On this day in 1999, David and Bob Duval became the first father and son combination
to win professional golf tournaments on the same day. First off, former club pro Bob
beat Bruce Fleisher to win the Senior PGA Tour’s Emerald Coast Classic by two shots,
then kicked back in the clubhouse to watch his world No. 1 son David on TV, as David
captured The Players Championship by two over Scott Gump …




Bob Duval had been the only golf coach the enigmatic David has ever known. But the
night before their father-son wins, David Duval, then 27, had given his 52-year-old
dad some sound advice: "Go out and play. You can’t control anything that happens out
there except what you’re doing" … Nice tips, young man, now if young David could
just work some magic on himself again …




Today was also a birthday for the beefy, brawling Jerseyman Ted Ray (1877-1943), who
was one of Britain’s best players in the early professional years, winning the Open
Championship in 1912 and the US Open in 1920. Ray also features prominently in Mark
Frost’s book The Greatest Game Ever Played, which chronicles Francis Ouimet’s
shock 1913 US Open victory over Ray and Harry Vardon, and the 2005 film, which features
Stephen Marcus in a memorable turn as Ray …




In the real world, it was on this day in 1965 that Martin Luther King led a crowd
of nearly 25,000 people to the steps of the state capital of Montgomery, Alabama.
His aim was "not to humiliate and defeat the white man, but to win his friendship
and understanding."





Strangely enough, there were other motives on this day in 845 that the city of Paris
was sacked by a horde of Viking raiders led by warlord Ragnar "Hairy-Breeks" Lodbrok.
It is said that Hairy-Breeks demanded and received a huge ransom for leaving Paris
… which is odd because we would leave Paris for free, actually …




Finally today we say Philip Walton! as they say in Dublin to chat show legend Michael
Parkinson (73), hairy-breeked English cricketer Nasser Hussain (the big 40); wedding
crasher Vince Vaughn (38); and to foxy-but-creepy Bourne series starlet Julia
Stiles (27), of whom co-star Stockard Channing said: "She has a quality that is almost
feral, something that can make people uneasy." … And we agree … ‘Til tomorrow!

You should have used Lee Westwood’s picture on the site front yesterday …: Why’s
that?

Well, he’s not leading anymore so there goes your chance …: It’s not a hard-and-fast
rule that we have to use the leader’s pic on the site front every day. Those idiots
did that last week on the WCG at Doral, but they’re idiots.

Well, I’m calling you an idiot for not using Lee Westwood yesterday.: Man!
Can’t make anyone happy around this place. So can we talk about the golf then?

Only in context of whose picture is going to be on the site front.: What, are
you on strike? OK, if you’re going to be that way, big Peter Hedblom of Sweden is
tied with not-so-big Matthew Millar of Australia in the leader’s chair at 8-under.

Yawn. So who’s going to be on the site front?: Well, it’s either Hedblom or
Millar, but it can’t be both because it’s just too much of a tiny wee picture. Probably
Millar because we haven’t used him lately.

Yeah, but they used Ogilvy all four days last week. Don’t you think that’s too
much of an Aussie presence on the site front?: I’m just going to ignore you …
And there’s a brace of Englishmen in second at 7-under, along with the Frenchman Thomas
Levet.

None of whom are going to be on the site front …: No. Nor is Westwood, as
you said, after he slipped back to 6-under with some balky putting, nor yesterday’s
poster boy hero Danny Willett, the amateur who dropped back to 3-under by scraping
around in 75.

Maybe he couldn’t take the pressure of being on our site front.: Maybe.

Can I say something please? It hardly seems fair that when you have co-leaders
you can only use one picture on the site front …: Stop obsessing about the site
front.

I can’t …: OK, you’re just weird. If you’re not careful I’m gonna put your
picture on the site front.


What would the headline say?: "MISSING PERSON" …

Thank goodness. A week without Geoff Ogilvy’s mug on the front page …: I’ll
second that. Not only did Ogilvy make me look bad, he didn’t do much for the front
page either. Now it’s Dean Wilson’s turn.

So do you think Dean Wilson will do a back-flip if he wins this week?: He might.
The "Flyin’ Hawaiian" has a lot at stake: If he wins in New Orleans, he gets another
trip to Augusta at the age of 38.

Why is it that I always forget about Dean Wilson?: Maybe because he was such
a late bloomer and he played for most of this decade in Japan. Plus, being Hawaiian
he’s a bit remote anyway.

Good story …: Yes, Dean is a good story. He’s of Japanese-American ancestry,
played college golf in Utah with Mike Weir, and gained most of his pro experience
in Japan, where he had six wins.

