A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Gingrich stays on-message to promote the cause of women golfers at Augusta
NEWT GINGRICH’S campaign to get the Republican nomination for the US Presidential election may well but floundering but the ever outspoken politician hasn’t sat on the fence as far as the issue of women members at Augusta National is concerned. Gingrich told Twitter: “I think Callista (his wife) ]would be a great member #Augusta – maybe she would let me come and play.”
Republican front-runner Mitt Romney expressed the same sentiment at an event in northeastern Pennsylvania. He was asked on the rope line if he felt women should be allowed at Augusta.
“Well, of course,” he said. “I’m not a member of Augusta. I don’t know that I would qualify. My golf game is not that good. But certainly if I were a member and if I could run Augusta, which isn’t likely to happen, but of course I’d have women in Augusta, sure.”
Tourism Ireland expect US golf tourism bonanza
THERE ARE signs that things are on the up as far as golfing tourists from the United States to Ireland are concerned. Joe Byrne, the New York-based head of Tourism Ireland, hosted a reception on Thursday night aimed at promoting golfing trips to the old sod and highlighting Royal Portrush’s hosting of the Irish Open this summer.
Byrne said he was anticipating near record levels for the coming year. “The Irish don’t like Americans,” he hold the US media present, “we love them.”
Among those present were Paul Gleeson, the Irish Consul General in Atlanta, and a strong Royal Portush influence that included Kenny McDowell, father of G-Mac, and Wilma Erskine, secretary-manager of Royal Portrush. Ireland’s four Major winners, Messrs Harrington, McIlroy, Clarke and McDowell, have thrown their weight behind the Irish Open on the Causeway Coast from June 28th-July 1st.
Masters may be the most wagered-on in history
US EXPERTS believe this Masters could be the most wagered-on golf event in history.
"It is leaps and bounds ahead of where it was 10 or 15 years ago," said Pat Morrow, the head oddsmaker at the online casino Bovada.lv.
Jeff Sherman, who runs the website GolfOdds.comand is the assistant manager of race and sports at the Las Vegas Resort and Casino, said late last week his sports book's handle, or betting total, on the Masters had surpassed the previous record almost a week ago.
In previous years, Sherman said, the sports book executives might hope to reach just over $100,000 in total bets. Adding in expected wagers on match-ups (Woods v McIlroy in total score, for example) and proposition bets (will there be a hole in one?), not to mention in-round betting, Sherman said the hope is for a total handle approaching $300,000 for his sports book.
Hungry McDowell all ready for a major educational weekend
THE HUNGER is greater than ever, and Graeme McDowell – despite a bogey-bogey finish that rather spoiled much of the really good work he had done for the previous 16 holes of his second round – looked forward to a further two rounds over the weekend that offered a chance to jump from the fringes into the thick of contention.
McDowell, who shot a level par 72 for a midway total of 147, made only his second cut in five attempts here at Augusta and acknowledged he required to go low in the third round.
“If I have some sort of semblance of competing on Sunday, I am going to need 66 tomorrow and I will go out there and try and chase that, within reason. I am not going to go and be all duck and no dinner.
“ I will treat this weekend as an education as to Augusta on the weekend and where my game needs to be coming in here next year. I don’t have an Augusta game right now but it works on 90 per cent of the other golf courses we play.
“Playing well coming in this week gets you a little bit ahead of yourself, you think, ‘oh, get me to Augusta’ and then I come here and I realise that this is a hard golf course and maybe the shortcomings a little bit in my driver and in my short game.”
