The Irish Golf Club Gazette: February 2015

2/28/2015

Harrington Takes Honda Lead

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Padraig Harrington’s gruelling schedule at the start of the season looks to be bearing fruit after the three-time Major winner rose to the top of the leaderboard after the weather-delayed second round of the Honda Classic in Florida.

The 43-year-old Dubliner was four under and four shots off the lead of Brendan Steeleovernight after play was suspended due to darkness on Friday evening.

Harrington made a storming start on the resumption play, with back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th, the last two holes of the famous Bear Trap on the PGA National Course.

Another birdie came at the first before the first dropped shot of his second round came at the par-five sixth before a scintillating hat-trick of birdies from the fourth to move to nine under.

At that stage, Harrington was three shots clear of clubhouse leader Patrick Reed, but he would close with back-to-back bogeys and sign for a four-under 66 to leave him on seven under.

The second round was completed on Saturday after rain delays on Friday and the players will be straight back in action in the third round later on Saturday.

Ian Poulter’s impressive 64 moved him to within two strokes of Harrington and level with American Steele on five under.

Former Honda Classic winner Luke Donald, shot a 67 to move three strokes off the lead.

Graeme McDowell joined fellow Ulsterman Rory McIlroy in missing the cut after completing a one-over 71 in his second round to miss the cut by one shot on five over.

McIlroy to Miss Honda Cut

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Rory McIlroy is set to miss the cut at the Honda Classic after posting a four-over 74 in a rain-affected second round.

In a round twice interrupted by bad weather, McIlroy carded five bogeys and just one birdie to move to seven-over, four shots outside of the projected cut. Beginning the day three-over, the Northern Irishman opened with a bogey at the 10th and dropped another shot at the par-five 18th after finding the water with his second shot.

McIlroy missed birdie putts at two and three, before making his only gain of the round by firing his tee-shot at the par-three fifth to within five feet of the hole.

The 2012 winner on the Champion Course then found the bunker at successive holes to card back-to-back bogeys, and added another at the last after three-putting from 50-feet.

The 25-year-old had arrived at PGA National full of confidence after victory at last month's Dubai Desert Classic extended his run to seven top-two European Tour finishes in a row, and was expecting another good weekend in Florida despite an opening round 73.

"I don't like missing cuts," the world No 1 said. "You want to be playing on the weekend, and I'm not going to be playing which is not nice.

"I guess after coming off a three-week break, I felt, I wouldn't say rusty, but just not quite on top of my game yesterday. Today I felt like I was trying to get something going and couldn't.

"Coming off three weeks off and playing in conditions like these, it sort of shows you where your game's at. I've just got to regroup and put some work in and get ready for Miami next week."

Failing to qualify for the weekend ends a run of 22 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour for McIlroy, who hadn't missed a cut since last year's Irish Open and has reached the third round of every tournament he's featured at in America since the 2012 US Open.

McIlroy will continue his preparations for April's Masters at next week's World Golf Championships event at Doral, before making his first-ever start in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill a fortnight later.

2/27/2015

Padraig Races Ahead at Honda

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Padraig Harrington fired an opening round 67, three under par, that left him in tied-third, two shots behind first round leader Jim Herman. “Even I was struggling, questioning and doubting myself,” said Harrington of the testing wind conditions which caused consternation for the majority of the field.

McIlroy ultimately displayed his resolve to overcome the elements in a round that featured two double-bogeys in his opening five holes to shoot a 73, three over. His round was rescued to a degree by birdies on the closing two holes: from 30 feet on the 17th, and a two-putt birdie on the par five 18th.

Harrington ended a run of three consecutive missed cuts to finish tied-56th in last week’s Northern Trust Open and to take some confidence into the first leg of the Florida Swing, but suffered a bogey on the second hole where he pushed his tee shot into a native dirt area and could only move the recovery shot some 30 yards into a bunker on the way to a dropped shot.

But that bogey served as a wake-up call for the three-time Major champion as he bounced back with a birdie on the par five third and sank an 18-footer for birdie on the eighth.

Harrington had struggled early on, missing four of the first six greens, but kept his focus to make the most of whatever opportunities arose.

He showed great battling qualities to reel off seven straight pars in the tough conditions from the ninth before hitting a superb approach from 200 yards in to three feet for a birdie on the 16th.

