Below is the golf world ranking for the top 200 golf players in the world, the ranking is through February 14th, 2010.

Rank         Player           Country   Pts.    Evts Lost    Gained
    1        Tiger Woods        USA     513.81   40  -72.87    0.00
    2        Steve Stricker     USA     351.54   44  -32.38   83.75
    3        Phil Mickelson     USA     328.66   43  -46.85   12.31
    4        Lee Westwood       Eng     359.89   51  -32.11   48.90
    5        Jim Furyk          USA     251.44   47  -30.11    5.12
    6        Martin Kaymer      Deu     275.07   52  -27.53   69.58
    7        Paul Casey         Eng     231.27   45  -29.49   25.11
    8        Rory McIlroy       Nir     284.54   56  -23.71   31.10
    9        Padraig Harrington Irl     259.95   52  -38.19    3.84
   10        Henrik Stenson     Swe     227.90   46  -33.15   10.61
   11        Ian Poulter        Eng     245.44   50  -22.91   32.40
   12        Geoff Ogilvy       Aus     239.21   49  -31.45   48.16
   13        Kenny Perry        USA     220.70   49  -34.32    9.54
   14        Robert Allenby     Aus     244.64   58  -23.71   37.95
   15        Sergio Garcia      Esp     212.11   52  -38.65    7.90
   16        Sean O'Hair        USA     198.48   49  -26.48   14.10
   17        Ernie Els          Zaf     212.89   54  -26.42   20.47
   18        Ross Fisher        Eng     191.78   49  -21.32    7.48
   19        Robert Karlsson    Swe     164.31   42  -22.84   55.41
   20        Retief Goosen      Zaf     232.45   60  -26.18   30.30
   21        Stewart Cink       USA     177.71   47  -28.88    9.28
   22        Lucas Glover       USA     192.60   52  -20.80    9.74
   23        Luke Donald        Eng     150.25   43  -18.36   38.64
   24        Zach Johnson       USA     177.03   51  -20.82    9.00
   25        Dustin Johnson     USA     184.38   55  -14.04   76.46
   26        Camilo Villegas    Col     167.66   51  -26.19   10.94
   27        Angel Cabrera      Arg     163.99   50  -18.66    7.96
   28        Anthony Kim        USA     161.15   50  -27.49    6.35
   29        Y.E. Yang          Kor     170.87   57  -15.54    9.73
   30        Alvaro Quiros      Esp     158.00   54  -14.33   48.65
   31        Nick Watney        USA     153.02   53  -16.64   11.43
   32        Miguel Jimenez     Esp     160.59   56  -19.77   50.00
   33        Hunter Mahan       USA     145.05   51  -19.70    1.93
   34        Vijay Singh        Fji     122.18   43  -31.43    1.68
   35        Ryo Ishikawa       Jpn     152.81   56  -13.76    2.38
   36        Tim Clark          Zaf     153.26   57  -18.31   23.15
   37        Charl Schwartzel   Zaf     150.29   56  -12.93   48.46
   38        Michael Sim        Aus     106.54   40   -7.67   18.20
   39        Yuta Ikeda         Jpn     106.02   40   -8.77    0.00
   40        Oliver Wilson      Eng     131.39   51  -17.23   15.42
   41        Mike Weir          Can     122.62   48  -19.26    6.00
   42        Soren Kjeldsen     Dnk     132.16   52  -17.61    3.35
   43        Matt Kuchar        USA     130.33   52  -12.70   34.84
   44        Adam Scott         Aus     114.78   46  -15.13    0.00
   45        Edoardo Molinari   Ita     129.13   52   -6.46   18.81
   46        Francesco Molinari Ita     137.13   56  -14.49    7.41
   47        Graeme McDowell    Nir     131.49   54  -17.49    7.70
   48        Anders Hansen      Dnk     126.15   52  -12.44   10.15
   49        Soren Hansen       Dnk     130.38   55  -15.51   18.28
   50        Thongchai Jaidee   Tha     138.89   59  -13.56   27.12
   51        Ryan Moore         USA     118.25   51  -10.93   11.88
   52        Rory Sabbatini     Zaf     125.09   54  -13.64   29.33
   53        David Toms         USA     107.51   47  -14.01    1.55
   54        Simon Dyson        Eng     133.86   59  -13.66    4.45
   55        Brian Gay          USA     135.72   60  -18.37   11.76
   56        Peter Hanson       Swe     117.22   53  -13.30   13.85
   57        Alexander Noren    Swe     101.87   48  -11.11    5.22
   58        Justin Leonard     USA     105.08   50  -19.57    0.00
   59        Ben Crane          USA     106.61   51  -10.85   42.00
   60        Jeev Singh         Ind     121.97   60  -21.44    5.53
   61        Kevin Na           USA     106.97   53  -12.67   11.61
   62        J.B. Holmes        USA      98.76   49  -12.63   46.23
   63        Stephen Ames       Can      96.56   48  -12.68    9.05
   64        Scott Verplank     USA      93.50   47  -12.21    3.44
   65        Chad Campbell      USA     105.20   53  -15.71    9.25
