4/21/2016

Paul Dunne Fires 68 in Shenzen

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Paul Dunne signed for an opening 68 at the Shenzhen International and carding five birdies with just one loss on Thursday in China.

Dunne joins Spain’s Eduardo de la Riva, Holland’s Joost Luiten and French duo Raphael Jacquelin and Gary Stal in joint fourth after his 68.

Michael Hoey started off at the tenth and reached the turn with two double bogeys on his card leaving him four over par 76 for the day and a fight on his hands on Friday to stay in touch for the weekend.

Dropped shots either side of the turn completed is round with a birdie 4 on his 11th (the 2nd) and another at the last - hole nine - limited nay further damage.

Alexander Levy and South Korea’s Soomin Lee share the clubhouse lead after a weather-affected opening day on Thursday.

Levy, who also led the Spanish Open with a first-round 66 last week before going on to finish 14th at Valderrama, carded six birdies and no bogeys at Genzon Golf Club to set the clubhouse target on six under par.

Lee then completed his own flawless 66 just before play was suspended for the day due to darkness, a knock-on effect of an earlier 45-minute delay caused by the threat of lightning.

The first round is scheduled to resume at 0650 local time in Friday, with South Africa’s Brandon Stone just a shot off the lead with one hole to play.

Levy, who carded a 62 at the same venue en route to his first European Tour title in the Volvo China Open in 2014, started on the back nine and raced to the turn in 31 with three birdies and an eagle on the par-five 17th.

Another birdie on the first took the 25-year-old to six under par and in sight of equalling his own course record, but the world number 110 had to settle for eight pars and an error-free scorecard.

“It’s always nice to shoot under par,” Levy told European Tour Radio.

“I have some very good memories here and it’s nice to play this course where you had your first win. I played good last week, a few bad rounds with the wind but I feel my game is in good shape and I played solid today like the last round in Valderrama.

“I gained some confidence the last few weeks and it’s nice to play a golf course you like. I know the way you need to play well here and it was a perfect day for me.

“Valderrama was really tough and I used a lot of energy on that. This week I don’t practice a lot, I just walk the course, play the pro-am and to shoot six under today was really good.”

England’s Tommy Fleetwood who feels he has some “unfinished business” in the event after missing out on the play-off by a single shot 12 months ago, carded four birdies and one bogey in his fourth consecutive round of 69.

Scotland’s Richie Ramsay was challenging for the lead at five under par after 13 holes before a hat-trick of bogeys from the 14th, but stopped the rot with a birdie on the 17th to also finish three under.

Stephen Gallacher recovered from a double bogey on the 15th with birdies on the next two holes to record a two-under-par 70 in his first tournament since February after undergoing hand surgery.

Defending champion Kiradech Aphibarnrat and two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson could only manage matching rounds of 71


Captain Clarke Hails European Masters

Darren Clarke
Darren Clarke at Portrush Golf Club
Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has hailed the “wonderful” performance of Europe’s top players at the US Masters.

With champion Danny Willett one of seven Europeans in the top 15 at Augusta, Clarke said the final leaderboard had delivered a real positive ahead of the much-anticipated showdown with the United States in the autumn.

Clarke also spent time with golf fan Alex Ferguson at Augusta and said he intended to visit him again in England to pick the former Manchester United manager’s brain.

The former Open champion, who missed the cut in Georgia, was at his home club at Royal Portrush on Tuesday to launch the start of a Ryder Cup trophy tour.

“It was a wonderful week from a European perspective,” Clarke said of the Masters.

“With the winner Danny Willett and indeed Lee Westwood playing a lot better and Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick, there were so many Europeans up there in the top 10.

“So it was a very positive week for the Europeans.”

Willett’s victory was the first major of the Yorkshireman’s career, but Clarke said it came as no surprise to him.

“He’s been playing really well now for a couple of years, I am a good friend of his, I’ve spent a lot of time with him and his game has just been getting better and better,” said Europe’s Ryder Cup captain.

“It’s certainly no surprise whatsoever. He’s performed really well, especially of late again, and from a personal point of view I was delighted to see him win.”

Clarke, 47, said it was also great to see his close friend Westwood — who finished joint second at Augusta — contending in a major again.

“To see him playing in the manner and fashion that I know he can is certainly very, very heartening,” he said.

With so many up and coming stars emerging, Europe’s team is predicted to have quite a few fresh faces as they look to win the Ryder Cup for a fourth successive time.

Clarke insisted there was a long way to go in qualifying, though.

“It’s a long way off before the team is finalised, a lot of big tournaments, a lot of Ryder Cup points to be played for,” he said.

“While the make-up of the team at the moment may look slightly different to what we are used to, come the end of August I think it might be a little bit different.”

Clarke said Ferguson had given him “lots of advice” at Augusta.

“There would be very few people who have had as successful a career as he has had,” he said.

“He was very, very helpful. I will go over and spend a bit more time with him shortly over in Manchester — he was more than willing to help me.

“As a Liverpool fan it was quite difficult, but you know the man is a legend.”

The trophy tour will see the iconic prize travelling around Europe and the US ahead of September’s encounter. Its next stop will be Belfast City Hall on Wednesday.

“To have the Ryder Cup trophy tour start off here in Northern Ireland is very, very special,” said Clarke.

“To have it here at Royal Portrush, I only live up on the hill up there, so it’s wonderful to start off here.”

The 2016 Ryder Cup is being held at Hazeltine in the United States and takes place from September 30th to October 2nd.