On the par five 18th, playing downwind, he hit a 340-yard drive, hit his 223 yards approach on to the green and two-putted for a birdie that put him into a good position.

“I found it difficult,” admitted Harrington. “But I holed a couple of nice putts and, on a windy day, when you do that, you feel you are ahead of the pack if you can make a few more birdies. As tough as the day was, I kept telling myself it suited me more than most guys.”

Harrington was well rewarded for his doggedness and perseverance, as he stuck to his task to roll back the years.

Graeme McDowell had a dreadful opening to his round with four bogeys in the first five holes and then suffered a double bogey on the second, his 11th. He salvaged something from the round with an eagle on the third, but it was more a case of damage limitation.

Not Classic McIlroy at Honda

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Rory McIlroy endured a torrid start to the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing as he scrapped his way to a three-over 73 on the first day of the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens.

The world No 1 struggled to get to grips with the blustery conditions at PGA National, losing a ball from his opening tee shot and finding water at the short fifth as he carded two double-bogeys in the first five holes.

The 2012 champion, who lost out to Russell Henley in a play-off last year, did manage to birdie the final two holes to limit the damage, but his main priority on Friday will be to make the cut rather than think about contending for the lead.

Jim Herman was the surprise outright leader after a commendable 65, the American being one of only two players to keep a bogey off his card in round one, while Padraig Harrington made a welcome return to form with a solid three-under 67.

Herman eased to the turn in 33 and picked up another shot at the 10th before birdies at two of the final three holes earned him a one-stroke lead over compatriot Brendan Steele, who mixed six birdies with two bogeys in his 66.

Harrington recovered from an early mistake at the second with birdies at the third and eighth and, like Herman, the Irishman also birdied 16 and 18 to round off an excellent day’s work.

The three-time major champion was joined on three under by Martin Flores and US Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed, who had only seven pars in a roller-coaster opening round.

Reed made three straight birdies from the third and added another at eight in an outward 31, but he then dropped four shots in six holes after the turn before further birdies at 16 and 18 lifted him back into the top three.

US Open champion Martin Kaymer was two over after five holes after starting on the 10th, but he birdied three of the next four and picked up another at the sixth to return a solid 68.

"It's not boring here, said the German. "Every single hole you have to think and be very creative. I enjoy it. It was a proper test. The wind was blowing from every direction."

Kaymer shares sixth with Ryder Cup team-mate Jamie Donaldson, who couldn't build on a remarkable start as he birdied three of his four four holes before dropped shots at the seventh and 10th halted his progress.

The Welshman hit back with a birdie at 14 and parred in to remain at two under, while Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Scotland's Russell Knox were a shot further adrift as only 19 players managed to break par by the end of the first day's play.

Lee Westwood holed his second shot to the 10th for eagle but then had a run of three bogeys in four holes and finished on one over alongside the likes of Ian Poulter and Phil Mickelson.

Sergio Garcia had an early triple-bogey on his card as he slipped to five over before recovering with three birdies in four holes to get back to two over - one better than fellow Gleneagles heroes McIlroy, Justin Rose and Victor Dubuisson.

2/26/2015

McIlroy in Love Surprise

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Rory McIlroy concedes he was very surprised by at the appointment of Davis Love III as 2016 United States Ryder Cup captain.

McIlroy is returning to competition at this week's Honda Classic and teeing up for a first time this year on American soil following a three-week break since winning the Dubai Desert Classic.

But the World No 1 believes it will be intriguing to see Love coming up against European captain Darren Clarke at Hazeltine.

"It came as a big shock when they announced yesterday Davis was going to be the next US captain," McIlroy said.

"It will be great to see Davis and Darren go head-to-head at Hazeltine and they will be formidable opponents.

"I feel they're overdoing it with the setting up of a task force and also talking about all the changes they want to bring in."

"It's been said by a few players since we won at Gleneagles that it's not rocket science why Europe have won the last three Ryder Cups and eight of the past 10.

Love captained the US team in 2012 in Medinah when they blew a 10-6 lead going into the final day to lose the trophy.

"Davis is going to be a great captain and it was a freak we won at Medinah in 2012, and it was not supposed to happen given they had a 10-6 lead.

“If the States had of won Davis would have been looked upon as a great captain.

