WGT Golf News

By Stephanie Wei at Wei Under Par

Heads up!  We will have a scheduled maintenance windows starting at 11pm PST lasting for about 4 hours.  Thanks for your patience.

WGT

We will have a short maintenance window starting at 11PM PT on November 10th which will last for less than an hour.  Make sure to save your games prior to this time.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Thanks,

WGT

By Ron Furlong at Bleacher Report

Lee Westwood has taken over the top spot in golf's world rankings from Tiger Woods, but the Englishman's reign at the top of the golf world could be short-lived.

Tiger Woods, Martin Kaymer and Phil Mickelson are all in position, with a strong showing at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai, to possibly move up ahead of Westwood and claim the top spot.

Westwood ended Tiger's run of over five years (281 consecutive weeks) at the top of the rankings, taking over the complicated rating system by winning only one tournament all year and hardly playing the last few months due to two separate injuries.

Interestingly, Westwood becomes only the fourth player to reach the top spot in the rankings without ever having won a major championship. The previous three were Fred Couples, Ian Woosnam and David Duval, all of whom won majors later on. The 37-year-old Westwood also becomes the first European to top the rankings since Nick Faldo was number one 26 years ago.

The WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai features an incredibly strong field. The top four will all be there (Westwood, Woods, Mickelson and Kaymer), as well as Graeme McDowell, fresh off a win in Spain, and the likes of Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els. Westwood has 32 professional wins and finished second this year at both the British Open and The Masters.

Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie thinks it will be tough for Westwood to stay on top for long.

"Once you are No. 1 you want to stay there," Monty told the BBC. "You've got to improve because the standard behind you is improving. "It might be the end of Tiger's reign for a limited period, but I don't think he will be very happy about being two or three in the world."

Woods has reportedly continued to work on reinventing his swing with coach Sean Foley, and has played fairly well the last few months after really struggling through the first six months of the year. Tiger played very good at the Ryder Cup, taking three of a possible four points.

Mickelson could also get to the top of the world rankings in China, although he has failed on 13 separate attempts in 2010 to take over No. 1 from Tiger. Martin Kaymer, who could have taken over the No. 1 spot by finishing first or second in Spain, could also get to the top in China.

With all the problems with the rating system, it seems like for now at least, to stay at the top, whichever player is there (Westwood, Woods, Mickelson or Kaymer) will have to play well to retain his position.

Isn't that a crazy thought?

We’ve been busy! Please enjoy all the latest game improvements and let us know what you think in our forums or at members@worldgolftour.com

Today's new features include new equipment in the Pro Shop, XP Boosts, Recommendations for XP, improved Average Score formula and Zong for mobile payments.

Pro Shop Equipment

WGT Tour PLUS Clubs – A new brand of golf clubs designed for newer players who want the advantages of top equipment without having to wait until a higher level in the game. See the clubs!

WGT Pro Clubs – A new set of golf clubs designed for players in the Pro tier with all the features to help them compete and move more quickly to Tour Pro and Master. See the clubs!

WGT Legend Balls – Based on player feedback, we’ve reduced the price of the recent Legend GI-SD2 balls by 15% and added it in all colors and with a Vapor Trail. We’ve also added the new Legend GI2-SD2 with the same performance benefits plus a slower swing meter. See the balls!

TaylorMade Ghost Putter – Our new top putter isn’t unlocked until Level 84, as a reward to our most dedicated players. This beauty from TaylorMade has a unique all-white clubhead and an innovative design for unparalleled putting precision. See the putter!

Special Edition Halloween Ball – A little fun for our US players, a special Halloween ball in orange with a ghostly magenta Vapor Trail. Based on our popular Vapor Trail balls and available for the next week only—a fun collector’s item! See the balls!

XP BOOSTS

We’ve added virtual Snacks to our Pro Shop! Our new XP Boost Drinks help you earn Experience Points (XP) faster so you can level-up more quickly and unlock more equipment upgrades. Buy one for yourself or gift one to a friend. Look for more snacks and boosts coming soon! Buy one or gift one to a friend today!

WGT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR XP

We’ve improved our WGT Recommends options in the main Game Menu to help you explore the game. And now you can earn more Experience Points (XP) by following the recommendations, to help you level-up faster and unlock more equipment upgrades.

ZONG MOBILE PAYMENTS

To all our international players, you can now purchase WGT Credits right from your mobile phone. We’ve partnered with ZONG, the leader in mobile phone payments, which is accessible on mobile carriers in these 35 countries:

Visit the Buy Credits page to use Zong to purchase credits! Buy Credits Now!

AVERAGE SCORES AND TIER ADVANCEMENT -

We’ve made improvements to how your Average Score is calculated and when you advance to the next Tier in WGT. These changes will help players in the same Tier to compete more fairly, and encourage everyone to complete more rounds and earn more experience points so they reach new Levels faster.

