The Irish Golf Club Gazette: March 2014

3/31/2014

Scottish Open for Clarke and Westwood

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Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood have confirmed they will join one of the strongest fields in the history of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club from July 10-13.

Two of the most decorated players in European golf, Clarke and Westwood are also close friends and have formed one of most formidable Ryder Cup partnerships of recent times, winning six points out of a possible eight when paired together in golf’s greatest team event.

Clarke, in particular, will be hoping his return to the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open will conjure memories of one of the greatest moments of his career, when he claimed his first Major at The 2011 Open Championship a week after playing in Scotland’s national open.

Clarke, who finished runner up to Edoardo Molinari in 2010, is hoping that he can add a 15th title to his European Tour trophy haul on Scotland’s stunning North East coastline.

“It is no secret that I love links golf,” said the Northern Irishman. “So to have a new links course on The European Tour’s International Schedule is very exciting for me, and especially at an event with which I feel I have a real affinity.

“The Scottish golf fans are some of the most knowledgeable in the world so it is always a pleasure to return to this event and I hope that I can give them something to shout about.”

Last year, American Phil Mickelson became the latest player to benefit from the experience of the Scottish links in his quest for Open glory, defeating Branden Grace in a play-off to claim his first Scottish Open title before going on to earn his fifth Major title and first Claret Jug at Muirfield a week later.

Westwood, the former World Number One and the first winner of The Race to Dubai back in 2009, returns to this event - which he won in 1998 - for the first time in three years. The Englishman also has a proven track record in Scotland, having also captured the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the Home of Golf in 2003.

“I am really looking forward to returning to the Scottish Open,” said Westwood. “It is a course I have never played in competition so it is going to be a new challenge, and I have heard great things about it.

“I think it will also be the perfect place to prepare for The Open Championship and that is one of the reasons why I have made the decision to return this year.

“Of course, being a former winner of this event makes it extra special for me and hopefully I can feed off the positivity that brings and challenge for the title.”

Defending champion Mickelson, two-time Major winner Rory McIlroy and Jimmy Walker, three-time winner this year on the US PGA Tour, have all confirmed their attendance at what is one of the Tour’s most prestigious events, in which Aberdeen Asset Management and the Scottish Government are key partners.

3/28/2014

GMAC Tweets Tiger Clarification

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Graeme McDowell has taken to social media in an attempt to clarify comments he made about Tiger Woods last week.

McDowell spoke to a group of reporters at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida and was quoted on pgatour.com saying that 14-time major winner Woods has "lost that sort of force field of invincibility around him."

"The aura is not as strong," McDowell said.

"He's still Tiger Woods, still the greatest player ever in my opinion. I don't remember the first time I played with him but there was a real 'wow' factor. He was playing a different sport than me. But guys get older, stuff happens."

World No 1 Woods, 38, who has not won a major since the 2008 US Open, did not play at Bay Hill last week due to ongoing back problems which threaten his participation in next month's US Masters.

Northern Irishman McDowell feels some of his comments were taken out of context and wrote on his Twitter page on Thursday: "I spent 90 per cent of my press conference last week at Bay Hill being asked questions about Tiger, speculating about where his game is right now.

"Many of my quotes have been taken out of context and spun quite negatively. It's hard for me to comment on Tiger in the early 2000s. I can only say that he has raised the bar so much in the sport globally and players are so much better equipped to win these days.

"He seems more beatable nowadays simply because the players around him are better and have more belief thanks to Tiger moving the needle.

"I really shouldn't get caught up in speculation and opinion especially when talking about TW. You set yourself up for failure. #nocomment"

Europe Battle Asia Rally

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Asia battled back from a disastrous first day at the inaugural EurAsia Cup - but Europe still remain firmly on course for victory in Kuala Lumpur.

After being whitewashed 5-0 in Thursday's fourballs, Thongchai Jaidee's side secured three points from Friday's foursomes to leave the score at 7-3.

Prayad Marksaeng and Kim Hyung-sung got the better of Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen 4&3 while Anirban Lahiri and Siddikur Rahman defeated Joost Luiten and Victor Dubuisson by one hole.