"So I get the sense the States, what with their task force and everything that came out in the announcement yesterday, that they're desperate to win back the Ryder Cup.

"And I will say it again because it's not that complicated why Europe has been winning."

2/23/2015

Clarke Looking for Hazeltine Effect

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Darren Clarke hopes being Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup captain can have a galvanising effect on his performances.

The Northern Irishman is without a title since his memorable 2011 British Open victory at Sandwich, the only major championship win of his career, and is now down to 470th in the world rankings.

“Obviously my own competitive instincts haven’t been too good of late,” Clarke said on Monday.

“The captaincy might actually be a blessing in disguise in terms of my golf because it will take my mind away from practising too hard and I’ll have a lot of things to focus on. Hopefully it will help me play a little bit better.”

Clarke accepts, however, that the demands of the Ryder Cup role are bound to affect him on the fairways as the biennial team event draws closer.

“This year I don’t think the captaincy will make an awful lot of difference but I would imagine next year it would make a big difference in my playing schedule,” he said.

Clarke has won 14 times on the tour and will have a chance to make it 15 when he competes in this week’s Joburg Open in South Africa.

The 46-year-old was named Ryder Cup captain last Wednesday after winning the unanimous vote of a five-man selection panel that included the last three skippers, Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie.

Clarke looks likely to be up against Davis Love III when Europe chase a record fourth successive victory against United States in Hazeltine, Minnesota next year.

Love is expected to be announced as American captain on Tuesday.

2/21/2015

Things Go Better for Lawrie

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Peter Lawrie continued his steady start to the Hero Indian Open as he carded a one under par 70 in his second round at Delhi Golf Club.

As in his opening round, Dubliner Lawrie started day two by picking up a shot on the first, before making par on the next 10 holes and a birdie on the 14th.

However a dropped shot on the 14th followed by a birdie miss on the 18th, that left him at three under for the tournament and tied for ninth place.

Lawrie is seven shots off the lead of SSP Chawrasia, who along with fellow course specialists Siddikur Rahman demonstrated the advantage of local knowledge to set the pace at the halfway stage of the tournament.

Chawrasia has won twice at Delhi Golf Club, including his maiden European Tour title in 2008, and has yet to card a single bogey this week after rounds of 65 and 67.

That gave the 36-year-old a halfway total of 10 under par, one shot ahead of Bangladesh’s Rahman, who won the event in 2013 before it became co-sanctioned and is a collective 115 under for his last 46 rounds at the venue.

Chawrasia said: “I’m playing very well the last two days. I’ve played here many times so I know how to play on this course; this is the first time I’m bogey-free after 36 holes.

“I feel good and aggressive — I will do the same on the last two days. I’m very happy because I saved a lot of pars; it wasn’t easy to keep the bogeys away from my card, I had to make a lot of saves.

“It is tough when the wind changes direction but I know how to handle it here. I played well through the 2014 season and I started well this year as well, so I’m feeling very confident. I’m very excited for the next two days.”

World number 267 Rahman, who has only finished outside the top 10 once in 11 events on the tight, tree-lined course, carded six birdies, one bogey and one double bogey in his 68.

He said: “I was a little bit disappointed with my double bogey because I had a good number of birdies. I really enjoy playing here and I want to keep the same rhythm in the next two rounds. You will definitely have some pressure but I always try my best to avoid it.”

Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren and Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat had shared the overnight lead with Chawrasia and Rahman but could only manage matching rounds of 71 to lie four shots off the pace on six under.

England’s Richard McEvoy birdied four of his last five holes to card a 67 and finish five under alongside American Paul Peterson, who had five birdies and two bogeys in a 68.

A hole-in-one on the fifth, for which he won a motorcycle, helped Prayad Marksaeng return a round of 70 and finish on four under alongside home favourite Anirban Lahiri.

Lahiri was four over par after a quadruple-bogey eight on his 10th hole on Thursday, but battled back to shoot 73 and surged back into contention with a 65 on Friday.

The world number 39, who won the Malaysian Open a fortnight ago, carded nine birdies and three bogeys, while playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez had to settle for a 71 to remain one under after an erratic round containing six birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

2/19/2015

Clarke Confirmed as Europe Captain

Darren Clarke has been named European captain for The 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota, from September 30 - October 2, 2016.

