Luke Donald triumphs again at Wentworth

Luke Donald conjured a perfect déjà vu moment at Wentworth Club as he successfully defended the BMW PGA Championship to once again become the best player in the world. Having triumphed in a play-off against Lee Westwood over the West Course 12 months ago, Donald was once again unbeatable in The European Tour’s flagship event as he overcame another of his compatriots, Justin Rose, and Scotland’s Paul Lawrie to become only the third man in history, after Sir Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie, to defend the title. Rose made an electrifying start to his final round in front of record crowds at Wentworth to pull level with Donald after four holes before the World Number One proved himself exactly that by putting his foot on the accelerator and driving into an unassailable lead. Donald eventually completed a four stroke victory over Lawrie and Rose, to pick up the first prize of €750,000, with an accomplished closing 68 and 15 under par total of 273. Rose, joint second with Lawrie, had the consolation of moving to the top of the Race to Dubai with season’s earnings of €1,695,687.  His seventh European Tour International Schedule victory in his 109th European Tour event. Moves to €1,021,669 in The Race to Dubai. Has now won more than €1 million in a single European Tour season for the sixth time in his career. Moves back to Number One in the Official World Golf Ranking. This is the start of his fourth stint at World Number One. Moves to Number One for the second consecutive year as a result of his performance at the BMW PGAChampionship.Makes a successful defence of his BMW PGA Championship title, just the third player to win in back-to-back years following Sir Nick Faldo (1980-1981) and Colin Montgomerie (1998-2000). This marks the first time in his professional career he has successfully defended a professional title. The second player on The European Tour in 2012 to successfully defend a European Tour title, following Louis Oosthuizen (2011-2012 Africa Open). Becomes the fourth different Englishman to win multiple titles in this event. He follows: Sir Nick Faldo (1978, 1980, 1981 and 1989), Peter Alliss (1957, 1962 and 1965) and Tony Jacklin (1972 and 1982). Becomes the ninth different player to win multiple titles in the event. He follows: Sir Nick Faldo (1978, 1980, 1981 and 1989), Peter Alliss (1957, 1962 and 1965), Bernhard Langer (1987, 1993 and 1995), Colin Montgomerie (1998, 1999 and 2000), Tony Jacklin (1972 and 1982), Seve Ballesteros (1983 and 1991), Ian Woosnam (1988 and 1997) and Anders Hansen (2002 and 2007). The fourth consecutive English victory in the BMW PGA Championship. This follows Paul Casey (2009), Simon Khan (2010) and Donald (2011). His fourth European Tour International Schedule victory in his last 18 appearances on The European Tour, dating back to the start of 2011. Has now won for three consecutive seasons on The European Tour.His third European Tour International Schedule victory on European soil from his last five appearances, dating back to the 2011 BMW PGA Championship. Also won the Barclays Scottish Open in July 2011.Since the start of the 2011 European Tour season he has won €6,345,069 from 18 European Tour events, at an average of €352,503 per event. Since the start of the 2011 European Tour season, he has amassed 12 top ten finishes from his 18 European Tour events. Becomes the 34th different player to successfully defend a European Tour title. The 29th English victory in the Championship, dating back to the first event in 1955. The 274th English victory in European Tour history. Moves to €1,459,696 in The European Ryder Cup Points Table. Becomes the third English winner on The European Tour in 2012. They are: Robert Rock (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship) and Justin Rose (WGC – Cadillac Championship) and Luke Donald (BMW PGA Championship). His 13th victory worldwide as a professional. Moves over €14 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings.

