7/28/2016

McIlroy Unable to Match Walker Pace

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Rory McIlroy lies nine shots off the clubhouse lead after carding a four-over 74 in the first round of the US PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

The Northern Irishman started the final major of 2016 at the 10th hole and had three bogeys in his opening seven holes and no birdies during his round.

Jimmy Walker set the early pace with a five-under 65, while defending champion Jason Day shot 70.

Masters champion Danny Willett is among the late starters in New Jersey.

The Englishman is playing, in line with PGA tradition, with the two other major winners of this year, American Dustin Johnson, who won the US Open, and Open champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden.

McIlroy, the world number four, said before his opening round that the Baltusrol layout gave him a good chance of securing a third US PGA Championship, after winning the title in 2012 and 2014.

Playing alongside Australian Day and American Phil Mickelson, who pushed Stenson close at The Open earlier this month, McIlroy missed two birdie putts in his first two holes.

A duffed chip and miss from six feet led to his first bogey on the 13th and he dropped shots on the 14th and 16th after hitting his ball into greenside bunkers on both holes.

McIlroy missed a five-foot chance for birdie on the par-five 17th and a wild drive on the 18th, the only other par-five hole on the course, led to a par.

Day, who had only one practice round after catching a bug off his son and then spending Tuesday night in hospital after his wife suffered an allergic reaction, had three birdies and a bogey in his two-under round.

Mickelson, who briefly joined McIlroy at four over, battled back to one over with three birdies in five holes.


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7/26/2016

Harrington Happy About Rio


Padraig Harrington is thrilled to be going and dreams of gold.

“I’m really looking forward to Rio. My whole family are going,” the 44-year-old Irishman said after a long session on the practice putting green on a sizzling hot and stormy Baltusrol, where the PGA Championship begins on Thursday.

“We’re busy getting our tickets organized for the second week that we’re there. It’s a big deal for us.”

Harrington, winner of the 2008 PGA Championship and two British Open titles (2007, 2008), accepted the honor of playing for Ireland after the withdrawals of four-times major champion Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell citing concerns over the Zika virus.

Later Shane Lowery also withdrew over Zika worries, opening the door for 297th-ranked Seamus Power to join Harrington in the 60-man Rio field as golf returns to the Olympic programme after an absence of 112 years.

World number one Jason Day of Australia, the defending PGA champion, and Americans Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, ranked second and third, respectively, also bowed out from Rio consideration due to health concerns.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which the World Health Organization says is spreading rapidly in the Americas, can cause crippling defects in babies and has been linked to the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre in adults.

“I’m going down there to try and win. No doubt about it, I believe I can win,” said Harrington, who has slipped to 150th in the world rankings.

Harrington, like others who played at the Open at Royal Troon, are returning for the season’s final major with just one tournament week in between them in a tour season condensed to make room for the Olympic tournament.

Some players, including world number eight Adam Scott of Australia and South Africa’s world number 15 Louis Oosthuizen, said they opted out of the Rio Games for scheduling reasons.

Harrington said he had planned to play two majors and the Olympics this summer. “I wanted to do my preparation for all three and if I played well in one of those three would have a good chance of winning,” he said.

“It didn’t happen at the (British) Open. I’ve won three majors and I’m happy to take either,” he said about this week’s PGA or next month’s Summer Olympics.

“I could understand if you haven’t won a major, making that more of a priority. But I think an Olympic gold would add a lot to my career.”

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7/22/2016

McIlroy Needs Major Putt

European Tour 
Former world number one Rory McIlroy sits in fourth place in the latest official world golf rankings. The Northern Ireland man sandwiched below Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, and just ahead of European Tour member and Open winner Henrik Stenson. Despite having won the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in May the Holywood golfer last wins were in 2015 at the DP World Tour, WGC Cadillac Match Play and Omega Dubai Desert Classic the latter venue that gave him his first professional career win in 2009. The next came at Quail Hollow when he took his first PGA Title at the age of 21 and the first player since Tiger Woods to win on the PGA Tour at that tender age. The next season his ascent to top came when at Congressional he won his first major as the youngest player since Bobby Jones in 1923. 

