The Irish Golf Club Gazette: 10/11/13

10/11/2013

Staunton Joins PGA Leaders

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Hazel Kavanagh made history by becoming the first woman to make the cut at the Cassidy Golf 103rd Irish PGA Championship, at Roganstown.

The Spawell Golf Centre pro, and former LET member edged into the reminder of the tournament right on the mark of ten-over-par on 152, posting rounds of 78 and 74.

“It is nice to make a bit of history but I didn’t think that I would qualify after that first round 78.”

Overnight leader Michael McDermott, who opened with a course record 65, saw his dreams of a repeat score fade early after a bogeys on the first, second and fourth. The collapse continued however, the more trouble at 10 and 11 before birdies at 14 and 18 - to sign for a round of 73 and retain share of the lead.

Michael McGeady was another who failed to match his opening round with a double-bogey on the par four 11th, and then dropping shots at both the 13th and 16th holes. The Derry man then covered the front nine in regulation 35 to sign for a round of 72.

Mark Staunton, the Ballinasloe club pro, steadily climbed the leader board with a six-birdie 68 to be one-under-par and in mix as joint leader going into the final 36 holes. The former Ulster champion, began on the 10th tee but, despite three back nine birdies, was only one-under as he turned for home.

Staunton then laid the foundations with birdie threes at the first and third holes and a four at the long 5th to be five-under-par but a blip at the short ninth denied him of the outright halfway lead.

Niall Kearney posted a disappointing 74 on Thursday but carded an equal best-of-the-day 67 to lurch up the leader board, as did playing partner Peter Martin who also added a 67 to his first round 74.

They both started at the 10th tee with Kearney pencilling in eagle three with a drive and six iron to 10 feet. He added a birdie four at 18, despite driving into rough, to turn three-under.

“I got off to a bad start in the first round when I putt a ball out-of-bounds at the first hole and it’s not an easy course to get shots back from. Being favourite didn’t unease me,” said Ulster champion Kearney.

Martin’s putting was exceptionally good. For his birdie four at 10 he holed a 15 feet putt downhill and made birdie three at 13 uphill from 20 feet. Ironically, he three-stabbed the 14th green but got the shot back with another 20-footer on 16.

Again from 20 feet he made birdie three at the fifth hole, missed the green to drop a shot at seven before finishing birdie-birdie with putts of 15 and 30 feet.

“Yes, the putting was good and the iron play was not bad either. I missed the cut last year by a stroke so I’ve done better, so far, this time,” reflected the Belfast man who was out of golf for a month after cracking his ribs in a football game.

Five Cut in Vilamoura

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Peter Lawrie signed off on a second round 71 at the Portugal Masters and then packed his bags for in Vilamoura ahead of a long trip to Perth, in Western Australia, in a last chance to retain his automatic playing rights for next year.

An opening round of 77 on Thursday ended any hopes of much needed prize money this week in the quest to improve his current 111th place in the Race to Dubai, which leaves him one spot outside the line. And perhaps needing to return to Qualifying School next month. A contrast to last season when he finished in 48th with earnings of over €600K

Shane Lowry also missed the cut and failed to defend his title after a bogey at the par-five 17th ended his hopes on Friday. It was the English duo of Paul Waring and David Lynn and South African Hennie Otto set the pace on 12 under at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course.

Lowry won his first European Tour event as a professional last year and started with back-to-back birdies before he dropped further shots at the sixth and seventh to slip out to three over for the tournament.

He then hit a hot streak of five birdies in his next seven holes to move one shot inside the cut on two under before the six on the penultimate hole left him requiring a birdie on the last. Lowry had an opportunity but left his attempt short to end his stay on the Algarve.

Playing in the same group, Waring and Otto recorded 14 birdies and one eagle between them – Waring returning a flawless 63 and Otto a 64.

In the mix also is overnight leader Simon Thornton, but was unable to match his opening day 65 and so dropped four strokes back after carding a second round 69.

Lynn, still struggling with the virus which affected him during last week’s Seve Trophy, had shared the overnight lead on six under and late in the day carded his second consecutive 65 with four birdies and an eagle from just six feet on the par-five 12th.

Waring, who enjoyed the first top-five finish of his European Tour career in the Spanish Open in April and has had three more top-10s since, said: “I think the lovely weather’s had a bit of a hand in it. I played nice, kept control of my golf ball well, hit it close a few times and holed a few putts.

“I’ve been playing better for the last few months; I lost by one in Valencia, two in Gleneagles, been knocking on the door a few times so it’s nice to keep myself in contention week on week.”

Waring, playing on a medical exemption after an operation on a serious wrist injury, is currently 86th on the Race to Dubai and added: “If I can get into one of these big four events (the inaugural Final Series) at the end of the season that would be great.

