DDF Irish Open - Tee Times

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Rory McIlroy will play with Rickie Fowler and Martin Kaymer in the pick of the draw at the Irish Open.

Walker Cup rivals turned Major rivals, Fowler and McIlroy, who is largely responsible for the stellar names littering the draw at Royal County Down, will tee off at 8am on Thursday.

They will be following another home favourite Graeme McDowell, who has been grouped with Miguel Angel Jimenez, fresh from his second place finish in the PGA Championship at Wentworth, and England’s Lee Westwood.

There is little love lost between three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia and the two will start together from the 10th tee along with 2014 winner Mikko Ilonen at 12.50pm.

Shane Lowry returned to form at Wentworth, finishing tied for sixth place and a shot behind Francesco Molinari, and the two tee off at 1pm on Thursday with big Ernie Els.

Elsewhere, Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has been drawn with Luke Donald and Danny Willett, while Wentworth winner Byeong Hun An isjoined by Victor Dubuisson and Tommy Fleetwood.

Selected tee times:

07:40 Darren CLARKE Luke DONALD Danny WILLETT

07:50 Graeme MCDOWELL Lee WESTWOOD Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ

08:00 Martin KAYMER Rory MCILROY Rickie FOWLER

08:10 Michael HOEY Stephen GALLACHER Marc WARREN

08:20 Matteo MANASSERO Kevin PHELAN George COETZEE

08:30 Paul MCGINLEY Paul LAWRIE Robert KARLSSON

08:40 Tyrrell HATTON Peter UIHLEIN Chris WOOD

08:50 Chris DOAK Ricardo GONZALEZ John G KELLY

12:30 Damien MCGRANE Thorbjørn OLESEN Alexander LEVY

12:40 James MORRISON Anirban LAHIRI Thongchai JAIDEE

12:50 Padraig HARRINGTON Mikko ILONEN Sergio GARCIA

13:00 Ernie ELS Shane LOWRY Francesco MOLINARI

13:10 Victor DUBUISSON Tommy FLEETWOOD Byeong Hun AN

13:20 Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Andy SULLIVAN Bernd WIESBERGER

13:30 Marcel SIEM Kiradech APHIBARNRAT Ross FISHER

13:40 Peter HANSON Nicolas COLSAERTS David HOWELL

13:50 Peter LAWRIE Romain WATTEL Richie RAMSAY

14:00 Steve WEBSTER Alex NOREN Simon THORNTON

14:10 Mike LORENZO-VERA Robert DINWIDDIE Gavin MOYNIHAN (AM)

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Padraig Seeks Top Sixty

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Padraig Harrington has not given up hope of qualifying for the US Open, despite missing out in Monday’s qualifying event at Walton Heath.

Harrington bogeyed the final hole to finish one shot outside a play-off for the remaining four places at Chambers Bay next month, but can still qualify via the world rankings published in the week of the year’s second major.

“I believe that the top 60 after the St Jude Classic (in Memphis) still get into the US Open,” said Harrington, who is currently ranked 86th. “So I have this week’s Irish Open and the St Jude Classic. I won’t play the one in between. I’m already on a run of four events.

“I have to win 25 world ranking points in that time, something like that. I certainly think a win here or at St Jude will push me across the line, or some sort of combination (of results).

“Having missed out yesterday it was very disappointing, but it will be a lot more disappointing in three weeks’ time when I’m sitting on the couch watching it on TV and realising how close it was and really having done all the hard work.”

Harrington played the 36-hole qualifying event despite having lasted just two holes of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth with a shoulder injury, and the 2007 champion is confident the problem will not affect his participation in the Irish Open at Royal County Down.

“It’s certainly improved enough that I don’t feel like there’s any doubt about me playing on Thursday,” he added. “It’s not quite 100 per cent at the moment but I was pleased yesterday that as much as a hindrance it was early on, as I got into it more and more it was less of a problem.”

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McIlroy Not Distracted in Newcastle

Rory McIlroy is confident that his off-course commitments at this week's Irish Open will not hinder his challenge at Royal County Down.

McIlroy's charitable foundation is the official tournament host and he is certain to have a busy week.

"There are a lot of obligations but that shouldn't get in the way of me going out there and playing good golf," McIlroy told BBC Sport.

The world number one's best Irish Open finish was a seventh spot in 2008.

That was his first Irish Open appearance as a professional and since then his best was a 34th spot in 2011 with him missing the cut at Carton House and Fota Island over the last two years.

McIlroy, 26, is determined to produce a better showing this year despite his off-course obligations.

"I haven't really played well in the Irish Open and that's something that hasn't sat well with me for a few years," added the Northern Irishman, who surprisingly missed the cut at last week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Ricky Fowler says he is happy to be back at one of his favourites courses

"I think it's to do with maybe trying to hard when you get back home and you maybe push yourself too much.

"I'm just going to try and enjoy myself this year and relish the opportunity to play at home.

"I feel like I've found a nice balance between what I'm doing on the course and what I'm doing off the course and even in weeks like this where you go to evening functions and try and help as much as you can to put on a great event."