• Your Average Score will be based on multiple best scores within ONLY your current Tier, not scores that you shot when in previous Tiers, which better reflects your current skill competing with the tee boxes and green speeds in your current Tier
• Your Average Score will be based on ONLY your best scores, so completing a bad round will not negatively impact your Average Score or Tier. So be sure to finish all your rounds and gain the extra experience points, as a bad day won’t matter
• Advancing to the next Tier requires a qualifying Average Score AND a minimum amount of completed stroke play games, which will take a little more time but will help players reach the Levels necessary to unlock upgraded equipment that is helpful to compete at higher Tiers

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

• Multi-player Games: added 30, 45, 60, 90 second shot clocks and “Any 9” options
• Blitz Games: added new Rematch option and pre-shot messages about Streaks

By Stephanie Wei at Wei Under Par

What a Ryder Cup! The first Monday finish in the history of the biennial team matches turned into probably one of the most exciting in history. Of course, this was also the first one I’d watched from start to finish, but from what I’ve heard from several colleagues that have attended many, it’s definitely up there. I was blogging over at the WSJ.com (go here to see all the jargon I spewed) and in my last post I sounded very pessimistic even though Rickie Fowler had started his run.

The Americans fought hard and almost staged an unbelievable comeback rivaling Brookline in ’99, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the three-point deficit after the thrashing on Sunday afternoon. Still, the Americans, who have long been criticized for “not caring,” showed their heart and proved the naysayers wrong. Just an hour or two earlier, it looked like it was going to be over before most people made it to work on the East Coast.

Fowler staged a phenomenal comeback against Edoardo Molinari. Down three with four to play, the 21-year-old American made four consecutive birdies and won the last three holes to halve the match.

Fowler drained a 15-footer on 17 to force the match to 18. And then with Molinari safely in the cup for par on 18, Fowler was faced with one of those 20-footers for birdie to win the hole and the crucial half point for the Americans.

Standing on the 14th tee, Fowler saw Tiger Woods drain a 50-footer on the 13th, which was a key moment for Rickie. “The point that I felt like turned around my match was that I saw Tiger make a putt from about 50 feet,” he said. “That gave me extra life. I went on to win the hole with a par. And that kept me moving.”

With Phil Mickelson defeating Peter Hanson and Zach Johnson besting Padraig Harrington — and then Fowler’s half point — suddenly, the Americans had pulled to even with Europe at 13 1/2 points apiece.

Pardon the cliche reference, but to steal a line out of the movie Tin Cup, “When a defining moment comes along, you define the moment… or the moment defines you.” Despite the nerves and immense pressure, Fowler sank the clutch putt that forced the Ryder Cup to the last match on the course, between Hunter Mahan and Graeme McDowell.

McDowell, the reigning US Open champion, looked to be relishing the opportunity to take center stage and controlled the match for its duration. Meanwhile, Mahan struggled to find his rhythm. It was just one of those days that the putts weren’t dropping. Two down with four to play, Mahan made his first birdie of the day on 15 to cut McDowell’s lead to one-up with three to play. But McDowell came up huge with a birdie on 16.

Mahan needed magic on 17 to extend the match, but his tee shot on the par-3 17 came up short, while McDowell was safely on the green. With the weight of the Ryder Cup on his shoulders, Mahan had to chip in, but unfortunately, nerves got to the best of him and he duffed it. That one may hurt for a while, but it wasn’t his fault the team lost (though I’m sure he feels differently).

It was a valiant effort by Mahan and the rest of the US squad. Had Mahan not put up a fight, McDowell could have routed him on the 14th hole and the result would have been the same.

In the US team post-match press conference, Mahan was asked to speak, but he was so distraught that he couldn’t find the words as he choked back tears. Phil Mickelson gracefully stepped in to answer the question and put a comforting arm around his teammate. Several minutes later, another reporter asked Mahan something else. “I’ve played with Graeme before, I don’t even know what day it was,” he said. “But he didn’t miss a shot. He played great today, didn’t miss a shot…”

And then he rambled on before breaking down in tears. It was disheartening to watch (I even started tearing up).

His teammates spoke in Mahan’s defense, acknowledging they all contributed in the defeat. “We can all think about a shot here and there that could have turned the match to make up that one point,” said Steve Stricker. “You hate to see Hunter go through what he’s going through because it really shouldn’t come down to that. But, unfortunately, it did.”

A passionate Stewart Cink eloquently made a great point.

“If you go up and down the line of the tour players in Europe and the U.S. and asked them if they would like to be the last guy to decide the Ryder Cup, probably less than half would say they would like to be that guy and probably less than 10 percent of them would mean it,” Cink said.

“Hunter Mahan put himself in that position today. He was the man on our team, to put himself in that position. Hunter Mahan performed like a champ out there today. I think it’s awesome. Not many players would do that.”

And not to get all cheesy, but these emotional responses only come out of the Ryder Cup — just like the incredible shots that players pull off. It was a winning moment to see Mahan’s teammates back him up. Even Tiger seemed emotional — well, more than we usually see from him.

The Americans put up a great fight, not to mention bigger than expected, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to thwart Europe’s passionate effort, particularly the Sunday afternoon thrashing. Congrats on a fantastic win, Europe. See you in two years.

