91Èȱ¬

When so began a chain of events that led to the current revamping and relocation of the tournament.

There was only one more running of the popular tournament that had been played every year at Wentworth since 1964 in a straight knock-out form.

The fact that the game's biggest draw only managed a single day at the Championship three years ago proved too much for the then sponsors HSBC who had ploughed in record funds. They ended their agreement halfway through a 10-year deal

After all, it was highly unlikely that Woods would be enticed back to the tournament anyway and the risk of losing the biggest names so early in proceedings made it an increasingly unattractive prospect in the modern era.

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Early next week, there will be a change to how you leave comments on this blog - we're upgrading our current registration system to a new and improved one. When you log in to the new system, you will be prompted to upgrade your existing account, and you should be able to do that with a minimum of fuss. More details on this can be found on the 91Èȱ¬ Internet Blog.

Britain's most famous inland golf course is going to be barely recognisable when it re-opens next spring, ahead of the European Tour's flagship .

All that remains unchanged about , a spring and autumn fixture on 91Èȱ¬ television screens for decades, is its hole routing, location and clubhouse.

At the end of last year's PGA the course checked in for some cosmetic work. All 18 greens would be re-laid with to alleviate the unevenness of spring-time that was forcing big-name stars like Padraig Harrington to stay away from the event.

So, the plan was for a facelift to attract back the stars to the PGA. But once the golf- design doctors started work they soon realised the need and opportunity for major surgery.

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It was at the that Scottish pro Richie Ramsay bemoaned his country's tendency to talk itself down. Too quick to latch onto the negative, too slow to accentuate the positive was the gist of what the former US amateur champion had to say.

A fortnight after those comments in the St Andrews interview room at the , Scottish golf, and indeed the British game, undoubtedly has plenty to celebrate following in Las Vegas.

Shame it was a tad under the radar - but it's hardly Laird's fault that Britain was collecting world titles in and on the same day, and that the event didn't seem to haul too many Las Vegans from their slot machines to watch the action.

The fact is Laird beat a pretty decent field and now has a similar claim to fame as Masters champion .

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It's a little under a year until the next and Bonfire Night comes around somewhat sooner, but anyone expecting verbal fireworks from the captains of Europe and the United States is being left disappointed.

As the build up to the 2010 match continued with a special exhibition match between Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin on the TwentyTen course that will stage America's defence of the trophy, diplomacy was once again the only winner.

Neither skipper wants to put a word out of place as both put even the obdurate Geoffrey Boycott to shame when it comes to playing a straight bat.

So no crowing from Pavin in the wake of another , no celebrating the fact that a ready-made partner for Tiger Woods has been found and no boasting that the world number one has now got the hang of team golf.

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Despite a degree of opposition among the IOC delegates and a liberal sprinkling of cynicism and scepticism from inside and outside the game, and will be part of the sporting carnival in Rio in 2016.

Make no mistake, this is ultimately a business decision by the IOC who, despite 27 votes against inclusion, are looking for a lucrative slice of golf's commercial and television portfolio, as well as its ever expanding appeal in the Far East.

But for golf, the benefits will also run deep, with membership of the Olympic family offering potentially significant influence on how the game is run and perceived.

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There are few events more lavish than the . The tournament is proof that golf attracts money, with financial interests extending well beyond its $5m prize fund.

The majority of the amateur players competing in the team event come from big business and pay handsomely for the privilege of playing alongside some of the best golfers in the world.

But despite the abundance of champagne corks popping and the air of wealth around the East Coast of Scotland last week, it would be wrong to assume that golf is breezing through the current choppy economic waters.

On top of the recently announced 25 per cent cut in prize money for the there will be more evidence of how the credit crunch is impacting on the European Tour when it announces its early schedule for the 2010 season.

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