GMAC Makes Ryder Cup Move

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Graeme McDowell enjoyed moving day at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational after a third round 66 at Firestone Country Club.

Six birdies and a couple of dropped shots coming home saw the Northern Irishman climb up the board on Saturday as he continues to build momentum ahead of next week’s US PGA Championship, where a big performance could see him earn his place on the European Ryder Cup team.

His best finish in Akron is a tie for 22nd, which came in 2010, and as a result McDowell had considered not playing in Ohio. However his tenth place on the World Points List, some two spots behind Luke Donald – the last man on the team – forced the Alstom Open de France winner’s hand.

He continues to be pleased with how his game is taking shape though, at this important part in the season, and he is now reaping the rewards of a more Spartan early season schedule as he and his wife await the birth of their first child.

“The game has slowly improved over the last couple of months,” said McDowell. “I'm at that point now where I'm starting to believe that I can hit the shots to win any given week if I put it all together. I'm in a good place mentally and physically and looking forward to the PGA Championship next week and beyond.

“I stuck to my guns and played light in the spring, but pulling out of Wentworth was a tough decision in my schedule this year. It's paying off now though, and The European Tour were great with me.

“They understood where I was coming from as I wanted to spend some time with my family before I played this heavy part of the schedule, with my wife at home not being able to travel. I’ve paced myself well, and thankfully it's paying off now.”

In the midst of such a busy period McDowell is starting to look like the player known for stepping up to the big occasion, and there are few larger than The Ryder Cup, which has loomed large over all of the European players since the qualification process got under way last year in Wales.

Regardless of his upturn in form though, the Ulsterman knows he cannot guarantee he will be one of Paul McGinley’s three captain’s picks, so it is essential that he takes advantage of the few playing opportunities available to him as the race to Gleneagles builds to a climax.

He tries not to think about it too much, but there is no doubt that European fans would love to see him represent their continent come September.

“It's something that ticks along in the background for me,” said the World Number 17. “It's something I'm very much looking forward to, and to play my fourth Ryder Cup would be a huge honour. I have come into good form this summer, so hopefully Captain McGinley is watching and feels I can be an instrumental part of the Ryder Cup team.

“I'm getting to the veteran stage now, and I feel like I can definitely be a decent sort of leader for the young guys on the team. I'd like to play my way on out of my own merit as opposed to waiting for a pick, so that's what I'm focused on the next few weeks.”

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Archibald Walks in My Shoes at Mount Wolseley

PGA EuroPro Tour

Stuart Archibald won his first HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour title since 2011 with victory at the Walk In My Shoes Open at Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa & Country Club in Co. Carlow, Ireland.

The Englishman carded a final round 69 to finish 14 under par, two clear of second placed Michael McGeady (North West Golf Club), who shot 66 for his final round on the par 72 course.

The victory is Archibald’s third win on the Tour and propels him to eighth on the Order of Merit, from which the top five at the end of the season earn a Challenge Tour card for 2014.

Archibald collected a winner’s cheque for £10,000, a brand new Motocaddy and Shotsaver range finder. However, following a bet with former European and PGA Tour player turned TV pundit John E. Morgan, the 30 year old must now also dye his beard blue.

“I wasn’t really sure about this week,” admitted Archibald. “I wasn’t sure how the course would play. It is quite firm and the greens are soft but we weren’t really sure if it was going to be a low scoring week, so when Watts went a bit crazy the first two days I was teeing off for my second round and thought it would be a struggle to catch him.

“My group for the second round managed to shoot a combined score of 20 under par, so we all carried each other through and that put me in a good position for the final round. I had a target in mind of 14 under and I thought that might get me there, and it proved the case.

“At dinner on Tuesday evening John Morgan was reminiscing and we shared stories. He told us all about how he had blue hair when he played PGA Tour, and he has been on about my beard all year long. He has told me not to shave it, to keep growing it.

“He said he would love to dye it, and I wasn’t so keen. But I told him if I won this week I would let him dye it any colour he wanted, and he went for blue. I have shot myself in the foot there so next week at Moor Allerton I will let John dye the beard blue.

“We have played in Ireland every year since I started playing the tour and we always get great support, so I want to thank everybody for that.”

Overnight leader Watts finished third on ten under after a final-round 71 and Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth Golf Club) and Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge Golf Club) shared fourth on eight under.

Mark Murphy forced himself into contention with eight birdies on the front nine. However, a double at the tenth and a bogey at 11 saw him slip back and he signed for a final-round 66 (-6) with a birdie at 14 to finish the tournament seven under and tied sixth with four other golfers, including Nick McCarthy who shot 29 for his back nine to card a 65.

