GMAC in London with McIlroy impostor [GMAC Twitter]
Graeme McDowell returned to the USA after a quick trip to the FA Cup semi- final at Wembley last Saturday to see Manchester United defeated by eternal rivals, City, and plays The Heritage this week at Hilton Head Island, won last year by Jim Furyk.
Brian Davis also returns to the venue where he earned many plaudits a year ago for the way in which he called in PGA Referee Slugger White after he flicked a loose reed on his back swing as he played the ball. The officials did not see the infringement, and it was not picked up by television commentators at the time, but Davis immediately alerted the referee.
In doing so he lost out to Furyk in one of the most prestigious tournaments on the PGA Tour.
Five of the PGA Tour "young guns" have also committed to play in the 43rd annual Heritage taking place April 18th - 24th and includes Aaron Baddleley, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Camilo Villegas and Bill Haas at the Harbour Town Golf Links.
Baddeley earned his first PGA TOUR victory at the 2006 Heritage. He beat Jim Furyk with a 6-foot par putt on number 18 on Easter Sunday. Since then he was won two more times, most recently at this year’s Northern Trust Open. Baddleley was born in New Hampshire but moved to Australia when he was only 2. The 29 year-old now calls Arizona home and has earned close to $13 million during the course of his career.
Day is coming off a great week at the Masters were he birdied the final two holes for a 4-under 68 and T2 finish with Adam Scott, two strokes behind champion Charl Schwartzel. The 23 year-old Australian shot an 8-under 64 in the second round, marking the lowest second-round score by any player in Masters history. He fell just one stroke shy of the course record, held by Nick Price and Greg Norman. Currently ranked 24th on the Official World Golf Rankings, his only victory on the PGA TOUR came in 2010 at the HP Byron Nelson Championship.
Twenty-two year-old Fowler earned an exemption into the 2008 Heritage by winning the 2007 Players Amateur tournament while still attending Oklahoma State University. The California native turned pro in 2009 and has already carded 11 top ten finishes, including T8 in the 2010 Heritage. He is currently ranked 34th on the Official World Golf Rankings.
Villegas also has a history at the Players Amateur, the summer event held each year by the Heritage Classic Foundation. While still a student at the University of Florida, he won the 2003 event and has played in every Heritage since joining the PGA TOUR in 2006. The Colombian native had a stand out year in 2008 when he won the BMW Championship and The TOUR Championship and earned a second place finish in the FedExCup. His third TOUR win came last year at the Honda Classic.
Haas is a fan favourite at Harbour Town. His father Jay played in 30 straight Heritage Tournament’s and Bill is beginning the same legacy by making his seventh start at Harbour Town. The Greenville, SC native is also a Players Amateur past champion. He won in 2002 while he was a student at Wake Forest. He has two victories on the PGA TOUR, both came in 2010.
These latest commitments join a list of star golfers that includes past champion Jim Furyk, Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Ernie Else, Ian Poulter and Francesco Molinari.