It seemed there would be another victory for the hosts when Jaidee and Kiradech Aphibarnrat led going down the last, only for Europe captain Miguel Angel Jimenez to deny them in stunning fashion.

The 50-year-old, who made two eagles at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club for the second day running, produced a superb approach to the 18th green to set up fellow Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal for a birdie to snatch a half.

That meant the spoils were deservedly shared in a high-quality contest. Jimenez had holed a bunker shot on the third for an eagle and then a putt from 30ft on the 11th for another, although that effort was only good enough for a half.

Missed chance

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Stephen Gallacher also halved their match with Koumei Oda and Hideto Tanihara, although the duo missed a birdie chance on the last to win.

"We managed to half a couple of matches and win another one. It was a tough day in the heat and Asia played very well today."

Gallacher missed from 12 feet on the 18th to snatch victory after he and his Spanish playing partner had let slip a three-hole lead from the 10th onwards. They lost lost four of the next five but levelled matters at the 17th hole.

Europe's only winners were Graeme McDowell and Jamie Donaldson, who came from behind for the second match running to beat Gaganjeet Bhullar and Nicholas Fung 2&1.

For the second successive day McDowell and Donaldson had to recover from an early deficit, though they were rather gifted a number of holes after finding themselves two down just before the turn.

"At the end of the day I am happy," Jimenez said. "We managed to half a couple of matches and win another one. It was a tough day in the heat and Asia played very well today.

"At one point it looked like it was going to be the opposite of yesterday but we managed to get the points and 7-3 is a good lead for tomorrow."

Europe now need just three-and-a-half points from Saturday's 10 singles matches to secure overall victory.

Harrington Texas Title Hopes Fade

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Padraig Harrington carded three birdies in all during the first round of the Valero Texas Open, but finished four over par in the end after a double bogey and five bogeys left him signing for 76. A total of eight strokes off the joint leaders.

However he was not alone.

Phil Mickelson shot a 5-over 77 on Thursday in Texas to fall nine strokes back during the suspended first round. The 77 was Lefty's highest score since a 78 in August in the PGA Championship.

"I had been playing real well at home, so to come out and play like this is disappointing," Mickelson said. "Just didn't feel quite sharp."

In his previous two starts, Mickelson missed the cut in the Honda Classic and tied for 16th three weeks ago at Doral in the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship. He made his only other Texas Open appearance in 1992, so long ago that the event was only his 11th professional start on the PGA TOUR.

Pat Perez and Danny Lee shot 4-under 68 to share the clubhouse lead and Andrew Loupe was 4 under with seven holes to play when darkness forced the suspension of play. The start was delayed 2 hours, 40 minutes because of fog, and 45 players were unable to finish the round.

Area resident Cameron Beckman, Puerto Rico Open winner Chesson Hadley, Will MacKenzie and Seung-Yul Noh shot 69, and Miguel Angel Carballo and Justin Hicks also were 3 under. Carballo had four left, and Hicks three.

Jim Furyk, Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar shot 70.

Defending champion Martin Laird opened with a 72, matching Valspar winner John Senden and Jeff Maggert, a winner last week in Mississippi in his Champions Tour debut.

Ernie Els shot 74, and former Texas star Jordan Spieth had a 75.

Area resident Jimmy Walker had a 76. He has a tour-high three victories this season, winning the Frys.com Open, Sony Open and Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Mickelson hit half of the greens in regulation on the Greg Norman-designed TPC San Antonio, bogeyed three of the four par 3s and closed with a double bogey on the par-4 ninth.

"I didn't putt well," said Mickelson, who had 17 putts on the second nine that he played in 4-over 40. "I had a couple of three-putts that hurt. Iron play wasn't great. I didn't drive it bad, until that last hole."

On the 462-yard ninth, his drive sailed so far right he hit a provisional. He didn't need it, but it took him three to find the green and he ended up three-putting, missing from 10 and 2 feet.

"Just blocked it," he said.

He also will play next week in the Houston Open before heading to Augusta National.

The fog kept temperatures in the 50s before it burned off and gave way to sun and readings in the 80s.

"This morning it was freezing, and I hit balls (on the practice range) in four layers of clothes," Perez said. "Now, I'm sweating."

