The Masters - Preview

Rory McIlroy

Golf's first major of the year is almost upon us, with the world's finest players preparing to make their annual pilgrimage to one of sport's most iconic venues.

The first tee shot will be hit on Thursday, 7 April, with a field of fewer than 100 men aiming to sink the winning putt on Sunday, 10 April.

World number one Jason Day, Jordan Spieth - bidding to become the first man to defend the title since Tiger Woods in 2002 - and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy head the field in the year's first major.

Few people, including the bookmakers, are looking past the world's top three players - Day, Spieth and McIlroy - to set the agenda at Augusta.

Day and world number two Spieth won three of last year's four majors, while 26-year-old McIlroy is looking to complete the career Grand Slam.

Spieth, 22, has failed to find his best form in recent weeks, missing a cut for only the eighth time since the start of the 2014 season, before narrowly avoiding another early exit two weeks later.

The American defended his form after being called "garbage" by an internet 'troll', while McIlroy backed his rival by insisting Spieth's form was "not slumping".

US PGA champion Day, 28, has continued his fine start to the season by winning back-to-back tournaments, showing little rustiness from a three-month break at the end of last year after becoming a father for the second time.

The Australian suffered an injury scare in his opening pool match at last month's WGC-Dell Match Play, but recovered to win the tournament for the second time in three years.

McIlroy steps on to Augusta's first tee on Thursday aiming to become only the sixth man to claim the clean sweep.

Rory is seeking a first Masters title following victories at the US Open, the Open Championship and the US PGA.

Winning the Green Jacket would propel him into exalted company alongside Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player and Ben Hogan.

And that is the world number three's main priority. "It's all about Augusta," he said last month.

McIlroy will miss Augusta's annual Par 3 Contest, which takes place the day before Thursday's first round, in order to concentrate on winning the year's first major.

"Maybe the decision not to play it this year can work in my favour," he said, perhaps bearing in mind the 'Par 3 curse' - no player has won both in the same year.

McIlroy might well offer the best hope of providing a first European winner since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999, but he is just one of 16 British and Irish players aiming to emulate the Spaniard.

Former US Open champion Justin Rose, currently ranked eighth in the world, continues his search for a second major, while fellow Englishman Danny Willett is expected to make his second Augusta appearance following the birth of his first child.

The Yorkshireman has risen from outside the top 100 to the fringe of the top 10 in less than two years.

Familiar names such as Lee Westwood - who sneaked into the world's top 50 in mid-December to qualify - Paul Casey, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter all return to Augusta.

England's Andy Sullivan and Scotland's Russell Knox, who both broke into the top 50 last year, will step into the locker room for the first time.

At the other end of the scale, veterans Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam, both 58, will play after accepting their annual invites as past champions.

Europe's contingent have not won at Augusta since two-time winner Olazabal's last success 17 years ago, allowing American players to regain dominance of the Masters in recent years.

The famed Georgia course has produced eight home winners in the past 12 years - and, as well as Spieth, there are several others with strong ambitions of becoming the third consecutive American champion.

Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, the world number four, is one of the favourites alongside Spieth, McIlroy and Day.

The 37-year-old left-hander heads to Augusta having claimed two wins as well as a second-place finish in his eight tournaments this year.

Phil Mickelson - a three-time winner and veteran of 12 other top-10 finishes at Augusta - is expected to mount another challenge, while Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed - who are all ranked inside the world's top 10 - will head down Magnolia Lane hopeful of winning their first major.

Recent Masters winners

2015: Jordan Spieth (US) 2010: Phil Mickelson (US)

2014: Bubba Watson (US) 2009: Angel Cabrera (Arg)

2013: Adam Scott (Aus) 2008: Trevor Immelman (SA)

2012: Bubba Watson (US) 2007: Mach Johnson (US)

2011: Charl Schwartzel (SA) 2006: Phil Mickelson (US)

Away from the Americans, look no further than 2016's form man - 2013 champion Adam Scott.

The 35-year-old Australian leads the PGA Tour standings - just ahead of Day - after claiming back-to-back titles last month.

Scott claimed the Honda Classic at Palm Beach and then beat Watson by one shot at the WGC Championship at Doral.