“I am not going to put too much pressure on myself, I’ve had a medical (exemption) all year so it’s nice to get back into a proper category for next year.”

Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger completed a 65 to lie one shot off the lead on 11 under alongside Scotland’s Chris Doak, who had five birdies and an eagle in his flawless 64 and is yet to drop a shot this week.

Paul McGinley fired a 66 to stay on for the weekend on 3 under with David Higgins one stroke further adrift.

However Michael Hoey, Damien McGrane and Gareth Maybin missed the cut.

Clarke Contends in China

OneAsia

Darren Clarke was delighted to be in contention after a second round 68 at the OneAsia Nanshan China Masters on Friday, birdies each side of the turn, to head into the weekend two strokes off the lead.

The 2011 Open Champion was content with his round on Friday, but aware that some more work needs to be done in order to clinch his first win since Royal St George.

"I left a lot out there. My pace was off the greens. Same as yesterday, I left a lot of putts short. I had 33 putts yesterday and I think I had 33 today. I'm hitting good putts, but I just can't get the speed.

"Same as yesterday, I left a lot of putts short," Clarke said. "I had 33 putts yesterday and I think I had 33 today. I'm hitting good putts, but I just can't get the speed. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. Obviously I'm playing nicely and this is one of the times I need to be patient and wait for the putts to drop.

"You always feel pressure if you're in position on the back nine on Sunday, but I've got to get myself in that position first. There's a long way to go before we get there, but I feel as may game is getting back to where I want it."

Defending champion Liang Wenchong fired an extraordinary eight-under-par 64 on Friday to share the lead with countryman Zhang Xinjun (67) and New Zealander Gareth Paddison (69) after two rounds of the U.S. $1 million event.

The trio are six under around the 6,784-metre (7,419-yard) Montgomerie Course at Nanshan International Golf Club, two shots ahead of former Open champion Clarke and Indonesian Rory Hie (65).

Liang started with an eagle and added ten birdies to his scorecard, finishing with five-in-a-row after earlier bogeying four holes. Playing the course back-to-front, he needed just 22 putts for his round.

Alongside Liang, South African Charl Schwartzel -- the 2010 U.S. Masters champion -- shot 71 to stand at one under, tied for 12th.

"I was putting very well, but my driving was also really good today," said Liang, a four-time winner on OneAsia and also the tour's 2011 Order of Merit champion.

The only time Liang has scored more birdies was in the first round of the 2008 Indian Open when he made a dozen for a course-record 60. He went on to win the tournament by a stroke.

Liang ended a two-year winless streak with victory at last year's Nanshan China Masters, and five recent top-ten finishes suggest he is coming back into form at the right time.

"I will try my best this weekend, but there are still two days left and anything can happen."

After playing in perfect conditions in the afternoon, left-handed Paddison said he felt he left a few shots on the course, but was looking forward to playing in the final group on Saturday after a lean spell.

"It's funny, I've never been in this position in a OneAsia event before, tied for the lead after two days, and I sort of feel as if I left a few shots out there," he said.

"It was a bit of a sombre feeling walking off the course, but at the same time being tied for the lead is fantastic."

Zhang, 26, a former security guard who only took up the game in his late teens after being posted to work at a golf club, was also looking forward to playing with his hero Liang.

"Since the 2011 World Cup I haven't played a tournament with him, just a couple of practice rounds. I'm pleased to play with him again and hope to learn from the experience."

Schwartzel, fatigued by a hectic schedule that saw him jet in from last weekend's Presidents Cup in Ohio, was full of admiration for Liang's round.

"He one-putted just about every single green. He had a stretch from the fifth to the twelfth where he went nine under in eight holes. I haven't seen that before. Very impressive."

He was less than impressed with his own game, however, although he refused to rule himself out.

"My ball striking has been off for the last two days. I haven't hit it very good and on top of that I putted badly. That's the reason I haven't moved forward.

"The body has taken quite a hammering. I've been on the go since the British Open non-stop, so it's a lot of golf and a lot of traveling, but I don't want to make any excuses. I still fancy my chances. The game is there, but I've just got to click in."

Rookie American Eric Mina, who led by one overnight after opening with a 68, dropped three shots on Friday but was delighted with making his first cut since winning Q-School in California in January.

Korean Kim Bi-o, winner of the inaugural Nanshan China Masters in 2011 and the reigning Order of Merit champion, is two over for the tournament after shooting 71.

The cut was made at six over, meaning 16-year-old amateur Dou Zecheng will play the weekend in his second OneAsia tournament having also achieved the feat at the Volvo China Open in May.

For Clarke though the weekend offers hope:

"I'll just keep doing what I'm doing. Obviously I'm playing nicely and this is one of the times I need to be patient and wait for the putts to drop."

