Hunter Mahan denied Rory McIlroy the chance to become World Number One by beating the 22 year old in the final of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play in Tucson.

After the joy of beating Ryder Cup teammate Lee Westwood from three down before lunch, McIlroy’s bid to dethrone Luke Donald fell flat when he lost the final 2 and 1 to American Mahan.
The afternoon also went America’s way in the third place play-off, Wilson never trailing either as he beat Westwood on the final green.

South Korean surprise Sang-Moon Bae will face Rory McIlroy in the Accenture Match Play. Maybe not a surprise as the young asian won 3 events last year on the japanese Tour. Both Peter Hanson and Mark Wilson had a clear victory over their opponents to find each other in today’s match.

Lee Westwood got his revenge on Nick Watney and moved a step closer to a shot at regaining the No. 1 ranking Friday in the Match Play Championship.

Westwood, eliminated at Dove Mountain each of the last two years by Watney, birdied the opening two holes and pulled away when Watney missed too many short putts. He advanced to the quarterfinals with a 3-and-2 win and will play against Martin Laird. The last pairing is pure american: Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar.

Some of the favorites did a good job, others didn’t

Westwood is one who accomplished: needing to win the title on Sunday to regain the World Number One spot from the already-departed Luke Donald, the 38 year old third seed beat Robert Karlsson 3 and 2 in the second round at Dove Mountain near Tucson.

And Westwood does not have to face Tiger Woods to make further progress.

The three-time winner missed a six foot birdie putt on the last and went out to fellow American Nick Watney – the man who has defeated Westwood the last two years. Also in are Brand Snedeker and Peter Hanson who will be face to face in today’s round. Rory MacIlroy plays against the eldest participant Miguel Angel Jimenez and Dustin Johnson against Mark Wilson. Steve Stricker vs Hunter Mahan, Paul Lawry vs Martin Laird and Kaymer vs Matt Kuchar complete todays matches.

Ernie Els defeated last year winner and current #1 Luke Donald. It was all the more remarkable as Els was not even in the field for the Tucson event until Phil Mickelson pulled out.

In a generally scrappy match Tiger Woods came back from behind and won on the last hole against Gonzo Fernandez-Castaño. Westwood and McIlroy both won and this gives them a chance to become #1 in case of a win. Kaymer, Jimenez and Oosthuizen secured their participation in round 2 and so did Mateo Manassero with one of the best performances of the day.

Other winners were Brand  Snedeker, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Buba Watson and Steve Stricker

The Accenture Match Play Championship starts today in Arizona’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, a very long course of over 7400 yards. Even if on paper some matches look easy for the favorites, anything can happen.

Rory McIlroy said about this game:

“I always look forward to this event every year. It’s a little bit of a change from what we usually play.

“We only get to play match play a couple of times a year. You need to be pretty aggressive from the start and try to get off to a good start. It would be nice to get into a good run this week.

“Eighteen holes of golf – anything can happen. You can be five or six under par and lose or you can play mediocre and win.

Certainly all top ranked players think like that. Some interesting matches can be viewed, like the spanish pairing between Jimenez and Garcia ,  Tiger’s first serious test against Gonzo Fernandez-Castaño, or Lee Westwood against the belgian Nicolas Colsaerts who has proved his solid game in previous match play competitions. But certainly the most viewed match will be current #1 Luke Donald facing Ernie Els. We’ll keep you informed

Yes, we have sold 2 units in the last weeks since we started our special offer:

- 30.000$ off on the 2 bedroom condos,

- 20.000$ off on the 2 bedroom condos

Come in and have also a look at our lots. We have opened up 4 new secondary roads in our project, and have discovered some awesome lots with both golf course and ocean view. Also during these promo weeks: green fee at only 25$.

Our sales are going well. We sold one more Clubhouse Condo of our incredible offer. 30.000$ off on our 2 bedroom condos, 20.000$ on the one bedroom units.

And don’t forget, also 20.000$ of on all lots. In the last weeks, we have been shaping all secondary roads and all lots have now 2 wheel drive access. We discovered a few jewels..don’t hesitate and ask for more information here!!!

Congrats  to Dave and Carolyn who purchased condo 203,  a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom unit in building 2.

Changes to Rules of Golf for 2012-15 Editions of Rulebook

USGA, R&A Announce Revisions

Source : About.com Guide

The keepers of the rules, the R&A and the USGA, announced multiple updates to both the rules and to some decisions on the rules, with the change to Rule 18-2b – Ball Moving After Address – being the most significant. According to the governing bodies, the Rules of Golf 2012-15 edition includes changes to nine of the 34 principal rules. As for Rule 18-2b, the news release announcing the updates put it like this:

Ball Moving After Address (Rule 18-2b). A new exception is added which exonerates the player from penalty if their ball moves after it has been addressed when it is known or virtually certain that they did not cause the ball to move. For example, if it is a gust of wind that moves the ball after it has been addressed, there is no penalty and the ball is played from its new position.

Very good news, indeed, for anyone who’s ever had to assess himself a penalty merely because the wind blew at the wrong time and wrong place. This happens at least a few times every year on professional golf tours, and sometimes in key situations. It always stirs up controversy, and it’s safe to say that this ruling has always been among the most unpopular with rank-and-file golfers.

Two other significant changes are these, as described in the news release:

Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Actions (Rule 13-4). Exception 2 to this Rule is amended to permit a player to smooth sand or soil in a hazard at any time, including before playing from that hazard, provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and Rule 13-2 (improving lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play) is not breached.

Time of Starting (Rule 6-3a). The rule is amended to provide that the penalty for starting late, but within five minutes of the starting time, is reduced from disqualification to loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play. Previously this penalty reduction could be introduced as a condition of competition.

The R&A and USGA examine the rules on a 4-year cycle, going through the rules as written and looking for areas that might need clarification or modification. And every four years, there are a number of mostly small, minor changes to the rules. That is the case again this year, as the vast majority of the changes to the rules for the 2012-15 cycle are minor. Overall, the rules will change very little even with the adjustments noted above.

The USGA and R&A also announced that they jointly designed the hard copy, pocket-sized version of the rulebook that will become available to golfers in December 2011. That rulebook used to be designed separately, so while the rules themselves were identical, the R&A book and the USGA book had different designs and slightly different presentations. Those differences will be gone for the 2012-15 cycle. Between them, the USGA and R&A will publish 4.6 million copies of the pocket-sized rulebook.