"I think Bubba is the favourite," said Scott after pipping Watson with a closing 69 at Trump National in Miami.

"Even if I won every tournament I play before the Masters, if Bubba keeps finishing second, I'd still think he's favoured. It just sets up so good there for him."

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LeBron Gives Ellie Bad Day

The wife of the Australian golfer Jason Day was taken away in a neck brace on a stretcher after being accidentally crunched by Cleveland superstar LeBron James while watching an NBA match.

Jason and Ellie Day had courtside seats at Quicken Loans Arena for the game between Cleveland and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The four-time NBA MVP was chasing a loose ball when he tumbled towards the seats, and Ellie Day bore the full impact of James’s 113kg frame.

James said in a post-match interview shown on ESPN: “Obviously her health is very important and hopefully she’s doing well. The guys told us she’s doing great now. Going for a loose ball I was just trying to keep the possession going and I hate that that was the end result of it.”

Ellie Day was taken to a local hospital for treatment, as reported by cleveland.com and the ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, while James was also quoted as saying: “She squeezed my hand, said she was fine. I think she was just a little weary.”

James scored 33 points for Cleveland in their 104-100 win, which halted Oklahoma’s six-game winning run.

The Cavs coach David Blatt, who spent years coaching in Europe, has long been worried about courtside fan safety. “It’s always concerned me, the sideline seats,” he said. “Always concerned me, because things like that, when you’re talking about players of this speed and physicality and effort level, it’s not a simple thing.

“The powers that be are the ones that really need to decide how to deal with that. He [James] made an honest attempt at the basketball, that’s all, obviously. We all hope she’s OK.”

The league has recently taken steps to improve safety, including cutting the number of photographers allowed to sit along the baselines to reduce the risk of contact with players.

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Gidday Mr Jones

Matt Jones held off world number one Jordan Spieth and a charging Adam Scott on his home course to win the Australian Open by a stroke after a dramatic final round on Sunday.

Leading by three shots overnight, Jones gave his pursuers every chance with a double and triple bogey on the front nine, but four birdies in a two-over-par 73 proved enough for victory on eight-under-par at the Australian Golf Club.

Defending champion Spieth had a 15-foot eagle putt at the last to force a playoff but sent his ball wide of the hole and had to settle for a 71 and a share of second place with Scott.

“That was very stressful, it wasn’t comfortable out there for me,” an emotional Jones said after receiving the Stonehaven Cup for the first time. “I’ve watched the Australian Open for many years and just to have my name on that trophy is something I’ll never forget.“

Scott, still seeking his first title of the year, had surged up the leaderboard with a seven-birdie 65 to move to seven-under on another blustery day in Sydney.

His compatriot Rod Pampling had earlier sunk a 60-foot eagle putt on the 18th green for a course record 10-under 61, which was good enough for fourth on six-under.

Pampling’s stunning score bettered the 63 Spieth carded to win the title last year, a final round that had given the American high hopes he could overhaul Jones’s overnight lead.

The 35-year-old Australian dropped three shots by going bogey-double bogey on the first two holes but Spieth also bogeyed them and the final group dropped back towards the chasing pack.

Jones recovered with birdies at the fourth and sixth but a calamitous triple bogey at the ninth after hitting the trees and plunging into the water saw him drop to six-under, level with clubhouse leader Pampling.

Spieth drained an eight-foot downhill putt on the 11th to also move to six-under and Scott, ahead on the 14th, joined him to make it a four-way tie for the lead.

The American’s parity was short-lived and another visit to the greenside sand saw him bogey the 12th just before Jones brilliantly chipped in from a bunker to save par.

Jones inched ahead on seven-under with his third birdie at the par-five 14th, which Spieth matched to rejoin Pampling and Scott in second place.

Another fine approach shot to the 18th, which he eagled on Saturday to keep his title hopes alive, saw Scott birdie the last to move back to the top of the leaderboard with Jones.

Jones birdied the 16th to move a shot ahead again, however, and he held his nerve despite finding the trees twice on the 17th to clinch the Stonehaven Cup with a short par putt on the final green. 

