dreaming of the Masters

Rafael Cabrera-Bello from Spain  is desperate to win the Hassan II Trophy in Morocco and claim a last-gasp debut entrance into the Masters.

The Spaniard is one of five golfers in the field at the Golf du Palais Royal in Agadir who can sneak into the world's top 50 with a tournament victory and therefore bag an invite to the opening major of the season.
The 28-year-old currently sits in 65th place in the official world rankings, but a victory in Morocco will see him earn a dream debut at Augusta.
Four other players can also book their tickets to Georgia with a victory in Morocco - with Scotland's Stephen Gallacher, Richie Ramsay and Scott Jamieson along with Germany's Marcel Siem all having the top 50 in their sights.
"The main reason I am here is to try to win this tournament and get into The Masters," Cabrera-Bello told europeantour.com.

Marcel Siem 4 Shots Clear in Morocco

Marcel Siem from Germany moved four shots clear of the field in the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco after a third-round 69 at Golf du Palais Royal.

Siem started the day three shots clear and despite bookending his round with a couple of sixes at the first and 17th holes, five birdies kept him on course for a third European Tour victory.

The 32-year-old Siem, who needs to win on Sunday to climb into the world's top 50 and earn a place in the Masters, finished the day on 15-under-par.

Spain's Pablo Larrazabal, 2011 champion David Horsey of England and Finland's Mikko Ilonen are all tied for second place on 11-under

 

Tiger Woods in New Skateboarding Commercial for Nike

A new commercial from Nike sees Tiger Woods and Neymar join forces to celebrate 20 years of skateboarding phenomenon Eric Koston.
The Nike Skateboarding launch features a range of famous athletes with US golfer Woods and Brazilian footballer raving over Koston in this humorous commercial.

 

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Rory Will Play in Texas

Rory McIlroy made the decision to play at the Texas Open over lunch with his caddie JP(Fitzgerald). A third round 71 at the Shell Houston Open saw him close to his best for 12 holes which out him in the top 5 only to spoil the hard work with some silly mistakes later on in the day!

'It was after my second round that my caddie, JP [Fitzgerald], asked me why didn't I add an event before Augusta, because he could see I was close to playing well,' said McIlroy. 'To be honest, I'd not even considered it because I had the week planned out. But the more I thought about it over lunch, the more I could see the wisdom in what he was saying, so we decided to go for it.'

At the 13^th MvIlroy had a five-foot birdie putt to sink that would have moved  him into the top 5 with a five under par for the day. After some good play everything was looking brighter but he missed the putt then continued to drop shots at the 14^th and 18^th ending on a 71- and trailing by nine shots.

'They're just silly mental mistakes that I feel are coming about because I'm still a bit rusty,' he said. 'I've not played a lot this year and I need to play more before I get to Augusta. So now I've got another round here and, hopefully, four more rounds next week.'

'That's the best I've struck the ball for a while and everything is moving in the right direction. Now I just have to eradicate the stupid errors,' he said.

Rory Falters - D A Points Leads

 

DA Points leads the Houston Open after the first round with Rory McIlroy in danger of missing the cut.

Brian Davis, Lee Westwood and Greg Owen lead the British challenge but McIlroy is nine shots behind American leaders Points.
Points made the most of a superb start to fire an eight-under-par 64 to lead by one from compatriots Cameron Tringale and John Rollins.
Davis is three shots off the lead, with Westwood and Owen a further shot behind.
But there was no upturn in fortunes for McIlroy, whose poor form this year has seen him lose the world No 1 spot to Tiger Woods. He was one-over for a share of 88th and in danger of failing to make the cut.

Shell Houston Open- Rory Could Regain Number 1 Spot

 So now it's Rory McIlroy's turn. Tiger took the Number 1 spot after his win in Orlando last week and is taking time off to relax. Which means that Rory can gain his Number 1 spot back with a win at the Shell Houston Open as he continues his preparation for The Masters.
Golf lovers are hoiping for a  show down between the pair at Augusta Tiger is on fire, following victories at the Farmers Insurance Open and Cadillac Championship with his latest Arnold Palmer Invitational win and McIlroy will have to turn up the heat to keep in the race when he plays at Redstone.

