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Under The Microscope: Peter Hedblom
Last weeks Johnnie Walker winner Peter Hedblom was introduced to golf at the age of six by his father, Olle, who remains his coach. He was Swedish Boys champion at 16, and the following year he won the 1987 Doral Junior Classic to promise a rapid rise to the top. Won three times on Challenge Tour within 18 months in the early 1990s but it took six visits to the Qualifying School to establish himself on The European Tour at the start of 1994. Before his venture into golf, he was actively involved in ice hockey. He took up ice hockey when he was six years old and broke his leg playing the game in 2001. This mishap came about when he participated in a yearly ice hockey game for golfers. Peter was granted a medical exemption after missing a sizeable proportion of the 2002 season following sustaining this injury.
Peter turned professional in 1988 and now has three European Tour victories to his name - the 1996 Moroccan Open and – after an eleven year winning drought - the 2007 Maybank Malaysian Open - a European Tour event which is co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour and last weeks Johnnie Walker title. Peter came to within a whisker of successfully defending his Maybank Malaysian Open title in 2008 only to lose out in a play-off to India’s Arjun Atwal. It was the third play-off defeat of his career; the previous two occasions both being in 2003. His playoff woes continued two weeks ago at Kennemer where Simon Dyson emerged victorious but his good play was a portent of things to come at Gleneagles. Desperate to avoid a playoff there with Martin Erlandsson, Peter held his putting nerve to sink a four footer on the last for victory.
What’s In Peter’s Bag
Bloggy Underfoot: All The Single Figure Ladies
I found myself being pleasantly surprised by the recent staging of the Solheim Cup. It was far more compulsive viewing than the Wyndham Championship, my usual Sunday night entertainment. Women’s golf globally has been put through the ringer this year, much more so than the men’s game. The biennial ladies version of the Ryder Cup had also lost its lustre, having become something of a victory parade for the Americans with the last European win coming in 2003.
On paper the European Team were to be thrashed. Many commentators suggested that the Europeans were in desperate need of assistance from the “rest of the world”; they reckoned Ochoa and Co. were needed to relieve the by now battle weary Laura Davies and revive the franchise. As it panned out Europe were tied with the USA heading into the singles and for most of Sunday were in control of half the matches. The 
fact they lost by four points in the end hardly did them justice.
Even though it is ostensibly a team event there will always be a “man of the match” or more correctly “lady of the match” and that went to Captain’s pick Michelle Wie. Her three wins, no losses and one half performance was the best by any American player at the Solheim Cup, and her singles victory against Helen Alfredsson (after falling three down half way through) was the stuff of a champion. Now more than ever the women’s game needs a Woods like figure and Wie finally looks like she can take on the mantle.
So is the Solheim Cup significant? Absolutely it is. In fact the next instalment will take place on one of Ireland’s newest yet finest courses, Killeen Castle in Dunsany, Co. Meath. If last weeks event put the amazing Rich Harvest Farm layout on the map, the Jack Nicklaus designed Killeen Castle will blow them away. The event will not only showcase the host course, but all our finest courses. They say we will be emerging from the recession in 2011, the perfect time to shine the spotlight on Ireland and kickstart our golf tourism industry all over again.
Read our Killeen Castle Course Review By Clicking On The Link Below
http://www.golfcentraldaily.com/2009/09/killeen-castle-course-review.html
Now I don’t profess to know much about the women’s game but I just wonder at what stage of their progression will the 
prodigiously talented Maguire twins be at come the 2011 Solheim Cup? Lisa and Leona continued their path to stardom by taking part in last week’s Junior Solheim Cup in Aurora, Illinois. So far their inevitable rise towards the professional ranks has been carefully managed by their parents and handlers. At their age Michelle Wie was already burdened with the “Next Tiger” tag, something I’m sure the girls and their parents would be keen to avoid. If the 2011 Solheim Cup comes around too quickly for the girls, so be it, Ireland and Killeen Castle will still do it proud. And if the Ryder Cup was anything to go buy, Christina Kim wont be hootin’ and hollerin’ for too long in Dunsany.
