Tom McKibbin a Future Star

Rory McIlroy may be one of the stars of world golf, but Northern Irish teenager Tom McKibbin is hoping to following in the world No 3's footsteps.

The 13-year-old has already won the Junior Honda Classic and won the World Junior Championships last August, an event previously won by McIlroy when he was aged nine.

McKibbin has had the opportunity this week to play alongside his idol during the Pro-Am at the Irish Open, hosted by the Rory Foundation, where he showcased his talent in front of a large crowd at the K Club. 

"Tom is obviously a great player," McIlroy told Sky Sports. "The first time I played with him I was really impressed. As a 13 year old, he already had everything."

The Newtownabbey teenager, nicknamed ‘T-Mac’, was invited by four-times Major champion McIlroy to play at the event, which is being hosted by the Rory Foundation.

Speaking before he travelled to the K Club, McKibbin said: “I’ve already played a round of golf with Rory and already learnt so much. I’ll use the day to learn more and have fun at the same time.”

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Master Willett Leads at The K Club

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Danny Willett leads Rory McIlroy by two shots after the first round of the Irish Open after eight birdies and a bogey in a seven-par-under 65 at the K Club.

McIlroy posted a 67 as he bids to improve his recent poor form at his home tournament, which has seen him miss three straight cuts at the event.

Callum Shinkwin and Jaco Van Zyl lie a shot behind McIlroy, with Soren Kjeldsen, Ross Fisher, Martin Kaymer and Brett Rumford three under.

World number three McIlroy, whose Rory Foundation is hosting the tournament, is seeking a first win of the season after six top-10 finishes.

The Northern Irishman recorded three birdies on his front nine, and picked up a further three shots on his inward nine, including a birdie at the 18th.

Willett showed much improved form after missing the cut at last week's Players Championship at Sawgrass, his first appearance since winning the first major of the season at Augusta.

The 28-year-old's round of 65 was only one shot off the course record set by South African Charl Schwartzel in 2003.

Heavy rain greeted the early starters but 2010 champion Fisher defied the difficult conditions to birdie three of the first five holes.

The Englishman's 69 saw him secure the clubhouse lead, along with two-time major winner Kaymer.

Shinkwin and Van Zyl bettered their scores by one, while defending champion Kjeldsen remains well in contention four shots off the lead, the same score as Australian Rumford.

Shane Lowry, who won the title as an amateur in 2009, ended one over, with 2007 champion Padraig Harrington five shots worse off after carding two double-bogeys on his front nine.

Graeme McDowell joined Lowry on one under, with Lee Westwood level par and European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke one over.

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McIlroy Fires Final 66 at Wells Fargo

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For Rory McIlroy the 18th hole ultimately proved to be his undoing at the Wells Fargo Championship as he played the 493-yard hole in 4 over par for the week. This included a bogey Sunday when his approach shot landed behind a rock on the other side of the creek that runs along the left side of the hole. 

McIlroy had seven birdies in between his bogeys on the first and last holes.

"Anytime you walk off the golf course and shoot 66, you can't be too disappointed," McIlroy said. "But I think in the circumstances, having a feeling like I had a chance on the back nine to post a number for the guys to at least think about it and I didn't."

The final winner James Hahn said the anxiety was creeping in after missing eight straight cuts on the PGA TOUR, causing him to wonder if he'd ever get his game straightened out.

But after a long talk with caddie Mark Urbanek last week, Hahn came to Quail Hollow Club with a renewed confidence and determination to end the streak. He did that and more.

Hahn beat Roberto Castro with a par on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff Sunday in the Wells Fargo Championship to snap the three-month slump and earn his second PGA TOUR title.

"It was going bad for a while," Hahn said. "Just didn't have the confidence, didn't believe in myself. I felt like I was putting in the work but wasn't getting any reward for it. ... You're playing bad and you're missing cuts and there's nothing funny about that."

The anxiety appeared a distant memory Sunday as a smiling Hahn cracked open a can of Bud Light as he sat behind the podium and asked the media, "You want one?"

Hahn, perhaps best known for his "Gangnam Style" birdie celebration three years ago on the Waste Management Phoenix Open's rowdy 16th hole, said when things got bad he remained motivated by never wanting to lose his PGA TOUR card and having to play on the Web.com Tour.

"I just told my wife, I can't play there -- I can't," Hahn said. "It's not an option for me. I feel like I'm good enough and I need to put in more work to stay on this level, and it's worth every minute of it. ... I have a lot of people counting on me."

He won't have to worry about that now for quite a while.

In winning, Hahn picked up the $1.3 million prize and an automatic two-year extension on the PGA TOUR, not bad for a former Bay Area women's shoes salesman.

"You have to keep believing in yourself and keep grinding. I constantly remind myself that I am good enough and belong out there," Hahn said.

Hahn said he never looked at the scoreboard all day and didn't know that if he'd made par on the 72nd hole that he would have likely sealed the tournament. Instead, he three-putted and made bogey, opening the door for Castro.

Castro, playing in the final group behind Hahn, made par to force a playoff.

But Castro's tee shot on the playoff hole found the creek on the left side of the fairway and his third shot landed in a spectator's shoe on the side of the green, leading to a bogey. The ball hit a spectator in the head before landing in the loafer.

"I was worried he was going to be laid out when we got up there," Castro said. "He'll ice it down and he'll be OK, I hope. But I felt bad about that."

Hahn shot 2-under 70 on Sunday, and Castro had a 71 to finish at 9 under, one shot ahead of Justin Rose (71). Hahn also won the 2015 Northern Trust Open at Riviera.