 

 

 
Course: Redstone Tournament Course, par 72, 7441 yards
Last year's winner: Hunter Mahan
TV: Sky Sports from pm on Thursday
Bookies' favourite: Rory McIlroy

Ladies European Tour (LET) - Access Series adds new tournament in Turkey

   

                                                  National Golf Club

The LET Access Series has announced a new tournament this year that will be played at National Golf Club in Antalya, Turkey.
The Access Turkish Open will be played on 26-28 November 2013 with a field of 78 competitors. The 54-hole strokeplay event will have a €30,000 purse.
The tournament will be played at the same venue as the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open, which has been played four times on the Ladies European Tour in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and will be played for a fifth occasion on 9-12 May this year.
Dr. Bulent Goktuna, President of Mineks International, the event Promoter and The National Golf Club said: “I am delighted to expand our cooperation with LET by adding the end of season event to the Access Series. We endorse our commitment to the promotion of professional ladies golf in Turkey.  We will do all we can to ensure that the competitors will have a memorable stay both on and off the golf course”
The Access Turkish Open brings the number of tournaments on the 2013 LET Access Series schedule to 13, in eight different nations, thereby continuing to provide greater playing opportunities for young female golfers considering a step-up to the Ladies European Tour.
Tour Director Di Barnard said: “The Access Turkish Open in November will provide an exciting end of season climax for the players, who will all relish the opportunity to test their skills on the challenging course at National Golf Club. We can see from the past four editions of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open, won by Lotta Wahlin, Melissa Reid and Christel Boeljon in 2011 and 2012 respectively, that National Golf Club provides a stern but fair test of golf and is sure to produce a deserving champion.”
At the close of the 2013 LETAS season, the top five players on the 2013 Ranking will earn membership of the Ladies European Tour while players in sixth to 20th positions will have the opportunity to progress to the final stage of Lalla Aicha Tour School for 2014.
Ladies European Tour (LET) - Access Series adds new tournament in Turkey

Ladies European Tour (LET) - Beth Allen grabs clubhouse lead on day two

   

Beth Allen

Beth Allen of the United States grabbed the clubhouse lead with a three under par 68 at Golf de l’Ocean in Agadir on Friday morning.
The 31-year-old from San Diego birdied the 10^th and 12^th holes before dropping a shot at the 14^th. She then picked up shots at 15 and 16 before dropping another at 17 for back nine total of two under par, before she hit two further birdies against a bogey on the front nine for a 36 hole total of four under par. 
The sixth year LET professional explained that conditions were much easier than the previous day.
“There’s not as much wind, the greens are miles better than yesterday afternoon so it was a lot, lot easier than yesterday and I think we got lucky with the draw,” she said.
“I probably played a little better but not much better than yesterday. I still had two three putts, really stupid mistakes, but it was similar, I just thought the conditions were better today. I did make some pretty stupid mistakes. I wish that at least I could get two of those back and I’d be happier but still it’s a good spot to be in.”
First round leader Marianne Skarpnord of Norway started at five under par but had dropped back to four under par after a birdie against two bogeys in her first six holes this afternoon.
LET rookies Mallory Fraiche of the United States and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand were also at four under and right in the hunt after nine and six holes in their second rounds respectively.
Conditions are sunny and warm, at around 25C, with wind speeds much weaker than Thursday, blowing from 12-18 miles per hour.
Ladies European Tour (LET) - Beth Allen grabs clubhouse lead on day two

Tigers Text To Rory - Get Your Finger OUT ...

Rory McIlroy thought he would wait for the fuss to die down a little before texting Tiger Woods to congratulate his friend!

Tiger’s response? 'Thanks, bud. Get your finger out of your ass and win this week.' 