By 2014 McIlroy had four major titles to his credit and looked at emulating Woods winning record of 14 majors in his career. Two years hence the momentum seems to have wilted somewhat. And as Woods faces the inevitable reality of the sunset of his career, or at least never returning to the dominance he once held in the game, McIlroy faces his own battle to return to world number one. Also get back on the major trail that at one time looked a feat within his grasp to equal Tiger Woods. However, the past few years have generated some new names in those top ranks that have made those records much trickier for Rory. Or indeed holding the aspiration of winning the grand slam in one season almost seem impossible. 

The arrival of Jordan Spieth started the turbulence in 2015 when the Texan won all around him only to see that momentum fade this year. The almost perennial nearly man Jason Day finally came good in 2015 despite some close calls prior. Failures that almost drove he Australian to consider giving up the game given his wilting self-belief. Fortunately for the game Day reversed all that at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights. The epic win followed by the Barclay and BMW Championship in the same season reviving confidence that led to the Aussie replacing Spieth as world Number 1 this year.

McIlroy’s tribulations are not unique as Spieth can vouch this season where his indestructible form has eked away. Not least at Augusta when leading the Masters, his defence of the title unravelled bizarrely at the twelfth hole after a string of bogeys already had reduced his lead. Not unlike McIlroy in 2011 the collapse was very public and uncomfortable for all concerned and a place from where Spieth has yet to emerge. In the case of McIlroy, he overcame it all within months when he clinched the US Open with a record score at Congressional. The context of which he built on to until his injury playing football with friends denied him the defence of The Open title he so convincingly seized at Hoylake in 2014. 

His return this year to the event at Royal Troon only showed some sparks on the final day. But insufficient to even contend on the final day. Where another nearly man Henrik Stenson demolished championship course with a round of 63 on the final day when pin positions are usually deemed inaccessible. Particularly on the perilous back nine at Royal Troon. Even more admirable an achievement when being chased and pressed by Phil Mickelson. This year though McIlroy was not in that final race in this major, nor was he at Oakmont where he missed the cut and Irish interests were represented by Shane Lowry in the end. Or the Players Championship where he finished 12th. 

An unlikely season for McIlroy and his quest for majors or indeed emulating Woods record all the more difficult. What Royal Troon has also shown that the hunger in the likes of Stenson has now been triggered, as it has for Dustin Johnson who for so many years was another nearly man. Indeed, in the top ten there are enough names to put the fear in anyone’s golf bag as each one could - on their day - destroy any field. Not to mention some of the younger talents racing up the field eager to earn their prize money and win these elusive major titles. Which for a number of years were littered with Irish names; Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, McIlroy and Darren Clarke. Currently that momentum has wavered. Albeit Lowry came very close last month in the US Open - suggesting his day is getting closer.

The shift in McIlroy’s putting grip in June highlighted some issues on his mind and shifting from his left hand grip back too conventional at Oakmont was a search for some improvements. The PGA Tour stats though show him 60 in the putting ranking and well behind the top three that included Day, Mickelson, Speith and even Jamie Donaldson. As numbers don’t lie it is clear that it is a part of McIlroy’s armoury which leaves him exposed on the course. Even with his number one place in drives there is a much better putting brigade hat are well ahead of him – no matter how easily he goes from tee to green. 

In Scotland there were a significant number of missed putts that were coming from a talented golfer not convinced himself that he is on terms with his putter. So it needs urgent attention if this year is to see a major win given the PGA Championship at Baltrusol Golf Clubs is the last remaining event in that class. In fairness though the season thus far has one win, and with a top finish everywhere he has played - part for the US Open. Although all good results well below the expectations McIlroy would have set himself back in January. 



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