Haye wants showdown with Vitali Klitschko

Former world heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David 'The Hayemaker' Haye has reiterated that the prospect of a fight against current WBC kingpin Vitali Klitschko is one of the sole reasons he decided to return to the ring in 2012. The 31-year-old meets fellow Londoner Dereck Chisora on July 14 at Upton Park, but admits a clash against Klitschko remains his ultimate goal, despite recent claims he turned down a fight with the Ukrainian two weeks ago. “It makes absolutely no sense for me to turn down a fight I desperately want,” said Haye. “Remember, the whole idea behind going ahead with this Chisora fight was that a victory may then lead to a fight with Vitali Klitschko. That was my plan, my reason for returning to the ring. I want to fight on July 14 and then again in September, and have been telling people this for months now.” Haye's trainer and manager Adam Booth is just as perplexed by the latest noises coming from the Klitschko camp.  “A few weeks ago I received a first draft contract from K2/KMG (the Klitschkos), as a formal offer for the fight between David and Vitali,” explained Booth. “Once we'd announced the Chisora fight I left a message for Shelly Finkel, in which I informed him we were ready to move to completion of the agreement for Vitali versus David. However, since that message was sent to Finkel, I have received no reply. “Today I read that Herr Boente claims David 'turned the fight down' and 'does not want to fight Vitali'. Both of these claims are completely false. If Vitali wants to fight David in September, we are here and happy to accept. If not, no worries or sadness from our side. “Maybe K2 realised during Vitali's fight with Chisora in February that their precious champion was drastically slowing down and didn't fancy going up against anyone too quick in the future. Whatever their reasoning, if Herr Boente is happy to spin the lines he feeds people, good for him."  Eager to defeat both Chisora and Klitschko this summer, Haye stresses he's “fed up with being used as a smokescreen” for a bigger agenda. “What is clear to me is that K2 are now happy to protect an ageing Vitali and usher him towards politics as soon as possible,” said Haye. “Politics is about popularity, and Vitali's popularity in Ukraine would take a massive hit if he were to get knocked out by me before retiring. It's imperative for him to keep winning and beating up puddings en route to retirement, as that sets him up nicely for a career in politics. “At this advanced stage in his career, the last thing on Vitali's mind are tough challenges in the ring. He's essentially semi-retired, which is fine, so long as he comes clean about it. Don't go stringing everybody along – fighters and fans – when some of us know the truth. “Unfortunately, Vitali will probably now look to fight some no-hoper, while telling the boxing world I turned down the fight. I will never turn down a fight with Vitali.” One week before Haye meets Chisora in East London, former nemesis Wladimir Klitschko defends his array of world titles against Tony Thompson, a man he already knocked out some four years ago. And, while Haye is prepared to accept some criticism for his upcoming fight with Chisora, he draws the line at Wladimir's recent 'freak show' label. “They can call my fight against Chisora a freak show as much as they like, but we all know that so-called freak show will have more people interested in it than either of the Klitschkos' next fights,” said Haye. “Who wants to see Wladimir fight Tony Thompson again? Even Tony Thompson doesn't want to see that again. Their first fight was horrible enough. “Also, anybody with an ounce of intelligence would know that Boente and the Klitschkos were only name-dropping and ridiculing my fight with Chisora to raise some publicity over here for the Klitschko film, which they happened to be in London promoting on Monday night.” Booth added: “It's bizarre just how much hatred with agenda the Haye versus Chisora fight has attracted. Maybe Bernd Boente has short-term memory issues. A quick look back at the video of that infamous Munich press conference clearly shows Bernd agreeing with Frank Warren that Haye and Chisora should fight for the right to challenge Vitali.”

Oosthuizen named Golfer of the Month for April

Louis Oosthuzien’s heroic performance in winning the Maybank Malaysian Open, just a week after suffering a heart-breaking play-off defeat at the Masters Tournament, has earned the South African The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month Award for April. Oosthuizen battled jetlag, high humidity and a world-class field at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, in the Malaysian capital, to seal his fifth European Tour title and swiftly banish the disappointment of missing out on his second Major Championship. The 2010 Open Champion admitted his agonising play-off defeat to American Bubba Watson at Augusta National had caused him sleepless nights, but he showed few signs of fatigue in compiling four sub-70 rounds to cruise to a three-shot victory over runner-up Stephen Gallacher of Scotland.  His €314,700 winner’s cheque, allied to the €652,080 he received for finishing runner-up at the Masters Tournament, lifted Oosthuizen to second place in The Race to Dubai behind World Number Two Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland. The Golfer of the Month panel, comprising members of the golfing media, also praised the performances of South African Branden Grace and Bernd Wiesberger. Perhaps inspired by his friend and compatriot’s feat in Malaysia, Grace followed Oosthuizen into the winners’ enclosure at the Volvo China Open. It was Grace’s third victory of a stunning season, and moved the South African up to fourth place in The Race to Dubai. One week later, Wiesberger made his mark on The 2012 European Tour International Schedule by claiming his maiden title at the Ballantine’s Championship, where he cruised to a five-shot victory to confirm his status as the rising star of Austrian golf. The panel also commended the victories of American Ben Curtis at the Valero Texas Open on the US PGA Tour and Australian Scott Hend at the ISPS Honda Singapore Classic on the Asian Tour, as well as Englishman Lee Westwood’s successful title defence at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters, also on the Asian Tour. Oosthuizen follows Branden Grace (January), Paul Lawrie (February) and Rory McIlroy as monthly winners so far in 2012. All four players will join the subsequent award recipients in being considered for The 2012 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year, an award won last year by World Number One Luke Donald of England.