   66        Ross McGowan       Eng     103.49   53   -7.93    2.45
   67        Stephen Marino     USA     116.88   60  -14.32   25.71
   68        Louis Oosthuizen   Zaf     101.56   53  -10.86   29.76
   69        Chris Wood         Eng      76.41   40   -7.88   11.62
   70        Ben Curtis         USA      83.76   44  -16.83    1.28
   71        Shingo Katayama    Jpn     102.41   54  -15.10    0.00
   72        Gonzalo Fdez-C     Esp      98.04   52  -12.95    2.08
   73        Jason Dufner       USA      96.70   52   -8.42    5.04
   74        Brandt Snedeker    USA      95.38   52  -12.13   28.00
   75        Hiroyuki Fujita    Jpn      89.42   49  -10.49    0.00
   76        Justin Rose        Eng      98.69   55  -12.96    9.67
   77        Heath Slocum       USA     102.83   58  -13.09    5.15
   78        Marc Leishman      Aus     105.64   60   -7.97   26.23
   79        John Rollins       USA      94.05   55  -11.32   17.28
   80        John Senden        Aus     102.58   60  -12.95    2.15
   81        Koumei Oda         Jpn      84.83   50   -6.61    0.00
   82        Davis Love-III     USA      86.27   51  -11.37   10.33
   83        Paul Goydos        USA      87.67   52  -10.93   22.96
   84        Kenichi Kuboya     Jpn      84.07   50   -7.25    1.89
   85        Yasuharu Imano     Jpn      66.94   40   -5.12    0.00
   86        Gregory Bourdy     Fra      92.15   56   -6.90    7.50
   87        Brendan Jones      Aus      67.29   41   -9.17    0.00
   88        Shane Lowry        Irl      64.93   40   -3.36   19.06
   89        Kevin Sutherland   USA      83.39   52  -13.78    9.83
   90        James Kingston     Zaf      85.86   54  -11.22    5.81
   91        Martin Laird       Sco      89.43   57   -7.00   15.56
   92        Liang Wen-Chong    Chn      75.24   48   -7.55    2.21
   93        K.J. Choi          Kor      75.07   48  -13.44   10.87
   94        Bubba Watson       USA      80.81   52  -10.98   14.33
   95        Jerry Kelly        USA      88.56   57  -12.85    2.62
   96        Mathew Goggin      Aus      88.93   58  -14.69    1.28
   97        Anthony Wall       Eng      82.63   55  -10.95    1.95
   98        Pat Perez          USA      75.82   51  -11.39   10.17
   99        Darren Clarke      Nir      81.44   56  -11.86   16.07
  100        Scott Strange      Aus      73.89   51   -9.12    0.00
  101        Rod Pampling       Aus      86.15   60  -13.49    4.86
  102        Bryce Molder       USA      76.82   54   -6.42    7.94
  103        Ryan Palmer        USA      78.24   55   -5.20   50.00
  104        David Duval        USA      58.17   41   -3.64   24.00
  105        Prayad Marksaeng   Tha      84.99   60  -13.53    4.00
  106        Tom Watson         USA      55.76   40   -4.57    7.50
  107        Mark Wilson        USA      77.88   56  -11.15    6.54
  108        Andres Romero      Arg      64.95   47  -13.33   11.31
  109        Kim Kyung-Tae      Kor      63.16   46   -4.19    0.00
  110        Andrew Dodt        Aus      54.64   40   -2.62   32.48
  111        Richard Sterne     Zaf      66.55   49   -9.01    1.92
  112        Nick Dougherty     Eng      71.63   53   -9.25    8.05
  113        George McNeill     USA      73.99   55   -7.64   13.26
  114        Jason Bohn         USA      53.71   40   -7.36    8.18
  115        Richard Green      Aus      62.47   47   -8.55   10.56
  116        Tomohiro Kondo     Jpn      61.92   47   -6.48    0.00
  117        Bill Haas          USA      77.53   59   -6.76   31.52
  118        Thomas Aiken       Zaf      71.97   55   -6.07   16.39
  119        Charles Howell-III USA      76.89   59   -9.76   16.99
  120        Danny Willett      Eng      51.06   40   -4.71    8.45
  121        David Smail        NZl      64.96   51   -8.69    0.00
  122        Gaganjeet Bhullar  Ind      52.05   41   -3.76   14.00
  123        Shigeki Maruyama   Jpn      64.69   51   -4.02    0.00
  124        Ryuichi Oda        Jpn      62.12   49   -3.63    0.00
  125        Fred Couples       USA      50.09   40   -8.46    2.00
  126        Charley Hoffman    USA      68.85   55   -9.30    3.68
  127        Lin Wen-Tang       Twn      49.79   40   -8.52    0.00
  128        Thomas Levet       Fra      63.05   51   -9.22    0.00
  129        Nick O'Hern        Aus      68.48   56   -8.48    3.89
  130        Azuma Yano         Jpn      65.95   54   -8.72    0.00
  131        Richie Ramsay      Sco      69.13   57   -5.04    3.93
  132        John Mallinger     USA      65.87   55  -10.17    0.00
