The Irish Golf Club Gazette: October 2015

10/30/2015

McIlroy Links Recipe for Irish Open

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Rory McIlroy insists he will not be begging big name US stars to tee it up in the Irish Open at The K Club next May.

The Holywood golfer promised to return the favour for the likes of Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, and Sergio Garcia after they turned up at Royal Co Down in May to help the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, hosted by the Rory Foundation.

The Down man has committed to doing things for Fowler, Els, and Garcia’s charitable events in return but it appears that he is not prepared to continue doing favours going forward.

While there were high hopes that the likes of Tiger Woods or Dustin Johnson would be persuaded by McIlroy to turn up in Kildare from May 19-22 next year, Woods is already out of the equation having undergone back surgery last month.

Instead, four-time major winner McIlroy hopes the massive prize fund — up from €2.5m to €4m next year — will be enough to attract a stellar field.

Asked which US stars he was targeting, McIlroy said: “Really I’m not. I think the prize fund, that speaks for itself. I’m not going to do any IOU’s this year like I did last year.

“It’s a fantastic tournament in its own right. I mean, it’s a bit of an awkward date on the calendar and obviously Royal Co Down attracted a lot of guys because of the golf course that is.

“That’s the sort of thing that I would hope for in the future; that the golf courses and the increased prize fund obviously attract a few more players.”

McIlroy’s dream is to host the Irish Open in a links every year as part of a three-week links swing before the Scottish Open and the Open Championship.

But he admits that the lack of links courses — Portmarnock and Royal Dublin are currently no-go venues for the government backers or the tour’s sponsors because they are men only — makes that dream a challenge.

“I would love to always see it on a links course,” McIlroy said. “We’re working on it. I’d love to see the Irish Open change date to closer to the Open to have a little bit more of a links swing going into the Open, where maybe it would be the Irish Open, Scottish Open, and the Open, or something like that.

“That’s a long way down the road but I’d like to see it go to that.

“But the European Tour have been fantastic. They, along with myself, have made a huge commitment to the Irish Open for the next three years and hopefully they go well and we can go on from there.”

The European Tour is believed to be struggling to take the Irish Open to Lough Erne in 2017, as announced by Acting NI first minister Arlene Foster last year, with Portstewart recently emerging as an alternative venue.

Asked about the Lough Erne problem, McIlroy dodged the question, replying: “Right now we are just concentrating on this year and trying to make The K Club as good as it can be and we’ll go from there.”

10/22/2015

Communist Golf Ban in China

The Chinese Communist Party has banned all 88 million of its members from joining golf clubs, in its latest update of party discipline rules.

Extravagant eating and drinking, and abuse of power, are also formally banned, said Xinhua news agency.

The party has in the past warned its officials to refrain from extravagant dinners and purchasing moon cakes using public funds.

China has been conducting a strict anti-corruption drive since 2012.

The new rule on golf states that members are banned from "obtaining, holding or using membership cards for gyms, clubs, golf clubs, or various other types of consumer cards, or entering private clubs".

If caught, members could either receive a warning or be removed from the party, depending on the severity of the violation.

'Social interaction'

The new regulations (in Chinese) did not explain why the joining of golf clubs is banned, but such clubs are often seen by the Chinese public as places where officials have cut shady deals.

In September, local media reported that at least 60 employees in state-owned companies were punished for spending public funds on playing golf.

Earlier this month, Lin Chunsong, a vice-mayor in the south-eastern Fujian province, was sacked for belonging to a golf club and playing golf while he should have been at work.

One owner of a golf equipment store in Shanghai, who was only identified by his surname, Huang, told Reuters that his store's sales had dropped at least 30% last year.

Golf in China was "about the social interaction", he said. "If a company boss can't play with a government official, there's little point in him spending his money."

Another new rule states that party members cannot "violate official provisions on hospitality management and engage in over-the-top entertaining, or take advantage of opportunities for extravagant eating and drinking".

The Communist Party has also rephrased a previous clause banning adultery and mistresses, which now says that members are banned from "having improper sexual relations with other people which have bad repercussions".

The party's strict rules for officials have in the past affected business for restaurants and luxury goods retailers in China and elsewhere.

President Xi Jinping has led a major anti-corruption campaign since taking office three years ago.

He has previously warned of unrest if corruption and perceived privilege within the Communist Party are not tackled.

Lawrie Losing Card Chase

Kevin Phelan had a fine start to the Hong Kong Open on Thursday morning - finishing among the group on four under, two off the lead, to keep his hopes of regaining a European Tour card next year alive.

