“Golf-Tiger's the best and I want him to return, says Cabrera (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)” plus 3 more

Golf-Tiger's the best and I want him to return, says Cabrera (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)
Driving ban for Powell after drunken golf buggy ride (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Golf-China tees up for golf explosion despite construction ban (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)
AP: Tiger Out of Therapy, Playing Golf (CBS News)

Golf-Tiger's the best and I want him to return, says Cabrera (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 02 Mar 2010 11:03 AM PST

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK, March 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Masters champion Angel Cabrera wants world number one Tiger Woods to return to golf as soon as possible, he said on Tuesday.

"Tiger is the best. I want him to be back," the Argentine told reporters during a conference call. "When he's there he makes a big difference (and) a special tournament."

Woods, who is taking an indefinite break from the sport after admitting in December that he had cheated on his wife, is unlikely to be competing when Cabrera defends his title at Augusta National next month.

"It's going to be something special," said Cabrera. "I want him to be back but the Masters will always be the Masters, with or without Tiger."

The world number 29 said his playoff win over Americans Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell last year had proved his 2007 U.S. Open victory was no fluke.

"This is very important for me," he said. "It signifies I can win majors, that it wasn't by luck that I won the U.S. Open.

"It tells me I can get those big tournaments."

SEVE ADVICE

Cabrera said he learned a lot playing alongside five-times major winner Seve Ballesteros on the European Tour earlier in his career.

"You have to play the most natural that you can despite the pressure of the majors," said the 40-year-old.

"I've had opportunities to play a lot of golf with Seve in Europe. He's given me good advice.

"I think we're very similar in the sense that you get to the ball, you might just see a shot and you go for it. That's a natural way that I also play," the Argentine added.

Cabrera, the first U.S. Masters champion from South America, said his victory at Augusta made a big impact in his homeland.

"It was very important to bring back a Masters win. There are more people practising the game especially in Cordoba where I am," he said.

"I've seen a lot of young kids picking up the game."

Cabrera said selecting the menu for the annual Champions Dinner was simple.

"Not a lot to think about. Some good Argentine Asado (barbecue). Some good beef," he said.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story emailsportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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Driving ban for Powell after drunken golf buggy ride (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Posted: 02 Mar 2010 06:17 AM PST

Jerry buzzed up: Mets' Beltran confirms meeting with feds (AP)

13 seconds ago 2010-03-02T13:04:51-08:00

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Golf-China tees up for golf explosion despite construction ban (Reuters via Yahoo! Sports)

Posted: 01 Mar 2010 11:03 PM PST

By Nick Mulvenney

BEIJING, March 2 (Reuters) - Golf participation in China is set to explode despite a development ban on new courses and the extortionate cost of green fees, according to the China Golf Association (CGA).

China's first golf course was built in 1984 and although around 500 more have sprung up since, a six-year-old government ban on new development has slowed growth.

The United States, by contrast, has around 18,000 courses, while Europe has an estimated 6,000, leading some to question whether the facilities exist to support a boom in Chinese golf.

"The existing 500 courses are enough for the basic development of golf," CGA vice president Wang Liwei told Reuters.

"No matter how many course there are—500, 1,000 or 10,000—it is a sport of players. We are also taking alternate measures, such as building driving ranges in public green spaces."

Last year's decision to add golf to the Olympic programme from 2014 has helped rekindle interest in developing the sport, its inclusion seen as a key factor in the allocation of resources by the state-run sport system.

"Entering the Olympics will greatly push forward the development of golf in China," Wang added.

"The good news is that golf has already become a sport in the (quadrennial) National Games, which means it will draw greater attention and support from provincial sports authorities.

"A platform will be built through them, to popularise the sport among the youth, and to improve professional golf and marketing development.

"Golf in China will enjoy explosive growth after that."

ILLEGAL GRABS

China banned the building of new courses in 2004 because of concerns over the illegal procurement of vast tracts of farmland by some developers.

"We resolutely abide by the government policy of saving farmland," said Wang, who is also a government official. "However, there is still some wasteland or barren land that could be used to build golf courses."

Developers have always found ways around the ban by, for example, requesting permission to build a hotel with huge surrounding grounds—which subsequently prove large enough to accommodate 18 holes.

Playing is still, however, prohibitively expensive for all but the richest Chinese—joining a club cost an average of $53,000 in 2008, according to a KPMG report.

That makes the CGA's struggle to popularise the game among China's 1.3 billion people an uphill task, and their youth development strategy all the more important.

The CGA has not been slow to enlist the support of the wealthy clubs, foreign golf tours and sponsors who have flocked to China in recent years, including Europe's biggest bank HSBC, whose $7 million Champions tournament is the richest in Asia.

"The CGA launched a joint youth development project with HSBC in 2008," Wang said. "It has benefited 20,000 children in three years. Over 2,000 have attended the golf camps. We also have a national youth tour.

"At the provincial level, there will be more free opportunities for children to participate in golf. Clubs are also offering their spare resources for the popularisation and youth development." (Additional reporting by Liu Zhen; Editing by John O'Brien; To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)