  133        Stuart Appleby     Aus      68.21   57  -12.56    0.00
  134        Steve Webster      Eng      58.54   49   -7.52    3.11
  135        Peter Hedblom      Swe      63.00   53   -9.09    5.08
  136        Rhys Davies        Wal      68.42   58   -5.72   10.26
  137        Bradley Dredge     Wal      60.05   51   -5.96   12.36
  138        Fredrik Jacobson   Swe      57.17   49   -9.83    2.35
  139        Raphael Jacquelin  Fra      66.42   57   -7.23    3.23
  139        Gareth Maybin      Nir      62.93   54   -7.33    4.23
  141        Johan Edfors       Swe      62.72   54   -9.17    1.78
  142        Nicolas Colsaerts  Bel      46.39   40   -3.86    0.00
  143        Bo Pelt            USA      68.30   60   -8.11    8.78
  144        Tetsuji Hiratsuka  Jpn      63.54   56   -4.41   11.30
  145        Boo Weekley        USA      52.18   46  -13.16    1.70
  146        Blake Adams        USA      45.35   40   -3.71    7.77
  147        Rafael Bello       Esp      67.98   60   -8.26    1.59
  148        Tom Gillis         USA      44.94   40   -3.56   11.59
  149        David Drysdale     Sco      67.13   60   -6.73    7.75
  150        Josh Teater        USA      44.42   40   -2.72    9.92
  151        Ricardo Gonzalez   Arg      53.13   48   -5.84    7.02
  152        Jonathan Byrd      USA      57.44   52   -7.80    6.05
  153        Woody Austin       USA      59.52   54  -11.29    2.00
  154        Peter Lawrie       Irl      62.69   57   -7.65    9.47
  155        Charlie Wi         Kor      61.23   56   -9.63    7.11
  156        Toshinori Muto     Jpn      50.07   46   -5.77    0.00
  157        Webb Simpson       USA      51.92   48   -5.71    7.47
  158        Chad Collins       USA      53.98   50   -3.96    7.73
  159        Brian Davis        Eng      64.49   60   -9.14    1.51
  160        D.J. Trahan        USA      59.75   56  -10.83   12.47
  161        Danny Lee          NZl      42.54   40   -4.94    1.54
  162        Jason Day          Aus      48.17   46   -6.72    1.32
  163        Daisuke Maruyama   Jpn      57.99   56   -5.44    0.00
  164        Robert Rock        Eng      55.91   54   -6.23    2.97
  165        Greg Chalmers      Aus      62.00   60   -7.38    1.68
  166        Aaron Baddeley     Aus      48.42   47  -10.24    1.20
  167        Christian Nilsson  Swe      41.16   40   -4.02    4.26
  168        Jamie Donaldson    Wal      52.43   51   -5.83    3.11
  169        Robert-Jan Derksen Nld      53.41   52   -6.52    2.46
  170        Toru Suzuki        Jpn      47.16   46   -3.51    0.00
  171        John Merrick       USA      57.13   56   -9.93    4.83
  172        Ryuji Imada        Jpn      53.81   53  -11.99   11.74
  173        Michael Allen      USA      48.36   48   -5.48   13.11
  174        Toru Taniguchi     Jpn      43.94   44   -5.07    0.00
  175        Troy Matteson      USA      58.80   59   -6.34    6.84
  176        Alex Prugh         USA      46.74   47   -3.13   24.50
  177        Hideto Tanihara    Jpn      50.58   51   -7.47    2.61
  178        Ricky Barnes       USA      52.01   53   -5.16   12.27
  179        Graeme Storm       Eng      52.89   54   -8.37    0.00
  180        Bae Sang-moon      Kor      38.72   40   -5.24    0.00
  181        David Horsey       Eng      53.70   56   -6.40   17.27
  182        Trevor Immelman    Zaf      39.28   41  -14.68    0.00
  183        Tim Petrovic       USA      57.18   60   -7.52    0.00
  184        Nathan Green       Aus      56.54   60   -7.89   10.01
  185        Briny Baird        USA      52.75   56  -10.40    6.82
  186        Thomas Bjorn       Dnk      39.46   42   -4.15   14.49
  187        D.A. Points        USA      54.43   58   -6.42    6.56
  188        James Nitties      Aus      37.06   40   -3.23    0.00
  189        Kaname Yokoo       Jpn      46.06   50   -4.12    0.00
  190        Jeff Klauk         USA      53.20   58   -7.56    1.95
  191        Kazuhiro Yamashita Jpn      42.71   47   -3.21    0.00
  192        Rickie Fowler      USA      36.30   40   -1.67   10.34
  193        Chris Tidland      USA      40.63   45   -4.81    1.33
  194        Damien McGrane     Irl      53.33   60   -8.95    1.41
  195        Christian Cevaer   Fra      43.97   50   -5.58    0.00
  196        Niclas Fasth       Swe      49.05   56   -5.94    7.02
  197        Gary Orr           Sco      38.26   44   -5.53    2.45
  198        Cameron Percy      Aus      45.05   52   -3.52    1.32
  199        Derek Lamely       USA      33.97   40   -2.70    3.23
  200        Darren Fichardt    Zaf      33.89   40   -2.14   14.00