Dr. and The Medic: Tight Greenside Lie
Problem
You have a tight lie about 35 feet away from the green with a bunker between you and the green.
Cure
With a tight lie this close to the pin you will want to make sure you do not take the club back too steep.
Therapy
Select a high lofted wedge. Set a little more weight on your leading leg and take a slightly open stance. Keep the shaft even with the ball. This is because if you lean the shaft ahead of the ball at set up, it will encourage too steep of a swing. If you do come in too steep, you will hit it a little fat and risk landing it in the bunker. You do not want a deep divot. So, soften your grip a little and avoid making too strong of a descending blow.
The Doc’s Rules Quiz
J
ust for fun this week, have a go at our rules quiz. Questions from “999 Questions On the Rules of Golf”, by Barry Rhodes.
Q1: True or False- A player may brush aside sand in the area where he is about to drop his ball under the Rules.
Q2: True or False- As a player reaches the top of his backswing on a tee shot the ball falls off the tee. He completes his stroke topping the ball just five yards forward. There is no penalty and he must play the ball as it lies.
Q3: True or False- A ball is visible in casual water but a player cannot retrieve it. Unless the player can positively identify the ball as his he must treat his ball as lost outside of the casual water.
Last weeks answers:
Question 1: True or False - In a foursomes competition partners may carry both sets of clubs in one bag, provided that each player uses only his own clubs. Answer: True
Question 2: True or False - A player is allowed five minutes to search for his original ball and five minutes for his provisional ball even though they are lost in the same area. Answer: False
Question 3- After reaching the putting green, a player places his clubs near the next tee. An opponent's golf cart accidentally strikes the player's clubs, breaking several of them. Is the ruling-
(a) The clubs were not damaged in the normal course of play and, hence, the player is not entitled to use them in their damaged state, repair them or have them repaired, or replace them or
(b) In equity, the player may use the clubs in their damaged state, repair them or have them repaired, or replace them. Answer: B
Congrats to last weeks winner Paul Godwin, Tallaght, Dublin who wins a classy Kartel shirt compliments of Golfstyle Galway.
I Want One Of Those: New Cobra ZL Driver
Last week, Cobra gave their tour staff their new Zero Limits driver to test. Among the Cobra playing staff are Geoff Ogilvy, Ian Poulter and Camilo Villegas. Ogilvy was particularly taken by the new weapon and immediately replaced his old Cobra S9-1 (10.5°) with the new ZL (9.5) set 1° open with an Aldila RIP 80X shaft. "The club is easier to draw and easier to fade (than the S9-1)," he said of the new ZL. "But it's harder to hit it really wide." The ZL driver has a titanium face and body, but the crown is made from weight-saving carbon fibre. A weight plug has been positioned on the lower-back portion of the club to increase the moment of inertia, lower the centre of gravity and create a higher initial launch angle. The head can be set to three different face angles – 1° open, square or 1° closed. The new Cobra ZL should hit our shops in November.
Bet Your Balls-
odds thanks to Boylesports
Omega European Masters
Crans-sur-Sierre
Rory McIlroy: 11/1
If there is one player in the field this week with unfinished business it’s Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, trying to become the third-youngest winner in European Tour history, took a four shot lead into the final round last year then missed a five foot putt for par at the 18th during regular play that would have given him the title. But worse was to follow as he then missed again from only about 18 inches at the second play-off hole against Jean Francois Lucquin. Rors lies third in the race to Dubai and needs a good putting week to contend.
Bradley Dredge: 25/1
We may forgive Bradley his 31st place finish last week as our other pick Martin Erlandsson came good with a final round 62 for second place at 50/1. Dredge did well to make the cut at Gleneagles, following a sloppy first round 75 with a battling 67. Dredge loves Crans and is still a horse for this course. Won by eight shots in 2006 and nearly defended in 2007 finishing third.
Gary Orr: 60/1
Recurring back problems saw Orr gain a Medical Exemption category for his first nine events of the 2008 season, during which he was required to win €32,800 in prize money to keep his card. He duly obliged and went on to tie for third here in Switzerland. Finished with a 64 last week in Gleneagles to leapfrog the field and finish fifth. Known as a quiet journeyman, Orr is a prolific putter when in the mood and on a course where the average winning score is 14 under he could feature again this week.
