The Irish Golf Club Gazette: October 2012

10/31/2012

Harrington Returns to Fanling

Padraig Harrington joins Korea’s Y E Yang for the UBS Hong Kong Open at Hong Kong Golf Club from 15-18 November.

Harrington, who reaped a rich harvest of three Major titles during a wonderful 13 month spell in 2007 and 2008, returns to Fanling where he launched the 2004 European Tour International Schedule with a one shot victory over South African Hennie Otto.

The Irishman, fresh from a confidence-boosting victory in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda last week, will be playing in the event for the fourth time. He finished joint runner-up to Miguel Angel Jiménez in his defence of the title 12 months after his victory.

Yang, who succeeded Harrington as US PGA Champion in 2009 after a dramatic battle down the stretch with Tiger Woods, produced his best placing in four previous appearances in the UBS Hong Kong Open when he came tied seventh behind World Number One, Rory McIlroy, last year.

Harrington said: “I have fond memories of winning the UBS Hong Kong Open on my debut in the event and I look forward to returning to Fanling next month. There is always a great atmosphere surrounding the tournament and Hong Kong itself is an exciting place to visit.”

Yang, the first Asian golfer to capture a Major Championship, commented: “I love returning to Hong Kong for the UBS Hong Kong Open. There is an incredible energy in the city which adds to the enjoyment of the week. It would be great if I can step up on last year’s top ten finish and challenge for the title this time around.”

Ms Kathryn Shih, CEO UBS Wealth Management Asia Pacific, said: “UBS is delighted that two more world-class golfers in Padraig Harrington and Y.E. Yang have joined this year's UBS Hong Kong Open. Their participation promises to make the competition this month even more exciting.”

HSBC Critical of McIlroy Absence

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The sponsors of this week's WGC-Champions event have criticised world number one Rory McIlroy and 14-times major winner Tiger Woods for turning down the chance to play in the tournament.

The pair played in a lucrative head-to-head exhibition match on Monday at Jinsha Lake in China.

McIlroy is now in Bulgaria watching his tennis-playing girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki competing while second-ranked Woods moved on to Singapore to fulfill corporate engagements.

"On the one hand we have by far and away the strongest field in Asia this year, 13 of the top 20 are here. But of course we are disappointed the top two are not here," said HSBC's worldwide head of sponsorship Giles Morgan.

"We are looking at a true world golf championship. As a sponsor we can provide the prize money and all of the wonderful facilities for spectators, customers, the media etc. But the one thing you need of course is the players.

"We believe very strongly in supporting golf around the world at all levels because we believe the sport has great potential to grow. But in order to showcase itself particularly in emerging markets for golf such as China we feel as many of the top players should be here."

Morgan said that with so many sporting sponsors suffering during the recession, golfers should be wary of upsetting them.

"Without the sponsors there isn't professional golf and I speak on behalf of the industry," he added. "Here in China we have built something very big, very quickly so we need to continue to try to invest and encourage people to play.

"I feel very strongly as I know a number of sponsors do, that particularly in a downturn, particularly when there are financial difficulties around the world, that golf cannot be immune."

The $7 million WGC-Champions event starts on Thursday.

10/29/2012

Pettersen Back to Back Winner

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Rolex Rankings No. 7 Suzann Pettersen became the third player to win back-to-back events on the LPGA Tour this season, as she captured a three-shot victory at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship. Pettersen shot a final round 3-under 69 to capture the come-from behind victory over Rolex Rankings No. 5 Inbee Park.

One week after closing out her first victory of the 2012 season at the LPGA KEB·HanaBank Championship, Pettersen once again found a way to take home a trophy. But while it took her three playoff holes in South Korea for a win, Pettersen managed to pull away from her playing partners – Park and Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng -- over the final few holes this week.

“I tee it up every week to try and win,” Pettersen said. “Obviously winning last week gave me perhaps a bit more confidence believing that what I do is the right thing, and I've had some great friends around me last week, this week, being able to put my head in the right spot and just really enjoy myself.”