Arsenal agree terms with Lukas Podolski

Arsenal Football Club is delighted to announce that a deal has been agreed to sign German international striker Lukas Podolski on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee. The Polish-born attacker will team up with the Gunners in the summer ahead of the 2012/13 season from Bundesliga side FC Cologne, where he has been in fine form this season, netting 18 times in 28 league appearances. After spending his early years training and playing with FC Bergheim 2000, the 26-year old joined the youth set-up at Cologne in 1995, before making his first-team debut in 2003. After three successful seasons with Cologne he moved to Bayern Munich in 2006. He spent three seasons with Bayern before re-joining FC Cologne in 2009, and is now regarded as one of the leading strikers in the Bundesliga. Podolski has made 95 appearances for Germany and scored 43 goals since making his debut as a 19-year old in 2004. He made a huge impact with a series of impressive performances at the 2006 World Cup, where he scored three times and followed this up with three more goals at Euro 2008. Podolski was also part of the German team that produced a number of eye-catching displays at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, including a goal-scoring contribution in the 4-1 win over England in Bloemfontein, in the Last 16 stage of the tournament. He also featured for ‘Die Geißböcke’ in the pre-season friendly against Arsenal at the RheinEnergieStadion last July. Manager Arsène Wenger said: “We are delighted to secure the deal for Lukas Podolski and see him as an important part of our future. He is a top-class player, a very good finisher and a proven performer at club and international level. He is a very strong player and will provide us with good attacking options. We are happy to have made this signing early and we’re looking forward to watching Lukas contribute at the European Championships over the summer, a level where he has already made 95 caps at the age of 26 – a phenomenal record and just shows his quality as a player.” Speaking about his move, Lukas Podolski said: “I’m so happy to be joining Arsenal Football Club and to play in the Premier League. Arsenal is one of the top clubs in Europe with a huge history. There are many top quality players at Arsenal and the style of football which the team plays is fantastic. I’m proud to become an Arsenal player and am looking forward to playing my first match at Emirates Stadium and doing my best for all the Arsenal fans.” Podolski continued: “I’m looking forward to becoming an Arsenal player, but at the moment, my focus is with my current club Cologne. I will give everything I have until the end of season to make sure the team finish as high as possible in the Bundesliga. There will always be a place in my heart for FC Köln.”

Casey’s ace voted Shot of the Month for March

Paul Casey’s majestic hole-in-one in the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship has been voted by fans as The European Tour Shot of the Month for March. Having recovered from a shoulder injury which kept him out of action for three months, the Englishman marked his first appearance of the season with a 166-yard ace at the par three 15th at Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Florida. Casey’s effort continues the rich run of par three accuracy following Sergio Garcia’s hole-in-one at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, which won the January Shot of the Month, and Martin Kaymer’s ace – the first of his life – in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, which was voted Shot of the Month for February. The shot was particularly memorable for the banter which ensued between Casey and his caddie, Craig Connelly. As he stepped up to play his shot, Casey agreed with Connelly that if he made a hole-in-one, he would share the prize car on display behind the tee. As the ball rolled in, Connelly leapt around joyously, but his celebrations were short-lived as he was quickly told that the car was only on offer for hole-in-ones on the 13th – much to Casey’s amusement. More than 25 per cent of voters on My European Tour chose Casey’s perfect eight iron, which bounced twice and rolled into the cup, as The European Tour Shot of the Month for March, and one lucky fan won a customised pair of MyJoys. It was an extremely close-run competition however, and Casey’s shot fended off strong competition from superb efforts by Welshman Jamie Donaldson and Frenchman Julien Quesne, in second and third place respectively. Donaldson holed his second shot at the par four 18th in the last round of the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco, remarkably for his third eagle in a magnificent round of 61, while Quesne played the “shot of his life” into the daunting 18th green on the final day of the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol. The 31 year old ripped a four iron to five feet and holed the putt for birdie – a fitting way to close out a stunning final round 64, which gave him a two stroke victory for his maiden European Tour title. Casey’s ace will go forward to the Shot of the Year competition, a title held by Rory McIlroy for his brilliant tee shot on the par three tenth at last year’s US Open Championship, en route to his first Major triumph.