No wonder why I always forget about him …: Sure. But you’re not the only
one. For years Wilson couldn’t even get a sponsor’s invitation to the Sony Open in
Hawaii, even though he has been the Aloha State’s best tour player for ages. Instead,
the Sony Open gave their sponsor’s invites to the likes of Michelle Wie.


So where does the Green Jacket fit in?: Well, Dean is now one of the most solid
players out there on the PGA Tour these days. He got his first Masters invite last
year after winning the 2006 Invitational and the winners this week, and next week
in Houston, will be automatically going to Augusta.

Cool. We’ll root for him then … Is it as tough out there as it looks?: I’d
say so. Wilson’s 66 looks good on the leaderboard, but with the wind howling this
TPC was playing nasty. It’s going to be a good tune-up for Augusta.

Anybody else we should be concerned with …? Well, there’s the wonderfully
named Briny Baird, a veteran still looking for his first PGA Tour win. He’s on 5-under
and has a great name for Bubba Gump Shrimp Company country.

And Peter Lonard? …: The Australian veteran is on 5-under as well but I can’t
think of anything funny about his name except that he needs to ask Carol for a consonant
so he can be more like Justin Leonard.

And Chez Reavie? …: Again, on 5-under, with a perfect name for New Orleans.
Sounds like a restaurant in the French Quarter.

Speaking of the French Quarter, let’s go!: We can be there in 15 minutes with
this tailwind …

Lee Westwood made a brilliant start to the defence of his Andalucian Open at the Aloha Golf Club with a first round seven-under-par 65 to lead the tournament.

The Englishman fired seven birdies and no bogeys to go one shot clear of 20-year-old amateur star Danny Willett, who shot a round of 66.

Veteran star Jose Maria Olazabal carded a decent round of 71 on his return from a seven month injury lay-off, while Darren Clarke could only manage to finish on one-over after suffering from blisters on both feet.

Leader Westwood said: “I’m playing with a lot of freedom at the moment and a 65 shows I’ve got a lot of confidence.

“I used a similar game-plan to last year but my game’s always a work in progress. I’ve got a few things I’m working on with one eye on the Masters.”

But the day really belonged to youngster Willett who was making his European Tour debut after he was invited to the tournament as a result of winning the Spanish Amateur Championships.

Willett got off to the best possible start as he eagled the first hole and he has admitted he will turn professional if he goes on to win the tournament.

“I was quite nervous, but starting with a 25-foot eagle putt took a lot of the nerves out of the way. I proved to myself I can play a professional golf course and play well,” said Willett.

I have touched on the subject before, but I am a firm believer that golfers who keep themselves fit and in top condition play their best golf. One of the best ways to keep in great condition is to detox. Detox is a bit of a buzz word, but it basically means eating very healthily, drinking lots and taking a good detoxing supplement like orovo detox. These detoxing supplements contain the commonly called “superfoods” including many antioxidants, which help fight free radical damage (sun, stress, pollution, bad food, alcohol etc.) and cleanse your body. This can result in a decent energy boost, will even help you lose a few pounds along the way and you might even look younger! Orovo is 100% natural and is easy to order through the website. Orovo detox has plenty of supporters and there are hundreds of success stories doing the rounds and it would certainly be worth trying if you are looking for a detoxing product.

End of Month Super Blowouts at Super Warehouse! Big Savings! Hurry While Supplies Last! (Expires 04-01-08)

Select Link Below for This Incredible Deal:

SAVE $1,000! - Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U 52 inch LCD TV only $1,999.99 FREE SHIPPING. While Supplies Last!

Aha! Here’s the classic clash of raw youth versus veteran experience! …: I
was just going to say it’s a classic clash of rich golfers enjoying another big payday
in a beautiful place like southern Spain, but maybe I’m jaded …

Look can we just concentrate on the golf please?: OK, if you want to go with
your boring old saw about the clash of youth versus experience, I’m game. Sounds easy
enough to me. Anyway, Danny Willett isn’t rich. He’s an amateur.

Thanks for patronising me. Tell me about the grizzled veteran then …: Well,
I’m not sure I’d call Lee Westwood a grizzled veteran to his face. Have you seen the
kind of shape that big fella is in these days? But yes, on the one hand you’ve got
big Lee, leading by one stroke after a 7-under 65, with - as he says - "one eye on
the Masters".

How can you hit the golf ball with one eye on the Masters?: Not sure, but it
will probably find it’s way into one of those confusing golf tips you find in all
the glossy mags.

