Monday, March 8, 2010

“Golf-Noh stopping South Korean teenager, says veteran Choi (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)” plus 3 more

“Golf-Noh stopping South Korean teenager, says veteran Choi (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)” plus 3 more

Golf-Noh stopping South Korean teenager, says veteran Choi (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 05:03 AM PST

By Tony Jimenez

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - New Malaysian Open champion Noh Seung-yul is all set to make an impact on world golf, according to seven-times U.S. PGA Tour winner KJ Choi.

Teenager Noh, who does not even own a car, became the youngest professional winner on the European Tour when he pipped fellow South Korean Choi by one stroke to win in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

"He is one of the most powerful young talents coming up," said Choi in a news release. "The way he controls and hits the ball is like no other.

"I feel like he is going to develop in all aspects and is going to be on the world stage. He has the heart for it but he has to keep working hard," added the 39-year-old who makes a point of practising with the youngster when he competes in Asia.

Noh, at 18 years and 281 days, broke the 39-year-old European Tour record of South African Dale Hayes by nine days when he landed the Malaysian title.

New Zealander Danny Lee is the youngest amateur winner on the European Tour. He was 18 years and 213 days when he lifted the Johnnie Walker Classic trophy in Australia in February 2009.

"This is more special than my first win," said Noh in a reference to his Asian Tour breakthrough triumph at the 2008 Midea China Classic.

"This tournament in Malaysia, competing with the top players in the world and defeating someone (Choi) I look up to, is special."

Choi birdied the last hole to draw level with Noh in the event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

The teenager then showed nerves of steel by floating a superb chip shot from behind a hospitality marquee to within four feet of the cup before sinking his putt for a matching birdie and a one-shot win.

"When KJ birdied the last I thought if I got a par I would get into a playoff and if I lost in the playoff it wouldn't disappoint me too much because I was competing against KJ, and if he won I would also be happy as he is from the same country," said Noh.

He may be a golf champion but Noh has yet to buy his first car.

"I just got my driver's licence last year and I don't have a car," he said. "I borrow my mum's from time to time and my dad made a promise that if I won a million dollars my parents would buy me a car.

"With this win I will be halfway to achieving that goal so this gives me the motivation to play better," smiled Noh.

(Editing by Alison Wildey. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Golf-Only one of 20 Beijing golf courses legal, says official (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 07 Mar 2010 08:03 PM PST

BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - Only one of the some 20 golf courses in Beijing has been developed legally, a member of the law committee in China's parliament said.

Amid concerns about land grabs of prime farming land, China's government put a moratorium on the development of new golf courses in 2004 and reinforced the ban last year.

Development has continued, however, and the China Golf Association (CGA) puts the number of courses on the mainland at around 500, mainly clustered around the major cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. "There are many golf courses in Beijing, but only the one close to the Ming Tombs has been legally approved," Sun Anmin, deputy director of the National People's Congress (NPC) law committee, told Monday's Beijing Youth Daily.

The Beijing International Golf Club, which borders the Ming Tombs reservoir, was the first course built in Beijing in 1986.

The 19 other courses in Beijing include the sumptuous Jack Nicklaus-designed Pine Valley as well as championship courses, the Beijing Honghua and the CBD International, which have both hosted the European Tour sanctioned China Open in recent years.

Sun suggested the developments be given legal status retroactively, saying that golf courses helped China's economy by providing employment and green spaces in urban areas helped improve the environment.

CGA Vice President Wang Liwei told Reuters last week that he backed the ban on developing good farmland but thought that courses might be legally built on wasteland in the future.

The annual NPC, China's largely rubberstamp parliament, continues until Sunday. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney and Liu Zhen; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Stenson back in golf's Top 10 (UPI)

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 05:29 AM PST

VIRGINIA WATER, England, March 8 (UPI) -- Swede Henrik Stenson returned to the No. 10 ranking in the only move this week affecting the Top 10 of the men's world golf rankings released Monday.

Stenson re-entered the Top 10 after Ireland's Padraig Harrington's tie-for-40th finish Sunday at the PGA's Honda Classic. That dropped Harrington, who opened the year ranked No. 5, three spots from 10th to 13th.

Stenson was up one from 11th. Australian Geoff Ogilvy also improved one spot to 11th and Colombian Camilo Villegas, the Honda Classic winner, went from 21st to 12th.

Americans Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker and Phil Mickelson, in order, continue to occupy the top three ranking spots, followed by British golfers Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.

U.S. golfer Jim Furyk is seventh followed by German Martin Kaymer and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy.

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WA Legislature OKs bill to let golf carts on roads (Seattle Times)

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 09:43 AM PST

OLYMPIA, Wash. —

The Legislature has approved a measure to let golf carts on public roads in cities that allow it.

On a 44-1 vote Monday, the Senate concurred to changes made in the House. The bill now heads to Gov. Chris Gregoire.

It allows cities or counties to create golf cart zones. Golf carts would only be allowed on streets with speed limits of 25 miles per hour or below.

Drivers would have to be at least 16 years old and must follow the same road rules as those driving regular vehicles. Carts that are operated in golf cart zones must have reflectors, rearview mirrors, and seatbelts.

A person with a revoked license would not be allowed to drive a golf cart on a public road in a golf cart zone.

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