GOLF

Paul McGinley criticized golf’s world rankings on Thursday, saying the system needs to change to reward players who compete in a lot of tournaments.  “At present, we have a system that rewards guys who basically play 20 events a year and play decently in those events. We should be encouraging guys to play more,” McGinley said after shooting a 3-under 68 in the first round of the Wales Open.

US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin wants his players to find time to play the 2010 Course at Celtic Manor before they arrive to defend the trophy in October next year. In a joint press conference with his European counterpart Colin Montgomerie,

Michelle Wie was in contention for her first LPGA title after 54 holes at last year’s State Farm Classic in Springfield, Illnois, until finding out she had failed to sign her scorecard from the second round.  The 19-year-old US prodigy of Korean heritage is still seeking her first LPGA title as she returns this week in the final tune up for next week’s LPGA Championship. She figures to sign her scorecards to avoid disqualification.

Trevor Immelman may be the last player to have beaten Tiger Woods in a major, but the South African knows all too well that his victory in last year’s Masters was very much the exception. The 29-year-old has spoken out in praise of the world number one

The prize money for this year’s Irish Open has been increased by 450,000 euros to 2.6 million euros. The tournament will be played at County Louth, Baltray, from 14 to 17 May and will be sponsored by mobile network 3 for the next three years.

World number one Lorena Ochoa has sent an ominous warning to her rivals by declaring she is confident of defending her HSBC Champions title this week. The 27-year-old Mexican, who won her first event of the season in Thailand last week, begins the defence of her crown in Singapore on Thursday.

Ryder Cup star Henrik Stenson is to host a new event on the European Challenge Tour it has been confirmed. The Princess tournament at Bastad in Sweden will take place on June 25-28 with total prize money of 300,000 Euros on offer.

Luke Donald has pulled out of next week’s Honda Classic in Palm Beach, Florida to recover from a wrist injury. The 31-year-old Englishman withdrew from his WGC-Accenture Match Play match against South Africa’s Ernie Els at the weekend after straining the joint.

Former Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), wants Nigerians to show more interest in golf as they do for other sports. Speaking at the tee-off of the second edition of the Tour Partners Championships at the Ikoyi Club 1938 golf course in Lagos

Seve Ballesteros has issued an upbeat bulletin following his latest course of chemotherapy. The Spaniard underwent four operations to remove a brain tumour last year and the 51-year-old recently completed his second round of treatment at Madrid’s La Paz hospital.