Deutsche Bank Championship
Ernie Els: 22/1
Okay Ernie hasn’t won for a while and many wonder if he will ever regain the form he had before his knee injury. There have been recent signs of form however. It all started at Jack’s place in July where Els recorded his first top-10 since January. He followed that with top-10’s in both the US and British Opens and performed brilliantly last week to tie second in New York. Tied for third in this event last year and PGA title number 17 surely isn’t far off.
Nick Watney: 66/1
Big Nick Watney was out of the blocks early in the season, winning the Buick Invitational in February and then coming second to Phil Mickelson at the WGC-CA Championship. Before last week Watney had not top tenned in 11 events, which made his performance at Liberty National all the more encouraging. Watney will doubtless bring that confidence to Boston.
Camillo Villegas: 60/1
It hurt Camillo to pull out last week and he will be itching to tee it up again in the playoffs in Boston. This time last year Villegas was battling it out with Vijay Singh for the Deutsche Bank title but a final round 73 for the Colombian as opposed to Vijay’s 63 saw him finish tied third. He went on however to win the following two playoff events last year which shows the measure of the man. A fit Camillo is sure to give you an each-way run for your fiver.
Tailored Shorts
My Left Foot- Martin Kaymer
Martin Kaymer’s bid to win the Race To Dubai was dealt a serious blow last week after a go-karting accident left him with two broken toes. The injury required surgery and is expected to keep Kaymer out of action for at least six weeks. "The operation went according to plan and we'll know more when he's seen an assessment specialist at home. It could be six weeks out but we expect quite a quick recovery with him being so young and fit," manager Lillian Jansson said. Kaymer, 24, still sits atop the Race To Dubai rankings following back-to-back French and Scottish Open victories and a sixth-place finish at the PGA Championship. Paul Casey, who is second on money list, is expected to return to action next week after three weeks out because of a rib injury.
Furyk’s Fluffs It
Jim Furyk’s performance at last week’s Barclays was tainted by the fact he was penalised four strokes during his third round. The penalty, imposed after Furyk discovered he had 
15 in clubs in his bag on the second hole, resulted in two strokes being added to his score on each of the first two holes. Furyk was quick to divert blame for the penalty from his caddy, 61 year old, Mike “Fluff” Cowan. The offending club was a second 60° wedge Furyk had brought to the practice ground. The cost? An estimated $131,000 were he to finish four shots better! The incident brought back memories of Ian Woosnam’s angry reaction in the 2001 British Open at Royal Lytham where he was penalised two strokes after discovering a second driver in the bag on the second hole of his final round.
“Now where did I leave my glasses?”
Gory Rory
Rory McIlroy hasn’t been seen near a golf course lately because he’s doing one of the two most stressful things in life- moving house! In the process of settling in Theo the Labradoodle and unpacking boxes our hero managed to slice a chunk out of his finger, the third one on the left hand. Rors was getting his keys out of his pocket to cut open a box but sliced his finger instead! The good news is that the finger healed well and after a trip to Royal County Down to introduce it to JP his caddy, Rory is fit and ready to right all last year’s wrongs in Switzerland.
Paddy Watch
| European Tour- Johnnie Walker C’ship | |||
| Finishing Position | Name | Score | Prize Money € |
| 14th | Damien McGrane | -5 | 24,290 |
| 16th | Gary Murphy | -4 | 21,891 |
| 31st | Jonathon Caldwell | -1 | 12,793 |
| 59th | Gareth Maybin | +6 | 4,615 |
| Missed Cut: Shane Lowry, Peter Lawrie, Paul McGinley | |||
| US Tour- The Barclays | |||
| T2 | Padraig Harrington | -8 |
It would have been one of the greatest playoffs in modern day golf, until Heath Slow-coach showed up and spoiled the party. We were seconds away from sudden death involving Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Ernie Els and Steve Stricker. Are you kidding me? I would have paid Sky Box Office to see that. We reckon that Padraig Harrington would have won too; there was absolutely no water, ponds, lakes or drop zones around the 18th in Liberty National
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