Tiger Woods who is 33 years old is taking an indefinite hiatus from professional golf to tackle problems in his private life. According to a statement on his website, he said he was aware of the disappointment “my infidelity” had caused to his family. The full statement goes does:

“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try.

I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What’s most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.

After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.

Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.”

The world’s number 1 golfer said he wanted to “try to repair the damage done” and asked for privacy to put is family together. Tiger Woods is married to his wife Elin for five years now and they are blessed with 2 kids, a two-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son.

In another separate statement on his website, he also indicated that he would be taking some time off from his responsibilities with the Tiger Woods Foundation, which is a charity foundation he set up with his late father to help young people around the world. His confident that the staff in the foundation would continue the good work during his “absence”.

Tiger Woods has withdrawn from is own golf tournament (Chevron World Challenge), a tournament he has hosted for the past nine years. The withdrawn of the world number one was due to an injuries sustained in a car accident on Friday morning have forced him to pull out of the tournament on Monday. A car crash early Friday morning left him with cuts and bruises when his SUV hit a fire hydrant and a tree early Friday outside his home in a gated Florida golf community. Woods was treated and released at a hospital after the accident, and has not been seen in public since. The $5.75m (£3.5m) tournament is not an official PGA Tour event, it features 12 of the world’s top 20 players

“I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week,” the 33-year-old said in a statement on his official website. I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I’m very sorry that I can’t be there.”

The World Challenge starts on Thursday at the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. Woods also confirmed he will not participate in any further tournaments in 2009, although the next official US PGA Tour event does not take place until the new year. Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell will replace Woods in the elite 18-strong field for the event which raises money for Woods’s charitable foundation.

“We support Tiger’s decision and are confident the strong field and excellent course will provide an exciting week of competition,” said Tiger Woods Foundation President Greg McLaughlin.