Peter Lawrie and Kevin Phelan sit 122nd and 123rd respectively in the Race to Dubai and only a sixth-place finish or better is enough for either to secure full playing privileges for next season.

Lawrie had a very different first round with seven bogeys and a double bogey leaving him eight over and three shots off last place.

Six birdies on the third, seventh, 10th, 14th, 16th and 17th though left Phelan in a good place after day one.

Justin Rose lived up to his billing as pre-tournament favourite as Ryder Cup team-mate Ian Poulter ensured his last-minute dash to Hong Kong was not a wasted journey.

World number seven Rose, who is the top ranked player in the field, carded a flawless five-under-par 65 on Thursday to lie one shot off the lead shared by Italy’s Andrea Pavan and Taiwan’s Lu Wei-chih.

But Poulter was just two shots further back on three under as he looked to make the most of his dramatic late entry into the event, the 39-year-old only arriving in Hong Kong at 7pm on Wednesday.

Poulter dropped out of the world’s top 50 on Sunday and was therefore ineligible for his planned appearance in the upcoming WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, meaning he would be unable to play the 13 events required for European Tour membership.

Only members can qualify for Europe’s Ryder Cup team and that meant Poulter was forced into a frantic journey from Orlando to Hong Kong — via New York — but only after former US PGA champion Rich Beem generously agreed to give the Englishman his tournament invite.

Poulter followed birdies on the second and fifth with bogeys on the eighth and ninth to reach the turn in level par, but came home in 33 thanks to birdies on the 10th, 15th and 17th.

Pavan came into the week 191st in the Race to Dubai and needing to finish second or better to climb into the top 110 and keep hold of his playing privileges.

That would represent a career-best for the 26-year-old, who has never recorded a top-three finish, but four birdies in his last six holes gave him an opening 64 and a share of the lead.

“This year has been a struggle to say the least,” Pavan said. “I’m just trying to dig deep and really look forward to every week. Obviously this is the last event of the year for me and then I’m looking to go to Q-School. So it’s all about just giving myself chances.

“I’m just really trying to get my game in better shape. It’s good on the range but I still feel like I’m lacking a bit of confidence. I know I have what it takes. It’s been tough last year and this year, but it’s all a learning curve and I really hope I can make the next step soon.”

Lu, who came close to retirement three years ago after undergoing brain surgery, won three times on the Asian Tour before a non-malignant tumour was discovered in 2012.

“For the first six months after the surgery, I pretty much gave up all my confidence and trust because I had no power and I didn’t think I could play golf anymore,” the 36-year-old said after a round containing eight birdies and two bogeys.

“I had to rest for another six months and then finally I started playing a little bit. If I played 18 holes, I could barely walk after 14 or 15 holes. But finally I started coming back mentally and physically. I just keep telling myself that I want to be a real golfer again and compete on the Tour.”

Lu’s countryman CT Pan and India’s Jeev Milka Singh were alongside Rose on five under, with Graeme McDowell, Oliver Fisher and Phelan among the group on four under.

10/20/2015

Clarke Delights in Open Return

The Open Championship will return to Royal Portrush in 2019, the R&A have confirmed.

The famous links, situated on the northern tip of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, became the first course outside Scotland and England to host The Open in 1951, when Max Faulkner clinched his only major title.

There has been much clamour to take the tournament back to Portrush over the last few years, although the R&A had been wary of logistical problems including access to the course for spectators.

But former R&A chief executive Peter Dawson announced last year that the historic Dunluce Course would host The Open in the near future, and the tournament will now be played there in 2019 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Renowned course architect Martin Ebert will oversee many changes to the course, the overall length of which will increase by just under 200 yards to 7,337 yards while the number of bunkers will be increased by three to 62 in total, still leaving Royal Portrush with the fewest bunkers of any of the courses which host The Open.

The move received the support of Open champions Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy, who are relishing the chance to play in the world's oldest major in their homeland.

Clarke, the 2011 champion, said: "This is going to be absolutely huge for Northern Ireland and, indeed, Ireland as a whole. To have the world's biggest and best golf Championship played at such a fantastic venue as Royal Portrush, with all the passion that the Irish fans will bring to the event, is going to be amazing."

To have the world's biggest and best golf Championship played at such a fantastic venue as Royal Portrush, with all the passion that the Irish fans will bring to the event, is going to be amazing

McIlroy, who lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool in 2014, added: "Royal Portrush is one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I think it will be a fantastic Open venue. They are going to add a couple of new holes to the golf course and I think that will be a great addition and will make the course even stronger. I'm really looking forward to it."