One under after a bogey on the 15th, Perez finished with three birdies on putts from more than 10 feet -- including a 17-footer on the final hole.

Lee, the 2008 U.S. Amateur champion at Pinehurst No. 2, finished with consecutive birdies with putts inside 13 feet on the 17 and 18. He finished second three weeks ago in Puerto Rico.

3/26/2014

Padraig Looking for Old Harrington

Padraig Harrington needs to win this week's Texas Open or at Houston next week if he is to qualify for the Masters next month.

The Dubliner has played at Augusta every year since making his debut in 2000.

Harrington is down at No 155 in the world rankings and slumped to a final-round 80 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, but he has not given up hope of winning one of the next two events to make it to Augusta.

"It was a funny week," Harrington wrote on his official website. "My final round was terrible and as a result my finish for the week was too, but when I look back there were a lot of positives to take from it.

"I know that seems hard to believe after I finished on five over par in a tie for 67th, coming off a final round of 80. However, I definitely saw a lot of good things during the week, things I hadn't seen for a while.

"My chipping and putting were much better.

"Last week I decided to get back to practising my putting and chipping and not spending as much time hitting full shots on the range. It definitely helped as I was more confident than I had been for a while with my short game.

"My first round was like the old me, getting it up and down no matter where I was. I wasn't able to keep it up all week but, in general, there was a marked improvement in my chipping and putting and more importantly in how I felt about that aspect of my game.

"I definitely saw a lot of good things during the week, things I hadn't seen for a while. My chipping and putting were much better."

"With two tournaments left to qualify for the Masters, time is running out. I have to win one of the next three and I would love to do it here so as to sort it out quickly. I am trying hard to get to Augusta as I will find it very hard sitting at home watching it on TV."

The Texas Open is the last chance for players to climb into the top 50 in the world rankings to qualify for the first major of the year.

However, world No 53 Richard Sterne and No 55 George Coetzee are not in the field at San Antonio.

The only players who can move into the top 50 without winning in Texas are Chesson Hadley (56th) and Ryan Palmer (62nd). Everyone else who could make it to the top 50 would have to win, which secures a Masters invite anyway.

Open champion Phil Mickelson is competing in the event for the first time since 1992, when he finished joint 47th at Oak Hills Country Club in just his sixth start as a professional.

Smyth Surrenders Record

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He may have surrendered his long-standing record as the oldest winner in European Tour history to Miguel Angel Jiménez in 2012, but as he celebrates his 60th birthday today, Des Smyth continues to mature with age on the European Senior Tour.

The popular Irishman won the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters at Woburn Golf Club in September and recorded six other top ten finishes on the Senior Tour last year, to finish the season in ninth position on the Order of Merit.

That matched his joint best campaign since 2005 - the year he lost in a play-off to Tom Watson in The Senior Open Championship at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club - proving that even as he prepared to enter his seventh decade, age proves no barrier for the former Ryder Cup player.

Having won his first professional titles in 1979, when he claimed the Irish National PGA Championship and Irish Fourball Championship (with Jimmy Heggarty) as well his maiden European Tour title in the European Match Play Championship, Smyth has enjoyed success in each of the subsequent four decades.

Now, with victories in each of the past three seasons on the Senior Tour, Smyth is targeting a personal milestone in 2013.

“I still feel good and I have a little ambition for 2013 to win at the age of 60,” he said. “I’ve done five decades in terms of winning titles – the 1970s, 80s, 90s, 2000s and 2010s - but if I win again in the new season it will be in my own five decades. I’ve won in my 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, so it would be nice to win in my 60s too. That would be a nice target to achieve.”

Understandably, Smyth had mixed emotions as he watched another evergreen player, Spaniard Jiménez, supplant him as the oldest European Tour winner, having held the record for 11 years after winning the 2001 Madeira Islands Open at the age of 48 years and 34 days.

“I lost my record to a great player,” he said. “I thought it might have gone before it did. I thought Mark McNulty, or Eduardo Romero, or Barry Lane might have picked one off, but they didn’t. Miguel is great though. He seems to be getting better with age, and he is playing some great golf. You don’t mind losing a record to a guy like that. He’s a great character.

