Bernard Gallachers tees off defibrillator campaign

Former European Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher yesterday launched a nationwide campaign which could potentially help to save the lives of golfers of all abilities and ages.

Drawing on his own experience of suffering a sudden cardiac arrest – Gallacher was hospitalised in August after collapsing during a dinner reception in Aberdeen – the 1995 winning captain was joined by a host of friends and colleagues from the worlds of sport and showbusiness at Wentworth Club to activate the Bernard Gallacher Defibrillator Campaign 2014.

It was only thanks to the availability of an automated external defibrillator (AED) following his collapse earlier this year, along with early-response cardiopulmonary resuscitation treatment at the venue, that Gallacher was able to regain consciousness and take steps towards a full recovery.

However, that close brush with death inspired Gallacher and his wife, Lesley, to announce plans to lead a campaign for AEDs to be widely available in every golf club and driving range in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

With the Gallachers’ profile and encouragement, allied to a fundraising campaign being run concurrently with the PGA and Arrhythmia Alliance – the Heart Rhythm Charity – an estimated 2600 golfing venues and around 4,000,000 club golfers could benefit from the campaign.

Gallacher, who was speaking at the campaign launch in the ballroom of the clubhouse where he spent more than 20 years as a club professional, said: “I consider myself incredibly fortunate that a defibrillator was on hand in Aberdeen to resuscitate me following my sudden cardiac arrest. But for that AED and the quick-thinking, expertise and life-saving skills of the medical personnel in the room that night, I wouldn’t be here today.

“Without early intervention, an individual has just a 5 per cent chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest, so Lesley and I felt it appropriate to try to ensure others are equally fortunate should they collapse in or around a golfing venue in future.

“Currently, just 30 per cent of golf clubs have a defibrillator, and our stated aim is to try to raise awareness of the importance of having an AED close by in case of emergency, and to increase that figure considerably by encouraging every club or driving range in the UK and Ireland to have at least one public-access defibrillator by the end of 2014.

“Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, and possibly on the golf course.

“We want to do whatever it takes to raise the level of awareness of defibrillators and to get them into more clubs around the country.”

Martin Dempster: Justin Rose badly let down by BBC

ONCE the sport’s recognised home, the BBC is losing – perhaps has even lost – its credibility in golf, the final straw for many being this year’s Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

While there’s no denying that Andy Murray was a deserved winner of the main prize, Justin Rose finishing ninth out of the ten nominees, coupled with golf being overlooked in the other categories, has led to eyebrows being raised in the Royal & Ancient game.

In the year he became US Open champion – the first Englishman to achieve the feat since Tony Jacklin in 1970 – Rose polled fewer than 10,000 votes, which, to put into context, was around 390,000 less than Murray secured and a sixth of runner-up Leigh Halfpenny’s total.

“Perhaps the public overlooked the bit where he [Rose] won the US Open,” tweeted Andrew Cotter, one of the Beeb’s golf commentators, in expressing his surprise at seeing the world No 4 snubbed in such astonishing fashion.

It was a shocking insult to Rose, who had the good grace to use the same social media outlet to offer his congratulations to Murray but, at the same time, appeared to signal shock himself that he only managed to beat a cricketer, Ian Bell, in a poll that attracted a reported 717,454 votes.

“Thanks for voting, anyone who did . . . ” wrote Rose on Twitter en route to his home in Orlando from Thailand, where he had been criticised by some for playing in an end-of-season event instead of attending Sunday night’s BBC bash in Leeds, but he will certainly be pleased now that he wasn’t talked into changing those plans.

Among those in attendance were Catriona Matthew and Charley Hull, two members of the European women’s side that won the Solheim Cup on American soil for the first time yet still lost out to the British Lions for Team of the Year. It was a double dose of disappointment on the night for Hull, who made a spectacular debut in that match in Denver at just 17 before going on to be crowned as the Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year, as the Young Sports Personality prize went instead to shooter Amber Hill.

Add in the fact that Charlie Green, one of the legendary figures in British amateur golf, failed to get a mention in the list of those who had passed away over the past 12 months and it’s easy to see why golf followers went into Twitter overdrive on Sunday night.

But, while Cotter – an excellent commentator, and, along with the likes of Hazel Irvine and Ken Brown, an asset when it comes to golf coverage – appeared to be pointing the finger of blame at the public for Rose failing so miserably in this year’s poll, surely the BBC itself is even more culpable.

After all, how often did viewers of terrestrial TV see Rose – in a different league, incidentally, to golf’s last SPOTY winner, Nick Faldo, in the personality stakes – on their screens in 2013?

By my reckoning, the BBC only delivered six days of live coverage from a men’s golf tournament this year – all four rounds of the Open Championship at Muirfield and the final two from the Masters at Augusta.