An R&A statement read: "The Open is expected to be the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, generating more than £70m in terms of economic impact and destination marketing benefit.

Royal Portrush is one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I think it will be a fantastic Open venue

"Northern Ireland will be at the centre of the global sporting spotlight from 18-21 July 2019 as The Open is staged outside of Scotland and England for only the second time in the Championship's more than 150-year history with sports fans from throughout Ireland and around the world expected to descend upon the town of Portrush."

Peter Unsworth, chairman of The R&A's championship committee, said, "We are very much looking forward to bringing The Open to Royal Portrush in 2019 and believe it will be a tremendous venue for the Championship. We know there is great anticipation throughout Ireland at the prospect of welcoming the world's top golfers and it promises to be a hugely memorable week.

"We are delighted with the progress being made on the course preparations and they will undoubtedly enhance the challenge presented by these historic links."

The venue proved its credentials for hosting a big tournament when the Irish Open was held there in 2012, with 112,000 fans attending over week to watch Jamie Donaldson win his first European Tour title.

10/16/2015

Lawrie Facing Q School Trip

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Peter Lawrie missed the cut after shooting a second round 72 at the Portugal Masters and now set to lose his European Tour card and his automatic playing rights for next season.

Lawrie now needs a sponsor’s invitation to next week’s Hong Kong Open and needs to win enough money to move himself into the top 110 places in the Race to Dubai to avoid the dreaded trip to Q-School in Spain next month.

Mount Juliet’s Kevin Phelan will need a good weekend performance to avoid the same fate.

Phelan, who came through Q-School to earn his card in 2013, made the cut on the mark (one under par) but will need to go low over the weekend to earn enough prize money to move from 126th into the top 10. Even the weather looks to be against the 24-year-old however – heavy rain forecast over the weekend has put into doubt whether there will even be the full 72 holes played. If the tournament was shortened to, say, 54 holes, then the prize money would be reduced.

Paul Dunne and Padraig Harrington will join Phelan over the weekend with both players sitting 12 shots off the lead on two under par.

It is Dunne’s third and last sponsor’s invite of the season as he looks to add to the €80,000 he’s won already before heading to Spain next month to compete for the 25 tour cards on offer.

Darren Clarke and Michael Hoey both finished a long way off the cut-mark.

Damien McGrane still leads the Irish charge, despite a one over par 73 today. The Meath golfer sits on three under par, 11 shots behind tournament leader Andy Sullivan.

Severe storms with 50mph-plus winds are predicted for late Saturday morning and organisers have taken the rare decision to hold a shotgun start — groups teeing off on all 18 holes from 8am — in an attempt to get day three completed.

Sullivan, who began the day tied with Nicolas Colsaerts on seven under, is currently sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard after a second successive 64 moved him to 14 under and three shots clear of Belgian Thomas Pieters, who carded a 66 and is also looking for his third win of the season.

However, there is plenty of scope for that to change if the forecast at Oceanico Victoria Golf Club turns out to be accurate.

“Due to the extremely poor weather forecast for the next two days it has been decided that the best chance of completing the third round is to schedule a shotgun start from 8am on Saturday,” said a statement from the European Tour.

“All parties have agreed to this in the best interests of the tournament.”

10/14/2015

McIlroy Season Starts with Frys

The last PGA Tour season ended 17 days ago and the European Tour season has another six weeks to run, but Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose are among the players starting the new PGA Tour season this week.

The Frys.com Open would not usually be able to call on players ranked third and seventh in the world given its position in the calendar, coming so soon after the Tour Championship in Atlanta and before the lucrative Final Series.

However, McIlroy and Rose were among eight players who entered a non-sanctioned match play event called the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final in October 2012, which was staged at the same time as the Frys.com Open.

And in return for being granted a release to play in Turkey – where Rose won $1.5million for beating Lee Westwood in the final – all eight players had to agree to make the trip to Napa in California at least once during the next three years.

McIlroy, Rose and major winners Charl Schwartzel and Webb Simpson have left it until now to fulfil their obligations, with Westwood, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar having already played. Tiger Woods was due to compete this week but has been ruled out until 2016 due to a second back operation.

Also in the field is American Scott Stallings, who is free to compete again after serving a three-month suspension for violating the PGA Tour’s anti-drug policy.

Stallings reported himself to the Tour after realising a supplement he had been taking to combat chronic fatigue was prohibited.

The 30-year-old, who was ranked 154th in the world at the time of his ban but is now 209th, was advised by his doctor to take DHEA, an anabolic agent that is the precursor to testosterone production, but did not produce a positive test at the Humana Challenge in January.