We will have a short maintenance window tonight starting at 11PM PDT and lasting for roughly one hour.  Make sure to save your games prior to this time.

Thanks,

WGT

We released many new features today, including a new fast game format called Blitz, an overhaul to our Pro Shop, improved Country Club invitations, a new Legend Golf Ball, and Kilts (yes, avatars with kilts, our guilty pleasure).

BLITZ

Ever feel like playing against some friends but don't have the time to play a full 9 or 18 holes? If so, then Blitz is for you. Blitz is a new multi-player game played on any of our Closest-to-the-Hole courses. You can select any CTTH course, create a group of 2-4 players and play a fast, action-packed game against your friends. There are a variety of new scoring options in addition to distance from the hole, like multipliers and streaks, so anybody can win, even down to the final hole with a great shot. Find Blitz on the main menu of WGT. Learn more about Blitz

PRO SHOP OVERHAUL

If you've played WGT recently, you've seen that as you reach a new Level we unlock more virtual equipment in the Pro Shop . To make that easier for you, we've just improved our Pro Shop with filtering, sorting, comparisons and reviews. Visit the Pro Shop

First, you can now choose to display only Pro Shop items that are available to you or just items that you don't own, as well as sorting by a variety of options.




You now have the ability to compare up to 3 items see the attributes for each side-by-side, to help you choose the best one for you.



And our new player reviews make it easy to hear what other people think about any item in the Pro Shop, or enter your own review.

COUNTRY CLUB INVITATIONS

All Country Club invitations and requests for membership are now delivered via the Invitation tab on your Friends List. This should make it much easier to invite your friends to your Country Club and run your own tournaments. 

NEW PRO SHOP ITEMS

NEW AVATAR KILT - You can now dress your avatar in a classic kilt and look the part as you play historic St Andrews or Celtic Manor. We had fun with this one. Enjoy!

NEW LEGEND BALL - There is a new ball available only to our top players in the Legend Tier, regardless of their Level. Its the longest ball available in the game today with extra carry and distance to help Legends compete more fairly from the Championship tees.

NEW WGT PRO CLUB SET - This new set of clubs is available to players in the Pro and higher Tiers regardless of their Level, to help them compete against others with upgraded equipment.

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

• Added Blitz King award for the top Blitz score
• Lowered the Level requirement for many clubs in the Pro Shop so they unlock earlier
• Added end-of-game summary of Experience Points (XP) that helps you reach the next Level
• Added Standard green speed for practice rounds on all stroke play courses
• Added Champion tees to practice rounds for all stroke play courses

Many thanks to everyone who clicked on the recent “Flight 93 National Memorial Foundation” ads running on our site, as you all helped that charity raise nearly $50,000. You can still donate at http://www.honorflight93.org/.

WGT was also a sponsor of the Flight 93 National Memorial fund-raising golf tournament at Essex Country Club in NJ. Here’s a photo of Tom Ridge (former Governor of PA, first Secretary of Homeland Security, and avid WGT player) and Richard Codey (governor of NJ) shaking hands after Tom’s spectacular chip. On the right is WGT’s own Stu MacDonald, head of strategic partnerships, which means he gets to play in all the fun golf tournaments. Also pictured is their caddy Danny, no relation to Danny Noonan from Caddyshack.

- WGT

By Chris Polson at Bleacher Report

Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne told ESPN that they will be extending the coverage of The Masters an extra hour next year.  That means we will get 4 extra hours of the golf season's first major.

My question is: Why not extend it further?

Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that they have extended it an extra hour.  But I want more.

It took years before the brass of Augusta National even started showing the front nine on TV.  For the past few years we've gotten to see the entire third and fourth rounds of the leaders, but that's about it.  They've started catching on by having internet coverage of "Amen Corner" the past few years, but its only for a couple of hours.  Places like Yahoo and even the PGA's official website are showing hours of coverage on their sites before the TV coverage comes on.

I've played golf, albeit poorly, for many years.  I know how long it takes to play, no matter how good or bad you are.  Three hours isn't enough time to see a full round of golf unless you're playing "speed golf".  This fourth hour of TV is a step in the right direction, but I think more is still needed.

Since the times of the pairings in the first two rounds are all over the place, those of us who have to watch it on TV don't always get to see our favorite golfers.  And if they don't make the cut, we don't get to see them at all.  While making the cut is in the hands of the players, the amount of TV time they get is not.

We get almost all-day coverage for the other three majors, you'd think that arguably the most popular major would get the same treatment.  CBS shows half hour highlights around midnight to try and help us get our fix of the first two rounds of the Masters.  Really?  This still baffles me, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I know this is a very exclusive tournament and an even more exclusive club to get into.  There are many people of high standing that have never played a round on the course.  I would think they could make a lot of extra money by airing more hours on television, but maybe its not about money to them.  I'm not a member of the club, so I obviously don't know the whole story.

Either way, an extra hour per round of my favorite tournament of the year is a good thing.  Let's hope its a trend that continues over the years.