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Jones and Spieth in Final Duel

Matt Jones is relishing a final-round duel for the Stonehaven Cup with world No1 and defending champion Jordan Spieth after retaining control of the Australian Open. Not even a blistering back-nine charge from Spieth, highlighted by a spectacular eight-iron hole-out from 165 metres for an eagle two on the 17th, was enough to knock Jones off his perch on Saturday.

After a horror start in which he dropped three shots in the first four holes, Spieth blitzed his last 10 holes in seven under par to fire a day’s-best 67 to move to seven under for the championship. But Jones, a lifelong member of The Australian Golf Club, finished with his own flurry with back-to-back birdies in a 68 to surge to 10 under.

The two US PGA stars will go head-to-head in the final pairing but Jones vowed not to get bogged down in any Sunday shootout with the reigning Masters and US Open champion. “It’s not match play at all. It’s me sticking to a game plan, managing the course and just giving myself opportunities,” Jones said. “If I go out and shoot two or three under tomorrow, I’m going to be very tough to beat. So it’s in my hands.”

Spieth acknowledged as much but said ominously that he was peaking for the final round and would draw confidence from his course-record 63 he shot last year to run away with the Stonehaven Cup. “If he shoots something amazing like last year and beats me, that’s what I’ll have to deal with,” Jones said. “I’m very comfortable with where I am and I’m looking forward to it.”

"I’m just happy to be in the final group and leading the tournament with a chance to win. There’s no better player to beat on the final day and to have him in the group and to go up against the world No1 is going to be a lot of fun.”

Bidding to become the first international player since the legendary Jack Nicklaus in 1976 to win back-to-back Open crowns, Spieth at one point trailed Jones by eight shots before setting up what shapes as a grandstand finish to the 100th Open. Rhein Gibson (68) is five shots off the lead in outright third with Lincoln Tighe (70) and Aron Price (70) six back in equal fourth.

Former champion Geoff Ogilvy (71) is at three under, while Adam Scott is all but out of contention despite carding a 68 on Saturday. Scott eagled the last hole to join Brett Rumford (69), Northern Irishman Darren Clarke (70) and Todd Sinnott (74) at one under and among just 10 players in red figures.

Victorian Anthony Brown provided an early third-round highlight with a hole in one. His beautifully struck five iron on the 198-metre second hole lit up the Open on an otherwise gloomy morning at The Australian. But the 33-year-old’s sixth ace of his career failed to ignite his round as he finished with a three-over 74 to be seven over for the championship, a distant 17 shots behind Jones.

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World No Ready for BMW Championship

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Rory McIlroy admits he's enjoying not being the centre of attention in the battle with Jordan Spieth and Jason Day to be golf's world No 1.

McIlroy currently lies 17th in the FedExCup standings heading in to this week's BMW Championship, but is back as world No 1 ahead of Jordan Spieth despite neither being in action last week.

The pair are split by less than 0.03 points in the OWGR standings, as the duo tussle with Jason Day for golf's top spot.

The 26-year-old has only made two starts since rupturing ankle ligaments in July and while the recent focus at the top of the rankings has been around Spieth and Day, McIlroy admits he's enjoyed not being the sport's only talking point. 

"I feel like I've been flying under the radar a little bit for the last three months just because I've only played a couple of times," McIlroy told a pre-tournament press conference. "I feel like I'm sort of not being talked about as much, and that's not a bad thing.

"In that time period, Jason has done very, very well, Jordan has kept up his pretty good play, apart from the last couple of weeks, but that's golf, that happens. Rickie had a great week last week.

"It's nice to just go about your business. If you look at it over the last two years, I feel like I've played pretty much the best. I think I have seven wins in that time period.

"I don't know if anyone has more. If you look at it over a two-year period, but if you look at it over even the last 12 months or the last six months, then obviously no."

McIlroy features alongside Hideki Matsuyama and Brandt Snedeker for the opening two rounds in Illinois, with the world No 1 now looking to take some momentum in to next week's season-ending TOUR Championship.

"I feel like I'm ready," McIlroy added. "I'm really looking forward to playing two weeks in a row, so hopefully I can have a good week this week and then go to Atlanta.

The last three times I've played it's felt physically not rusty, but mentally just trying to get back into the rhythm of playing tournament golf and having positive thoughts all the time."

