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Billy Payne, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced today changes to four holes, Nos. 1, 7, 9 and 11, for the 2008 Masters. In addition, other modifications were made on the grounds.

“Refinements to the golf course and grounds have been made almost every year since the Tournament’s inception and this year was no exception,” Payne said. “Overall, we are happy with the golf course. We think last year’s exceptionally high scores were an anomaly due to the frigid, windy weather.”

The changes for the 2008 Masters are:

Hole No. 1: Ten yards were added to the front of the Masters tee providing more flexibility in the event of a strong northwest wind. Back of the tee was reduced to ease patron movement. Masters scorecard remains 455 yards.

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The United States retained the Presidents Cup today, securing an easy five-point victory over the International team.

Needing to win only three of the 12 singles matches against the International team, the US made quick work of it - taking three of the first four matches at Royal Montreal.

Stewart Cink clinched the cup when he beat Nick O’Hern.

“I’m happy to do it,” he said.

“We came in this week with a little score to settle in the international golf arena, and I think we showed we can play again.”

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Nick Faldo’s Britain and Ireland team, stung into action by television pundits predicting doom and gloom, ran away with the Seve Trophy at The Heritage near Dublin.

One point ahead entering the 10 concluding singles, Continental Europe took only one of them, halved just two and were sent crashing to a 16.5 to 11.5 defeat - their fourth in a row.

And one lesson Faldo will certainly have learnt in advance of leading Europe in the Ryder Cup next September is that for inspiration nothing works better than people outside the camp saying they are going to lose.

Paul Casey, left out on Saturday afternoon so he could work on his game, said he was watching as fellow European Tour player Jamie Spence and golf coach Simon Holmes, discussing the match on Sky TV, went for wins for Seve Ballesteros’ side in the top three singles.

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Britain & Ireland won the second set of fourball matches 3-2 Friday to pull even with Continental Europe at 5-5 in the Seve Trophy.

Justin Rose and Paul Casey, at 13th and 22nd the two highest-ranked players in the event, held on for a 1-up victory over Spaniards Miguel Angel Jimenez and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano in the final match.

Casey made a 6-foot putt for a winning par at the last hole. They had led by three with six to play.

Rose and Casey both lost their opening matches with other partners.

“Neither of us wanted to go two matches without getting a point. We’re too strong for that,” Casey said. “I think we’re two guys who should be making points and we didn’t do that the first day. I’m glad we’ve corrected that now.”

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Tiger Woods suffered his worst defeat in professional match play competition as the United States team faltered on day two at the Presidents Cup.

After falling five points behind on the opening day, the International team roared back to win four of the six fourball matches, and halve another, at Royal Montreal.

That left the Americans ahead 7-5, with 22 points still to play for over the weekend.

Stuart Appleby and Vijay Singh set the tone for the International team, seeing off Woods and Jim Furyk five and four.

Singh holed a bunker shot at the first hole - and he and Appleby never looked back, going 11-under through 14 holes as Woods and Furyk had no answer.

Steve Stricker and Scott Verplank provided the only American victory, beating Adam Scott and KJ Choi two and one.

But Woody Austin provided the most inspiring story, making birdie at the final three holes to single-handedly earn a half-point as he and David Toms finished all square with Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini.

Austin’s sizzling finish came after he lost his balance trying to hit out of the pond at the 14th hole, falling face first into the water before emerging drenched.

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French teammates Raphael Jacquelin and Gregory Havret led Continental Europe to a 3-2 lead over Britain and Ireland after the first fourball matches at the Seve Trophy on Thursday.

Jacquelin and Havret beat Paul Casey and Simon Dyson 4 and 3 at The Heritage.

“It was a great day for golf,” Europe captain and tournament namesake Seve Ballesteros said. “It was top-class golf. I was not surprised by the quality because I expected it. They are all great champions.”

Swedish players Robert Karlsson and Peter Hanson also won, beating Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren 3 and 1, while Markus Brier of Austria and Mikko Ilonen of Finland downed Justin Rose and Oliver Wilson 3 and 2.

Britain and Ireland got points from Bradley Dredge and Phillip Archer, and Nick Dougherty and Graeme Storm.

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The United States roared in to a record 5½-point lead over the International team after the opening-day foursomes at the Presidents Cup on Thuresday.

The Americans made just about the perfect start, winning five matches and halving the other on a bleak day for the Internationals at the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Quebec

Four matches were very close, finishing on the 18th hole - but that was little consolation to Gary Player’s International team, a collection of the best players from outside Europe - even if they didn’t look like it coming down the stretch.

Even in the only match the Americans did not win, they had a heroic touch abloutn them.

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Lee Westwood of England won the British Masters by five strokes Sunday, finishing with a 7-under-par 65 after making two big putts on the last three holes.

Westwood sank a 40-foot putt for birdie on the 16th hole and a 30-footer for eagle at No. 17 for his second victory of the season. He had a four-round total of 15-under 273.

“I’m delighted to win,” said Westwood, who won the Andalucian Open in May. “This is a very prestigious tournament in Britain, and it’s only an hour from where I live.”

Ian Poulter (70) was second at 278 and was one stroke behind with three holes to play. Mark Foster, the leader after the second and third rounds, shot a 74 and finished third, one behind Poulter.

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Two months ago, Steve Flesch was down and almost out. Now, there seems to be no stopping him.

Flesch, who missed the cut in half of the first 20 PGA Tour events he entered this year, continued his resurgence on Sunday, shooting a 1-over 73 to beat Michael Allen by two shots and win the inaugural Turning Stone Resort Championship.

It was the left-hander’s second PGA Tour victory of the year, and the $1.08 million payday boosted his earnings for 2007 to $2.2 million to vault him from 70th on the money list to 25th.

“Eight weeks ago, I was fighting to keep my job out here,” said Flesch, who also earned a spot in the U.S. Open next year as a multiple winner since the last Open. “I wasn’t playing great, missing a lot of cuts by a shot. And when I did make a cut, I was shooting even par on the weekend. You’re just waving guys by when that happens.

“It’s funny. This game is all confidence,” Flesch said. “One little spark can turn your year around, turn your game around. All my friends and family told me to hang in there, keep working hard. But at some point you want results. You can only hang in there so hard and have these guys beat your brains in for so long before you start losing a little bit of confidence.”

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Lee Westwood defied strong winds to mount yet another title challenge at The Belfry today - and Ryder Cup team-mate Colin Montgomerie was in the hunt as well.

While Swede Martin Erlandsson was still out in front at the Quinn Direct British Masters after his brilliant course-record 63 yesterday, Westwood moved into a share of second place only two behind by covering the back nine in 33.

Montgomerie was only one stroke further back after four birdies in his first seven holes, but did then bogey the difficult 473-yard 18th to match Westwood’s score for the half.

Westwood has finished ninth, sixth and sixth the last three weeks and was particularly disappointed not to win last week’s Mercedes-Benz Championship in Cologne after matching the lowest round of his career with an opening 61.

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