The Scottish Open and PGA Championship, both shown live by the channel for a long time, have now been reduced to highlights, leaving the likes of Cotter, Irvine, Brown and, of course, Peter Alliss with slim pickings, especially in comparison to the feast of golf served up by Sky Sports.

Dear old Henry Longhurst, the man who preceded Alliss as the “Voice of Golf” – Alex Hay, too – would be turning in his grave if he knew how little air time the great game now commands on the BBC schedule, having been downgraded in the same way, sadly, as horseracing by the powers-that-be.

There’s a smugness about the BBC these days, a feeling that has probably been permeated by the likes of Gary Lineker and his Match of the Day cohorts. They may still feel that programme on a Saturday night is football’s spiritual home.

For golf, though, the channel has failed its licence payers and that, not the public letting him down, is what has left Rose, in the year – like Murray – when he recorded the greatest win of his career, a tad red-faced while the Scot enjoys his deserved plaudits.

Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor in good spot at Q school

A four-under 68 Monday put Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor in great position to earn exempt status on the 2014 Web.com Tour.

Taylor stands tied for 14th place heading into Tuesday’s final round of the 108-hole Web.com Tour qualifying school in La Quinta, Calif.

The top 45 and ties after Tuesday’s final round will be exempt through the tour’s first two reshuffles. The Web.com Tour reshuffles its exempt list after every four tournaments based on money earned.

If Taylor could move into the top 10 after Tuesday’s final round, he would be exempt through the first three reshuffles, guaranteeing him at least the first 12 starts of the 2014 season.

Taylor, the former world’s top-ranked amateur player. stands at 14-under par through five rounds at the Stadium and Nicklaus courses at PGA West. He is the only one of six B.C. players at Q school currently inside the top 45.

Justin Shin of Maple Ridge and Merritt’s Roger Sloan are tied for 52nd spot at eight-under par. They both fired even-par 72s on Monday.

Devin Carrey moved into a tie for 62nd at seven-under par after shooting a 70 on Monday.

Riley Wheeldon of Comox shot 72 Monday and is tied for 127th at three-over par. Wheeldon is exempt through the first reshuffle by virtue of finishing second on the PGA Canada money list this year. He came to Q school hoping to improve that position.

North Vancouver’s Eugene Wong is tied for 132nd at four-over par after shooting a 73 on Monday.

Ontario residents Cam Burke and Albin Choi are both in good shape heading into Tuesday’s final round. Burke is alone in 11th spot at 16-under, while Choi is one shot back in a tie for 12th spot.

Rory McIlroy Set To Sign With Roger Federer’s Team8 Sports?

If rumours are correct then double major winning Rory McIlroy could be soon signing with Team8, the sports agency set up by Roger Federer’s agent Tony Godsick.

McIlroy officially quit the Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management in October to set up Rory McIlroy Incorporated.

And while he has stated a desire to manage his own business affairs, McIlroy is close to Federer due to his relationship with Caroline Wozniacki.

Federer and Godsick were with IMG until 2012 but are now seeking to expand the operation. Already they have signed Juan Martin del Potro, the current tennis world No. 5, and according to golf reporting colleague, Jamie Corrigan it is understood that talks have been held with McIlroy.

Three Canadians inside the top 15 heading into final round of Web.com Qualifying

LA QUINTA, Calif. – The Canadian contingent continues to impress at Web.com Final Qualifying with three players sitting inside the top 15 with one round left to play in the 108 hole marathon at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif.

Cam Burke continued his strong play Monday, firing his fourth consecutive under-par round with a 3-under 69. The New Hamburg, Ont., native currently sits as the low Canadian in 11th place at 16-under par, a single stroke ahead of Toronto’s Albin Choi.

Choi soared up the leaderboard early in the day after turning the front-nine in 4-under 32, but suffered a double-bogey on par-3 13th to finish the fifth round in a tie for 12th after a 3-under 69.

Former World Amateur No. 1, Nick Taylor of Abbottsford, B.C., made another strong move in standings after carding a 4-under 68. Taylor currently sits in a tie for 14th at 14-under.

Justin Shin of Maple Ridge, B.C., Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., and Derek Gillespie of Oshawa, Ont. all sit narrowly outside the top-45 heading into the final round in a tie for 52nd. Devin Carrey of Surrey, B.C., carded a 2-under 70 and is in a tie for 62nd after 90 holes.

Scott Pinckney of Utah regained the overall lead at 25-under-par after a 4-under 68 on Monday. Pinckney leads by two over Zack Fischer.

Full scores for the 11 Canadians in the field this week are below. The Canucks will look to finish inside the top-45 after 108 holes of play, which will give them exempt status until the Web.Com Tour’s second periodic re-order of the 2014 season. To see more on the qualifying breakdown.