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No 1 Spieth Replaces McIlroy

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Jordan Spieth has replaced Rory McIlroy as world number one after finishing second to Jason Day in the US PGA Championship.

McIlroy finished 17th at Whistling Straits on his return to action following the ankle injury which kept him out of the Open and Bridgestone Invitational, two tournaments he won last year.

And that meant Spieth became the second youngest player after Tiger Woods to top the rankings, despite being unable to claim a record-equalling third major title in one season.

Day's first major title lifts him from fifth to third and means the world's top three are aged 22, 26 and 27 respectively.

McIlroy admitted Jordan Spieth deserved to replace him as world number one following after the Irishman carded a closing round of 69 to finish nine under par and alone in 17th.

"Honestly the way Jordan has been playing and the way I haven't played much this year - I think that was only my 12th or 13th event - it's very deservedly so," said McIlroy, who had not played since the US Open in June after rupturing an ankle ligament playing football with friends on 4 July.

"Winning two majors, winning a couple of other times this year, had a chance at the Open, had a chance today. I'd be the first one to congratulate him because I know the golf you have to play to get to that spot, and it has been impressive this year."

Asked if regaining top spot would give him extra motivation, McIlroy added: "Not really. I've always said that winning golf tournaments takes care of all of that stuff. Right now I'm focused on just getting my game the way I think it has to be to win tournaments like this."

Spieth, 22, who becomes the second youngest world number one after Tiger Woods, said: "It feels really good. It's an unbelievable feeling.

"I knew walking up the 16th Jason was going to win so I was focusing on finishing second and accomplishing a career goal. So much work has gone into this and what a year it has been."

McIlroy was left to rue rounds of 71 on Thursday and Friday which left him too much to do, but added: "Looking at it as a whole, I feel like I've done well to come back and shoot the scores that I have. I feel like I progressed each and every day.

"If I was to take back anything of this week, it would just be probably that second day when we teed off in benign conditions in the morning and I didn't take advantage of that.

"I'm walking away pretty happy with how the week went. Obviously it isn't a win and I didn't get myself into contention, but considering six weeks ago I wasn't able to walk, it's not a bad effort."

McIlroy said his ankle had responded well to the difficult terrain at Whistling Straits, adding: "It's been great, honestly. I've had no discomfort with it at all.

"I'm still rehabbing it whenever I get back, I'm still doing exercise on it every night and every morning, getting treatment on it. But it's good.

"I'm hitting it the same distance as I have been, and able to get around 18 holes very easily. The residual swelling that just sort of comes from activity, that probably won't go away for another two or three months, but it's nothing to worry about."

McIlroy will skip the first FedEx Cup play-off event and return to action in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston from 4-7 September.

McIlroy later wrote on Twitter: "2 inevitable things happened today, @JDayGolf winning a major and @JordanSpieth getting to 1 in the world! Congrats guys!! Inspiring stuff!"

Latest leading positions and points average: 

1 Jordan Spieth (USA) 12.47

2 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 12.24

3 Jason Day (Aus) 9.40

4 Bubba Watson (USA) 8.24

5 Justin Rose (Eng) 7.16

6 Jim Furyk (USA) 6.89, 7 Dustin Johnson (USA) 6.79, 8 Rickie Fowler (USA) 6.75, 9 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 6.02, 10 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 5.47, 11 Zach Johnson (USA) 4.88, 12 Adam Scott (Aus) 4.88, 13 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 4.79, 14 Jimmy Walker (USA) 4.62, 15 Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.43, 16 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 4.26, 17 Brooks Koepka (USA) 4.22, 18 Patrick Reed (USA) 4.08, 19 JB Holmes (USA) 4.05, 20 Branden Grace (Rsa) 3.94.

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Good PGA Day for Jason

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Jason Day was a model of composure under pressure as he held off history-chasing Jordan Spieth to clinch his first major title at the 97th PGA Championship.

The Australian got off to a hot start and held his nerve down the stretch to card a closing five-under 67 and seal an impressive three-shot win over Spieth, who at least had the consolation of replacing Rory McIlroy at the top of the world rankings.

Day led by two overnight, and he stole a march on Spieth with a birdie at the second before the young Texan hit back at the next only to make his first mistake of the round at the fourth to hand back the initiative.

