Tour Previews 01.07.08

The European Tour is back in the UK this week for the European Open. The event has a new home this season at the London Club in Kent. Stateside, tournament host Tiger Woods will be absent from the AT&T National where KJ Choi defends his title around the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club

Fergus Bisset
By
published

European Tour

European Open

Lowdown: Since 1995 the European Open has been held at the K Club in Ireland but 2008 sees a new venue for the tournament. The London Club in Kent will play host to the European Tour s best golfers. Justin Rose, Colin Montgomerie et al. will do battle around the Jack Nicklaus designed Heritage Course. With an impressive £400,000 going to the winner of the event, the tournament has attracted one of the strongest fields assembled on the European Tour so far this season. Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington will be teeing it up along with Robert Karlsson and Michael Campbell.

Following a second place finish in France last week, the defending European Open champion Colin Montgomerie will be hoping for another good showing to continue his climb up the Ryder Cup rankings. Entry for spectators will be free on the Thursday.

Venue: The London Golf Club, Kent Date: July 3-6 Course stats: 7,250 yards, par 72 Purse: £2,400,000 Winner: £400,000 Defending champion: Colin Montgomerie (-11)

TV coverage: Thursday 3 Live on Sky Sports 1 from 10am Friday 4 Live on Sky Sports 1 from 10am Saturday 5 Live on Sky Sports 1 from 2pm Sunday 6 Live on Sky Sports 1 from 1pm

Player watch Justin Rose: The 2007 European number will start amongst the favourites to lift the trophy. He ll be keen to secure a win on home soil. Oliver Wilson: Another young Englishman with something to prove. He s been second four times in 2008 and this would be the perfect opportunity to go one better and get a title under his belt. Oliver Fisher: The 19-year-old lost in a playoff to Thomas Levet at the Open de Adalucia. He d love to take his maiden tour title at a venue that s only 45 miles from his home in Chigwell.

Key hole: 16th. A 465 yard par four with a plethora of strategically placed bunkers at driving distance. Lay up and you ll be left with a long iron for the second shot. Maximum accuracy is required if you try and thread the needle. Skills required: Course management. There are a number of holes on the Heritage where you must be strategic. Laying up short of water or bunkering is often the prudent choice.

PGA Tour

AT&T National

Lowdown: Tiger Woods, the tournament host, will not be on the start list at the AT&T National. The World number one has confirmed he will not play again for the rest of the year, he won t be at the Ryder Cup and he s dismissed suggestions he should be there as assistant captain.

KJ Choi returns to Congressional as defending champion. It s the second time the Korean has defended a tournament on the PGA Tour in the last six weeks.

The Blue Course at Congressional is generally considered to be one of America s finest courses. The layout began life back in 1922 when Devereux Emmett drew up the plans to convert land which had previously been used for fox hunting. Since then Congressional has played host to a PGA Championship and three US Opens. Over the years the course has been renovated a number of times, most recently by Rees Jones.

Venue: Congressional Country Club, Maryland Date: July 3-6 Course stats: 7,255 yards, par 70 Purse: $6,000,000 Winner: $1,080,000

Defending champion: KJ Choi (-9)

TV coverage: Thursday 3 Live on Setanta Golf from 7pm Friday 4 Live on Setanta Golf from 8pm Saturday 5 Live on Setanta Golf from 8pm Sunday 6 Live on Setanta Golf from 8pm

Player watch Steve Stricker The World number seven finished as runner-up here last season and will be looking to secure his first victory of 2008. Stuart Appleby Appleby leads a contingent of 13 Australians in the field. He led after 54 holes of last year s tournament before falling away in the final round. Hunter Mahan A good performance here last year and a strong title defence at the Travelers Championship last week suggest Mahan will put on a good showing at Congressional.

Key hole: 18th. It s the course s signature hole and at 466 yards it s a long and demanding par four. Anything too far right off the tee could find trouble as well as a thick grove of cedars. Bunkers right of the green combined with water on three sides make the second shot a test of courage. Skills required: Steady scoring. The Blue Course was the ninth hardest on Tour in 2007; the average score in last year s tournament was 1.5 over par. The key is to hang in and not make too many major mistakes.

Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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