Woods ended his 2009 PGA Tour campaign with six victories in 17 starts, including 14 top-10 finishes, for overall winnings of $10.5m (£6.38m) following his eight months out of the game. He also won the season-long points race for the FedExCup, plus the $10m (£6m) bonus this year.

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American Lucas Glover stayed cool to survive late charges from bigger names and clinched a 109th U.S. Open that had been plagued by bad weather. Glover claimed his maiden major by two shots from world number two Mickelson, former world number one Duval and third-round leader Ricky Barnes. England’s Ross Fisher was close for much of the final round but ended three back for his best major finish. The world number one, Tiger Woods threatened but ended four strokes behind Glover at level par.

The tournament was wide open for much of the final day as Barnes, who held a six-shot lead at one stage during the third round, and Glover came back to the pack after starting the day tied for the lead at seven under, five shots clear. After a bogey on the 15th hole, Glover played superbly to post a birdie on 16 before solid pars on the final two holes as the raucous New York galleries applauded an unlikely winner. Glover said: “It was a test of patience today. It was tough, we got the full value of the course. But the golf course played fantastic and it was just hard.”

Glover highlighted his form on the greens as the reason for his eventual victory, having only three putted once throughout the entire tournament. He added: “That’s pretty good. I got a new putter back in the fall and I’ve been working on it. The birdie at 16 was also huge. I heard some roars ahead and know it was important.” Glover, ranked 71 in the world before the event, was second at Charlotte last month for his best PGA showing of the year but had missed the cut in his three prior US Open appearances. His best finish in 11 previous majors was tied 20th at the 2007 Masters.

The final day, caused by torrential rain and water-logging on Thursday and Saturday evening halting play, was the first time a U.S. Open has overrun since Larry Nelson won at Oakmont in 1983. Fisher struck a superb eagle putt at the 13th hole to move three under but bogeys on 15th and 17th killed his chances of victory.

Tiger Woods shot a 30 on his back nine Thursday in the Quail Hollow Championship, taking advantage of a sharp short game on his way to a 7th under 65th and a three-shot clubhouse lead on the first day of the  Championships in Charlotte.

Tiger Woods, who started his round on No. 10, didn’t catch the leaders until a simple up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 fifth hole. He pulled away by closing with three straight birdies, the last one with a 6-iron from the rough into 12 feet. Such a shot might not have been possible in recent years at Quail Hollow, a championship course with thick rough lining the fairways. This year, the rough has been shaved to a uniform 2 inches, and there is virtually no penalty for errant tee shots unless a player gets stuck behind a tree. The test came from firm, fast greens, and Woods simply shined.

He only came close to making bogey twice, but escaped with tap-in pars. He hit a pitch from a deep swale right of the par-3 second green to within a foot, then hit a longer flop to a tight pin on the fourth hole, and the ball checked up a few inches beyond the cup.

“I hit a couple of loose shots here and there, but I really putted well. I had a couple of key saves made a nice little up-and-down at 2 and just a really good save at 4 that kept the round going. It’s always nice when you birdie the last three. I putted the same as at Augusta but this time they went in instead of lipping out, Tiger Woods said.”

Ten of the world’s top 14 have gathered for the Championships in Charlotte with Kim, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Angel Cabrera all hoping to deny Tiger Woods.

World number one in golf, Tiger Woods believes he can repeat his feat of a Grand Slam of majors and he intends to start with victory at the US Masters. Woods, going for a 15th major win, tees off alongside Stewart Cink and Jeev Milkha Singh at 1852 BST on Thursday.

“Well, I know I can do it – I’ve done it before (in 2001),” said four-time Augusta winner Woods. It’s just a matter of winning the right four at the right time, so hopefully it will start this week.” And asked if he expected to win at Augusta this week, the American simply said: “Always.”

Defending champion Trevor Immelman will begin his campaign 11 minutes earlier while Padraig arrington, winner of the last two majors, starts at 1534 BST with Mike Weir and Ryuji Imada.

Tiger Woods said he feels fitter than ever ahead of this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. The 14-time major winner has been out for eight months after reconstructive surgery on the knee. Tiger Woods said, “I didn’t think it would feel this good, I have not known what it is like to feel this way before, so healthy, solid and secure, I am doing the same things I have always been trying to do but now I have got a leg I can do it on.”