The Oslo, Norway, native began the day two shots back of third-round leader Inbee Park but Pettersen birdied the first hole to move within one. A bogey by Park on the fifth hole created a tie atop the leaderboard and from there it was a tight battle between the two players before Pettersen took a one-shot lead when Park bogeyed the par-4 14th hole. She then drained a long birdie putt on 15 to move two shots ahead and clinched her victory with a birdie on the par-5 18th.

“I don't think I've enjoyed myself so much on the golf course like I have the last three or four weeks, so I think that might be a huge part of it,” she continued. “Really playing with my heart, playing with my instinct, even on the last shot. Just being aggressive.”

Peterrsen won the 2008 AIB Ladies Irish Open, the 2011 ladies Irish Open at Killeen castle and a member of the victorious 2011 European Solheim Cup Team.

McIlroy in Barclays Singapore Open

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Rory McIlroy says he is thriving on the pressure of being World Number One and reckons he will be “hard to beat” if he brings his “A game” to the star-studded US$6 million Barclays Singapore Open next month.

Super-confident McIlroy headlines a field of champions in Asia's richest National Open and believes he can outplay American superstar Phil Mickelson, three-time winner Adam Scott of Australia and World Number 12 Louis Oosthuizen at Sentosa Golf Club from November 8-11.

“The status (of being World Number One) adds pressure but it's something that I thrive on. People expect me to play well, and I expect myself to play better,” he said.

"I know that I can be hard to beat when I am at my best, so I go into every tournament knowing that if I play well then I have a good chance of winning. I will always feel that way no matter what my ranking.”

McIlroy has enjoyed an outstanding season highlighted by his runaway eight-stroke victory at the US PGA Championship and is in pole position to win the European Tour's Race to Dubai with winnings of €3,407,300.

He has already sewn up the PGA Tour money list with earnings of US$8,047,952 and is looking to match the feat of Luke Donald who won the Order of Merit titles on both sides of the Atlantic last season.

“I am leading the Race to Dubai at present and it is definitely my goal to finish there at the end of the season,” said McIlroy, who is €812,572 ahead of Sweden's Peter Hanson.

“It is very close at the top right now and I know that I need to have a strong end to the season in order to win both orders of merit titles. A good performance in Singapore will certainly help my chances, so hopefully I can go a few better than my fourth place finish there in 2008.”

The two-time Major winner said that his status in the game has brought with it added scrutiny but feels he is coping with it well.

“I definitely feel like I have more responsibilities and I'm a lot busier in tournament weeks than I used to be,”he said.

“It took me a while to get used to handling a little bit more attention, more pressure, more scrutiny when you are expected to play well heading into each tournament. But I've learned how to handle winning big events.”

McIlroy played the 2008 Barclays Singapore Open on an invitation and took a lot of confidence from his fourth place finish.

“I played really nicely in Singapore that year. It was early into my professional career, and I was still very much getting to grips with playing alongside the big names, players I have always looked up to,” he said.

“It gave me a lot of confidence, beating the likes of Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott and getting myself in the mix. It was sort of self-satisfaction week, to finish fourth in such a strong field.”

McIlroy said that he was keen to tee it up again at the Serapong Course and judge how far his game had come in four years.

“From what I remember of it the course certainly suited my eye, and I enjoyed the tough challenge it presented. I'm really looking forward to getting back there and see how my scores might compare to the player I was four years ago,” he said.

The 23 year old McIlroy feels that his good finish in the Barclays Singapore Open helped him believe that he was destined for the top.

“I always dreamt of winning golf tournaments, of winning Majors and of reaching world number one. What I have always done is give myself targets, realistic ones.

“When I turned pro, my target was to get my European Tour card and I have to admit I surprised myself with how quickly I achieved that.