I can see it now. "Keep your head down …": Right. And "Keep one eye on the
Masters …"

… "And I guarantee this will lower your golf scores" … Right. Tell me about
this Danny Willett kid then …: Well, he’s a 20-year-old from Sheffield, making
his Euro Tour debut, and he’s the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world. So if Willett
keeps playing like this he’ll soon be the one dishing out the tips.

Does he have a chance?: It has happened before. Amateurs win occasionally on
the PGA Tour, more so on the European. The Spanish wonderkid Pablo Martin did it last
year in Portugal, and now he’s a 20-year-pro with a full exemption.

Is Willett really that good?: You’ve got to be to be No. 1 in the world at
anything. He’s 6-under, tied with Norwegian Jan-Are Laresen, after a round that featured
a couple of nifty eagles. Willett eagled the first hole which settled his nerves and
away he went.

He’d better hope he eagles the first hole every day then … Hey, I’ve got a joke
for you.: Fire away.

What do you call it when Jan-Are Larsen hits his driver?: What?

Norwegian wood! …: Oh God, I think I need another week off …

This is I think a few years old, but still memorable.

Malaysia’s Danny Chia will make his second appearance at the British Open this July after carding a three-under-par 69 for the second successive round at Asia’s International Final Qualifying tournament on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old sank crucial birdie putts on the 16th and 17th at the Sentosa Golf Club to lead all qualifiers on six-under-par 138, securing a second trip to the sport’s oldest major after playing in the 2005 Open at St. Andrews.

Chia, who won the Taiwan Open in 2002, will be teeing off at Royal Birkdale on July 17 along with Australia’s Adam Blyth, Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing and Angelo Que of the Philippines as the four qualifiers from the 64-player field.

“I didn’t putt well today but I played good,” Chia told reporters.

“I played within myself and made two birdies coming back when I needed them the most.

“It’s going to be very exciting to go back to the Open. I was there in 2005 and hopefully I’ve learned from that and will use it in Royal Birkdale.”

Blyth, who will be appearing at his first major, fired a bogey-free 66 to finish a shot behind Chia, while Que and Lam emerged from a three-man playoff after signing for two-day totals of 140 in a share of third place.

“The putts just went in today,” the 26-year-old Blyth said.

“I played scrappy yesterday but managed to get myself into position this morning. I’m stoked to get into my first major.”

It seems that these days the news reports are dominated by the stories of the recent credit crisis, or credit crunch as some commentators are call it. Unfortunately, in my country, interest rates have also been on the rise for quite some time (12 rate rises in a row) which is putting families further into debt. A quarter of a percent increase can mean hundreds of dollars of difference each month and families with larger mortgages are really feeling the added pressure, especially when the budget is already stretched. In some parts of the world the interest rate is almost in free fall and it makes the interest rate rises slightly harder to take.

Whatever the market is doing it pays to do your research and shop around for the best deal on your Mortgage. Don’t settle for what your regular financial institution is offering, find the best deal and use it to negotiate with your preferred lender. Use the Internet to make inquiries and read as much information as possible. There are even some services online that will do all the hard work for you and find you a mortgage to best suit your needs with the best interest rate. Whatever you decide to do make sure you plan for future interest rate rises so that you will be prepared for any extra financial stress.

Malaysian golfer Danny Chia, Angelo Que of the Philippines and England’s Yasin Ali shared a three-way tie for the lead after day one of Asia’s International Qualifying for the 2008 Open.

Chia, an Asian Tour regular, sank six birdies against three bogeys at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club on his way to a three-under-par 69 on Tuesday while Que enjoyed five birdies.

Ali had been clear of the field as he stood on the 18th tee at five-under but found water with a drive which led to a double bogey.

Just behind them, Filipino Antonio Lascuna, Ben Leong of Malaysia, who scored a hole-in-one, and Japanese duo Tomohiro Kondo and Keiichiro Fukabori shot 70s to stay in the hunt for the four tickets at stake to The Open at Royal Birkdale, England in July at the two-day qualifier.

Ali chose to look to the positive, despite his disappointing finish.

“I played pretty solid except for a few loose shots. The shots I dropped today were water balls. If I can keep out of the water, I should be okay,” he told the Asian Tour’s Web site www.asiantour.com.

“It’ll be awesome if I can qualify for the oldest major that we have. But with four spots available, you never know what the guys can shoot. You just try to make as many birdies as you can and total it up at the end of the day.”

Qualifying events are held on five continents, with Africa and Australasia competitions already completed. The United States will host one in Michigan starting June 30, with another at Sunningdale, England getting underway the same day.