Woods fit and ready for comeback

The tournament, will start on Wednesday, will be Tiger Woods first since winning the US Open at Torrey Pines last June. The thirty-three year old ended his 2008 campaign after revealing he had played with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and a double stress fracture of the tibia below it. But Tiger Woods has been back practising at full power in Arizona and said the signs are looking good.

“The strength in both legs feels a lot stronger than it has ever been with stability I have not had in years. Basically practise went really well, I felt really good to be back in a competitive environment.” he said.

Woods will face Australian Brendan Jones in the first round on Wednesday, and the world number one will be wary as he has lost to Australians three times in this tournament.

Peter O’Malley beat Tiger Woods in the first round in 2002 and Nick O’Hern got the better of him in the second and third rounds in 2005 and in 2007.

Former Spanish golf legend, Severiano Ballesteros has been released from intensive care, one day after he underwent his fourth operation since being diagnosed with a brain tumour in October.

The former golf champion had a fourth operation to remove fluid from the brain. Seve, 51, was diagnosed with a brain tumour after losing consciousness at Madrid Airport in October. He had a valve inserted to drain fluid from his brain and surgery to repair a bone defect on 2 December.

He left La Paz hospital in Madrid on Tuesday morning but will continue to be treated there as an outpatient. “There is a long recovery time ahead and I shall keep fighting with patience and determination,” he said. On a statement on his website, he paid tribute to the medical staff and the care he had received at the hospital. “Thanks to them I will be able to play the mulligan of my life, which I expect to enjoy at my best,” he said. “Occasionally I was a rebel patient and therefore I ask them to forgive me and thank everyone for all the cares received.”

A statement from La Paz hospital read: “The patient Severiano Ballesteros has been discharged by the department of neurosurgery. He will continue to have outpatients treatment in the department of radiotherapy and medical oncology.”

Ballesteros, the winner of five major championships and 87 titles around the world, had been admitted to hospital in the second week of October and had the first of four operations after a brain tumour was detected. There had been no previous indication that he would be allowed to leave hospital at this time.

The world of golf has been dominated by talk of recovering players in the past months. In the United States, the speculation centred on Tiger Woods, the world No 1, who is rehabilitating after surgery to his left knee and who is expected to resume playing competitively in the spring. Yet Woods’s travails were overshadowed by Ballesteros and his health since news of his brain tumour broke after he collapsed at Madrid airport on October 6.

Before he went in for his first operation, on October 14, when a sizeable part of a tumour on his brain was removed, he thanked his fans for their support and said he was facing the biggest challenge of his career.  Since then he has had three more operations, the most recent  a cranioplasty  last week, when fluid was removed from his brain and a valve was implanted to repair a bone defect in his skull.

Ballesteros retired from playing golf last year following arthritic back and knee problems, while doctors discovered an irregular heartbeat when he was admitted to hospital in 2007. But he admitted that his current medical problems presented the hardest challenge of his life.

“When you fight with faith and persistency you can overcome whichever drawback you come across. Our mind is stronger than we imagine. Just as I always did in my professional life, visualising success helps achieve ones targets however impossible they seem. I am a believer and will continue thinking positively to defeat the illness I suffer and encourage those who are going through something similar to do it with the same determination as myself.” he said.

ON Monday, President Goerge W Bush celebrated with the American golfers who reclaimed the Ryder Cup for the United States.

Bush held a private picture-taking session in the Oval Office with captain Paul Azinger and seven members of the 12-member Ryder Cup team.

The Americans led from start to the end of the game, winning golf’s pre-eminent event for the first time since 1999 with half their squad made up of Ryder Cup rookies.

Bush posed with Azinger,and assistant captain Raymond Floyd, and 2008 team members Stewart Cink, Chad Campbell, Ben Curtis, Hunter Mahan, Jim Furyk, J.B. Holmes and Boo Weekley. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, was also at the occasion

He told them he keenly followed “every minute” of their play.

“This was the icing on the cake for me and the players,” Azinger said in a statement afterward. “I said to the president how much I appreciated the joy that he and his staff had for us.”

The team gave the White House a personalized Ryder Cup golf bag, the same Sunday red golf shirt and sweater vest worn by the team and a Ryder Cup money clip.