Golf Central

So who's in the hunt for the George McNeill Award now?: Taichiro Kiyota!
Have you heard of him before:? Yes, but only just. Only because we ran a funny picture of him a few weeks ago after the Indian Masters ...
Well, tell me a little bit about him then ...: Well, he's a Japanese guy ...
That's rather obvious ...: Stop interrupting me please. He's a Japanese guy, ranked No. 474, who has apparently discovered that he likes cricket after watching it so much recently in India.
A Japanese cricket lover? That's a bit odd. I suppose it helps explain his shots on the 18th then ...: Sort of. Taichiro nearly knocked his hopes for six when he smoked his approach on 18 way over the green, but he chipped in for a miracle birdie. He's gone 68-67-67 and leads by one.
Who else is in the mix?: Mark Brown, a Kiwi, and Indian lad Jyoti Randhawa are a shot back on 13-under after Brown fired a scorching 64.
And how are the big names doing?: Vijay Singh, the world No. 7, is scuffling about five shots off the pace, and Aussie star Adam Scott shot a 74.
Did you hex Adam then?: No. But if he wants to contend then he needs to do his Me Myself & I interview like a good lad and pick up a little IGWT karma.
You've said that before ...: I know, and he keeps saying no.
Be playing like George McNeill soon ...

So how do you become a pro golfer if you come from Islington?: Easy. You tee off at Highbury, watch out for the cars and buses on Holloway Road, grab a quick pint at the turn at the Hemingford Arms, a few long approaches down Caledonian Road and you're at Kings Cross.
Then what?: Get the tube back to Highbury & Islington and do it all over again.
Presumably Brian Davis learned to golf outside of north London ...: Probably. It's a bit hazardous golfing in Islington itself. Have you seen the house prices there? You don't want to knock out any windows ...
Well, Davis must have learned well ...: Sure. The Islingtonian shot a 67 on Friday and after 36 holes he's leading by one. He survived a double on his 16th hole and he's trying to win for the first time in 98 starts on the PGA Tour.
And who's chasing our Englishman?: The skinny Aussie Matt Jones also had 67 for 7-under, and Dudley Hart tore it up with a 29 on the front side to sit at 6-under. John Mallinger and Ben Crane are 5-under, and big Ernie Els is still in the mix at 5 shots back.
So who do you think will win this thing?: I know it sounds cliche, but the course. A lot of good players missed the cut, including defending champ Mark Wilson, Mike Weir, Chris DiMarco, Jason Day, Trevor Immelman, David Duval and Tadd Fujikawa.
And how did first-round leader Luke Donald fare?: He followed up a "lucky" 64 with a struggling 74 ...
Sounds safer golfing in Islington ...: You might be right ...

On this day in the year 2007, your favourite golf website InGolfWeTrust.com was born in a manger alongside some shattered paving stones, some freebie sets of golf clubs handed down from Titleist, flying hair and some hot air in the wind, dreams of Tiger Woods and Natalie Gulbis, lots of cups of coffee, a bit of ping-pong, and some sort of collective genius which had come together down in Brighton, England. A pub or two might have been involved ...

Once in a while somebody twiddled a mouse. And along the way, the hard-working clods in Brighton or the IGWT field office in Scotland have written a few hard-hitting articles, hundreds of lame captions, and one or two winners. InGolfWeTrust is how you see it today, one year old. Stronger stuff has been added since its birth, and better still is yonder down the road as we celebrate our first birthday today with you, going from strength to strength. Thank you for making our first year so memorable! ...

On leap day in 1916, the sultry-voiced singing starlet of the 1940s and '50s Dinah Shore was born in Tennessee, and in addition to her entertainment career Shore became a key figure in the popularisation of ladies golf and founded the Kraft Nabisco Championship, one of the LPGA's four majors.

A huge solo success in a time which also featured Doris Day and Patti Page, Shore was also known for a string of romantic involvements: she was married to popular actor George Montgomery but was linked to Frank Sinatra, Gene Krupa, James Stewart, US General George Patton, and Burt Reynolds. But Dinah, who died of cancer in 1994, was a keen golfer and is best known for founding the LPGA major that still unofficially bears her name ...

What's the story?: Looks like they're playing for the George McNeill Award this week ...
Who's George McNeill? That's exactly my point. McNeill is the 33-year-old US pro that was so obscure when he won the Frys.com Open, the IGWT editor wrote a memorable caption: "Not even I know who I am" ...
So, who are these Joes?: Can't say I know too much. That's why they hand out these European Tour media guides at these things.
OK, I've heard of Adam Scott ...: Of course, but the Aussie chick magnet is the highest-ranked player in the top five right now. He's on 8-under, but Adam's not getting any IGWT karma or love until he does his Me Myself & I interview like a good lad.
See what you mean. So who are these guys at 10-under leading the way?: Shiv Kapur and Unho Park are ranked No. 270 and 513 in the world, respectively. Kapur's a local boy and Park is a Korean-Australian.
And after them?: Well, at 9-under are Taichiro Kiyota of Japan (No. 474) and India's Jyoti Randhawa, who's No. 77. There are four guys at 8-under: Scott, Spaniard José Manuel Lara, and Englishmen Phillip Archer and Graeme Storm.
Any of the other Brits have a chance?: Well, there's Richard "Finchy" Finch at 7-under ...
I've heard of him ...: Yeah. Not sure he's qualified for the George McNeill Award ... See ya tomorrow!