‘You can tell he is in a good place both on and off the course, with Lindsey (Tiger’s new girlfriend, American skier Lindsey Vonn) and everything. We spoke this morning, the first time we had done so for a fortnight and he’s very happy. I enjoy his company. He gives me a lot of grief and I try to give some back. He’s fun to be around.’ 

 

Ladies European Tour (LET) - Laura on a Solheim Cup Mission in Morocco

  

Laura Davies is hoping that a potential win in the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco this week can help to boost her chances of Solheim Cup qualification.
Davies, who will turn 50 in October, is the only player in the history of The Solheim Cup to have participated in every event since 1990 and is desperate to make her 13^th appearance in America this summer.
The Brit, currently ranked 159^th in the world, is one of eight players at Golf de l’Océan in Agadir this week who can leap into the all-important top four on the European points list that will qualify for The 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club.
She needs to be in the top four on the list by 4^th August to qualify from the LET, or be one of the top four Europeans on the Rolex Rankings, to avoid relying on a pick from Swedish captain Liselotte Neumann.
“Obviously Solheim Cup is a big consideration. I’m not doing particularly well so I’m not holding out too many hopes of getting in this year but if I can get a good run going, obviously starting here would be a great boost,” she said.
“I’ve never seen the course before but hopefully it’s a course I like and I can make some putts and get back into things. The last couple of weeks have been very disappointing so you’ve just got to hope that you can turn it around quickly.”
A win at the Lalla Meryem Cup would see Davies leapfrog Swede Pernilla Lindberg into fourth position on the points list, behind Carlota Ciganda, Suzann Pettersen and Caroline Masson.
Veronica Zorzi, Anne-Lise Caudal, Melissa Reid, Felicity Johnson, Trish Johnson, Gwladys Nocera and Carly Booth are the other Cup contenders in Morocco.
From the Rolex Rankings, the next four players poised to qualify for the European team are Catriona Matthew, Azahara Munoz, Beatriz Recari - who won the Kia Classic at the weekend - and Anna Nordqvist respectively.
Davies won the 2008 Lalla Meryem Cup at Royal Dar Es Salam in Rabat before the event joined the LET schedule in 2010. The 80-time tournament winner has not won on the LET since the Indian Open in December that year, although she did win the ISPS Legends Tour Open in November.

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Ladies European Tour (LET) - Laura on a Solheim Cup Mission in Morocco

Ladies European Tour (LET) - Julie Otto makes professional debut on Ladies European Tour

   

Celebrated golfer Julie Otto, (formerly Hall), has decided that the time is right to try her luck on the Ladies European Tour having received an invitation to play at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco.
Following a successful amateur career and significant involvement in the administration of the game, Julie turned professional two years ago at the age of 44 to pursue a career in golf tuition.
Having played in five Curtis Cup matches for Great Britain and Ireland against the United States of America, she hung up her clubs in 1996 as the reigning British Champion and as part of the victorious Curtis Cup team.
She followed this by moving into the administration of the game, with the Ladies Golf Union and then Assistant Director - Rules at golf’s world governing body The R&A. She has refereed at nine Open Championships, a Solheim Cup, Walker Cup and numerous tournaments on the men’s PGA European Tour.
Julie is currently an assistant PGA Professional at Elie Sports Club in Fife whilst working towards her PGA Qualification. She is married to former NASA scientist Dr Steve Otto, who is the Director of Research and Testing at The R&A and has three children.
On making her LET debut, said: “This is a one off for me. As part of your PGA you are required to play so I feel more comfortable among my own peer group playing in women’s events rather than assistant professional events.
“There’s a lot of personal pride left. I can joke and laugh and say that it doesn’t matter; well, it doesn’t matter so much. I’m married, I have children, we have a house, we’re established, Steve has a job; it’s not the be all and end all,” she said, “but there’s a lot of personal pride in this for me and if I don’t do well, I’ll be disappointed.”
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Ladies European Tour (LET) - Julie Otto makes professional debut on Ladies European Tour

Ladies European Tour (LET) - Lacoste Clinic at the Lalla Meryem Cup

  