“I had the record for 11 years, which is a long time. I was very proud of it and I still am, to be the second oldest. I remember when Neil Coles was the oldest winner (at 48 years and 14 days when he won the 1982 Sanyo Open) and I was young at the time. It seemed ridiculous, a guy winning at his age, and then I got his record. It’s crazy, the clock keeps ticking and before you know it you are there.”

Coles, of course, now holds the record for the oldest winner on the Senior Tour following his victory in the 2002 Lawrence Batley Seniors Open at the remarkable age of 67 years and 276 days. While Smyth’s own success shows no sign of slowing down, he admits that particular target is probably beyond even him.

“I think his record on the Senior Tour is out of reach,” he said. “Neil was exceptional in a lot of ways. I don’t think I can go that long. I think I will stick to my own record of just winning in my 60s.”

Should Smyth be able to carry forward his form of 2012, he stands every chance of achieving that personal milestone.

Attaining his highest level of consistency in a decade on the Senior Tour, Smyth recorded his highest number of top ten finishes in a season, in addition to his victory at Woburn – his second triumph in three years at the English venue – and he believes that only health problems towards the end of the campaign prevented further success.

“It was a very good year for me,” said Smyth. “I always consider a good year is when you get a win, and obviously I did that at Woburn and I played a lot of good golf after that and had a lot of top tens.

“Overall then I was very happy with the year. I ran into a bit of form at the end of the year and found a bit of confidence with my swing. I actually felt like I could have won again. I ran into a bit of bad health though which I feel stopped me winning. I had bad flu for about six weeks but I refused to stop playing because I was in form. I think if I had been a bit better health-wise I might have won again.

“I seem to be picking up one title a year since I came back from America, which is nice. You try to get your best form every week and get a win. Sometimes you get off to a good start and find your game. It’s hard to come from behind with three round events, as you don’t have as much time.

“When you look at last year it was my joint best Order of Merit finish since 2005. I had a big year then, finishing second in the Senior Open and when you do something like that it is a big cheque, so in many ways last year was my best for consistency. To play that well at 59 is great. I still feel good and it would be great to win again this year.”

Profile - Des Smyth

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Full Name: Desmond John Smyth
Age: 51
Hometown: Drogheda, Ireland
Birthplace: Drogheda, Ireland
Birthdate: December 2, 1953
Family: Wife: Vicki (m. 1981); Children: Karen (1982), Gregory (1984), Shane (1988)
Turned Professional: 1974

RYDER CUP EXPERIENCE

Years Played: 1979, 81, 2006 (Vice Captain) (winners), 2014 (Vice Captain)
Total Matches: 7
Career Ryder Cup Record (W-L-H): 2-5-0
Singles (W-L-H): 0-2-0
Foursomes (W-L-H): 1-2-0
Fourballs (W-L-H): 1-1-0
Total Points Won: 2
Total Points Won Point %: 28.57

RYDER CUP RESULTS

1979: The Greenbrier
USA 17, Europe 11
Day 1 Foursomes: Smyth/Brown lost to Irwin/Kite (7 & 6)
Singles: Smyth lost to Irwin (5 & 3)

1981: Walton Heath
USA 18 1/2, Europe 9 1/2
Day 1 Foursomes: Smyth/Gallacher beat Irwin/Floyd (3 & 2)
Day 1 Fourballs: Smyth/Cañizares beat Rogers/Lietzke (6 & 5)
Day 2 Fourballs: Smyth/Cañizares lost to Nicklaus/Watson (3 & 2)
Day 2 Foursomes: Smyth/Gallacher lost to Kite/Nelson (3 & 2)
Singles: Smyth lost to Crenshaw (6 & 4)

EUROPEAN TOUR CAREER RECORD

Events played: 594
Top Ten finishes: 90
In Money: 412
Official Career Earnings € 2,554,241

Smyth was the oldest winner in European Tour history, between March 2001 and November 2012, when he won the 2001 Madeira Island Open, aged 48 years and 34 days. Alongside Mark McNulty was the only other player to win a European Tour event in each of the first four decades of the European Tour. (In all has won a professional event in each of the last five different decades).