Rory roars to the Top

Rory McIlroy has been named The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month for March after reaching the Number One spot on the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time following his victory in the Honda Classic in the United States.The Northern Irishman had just missed out on becoming World Number One after losing to Hunter Mahan in the final of the WGC – Accenture Match Play, but he only had to wait seven days to overtake Luke Donald at the world’s summit, holding off the challenge of Tom Gillis and the charging Tiger Woods by two shots at PGA National Resort and Spa for his third victory on American soil.In doing so, McIlroy, at 22 years and 305 days, became the second youngest player after Woods to hold the World Number One spot.The US Open Champion, who will attempt to win his second Major Championship at this week’s Masters Tournament, then capped a memorable month by finishing third in his first event as the leading player on the planet, the WGC – Cadillac Championship. Those two performances meant that McIlroy was named The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month award for the fourth time in his career, winning the vote by the narrowest of margins from Englishman Justin Rose in what the panel comprising golf media said was one of the most closely contested monthly award to date. Rose was highly commended by the panel for his first World Golf Championships title in the WGC – Cadillac Championship, while the achievement of his compatriot Donald in regaining the World Number One spot from McIlroy with victory in the Transitions Championship was also praised by the panel. McIlroy said: “It’s always nice to receive these plaudits and honours. There were a couple of guys in with a great chance last month – Luke winning the Transitions to go back to World Number One and Justin playing great at Doral to win. So it’s nice to come out on top of those two and win the Golfer of the Month award.” Panel Member Iain Carter, BBC Five Live’s Golf Correspondent, said: “This was one of the very toughest Golfer of the Month decision we have had to make, but Rory reaching World Number One with a fine performance in Florida, where he held off a resurgent Tiger Woods, just gave him the edge ahead of Justin Rose and Luke Donald.” The panel also commended the performances of Frenchman Julien Quesne, who claimed in maiden European Tour title in the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol to become the 400th different European Tour winner; Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey who captured his fourth European Tour victory in the Trophée Hassan II and Dane Thorbjørn Olesen, who claimed his own maiden title in the Sicilian Open. McIlroy follows South African Branden Grace (January) and Paul Lawrie (February) as monthly winners so far in 2012. All three players will join the subsequent award recipients who will be considered for The 2012 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year, which was won last year by Donald.

McDowell eyes the Irish Open

With 100 days to go until the Irish Open returns to his native Northern Ireland, Graeme McDowell is daring to dream about lifting the trophy at Royal Portrush Golf Club and says it would rank alongside his Major Championship triumph. McDowell spent his youth honing his game on the fairways of Royal Portrush, which hosts the event from June 28 to July 1, and is relishing an “extra special” week as the Irish Open visits his home town – the first time the tournament has been played in Northern Ireland since 1953. The 32 year old has won seven European Tour titles – none more impressive than his victory at the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach in June 2010 – but he believes tasting glory in his own back garden, in front of friends and family, would be up there with the finest moments of his illustrious career. “It’s a dream come true for me to play a tournament of the magnitude of the Irish Open at Royal Portrush,” said the Ryder Cup star. “Having lived and grown up in Portrush all my life, it’s definitely a dream come true and I’m going to be very proud to welcome The European Tour to my neck of the woods. “The Irish Open has always been one that I’ve targeted every year. I’d love to win it. I’d love to compete in front of my home fans and pick up the trophy, but to have that at Royal Portrush is extra special for me and there’s no doubt it will be highlighted on my schedule. “It would definitely be one of the proudest moments of my career. To win the Irish Open at Royal Portrush would be right up there with a Major Championship. “My mum and dad have been there for a couple of the best moments of my golf career – winning the Irish Closed Amateur at Royal Portrush in 2000 and winning the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond. They’ve been a special part of my career and playing the Irish Open in Portrush will make them very proud. It’s big for our family and it’ll be a special week for them.” The current World Number 17 is delighted with the positive reaction to the Irish Open’s relocation north of the border for the 2012 edition, and attributes the level of excitement about the event to the recent success of Northern Irish players. With Rory McIlroy, the current World Number Two and the successor to McDowell as US Open Champion in 2011, and Darren Clarke, the reigning Open Champion, already signed up for the Irish Open, the level of anticipation is reaching fever pitch. McDowell said: “I’ve had amazing feedback via Twitter and friends and family. The people in Ireland, in general, are so excited about Irish golf. Everyone has got behind Northern Irish golf and we’re very proud to have the Irish Open up north of the border for the first time since the 1950s. “The fans in the north are very excited to have a European Tour event that side of the border and they are very proud of what Darren and Rory and I have achieved in the last few years in winning Majors. “The response I’ve had via family, friends and Twitter is that people are going to come in their thousands to support a great venue and a great golf tournament. “As well as Darren, Rory and me winning Majors, you have Michael Hoey winning twice last year and Gareth Maybin playing very well on The European Tour. We do have a huge amount of strength in golf from Northern Irish players and it’s probably got a huge amount to do with the accessibility of golf for young kids growing up in that part of the world. “There are great coaching programmes, great golf club programmes, and we’re very proud of what the guys are achieving. There’s no doubt there’s been a knock-on effect from (Padraig) Harrington to me to Rory to Darren. There really is that kind of knock-on inspiration. It’s a purple patch and we’re enjoying being part of it.” As for the venue itself, McDowell will undoubtedly have the advantage of inside knowledge, having become accustomed to every nuance of the famous course over the years. “Royal Portrush is such a great layout,” he said. “I think we’ll be able to attract a great field and it’ll be an exciting week.
“It features very heavily in the top 50, top 100 courses in the world in most golf polls every year. The north coast is beautiful and the sights and sounds up there are pretty magnificent. The layout at Royal Portrush is one of the best links layouts. “It flows beautifully and the championship tees are fantastic. Of course I’m a little biased, but it really is one of my favourite links courses on the planet and I’m going to be very proud to welcome The European Tour to what I think is a fine golf course. “I feel Royal Portrush is very much a tee-shot course. You’ve really got to position it well and stay out of the bunkers. If you can drive it well you’ve got a chance to score. And, as with all links courses, it’s about the weather. If you get a calm day the boys will score low, there’s no doubt about that. But protection comes in the pin positions. “Links golf is really designed for the elements, and if you don’t get the elements the golf course can be destroyed. The new championship markers are very competitive – 70 to 100 yards off the back – and it’s going to be a great test. Put a great north coast wind across it and it’ll be a great test for the boys.”