Stallings said in July: “I regret my inadvertent mistake in not doing my homework to know for sure what was on the list of permitted and non-permitted substances. I take responsibility and accept the penalty imposed by the PGA Tour.”

Masters Finish Needed by Lawrie

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Peter Lawrie will go into this week’s Portugal Masters knowing that only strong finish - possibly in the top five - will see him avoid another trip to Tour School and secure his playing privileges on the European Tour for next season.

The Dubliner, who is playing on a sponsor’s invite at Vilamoura, currently sits 123rd on the Race to Dubai rankings with only the top 110 earning their cards for the coming year. With €187,296 in the bank, Lawrie is Just over €50,000 behind Chris Paisley in 110th position but would realistically need in the region of €250,000 to be certain of getting his card.

Lawrie, who is not in the field for the final event of the regular season in Hong Kong next week, has only made two cuts in his last six events. And he will need to finish eighth or better in Portugal if he is to move into the top 110.

Lawrie, one of six Irish players in the field with Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Paul Dunne, Michael Hoey and Damien McGrane also taking part, is far from the only player sweating on their cards this week.

Former rookie of the year Ricardo Santos will need to make the most of home advantage this week as he battles to regain his card.

Santos became the first Portuguese player to win on home soil when he triumphed in Madeira in 2012, going on to finish 90th in the Race to Dubai and improving to 65th the following year.

However, the 33-year-old could only finish 116th in 2014 to lose his card and comes into the Portugal Masters a lowly 180th.

Santos, who lives in Vilamoura and is attached to the tournament venue of Oceanico Victoria Golf Course, said: “I’m just worrying about keeping calm and staying focused on my game and we’ll see what happens.

“It could be a good week. I know I have the game to have a good week here. I know the course quite well so who knows? After many years, it’s more comfortable for me to play here in Victoria in the Portugal Masters, with all the Portuguese crowd and family and friends as well. So I think it’s going to be a good week.”

Compatriot Ricardo Gouveia has no such worries after sealing his European Tour card for 2016 thanks to his impressive performances on the Challenge Tour.

The 24 year old is second in the Race to Oman after four top threes in five Challenge Tour events and feels he is ready to make the step up.

“I’m not going to change anything and I’m not going to expect too much of me,” he said. “Just going to play, enjoy, and hopefully I can get some good scores out of this week.

“I’m really looking forward to starting the (2016) season off, and just to play at the highest level of golf in Europe, which was my goal for this year to secure that card for next year. It was awesome that I could secure it in the middle of the season with some good results.”

Last year’s event was reduced to 36 holes due to rain, with France’s Alexander Levywinning on 18 under par after rounds of 63 and 61.

“It was a funny week,” Levy said. “I played only four shots at the weekend and I managed to win the tournament like that. I played some of the best golf of my life. It was a very good week for me. I don’t think this week I’m going to make 18 birdies in 36 holes, because I heard there is a little bit more rough than last year.”

Two-time major winner Martin Kaymer is the favourite as he looks to make up for losing out in a play-off in the Italian Open last month, although his preparation has been less than ideal.

“A friend of mine got married in Los Angeles, so I flew there on Friday, arrived Friday afternoon, stayed Saturday for the wedding and flew out again Sunday and arrived here Monday,” the former world number one said.

“It was a tough one. It’s been a long and tiring week but I slept fairly well last night and we have one more night to go until I have to tee it up tomorrow. And it’s a golf course that I enjoy to play, so with some patience I think I can do well.”

10/12/2015

Irish Open 2016 at The K Club

Rory McIlroy will continue to host the Irish Open for the next three years on behalf of his foundation, with Dubai Duty Free also extending its sponsorship until 2018.

The prize fund for next year's tournament at The K Club over May 19-22 will increase by 60 per cent, rising from 2.5million euros (£1.85m) to 4m euros (£2.96m).

Four-time major winner McIlroy, who missed the cut at Royal County Down earlier this year, said: "The Irish Open has always meant so much to me, so I am really excited to announce my commitment to host the tournament, on behalf of the Rory Foundation, for the next three years.

"I would like to thank Colm McLoughlin of Dubai Duty Free and Keith Pelley of The European Tour for supporting my vision to develop the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation into one of the leading events on The European Tour's schedule over the next three years.

"I was delighted with the support I received, not only from the players who competed this year, but also from the fans who came along to the Irish Open at Royal County Down in May - they made it another sell-out tournament.

"I am sure The K Club - on the 10th anniversary as host of the 2006 Ryder Cup - will be an excellent venue for the 2016 Irish Open."

10/30/2015

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