It's Just Bill and Rory

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It was Mr Clinton's first visit to Ireland in more than two years and which saw him deliver the Ray Murphy Memorial lecture at the Conrad Hotel, after a meeting at Government buildings with Taoiseach Enda Kenny earlier in the day.

But Mr Clinton also found time to enjoy a round of golf with Roy McIlroy, with the former president even tweeting a picture as he commended the “great work of the Rory Foundation”, which supports children’s charities globally.

Later McIlroy revealed what happened on the green during an interview with Newstalk’s ‘Off the Ball’ programme.

“Anything inside six feet, it’s ‘Mr President, pick that up’,” said McIlroy.

“He is fond of dropping another ball or two and taking a few Mulligans – but you don’t call him on that.

“He loves his golf. He’s a decent player. He probably plays to around a 14 handicap,” said McIlroy.

McDermott Leads Irish PGA

Irish PGA

Michael McDermott set the pace at the Cassidy Golf 103rd PGA Irish Region Championship at Roganstown on Thursday to lead after the first round of the €30,000 tournament.

The Leopardstown pro shot a 65 course record to push early clubhouse leader Michael McGeady off the top of the leaderboard by one stroke, when it looked as if the latter was set for the overnight lead.

“I shot a three-under-par in the pro-am and that was good practice for me before the championship,” said McDermott.

“I am hitting the ball very well and I was pleased with the way I controlled the flight of the ball in the breezy conditions. It’s a good start but there are still three rounds to go and anything can happen.”

The leader explained that he is just getting used to a new set of PING clubs, particularly the irons and he feels the clubs are really suiting him. They have improved his iron play tremendously, he says.

On Thursday McDermott hit all but two greens in regulation and, after starting at 10, covered the back nine in four-under-par without loss. He was on in two at the long 10th and steered a six iron to 20 feet and then holed for birdie three at 11. Another birdie three at 13 got him to the turn in 32.

Michael McGeady’s was also in excellent form as he carded a mid-day 66.

“It is quite a few years since I played in the Irish Championship,” he reflected, “and this is a promising start. It leaves me in a nice position to make a challenge for the title but, of course, there is a long way to go.”

He disclosed that since taking a new putter out of the bag, his game has improved immensely. He used it first in the PGA Ulster Championship, at The Hilton, and Roganston was only his fifth round using the club.

“I’m just getting used to it but it seems to be working well. The shaft is a bit longer, but it’s not a broom handled putter, with a little more weight at the top and it feels good,” McGeady enthused.

Former championship winner David Mortimer posted a 69 in the evening to take third place overnight. Playing the back nine first, he birdied the par four 15th and short 17th but gave a shot back at long 18. However, he regained the lost ground with birdie three at the first hole before finishing with eight pars.

Two Mac's Get Irish Open Date

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The 2014 Irish Open has been given a date change which makes it easier for Rory McIlroy and fellow Major champion Graeme McDowell to tee it up in their home event next June.

The proposal to move the Irish event forward seven days on the schedule – to the week immediately after the US Open at Pinehurst – was passed at a meeting of Europe's Tournament Players Committee in Vilamoura, Portugal.

McIlroy has long stated his commitment to the Irish Open, but moving it to June 19-22 helps in his commitment to play in next year's Scottish Open a fortnight later on the classic links at Royal Aberdeen.

This switch also fulfils the desire of Munich's BMW International Open to move a week further away from the US Open.

The run-up to next year's Open Championship at Hoylake now reads: The Irish Open, BMW International,French Open and Scottish Open.

The venue for next year's Irish showpiece, which now takes place in the same week as the British Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush, has yet to be finalised. However Carton House remains the favourite.

Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, a member of the 15-man Tournament Players Committee, welcomed European efforts to persuade their big-name players, the vast majority of whom are full members of America's PGA Tour, to make time for 'home tour' events.

Ten of Europe's 12 Ryder Cup heroes at Medinah are US Tour regulars yet their support is critical, McGinley says, if the European circuit is to attract tournament sponsors and ride out the current recession

"What would the Irish Open be without Rory McIlroy?" the Dubliner asked. "It is a success every year because Rory plays and it was a success when Padraig Harrington played when he was the top Irish player."

Still, McGinley is against putting a gun to heads. Instead, he suggested: "there'd be some kind of a negotiation which would lead to individuals committing to some other events on the European schedule.

Conceding that it was "tough" for the stars of world golf to find room in their schedule, McGinley went on: "I certainly wouldn't put pressure on the top guys to say you have to do this or come back and do that. That's not right. This is just a commitment to their home event and that's not a lot to ask. Rory's committed for the Irish Open, there's no issue about that and they all play Wentworth.

10/11/2013

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