Canadian Scores after Round 5 of Web.com Final Qualifying

11. Cam Burke, New Hamburg, Ont. (-16) 67-72–67-69-69–344

T12. Albin Choi, Toronto, Ont. (-15) 69-71–67-69-69–345

T14. Nick Taylor, Abbottsford, B.C. (-14) 69-70–72-67-68–346

T52. Justin Shin, Maple Ridge, B.C. (-8) 64-74–73-69-72–352

T52. Roger Sloan, Merritt, B.C. (-8) 68-70–72-70-72–352

T52. Derek Gillespie, Oshawa, Ont. (-8) 71-67–72-67-75–352

T62. Devin Carrey, Surrey, B.C. (-7) 68-71–71-73-70–353

T98. Yohann Benson, Montreal, Que. (-3) 73-74–70-71-69–357

T127. Riley Wheeldon, Comox, B.C. (+3) 74-71–71-75-72–363

T127. Max Gilbert, St-Georges, Que. (+3) 73-74–74-72-70–363

T132. Eugene Wong, North Vancouver, B.C. (+4) 73-70-75-73-73–364

14 added to Masters field through world ranking

Augusta National added 14 players to the field for the Masters when the final world ranking of the year was published Monday.

That brings the field to 90 players who are expected to compete April 10-13, and again raises the possibility of the Masters exceeding 100 players for the first time in nearly 50 years. Augusta National has the smallest field of the four majors and prefers to keep it under 100 to enhance the overall experience at its tournament.

This is the third time in the last four years that the field was at least 90 players going into a new calendar year. There were 99 players for the 2011 Masters, the most since 103 players competed in 1966.

Those who qualified by being in the top 50 of the final ranking were Hideki Matsuyama, Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Francesco Molinari, Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero, David Lynn, Thongchai Jaidee, Peter Hanson, Joost Luiten and Branden Grace.

Players can still qualify by winning a PGA Tour event (except for the Puerto Rico Open) or being in the top 50 on March 30, a full week before the Masters.

Matsuyama qualified at No. 23. It will be his third appearance at the Masters, and his first as a pro. Matsuyama was a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, which awards an exemption to the Masters. He made the cut both times as an amateur.

"I'm ecstatic I qualified for the Masters through my play for this year," Matsuyama said through an interpreter in October, when it was clear he would be in the top 50.

He won four times this year on the Japan Golf Tour and had a pair of top 10s in the majors.

Fowler was the only American of the 14 from the world ranking, though two other players (Peter Hanson, David Lynn) were PGA Tour members, who have more options available to them during the year.

The Masters changed the criteria for the 2014 tournament, though that appears to have little bearing on the number of qualified players. Because the PGA Tour went to a wraparound season (October through September), the Masters awarded spots to the winners of tournaments held in the fall. Jimmy Walker, Ryan Moore and Chris Kirk qualified by winning those events. The other winners of fall events - Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson and Harris English - previously were eligible for the Masters.

Augusta National eliminated the category for top 30 on the money list, though that didn't keep out any player who qualified.

The club now takes the top 12 and ties from the previous Masters (instead of the top 16) and the top four and ties from the U.S. Open (instead of the top eight). That eliminated only one player - David Toms - who would have been eligible under the previous category. The others would have made it through other criteria.

When the FedEx Cup was created in 2007, Augusta National returned to its practice of inviting PGA Tour winners (at events that offered full FedEx Cup points). Since then, the largest increase in the field from January until the Masters was the addition of 11 players for this year's tournament.

Kuchar, Snedeker commit to Hyundai Tournament of Champions

MAUI, Kapalua, Hawaii – Tournament officials announced that Matt Kuchar and Brandt Snedeker, both of whom won twice on the PGA TOUR in 2013, will head to Maui this January to compete in the winners-only Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Kuchar and Snedeker were two of just five players on TOUR to win multiple times this season, which brought each of their career totals to six victories. The Hyundai Tournament of Champions returns to The Plantation Course at Kapalua from Jan. 2-6, 2014.

Matt Kuchar kicked off his first multiple win season on TOUR with two top-10 finishes in his first two starts of the season, T9 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and T5 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. Kuchar carried this momentum to Tucson, Arizona, where he withstood sleet and slow to beat defending champion Hunter Mahan, 2-and-1, in the final match of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. With his win, Kuchar jumped from No. 23 to No. 8 in the Official World Golf Rankings. After his victory in Arizona, Kuchar picked up two more top-10 finishes before winning the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance. Kuchar had two more top-10 finishes to close out his season before returning to Muirfield Village Golf Club for The Presidents Cup, where he went 3-2-0 as part of the victorious United States Team.

Brandt Snedeker came out of the gate with three top-10 finishes in his first four starts of the 2013 season, including third at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. In his fifth start, Snedeker won his fifth career PGA TOUR event at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Five months and three top-10 finishes later, Snedeker posted a 16-under 272 at the RBC Canadian Open to pick up his second win of the 2013 season. This was Snedeker’s second consecutive multiple win season since joining the TOUR in 2007. In October, Snedeker made his debut in The Presidents Cup and joined Kuchar on the United States Team.