The pair then matched each other's birdies at the next two holes, and Day made it three in a row when he drained a monster 50-foot putt for a thrilling two at the par-three seventh.

A poor drive into sand cost Day a shot at the eighth, but Spieth bogeyed the ninth while Justin Rose moved into contention with back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 that lifted him to within two shots of the lead.

But Rose's challenge effectively ended when he double-bogeyed the 13th, while Branden Grace ran up a costly six at the 10th which put paid to his chances after he stormed into the mix with four birdies in five holes on the front nine.

Spieth's birdie at 10 was negated when Day replied in kind at the long 11th, and the nine-time major runner-up closed the door again with a superb approach to 10 feet from a fairway bunker at the 14th to set up a birdie after Spieth had holed from 12 feet on the previous hole.

Four ahead with four to play, Day offered a glimmer of hope when he failed to get up and down from greenside rough at the 15th, but two mighty blows to the 16th set up an easy two-putt for birdie after Spieth had splashed out to three feet from an awkward lie in the sand.

Day safely two-putted from distance to match Spieth's par at 17 and he closed out a memorable victory with a cast-iron par at the last to post a winning score of 20 under par.

After winning the Masters and US Open, Spieth had to settle for fourth at the Open Championship and his runner-up finish at Whistling Straits completed the best set of performances in the majors in one year since Tiger Woods' historic season in 2000.

Grace won the race for third when he converted a superb tee-shot to six feet at the 17th and parred the last for a 69 that saw him finish on 15 under, one ahead of Rose after the Englishman bogeyed the last to hand in a 70.

Brooks Koepka soared into the top five with a riveting 66 featuring six birdies and an eagle, the American finishing in a tie for fifth with Anirban Lahiri, who finished off a career-defining tournament with a commendable 68 to close on 13 under.

Dustin Johnson put together one of the more amazing rounds in major history, recovering from a horrible quadruple-bogey eight at the first to salvage a 69 which included two eagles in a sensational back-nine 31.

Defending champion McIlroy, playing his first event since the US Open after suffering ankle ligament damage, had to be content with 17th place on nine under after carding a solid four-birdie 69.

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Rory McIlroy is Back

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Rory McIlroy has confirmed he will defend his US PGA Championship this week and says his ankle is "100 per cent" ready.

The world No 1 has declared himself fully fit and will tee-up at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin having not played a competitive round since June 21.

The 26-year-old has been sidelined since rupturing ligaments in his left ankle while playing football with friends in early July.

Subsequently, McIlroy was forced to sidestep the Scottish Open, the 144th Open and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, but after playing a practice round at Whistling Straits on Saturday says he is ready for his title defence.

He said: "To play golf my ankle's 100 per cent. To go back on a soccer pitch, it wouldn't be quite ready. But to do what I need to do this week, it's 100 per cent.

"It actually feels better when I go at it as hard as I want because my left foot sort of spins out of the way whenever I hit the driver anyway.

"If my left foot was to stay completely flat, like roll on to the left side like a lot of guys do, then it would obviously create a few problems.

“Because mine sort of spins out of the way, it takes a lot of pressure off it."

Since the injury, McIlroy has spent time in Portugal and he hopes he will be competitive enough to force his way into contention on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier this year he took seven weeks off before returning to action to finish second in the Desert Swing.

He added: "I think it's just the competitiveness of feeling what it's like to play a tournament.

"It's OK coming back to play Abu Dhabi as your first week back, but playing a major, it's a bit different.

"Just that sharpness and competitive edge, that's the thing you really hope is there when you come back."

And if McIlroy requires reassurances, then he needs to remember the achievement of Tiger Woods in 2008 when the American won the US Open at Torrey Pines having not teed-up since the Masters two months earlier.

McIlroy also admitted he was able to practice his short game while wearing a protective boot on his injured ankle. He told the Daily Mail: "I've been chipping and putting basically since it happened, with my protective boot on.

"I did think about coming back last week at the Bridgestone but Steve (McGregor, his fitness coach) held me back.

“He thought it important for me to basically play a tournament behind closed doors and after I completed that successfully, it felt the right time to come."

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