Cleverly tops the bill at the Royal Albert Hall

Promoter Frank Warren will stage the first world title show at the Royal Albert Hall in over a decade when British star Nathan Cleverly headlines the legendary venue on Saturday 28th April.Unbeaten Cleverly, who defeated American Tommy Karpency last month, will make the fourth defence of his WBO World Light-Heavyweight title against the number four ranked Robin Krasniqi, subject to confirmation from the WBO. The 25-year-old from Cefn Fforest will be the first Welshman in a championship title fight at the venue since Joe Calzaghe defeated Stephen Wilson in 1995. Serbian Krasniqi, who is based in Germany, has a top record of 37 wins from 39 fights and his only two losses were on points early in his career. He won the European WBO title last October with a fourth round stoppage of Abdelkahim Derghal and defended it against Hakim Zoulikha in January, stopping him in the twelfth round. The show will be televised live and exclusive on the New Home Of Boxing BoxNation (Sky Ch. 456/Virgin Ch. 546) which will also cover Bernard Hopkins’ highly anticipated WBC World Light-Heavyweight title rematch with Chad Dawson live from Atlantic City later that night.Warren brought boxing back to the Albert Hall last October when he staged the Royal Albert Hall Cup for the charity Tickets For Troops that saw a combined UK Armed Forces team take on their US counterparts in a special Transatlantic amateur tournament. And it was the Hall of Fame promoter who last staged world championship boxing there in 1999 when Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera defended his WBO World Super-Bantamweight title against Paul Lloyd. Some of the biggest names in British boxing have fought at the Royal Albert Hall including Sir Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno, Lennox Lewis and Prince Naseem Hamed and Warren is looking to add one of the biggest names under his banner to the illustrious list. Warren said, “I’m delighted to bring big time world championship boxing back to the Royal Albert Hall next month with one of Britain’s biggest and brightest stars in Nathan,” “We had a tremendous reception for our Tickets For Troops event in October that saw amateurs from the UK and US Armed Forces fight it out for the Royal Albert Hall Cup and the demand is there to see world championship boxing,” “Subject to confirmation from the WBO, Nathan has got a tough defence against Krasniqi who’s never been stopped in 39 fights and is ranked number four so it’s going to be a hard test for him.” Cleverly said, “It’s great to be the first boxer in over 10 years to open up the doors to the famous venue to boxing again,” “I love boxing in London and I’m over the moon that Frank has put on my world title defence at the iconic landmark and it will be the start of many big shows,” “It’s a who’s who of boxing who have fought at the Albert Hall and to add my name alongside greats like Lennox Lewis, Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn and Joe Calzaghe is a real honour and dream,” “It’s a good omen that Joe was the last Welshman to box there for a title when he beat Stephen Wilson for the British super-middleweight title in 1995 so I’ll be looking to carry on the Welsh winning run there,” “Krasniqi got a good record and he’s bound to be a hard test for me. The better the opponents the better I perform and Krasniqi will bring out the best in me,” “I’ll also be keeping a close eye later that night from the action in Atlantic City between Hopkins and Dawson and will be looking to face the winner,”