CAREER VICTORIES

EUROPEAN TOUR INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE VICTORIES: Total 8
1979 Sun Alliance European Match Play Championship
1980 Newcastle Brown ’900’ Open, Cold Shield Greater Manchester Open (play-off)
1981 Coral Classic
1983 Sanyo Open
1988 BNP Jersey Open (play-off)
1993 Madrid Open
2001 Madeira Island Open

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR VICTORIES: Total 5
2005 Arcapita Seniors Tour Championship
2007 Wentworth Senior Masters
2010 Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters
2011 Van Lanschot Senior Open
2012 Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters

CHAMPIONS TOUR VICTORIES: Total 2
2005 SBC Classic, Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf

OTHER TOURNAMENT VICTORIES: Total 8
1979 Irish National PGA Championship, Irish Fourball Championship (with Jimmy Heggarty)
1985 Irish National PGA Championship
1986 Irish National PGA Championship
1990 Irish National PGA Championship
1995 Glen Dimplex Irish Match Play
1996 Irish National PGA Championship
2001 Irish National PGA Championship

TEAMS (PRO)

Ryder Cup 1979, 81, 2006 (Vice Captain) (winners), 2014 (Vice Captain)
Alfred Dunhill Cup 1985, 86, 87, 88 (winners), 2000
World Cup 1979, 80, 82, 88, 89
Hennessy Cognac Cup 1980 (winners), 82 (winners), 84
UBS Cup 2001
EURASIA CUP 2014 (Vice Captain)

3/25/2014

McDowell EurAsia Cup Ready

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Graeme McDowell is the highest-ranked player at the EurAsia Cup being held in Kuala Lumpur this week.

Miguel Angel Jimenez is Team captain with a number of Ryder Cups under his belt, along with McDowell and Thomas Bjorn.

However Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson and Stephen Gallacher are all currently in qualifying positions, with Joost Luiten, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Pablo Larrazabal all with a chance at Gleneagles.

Paul McGinley's Ryder Cup team may contain a couple of the EurAsia team come Gleneagles.

"One of the toughest parts of the Ryder Cup is putting pairings together, and getting foursomes pairings right," said McDowell.

"That's why a tournament like this, the EurAsia Cup, to me is something that's very, very important for both The European Tour and the Asian Tour. Asia is the main area of growth for the game of golf in the world, so it's a natural place for The European Tour.

"It's obviously a big part of the European Tour and to have a Europe versus Asia match is something that our schedule needs from a Ryder Cup point of view.

"We need this event to become something very special, something the guys look forward to and something that is part of Ryder Cup Team building; a chance to put ten guys together, come out here and play against a good team and try some pairings and really enjoy playing team golf.

"Team golf is very different from what we are used to as individuals because you're playing for each other.

"You just don't want to let your team mates down and there is a lot of extra pressure from that, but it's also one of the main reasons why European Teams have been so successful."

McGinley's vice-captain for Gleneagles, Des Smyth, will operate in the same role for Jimenez in Kuala Lumpur this week, so he will get to know the players as they get a chance to impress.

Playing captain Jimenez has featured in four Ryder Cups as a player, winning two, and has also been a vice-captain twice and he agrees that the EurAsia Cup could be a vital part of the preparation.

"The Ryder Cup started in 1927 and probably now is the event in golf and everyone wants to play and I think is the important thing," said Jimenez. "Now we start the EurAsia Cup in 2014 and hopefully with the support of the players and the effort of these two big tours, the EurAsia Cup will become a big event along with the Ryder Cup."

All ten players on each team will be in action in every session at Glenmarie's Garden course, with five fourball matches played on the opening day on Thursday, followed by five foursomes on Friday and ten concluding singles matches on Saturday.

Team Asia

Thongchai Jaidee (Captain, Thailand), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Gaganjeet Bhullar (India), Nicholas Fung (Malaysia), Kim Hyung-sung (Korea,) Anirban Lahiri (India), Prayad Marksaeng (Thailand), Koumei Oda (Japan), Siddikur Rahman (Bangladesh), Hideto Tanihara (Japan).

Team Europe

Miguel Angel Jimenez (Captain, Spain), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Victor Dubuisson (France), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), Joost Luiten (Netherlands), Graeme McDowell (N Ireland), Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark).

3/31/2014

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