“My next target was to win my first tournament as a professional, and although I came close on a number of occasions, including in Singapore, I felt a win was a little overdue when it came at Dubai in 2009.

“It was my performances at events like Dubai, Singapore, and many others where I had top-five finishes in the strongest of fields that helped me believe I could win many more. I knew I was good enough.

“To now call myself a multiple Major winner and World Number One is great. I knew that I was good enough to achieve this at some stage, but yeah, a bit surprised that it has happened already when I'm still 23.

“My target now is always to win my next tournament, win my next Major, keep working hard and keep improving all areas of my game.”

This year marks the 49th staging of the Singapore Open which will be co-sanctioned by The European and Asian Tours.

10/28/2012

Hanson Holds Off Rory Eagle Run

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Peter Hanson held off a magnificent late charge from Rory McIlroy to claim the biggest win of his career at BMW Masters in Shanghai.

The Swede beat the World Number One by a single shot after both hit closing rounds of 67 – but that barely told the story of a rollercoaster final round at Lake Malaren.

One ahead of McIlroy overnight, the 35 year old's sixth European Tour victory looked certain when he went four clear.

However, a thrilling finish materialised when McIlroy eagled the 15th, birdied the next to narrow the gap to two and then saw Hanson find sand at the short 17th.

The World Number 25 saved par from 15 feet, but still had a scary moment when his approach to the last came down in the bank of a bunker.

After being refused relief for a plugged lie, he did well to chip to ten feet and two putts for bogey and a 21 under par total were good enough after McIlroy had just missed his 15 foot birdie attempt from the back fringe.

Luke Donald and Ian Poulter, two more of Europe's side in Chicago last month, finished third and fourth.

“It was a little bit tense,” said Hanson. “Rory made a tremendous effort with his eagle on 15 and birdie on 16, so it put quite a bit of pressure on me. I was trying to play it a little bit safe but against the World Number One you still have to hit the shots.

“I’ve been hitting it nice and especially the putter has been feeling great. Rory gave me a bit of a cushion early today – he missed a few short putts over the first few holes – and in the end that was all I needed.

“My putting has really improved, especially over the last year, and I think that’s the main reason I’m standing here with this beautiful trophy.”

On McIlroy’s late charge he added: “He played great today – the shot into 15 was true class. He was the one putting pressure on me even though I had those four shots. I think my putt on 17 was a big one.

“Moving closer to Rory at the top of The Race to Dubai is one of my bigger goals. I’m going to try and keep this form going and hopefully I can be up there next Sunday again.”

Earlier Hanson had turned in a two under par 34; then fired a hattrick of birdies from the 11th to leave the rest of the star-studded field trailing in his wake.

One ahead of World Number One Rory McIlroy at the start of the final round, Hanson extended his advantage with a birdie from five feet at the second.

The recent KLM Open winner went four ahead when his playing partner missed from inside five feet at the fourth and fifth, although the US PGA Champion responded with a birdie at the sixth after a sublime tee shot to 15 inches.

Hanson reached the par five seventh in two and two-putted, then holed from eight feet at the 11th to start a run of three successive gains.

McIlroy matched two of them, but the Northern Irishman was four behind with five to play before his late burst.

“I’m a little disappointed,” said the 23 year old. “I'm very happy with the way I played, but I missed a few opportunities on the front nine, I missed four or five short putts in a row.

“I wanted to try to make him work for it. It would have been nice to hole that putt on the last, at least to make him think a little bit, but it wasn't to be and he played well.

“He deserved it. To go out with the lead and play the way he did and shoot 67 is very impressive. He was going to be very tough to beat today.”

McDowell Ready for WGC HSBC

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After a well-earned there week break following a punishing September schedule that culminated in that unforgettable Ryder Cup victory, Graeme McDowell is refreshed and ready to launch an assault on the WGC – HSBC Champions.

The Northern Irishman got back in groove in Shanghai last week and fine-tuned his game in preparation for this week’s final World Golf Championship of 2012.