The 2011 Open Champion becomes the first Northern Irishman to lead Europe against the United States, having played in the biennial contest five times, featuring on the winning side on four occasions. He was also a vice captain under Colin Montgomerie and José María Olazábal in the European wins in 2010 and 2012 respectively, and succeeds Irishman Paul McGinley, who captained Europe to a 16 ½-11 ½ triumph at Gleneagles last September.

Clarke takes the reins for the 41st Ryder Cup with the aim of leading Europe to a record fourth consecutive victory in the biennial contest.

The 46 year old was chosen by a five man selection panel consisting of those three most recent European Ryder Cup Captains - McGinley, Olazábal and Montgomerie – as well as the Chief Executive of The European Tour, George O’Grady, and European Tour Tournament Committee member David Howell, which met at Wentworth Club today (Wednesday February 18).

Clarke said: “I am naturally extremely proud to be selected as European Ryder Cup captain for 2016. The Ryder Cup has been a massive part of my life and my career, so to have the chance to lead Europe next year is a huge honour.

“I am lucky to have played and worked under some fantastic captains in my seven Ryder Cups to date, and I look forward to the challenge of trying to follow in their footsteps and help Europe to a fourth consecutive Ryder Cup victory at Hazeltine next year.”

The 14-time European Tour winner made his Ryder Cup debut in 1997 at Valderrama in Spain under Seve Ballesteros, partnering Montgomerie to defeat Fred Couples and Davis Love III in the fourballs before losing narrowly to Phil Mickelson in the singles.

He then contributed two points at each of the next two Ryder Cups, at Brookline in 1999 and The Belfry in 2002, and three-and-a-half points in Europe’s record 18½-9½ victory at Oakland Hills Country Club in 2004.

But his most memorable, and emotional, Ryder Cup performance came two years later when he inspired Europe to victory by the same record equalling margin in front of passionate Irish galleries at The K Club, just six weeks after his first wife Heather passed away.

Clarke won all three of his matches in Co. Kildare, joining forces with Lee Westwood to defeat Mickelson and Chris DiMarco then Tiger Woods and Jim Fuyrk in the fourballs, before beating Zach Johnson 3 and 2 in the singles. His two victories alongside Westwood mean the duo are joint second in the all-time list of most successful Ryder Cup partnerships, with six points from their eight matches together, while overall Clarke has contributed a total of 11½ points in the blue of Europe.

He returned to The Ryder Cup fold four years later as a vice captain under Montgomerie at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales, as Europe beat the United States by 14½-13½, and he gained further experience as part of the backroom team under Olazábal at Medinah in 2012.

That came a year after the finest individual achievement of his distinguished career, when he held off Mickelson and Dustin Johnson to win The 140th Open Championship at Royal St George’s, adding the Claret Jug to the two World Golf Championship titles he won in the early 2000s, when he became just the second player after Tiger Woods to win more than one WGC crown.

George O’Grady, speaking on behalf of the Ryder Cup Europe selection panel, said: “We are delighted to announce that Darren has accepted the invitation from the panel to captain Europe at The 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National.

“Darren has an impressive Ryder Cup pedigree having featured five times as a player and twice as a vice captain, so he has a strong understanding of the attributes required to be a successful captain. He is also a popular figure among the players and has both the passion and knowledge to lead Europe in the quest for a record fourth consecutive Ryder Cup victory.”

Clarke is the first captain to be chosen using Ryder Cup Europe’s new selection process – the third method used to pick The Ryder Cup captain since players from Continental Europe joined the fold for the 1979 contest, under the captaincy of John Jacobs, at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.

From then until 1997, when the late Seve Ballesteros led Europe in his homeland at Valderrama, the European Ryder Cup captain was identified by the Ryder Cup Committee, who selected Jacobs again in 1981, Tony Jacklin in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1989, and Bernard Gallacher in 1991, 1993 and 1995.

However, in 1999, Mark James was the first European captain to be nominated by the European Tour’s Tournament Committee and ratified by the Ryder Cup Board, a process which went on to select Sam Torrance (2002), Bernhard Langer (2004), Ian Woosnam (2006), Sir Nick Faldo (2008), Montgomerie (2010), Olazábal (2012) and McGinley (2014).

2/28/2015

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