 

French apparel and accessories brand Lacoste, official sponsors of the Trophée Hassan II and Lalla Meryem Cup, hosted a clinic on the driving range at Golf de l’Ocean in Agadir on Wednesday.
Lacoste players Thomas Levet, Christian Cevaer, Grégory Havret, Alexandre Kaleka, Gwladys Nocera, Anne-Lise Caudal and Tania Elosegui entertained the gallery at the venue of the Lalla Meryem Cup, hitting trick shots, with entertainer Levet playing speciality shots from his knees.
The popular clinic gave children from the charity Birdies of Essaouira Association the chance to meet and learn from professional players, with a chipping contest held after the clinic. The Birdies of Essaouira association supported by the René Lacoste Foundation will give almost 60 children aged from 6 to 14 years old, coming from 3 neighbouring villages in the Essaouira community, the opportunity to enjoy one hour of golf classes a week plus three hours per weekend at the Mogador hotel resort.
The golf school, which was opened at the end of 2011, has a team of professional teachers who impart essential values through the golf teaching, such as: self-control and self-challenging, tenacity, work, respect for others and the environment. The teaching and the discovery of this sport will represent future job opportunities in golf for caddies, teachers and in other golf related services. The best of the youngsters will perhaps become tomorrow's Moroccan champions.
The Clinic is just one of many campaigns Lacoste participate in to help charities around the world. The brand is also proud of their René Lacoste Foundation, which aims to help young people, both in France and abroad, to find their way in life through sport

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Ladies European Tour (LET) - Lacoste Clinic at the Lalla Meryem Cup

LET Access Series - Morris Set To Make Ladies European Tour Debut

Ignacio Evangelio, LET Commercial Manager, Rochelle Morris and Sir Nick Faldo
Reigning Faldo Series Girls’ Champion Rochelle Morris will make her Ladies European Tour debut this week when she lines up in the Lalla Meryem Cup at Golf de L’ Ocean in Agadir, Morocco on March 28-31.
“I’m extremely thankful to Sir Nick for setting up this amazing opportunity,” said Morris from Huddersfield in England.  “Winning the Faldo Series Grand Final in Europe last September was the biggest achievement of my career to date and it has since opened many doors for me,” added Morris, who also played on the Ladies European Tour Access Series in Crete last October and finished tied 24^th.
Sir Nick Faldo arranged the invitation for the 17-year-old through the Ladies European Tour, which lends its support to the six-time Major winner’s global golf development programme.
“We are delighted Rochelle has taken up this invitation to play in the Lalla Meryem Cup. The Ladies European Tour has enjoyed a close relationship with the Faldo Series to help build playing opportunities for developing young players. It will be a wonderful experience for Rochelle to compete alongside the best players in European golf and enjoy the atmosphere of a Ladies European Tour event.”” said Di Barnard, Tour Director of the LET Access Series.
“I’d like to thank the Ladies European Tour for their ongoing support,” said Faldo. “This is a unique opportunity for Rochelle to compete against some of the world’s top professional golfers and I’m sure she will make the most of the experience”.
Morris won the 2012 Faldo Series Girls’ title at Lough Erne Resort in Northern Ireland last September by four shots and has recently returned home from Mission Hills Shenzhen in China where she took part in the seventh Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.
Supported by The R&A, ISPS and the European Tour, the 2012 Faldo Series Europe schedule featured a record 20 tournaments in 14 countries including six in England plus others in Bahrain, Ireland, Chile, the Czech Republic, Greece, Wales, Austria, Brazil, Germany, The Netherlands, Scotland, Slovakia and Russia.
Established in 1996, 40 Faldo Series tournaments now take place in 30 countries worldwide with more than 7,000 golfers participating each year.  Past winners include Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng.
For more information on the Faldo Series visit www.nickfaldo.com.  You can also follow the Faldo Series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/faldoseries and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/faldoseries.
LET Access Series - Morris Set To Make Ladies European Tour Debut