McDowell is in buoyant mood and is close to hitting top form at a time of the season when he traditionally performs well.

“The game is in good shape and has been pretty good all year but I feel there is a big finish to the season in me,” said McDowell.

“I think the Play-Offs in the States took a lot out of me mentally and physically and I perhaps wasn’t rested enough for The Ryder Cup and I didn’t quite have that weekend. Thankfully I had 1 great team mates that took care of business for me that weekend!

“But I have had a really nice three week break before Shanghai last week and I am feeling as fresh as I have for a while. I played well last week and I am very keen to finish the year strongly. It has been a good season for me but there is always a fraction of frustration when you haven’t got a win yet and you have performed well.

“But, as I said, I look forward to this stage of the season because I have been traditionally quite strong at this time of year. If you look back to 2009 I finished the year well and then 2010 was a great finish when I won at Valderrama and then won Tiger’s event at the Chevron. I had good results at the end of last year too and I just enjoy this part of the year.”

McDowell is also energised by the WGC-HSBC Champions’ move to Mission Hills for the 2012 edition of the US$7 million event having played so well there at the 2009 World Cup when he and partner Rory McIlroy took team Ireland to a tie for second place behind Italy’s Molinari brothers.

“Mission Hills and the Olazábal Course there is a real driver’s course: you have to be accurate off the tee and keep it in play because if you start spraying it around then you will be in a lot of trouble. There are some really exciting holes and it is a great finish with 17 and 18 in particular being an amazing hole.

“I am looking forward to the change of venue because I have been there a few times with the World Cup and I like the venue – I think it suits my game a little more than Sheshan did.

“HSBC are one of the very best sponsors in golf and they always put on a very impressive show. I’m looking forward to the caddie awards on Friday night – there are always a few fireworks there and it is great fun.

“It’s a great field, great prize fund this week and just one of the best tournaments of the season. Obviously it’s a World Golf Championship and there is always that little bit of extra prestige attached to those tournaments – I think most people in the game agree that they are just a tiny notch down from the Major Championships because you are always playing against the best players in the world.”

10/27/2012

McIlroy Moves One Behind Hanson

Peter Hanson shot a 2-under 70 to lead Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy by one stroke after the third round of the inaugural BMW Masters on Saturday.

Hanson, who won the KLM Open last month, was at 15-under 200 at the Lake Malaren Course and will be wary of McIlroy, who shot a 69.

"I feel myself very lucky to be in this position and hopefully I can stay ahead of him because it is going to be a tough one considering the way he is playing, so I need to play a little bit better than I did tomorrow to have a chance of beating him," Hanson said. "But if I were to win this event it would be massive and this is the start of a big stretch coming up now, so it's just nice to find a bit of form and see yourself up there, and having a bit of a chance of winning the title.

"But I do need to step up a bit more because if I don't I am going to have the world No. 1 snapping right at my heels, and if I'm not careful he could be going pass me."

McIlroy, chasing a fifth title this season, won the exhibition Shanghai Masters tournament on the same course last year.

"It would mean a lot if I could successfully defend here at Lake Malaren, even though this year's event is now on the European Tour, so it would be nice to win for a second time," he said. "What also would be most pleasing is that I will come into these last few weeks of my year trying to wrap up the Race to Dubai No. 1 title.

"I've put myself into contention this week and [if] I'm to finish this one off that would give me a nice lead going into my last three events. So that would more pleasing than anything else as it would extend my lead over Justin [Rose] and Branden [Grace], so that when I do get to Dubai later next month I won't have to do much."

George Coetzee of South Africa (66) was in third at 12 under. Alexander Noren of Sweden (69), Michael Hoey of Northern Ireland (68), South Africa's Charl Schwartzel (68), Shane Lowry of Ireland (69) and the England pair of Justin Rose (69) and Luke Donald (68) were tied for fourth another shot back.

10/31/2012

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