Highlights of the Walk In My Shoes Open, including more on John E. Morgan’s blue beard bet with Archibald, air on Sky Sports on Tuesday, August 12 with repeats the following day. 

The HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour heads to Leeds next week for the Clipper Logistics Championship at Moor Allerton Golf Club.

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Harrington a Hit in Montreux

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Padraig Harrington opted for all-out attack in the Barracuda Championship with aggression off the tee at Montreux, that surged Dublin up the leaderboard on Friday,

A brilliant chip-in eagle three from a bunker at the third and birdies at five and nine ensured the Dubliner finished the second day in Reno seven Stableford points to the good, boosting his tally for 36 holes to 17.

The damage caused by a couple of shuddering double-bogeys on the par-three 11th, where he hit his tee shot left, and the par-four 17th, where he pulled his drive, was completely wiped out.

Including a couple of early birdies at 12 and 13, Harrington proved aggression certainly pays under the modified Stableford scoring system which offers two points for each birdie and five for an eagle, while just one is deducted for bogey and three for double-bogey.

The 42-year-old went into the weekend on the fringes of the top-10 and with his morale high. Harrington was nine points behind runaway early clubhouse leader Nick Watney, but got within two birdies (or four points) of second halfway throigh his round.

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Rory's 64 Eclipsed by Sergio 61

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Rory McIlroy fired 64 strokes in round 2 of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, but was overshadowed by Sergio Garcia who completed his roun in 61 shots.  

The Spaniard remains 11 under for the tournament, three shots clear of Justin Rose.

Garcia had a birdie putt on the 18th to equal the course record – Tiger Woods has twice shot 61 – and few doubted he would fail with his 20ft opportunity based primarily on a stunning back nine.

He came home in just 27 shots with eight birdies in nine holes, including seven in succession. The only hole he didn’t break the regulation figure was the 11th.

He also managed 11 single putts in succession during his round. It was a magnificent homily to accuracy off the tee, exquisite ball-striking with his irons and wedges and a wonderful touch on the greens.

Garcia’s brilliance eclipsed all other contenders but McIlroy will be very pleased with his efforts. As a statement of intent and offering a portent of things to come his opening drive was eloquence personified, a 313-yard rip with the driver that scampered down the first fairway.

Following Thursday’s opening round of one under 69 the 25-year-old Northern Ireland golfer was keen to inject some early momentum into his quest for victory in a WGC-Bridgestone Invitational tournament that his Nike stable-mate and defending champion Tiger Woods has won eight times. He did just that with birdies at the first, second and third holes.

The person McIlroy was pursuing, at least initially, was Justin Rose as the Englishman continued to make measured progress with a largely stress-free second round to move to eight under over the difficult Firestone layout.

The 2013 US Open champion demonstrated a return to the calibre of golf that won him the Quick Loans National at Congressional Country Club and the Scottish Open.

Rose followed up his opening five-under 65 a blemish- free round, by signing for a 67 that contained four birdies and just a single dropped shot on the par four, 14th. Overnight leader Marc Leishman had an adventurous, one-under 69.

Woods, who in the past has reduced this tournament to a private benefit gig with his eight victories, could not hit a fairway and it required a host of single putts to rescue a one over 71, from the debris of some errant ball striking.

McIlroy has spoken recently about the confidence he has with his driver and he produced a wonderful display from the teeing ground.

Following the three birdies he had further chances on four and five but could not convert and it was from his first errant tee shot that he ran into a little trouble, compounding missing the fairway with a poor bunker shot from a greenside trap. He had to hole a nasty five-footer coming back just to make bogey.

It was his putter that rescued him at the seventh when he holed from 10ft for a par as his early progress threatened to dissipate almost as quickly as it materialised. McIlroy had played the front nine of Firestone’s South course – his back as he started on the 10th tee on Thursday – in one over, largely because of a double bogey on the eighth.

Yesterday it was an altogether more palatable experience, McIlroy maximising a fine approach shot by holing from 14ft for his fourth birdie of the round and to immediately recover the shot he had dropped on the last hole.

He missed from six feet on 11 for birdie but did well to get up and down for par at the 12th. He moved to five under on the 14th with his fifth birdie of the round and produced a miraculous par after a horrendously pushed tee shot on the 15th, the rescue completed with a 20ft par putt.

He finished largely as he had begun, this time though a brace of birdies on the 17th and 18th holes both on foot of thunderous drives and controlled wedges.

Graeme McDowell, who started on the 10th hole, is one over par for the tournament, after shooting a level par 70.

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