McIlroy's involvement in this week's tournament has led to big names Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer and Ernie Els signing up for the event.

"With the players coming to play Royal County Down, it's going to be a great week and I just hope I can put on a good performance for all the fans back home.

"I haven't been as excited for a golf tournament this year, apart from the Masters for obvious reasons.

"Royal County Down is probably rated as one of the top five golf courses in the world."

McIlroy's early Wentworth exit came a week after his Wells Fargo Championship win on the PGA Tour which was his third victory of 2015 after his earlier Dubai Desert Classic and WGC Match Play triumphs

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Clarke Resists Ryder Cp Changes

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Darren Clarke has resisted the temptation to make any changes to the qualifying system for next year's Ryder Cup, which will get under way at the M2M Russian Open on September 3.

Clarke had hinted in March that he was more likely to reduce his wildcards rather than increase them, but has decided to keep the same format used to determine the team for Gleneagles in 2014.

Nine players will qualify automatically, with the first four coming from points gained in European Tour events and five from world ranking points gained globally, before Clarke selects three wildcard picks.

"I gave it a lot of thought," Clarke said during a press conference ahead of the Irish Open. "I went into comparisons of what teams would have been like under different systems, but my overall feeling was that considering the team Paul (McGinley) assembled at Gleneagles and how successful they were, it would have been very foolish to make any changes.

"This signals the start of what I know will be an intense and exciting period for me personally and for everyone involved with the European Tour. The qualification period is a truly global affair now and many of the players that will make the team will do so by playing in many tournaments around the world.

"However, as I said when I was announced as captain, I'm focused on assembling the best team possible to represent Europe and I think this system gives me the opportunity to do just that."

The last counting event has yet to be determined but is traditionally held at the end of August, with the Ryder Cup itself taking place from September 30 to October 2 at Hazeltine in Minnesota.

The Northern Irishman is hoping for Irish Open victory at the 24th attempt this week and has been drawn in an all-British group for the first two rounds, teeing off alongside Luke Donald and Danny Willett. 

Clarke hasn't recorded a single top-10 finish on the European Tour since winning the Open Championship at Sandwich in 2011, but comes into the event on the back of a closing 66 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth on Sunday.

"I played really nicely all week, just made some silly mistakes," Clarke added. "In terms of my ball striking it was really, really good again. Hopefully I can bring that with me this week and just kick on from Sunday.

"Unfortunately, in more Irish Opens than I can count, I've been first off on the Saturday morning which meant that I was not involved in the business end of the tournament. Hopefully this week will be a little bit different."

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Harrington Bogeys US Open

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Padraig Harrington will miss the US Open for the second successive year after a bogey on the 36th hole saw him fall out of a play-off in qualifying at Walton Heath.

A run of four birdies from the 13th to the 16th in the afternoon on the Old Course had put the three-time major winner five under and in position to enter a six-man play-off for the final four spots available.

But he recorded a bogey five to miss out as South Africans Garth Mulroy, Thomas Aiken, Tjaart van der Walt and Australian Marcus Fraser qualified from the extra holes with Welshman Oliver Farr missing out.

"It was disappointing to bogey the last," Harrington said. "I nearly walked off after four holes this morning so I was surprised to have a chance at all.

"It was nice to get a run going on the back nine. It's one too many, so it is disappointing, especially after making a few birdies and getting inside the mark."

Two-time European Tour winner Alexander Levy will make his US Open debut at Chambers Bay next month after finishing top of the leaderboard at 11 under following a 66 on the Old Course and a 67 in the afternoon.

"I'm really happy. I played really good golf for the two 18 holes," he said. "I was positive and had a good attitude.

"It's nice to play the US Open. I was a little upset to slip out of the top 60 before Wentworth so it's great to now get in.

"It will be my first time in the US Open. I missed the Masters, so it will be great to play in another major."

Englishmen John Parry and Jason Palmer also qualified with the latter likely to get attention in the United States due to his unusual one-handed chipping style.

"The chipping is incredibly unique but it has saved my career, because there is no way I'd be competing as a professional if I didn't find the one-handed method," he said.

"At the end of last year I went from 50th on the Challenge Tour to having a win, a second place, and being on The European Tour and now this. I'm having an incredible time. I love the game of golf and at the moment it is being good to me.

"I doubt there have been many one handed chippers at the US Open before. The rough might be a bit too deep to play one-handed, so I'll have to assess it when I get there, but it is a problem I'm looking forward to have."

India's Shiv Kapur, Swede Alex Noren, Denmark's Lucas Bjerregaard and German Marcel Siem were the other qualifiers with Shane Lowry, Matteo Manassero and Nicolas Colsaerts among those to miss out.

Meanwhile, Wen-Chong Liang, Masahiro Kawamura, Hiroyuki Fujita, Kurt Barnes and Baek Seuk-hyun all progressed from the qualifying tournament in Japan.

Peter Lawrie and Gareth Maybin also failed in their efforts to make one of the the top eleven spots.

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