McIlroy and Phil Mickelson both shot 66 to tie for fourth at 7 under with third-round leader Rickie Fowler (74) and Andrew Loupe (71).

Both Castro and Hahn had chances to win in regulation.

Castro broke a tie when he rolled in a birdie putt from 6 feet on the 15th hole to get to 11 under. But he quickly gave the lead up with bogeys at 16 and 17 on the "Green Mile," the toughest closing holes on the PGA TOUR.

Despite the playoff loss, Castro refused to the dwell on the negative.

"Sure, it hurts to let this tournament specifically slip away, but there are 154 guys that didn't have a chance in that playoff and I feel grateful to have had a chance," Castro said.

"I hit a lot of good shots over the weekend, but unfortunately one bad hole yesterday kind of cost me," Mickelson said.

Fowler got off to a poor start, shooting 39 on the front nine and never mounting a challenge.

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Harrington In Hunt at Valero Texas

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Padraig Harrington finished with third four-under par at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio and a share of sixth place on Saturday carding a 68.

The Dubliner had a mixed day reaching the with a two-under 34 that included birdies on the both the par-fives and another gain on the sixth.

After his chip-in on 10, he dropped a shot at the 11th but a great approach at 12 led to another birdie. More trouble though came on the final hole with a bogey 6.

Ricky Barnes carded a five-under 67 to move to 11 under, one shot clear of fellow American Brendan Steele, while England’s Luke Donald and American Charley Hoffman on nine under.

Patrick Reed, who was born in San Antonio, is alone on eight under before a six-strong group that includes Harrington on seven under.

His front nine of two-under 34 included birdies on the both the par-fives and another gain on the sixth.

After his chip-in on 10, he dropped a shot at the 11th but a great approach at 12 led to another birdie.

Three straight pars slowed his charge before his his seven-iron tee-shot to the par-three 16th went close to the hole before he sank the birdie from under five feet.

His tee-shot on the 347-yard short par-four 17th finished just short of the green thanks to a friendly bounce and another delicious chip left him a tap-in birdie.

Barnes was also left to rue a dropped shot on the 18th which prevented him holding an even greater advantage.

Barnes, seeking a first PGA Tour win, also made bogey at the ninth along with seven birdies – including the par-four 12th where he sank a 29-foot putt.

His bogey on the 18th, the result of a poor drive from near a cactus, might have been worse but Barnes was happy with his day’s work

“I took advantage of my good shots, converted my birdies and then obviously had a bad finish, a bad swing, to end it, but actually hit a good putt there,” he said on the PGA Tour website.

“If you’d told me five under today I’d have taken it.”

Barnes’s late bogey kept Steele, leader after each of the first two rounds, firmly in touch even though the 2011 champion had to settle for a round of 72, dropping shots on the second and 12th holes before rescuing par with birdies on the 14th and 18th.

Donald dropped a shot on the fifth but immediately got it back on the sixth, the first of five birdies in his round of 68 as he moved up 10 spots on the leaderboard to keep himself in the frame.

“It was a little bit of a slow start, but coming in with five birdies and no dropped shots, I felt pretty much in control. A pretty solid round,” Donald said.

“It sure feels good to be back in contention again and having chances to win. That’s why we work hard to get in these positions . . .

“I’ve been looking for that one good tournament to get under my belt and get some confidence. I feel like my game has been good this year but I’ve not been getting much out of it. It’s nice to see things turning around a little bit.”

Hoffman went round in 70, making the turn at two-under before a topsy-turvy back nine that featured bogeys on the 12th and 17th, bookending birdies on the 14th and 16th.

Scott Langley, who had been in the mix after the first two rounds, endured a poor day as he piled up four bogeys in a round of 73 which sent him down into a tie for 12th.

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Maguire and Meadows Miss Inspiration

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Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadows missed the cut after they hit respective second rounds of 76 and 78.

The Irish duo had left themselves with considerable work to do after poor opening rounds on Thursday, yet Maguire hit four more bogeys in her second round to finish seven over for the tournament - three shots better off than Meadows who struggled with six bogeys on Friday.

Lexi Thompson’s putter switch helped her surge up the leaderboard to grab a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the ANA Inspiration in Rancho Mirage, California on Friday.

Thompson carded four birdies in her last seven holes, including three in a row from the 12th, to shoot a four-under-68 and jump to seven-under for the tournament in the first major championship of the year.

The 21-year-old joined overnight leader Ai Miyazato atop the leaderboard at Mission Hills Country Club after the Japanese former world number one mixed five birdies and three bogeys on her way to a round of 70.

Six players sit just one shot off the pace, including New Zealand’s world number one Lydia Ko, who shot a 68 to go with her first round 70.

American Lizette Salas (67), Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (67), Koreans Park Sung-hyun (67) and Chun In-gee (69) and South African Lee-Anne Pace (70) also shared third place on a packed leaderboard with 19 players within three shots of the lead.

Thompson, who sat in a similar position in 2014 before going on to win the title, changed putters in the lead up to the tournament after a poor result in last week’s Kia Classic.

“I started practising with it Tuesday and putted with it an hour and a half a day to get comfortable with it but honestly 20 minutes into it I knew it was good,” Thompson told reporters.

“Coming off last week, just how it went for me and I knew where my confidence was I needed a change. It couldn’t get any worse. I tried it here and it felt amazing.”

The seven-times LPGA tour winner was particularly impressed with her finish in tough conditions.

“The rough is the highest I have ever seen it but that is what majors call for, tight fairways, thick rough and firm greens,” she said.

“That’s what you get here. I hit a few wayward shots but I recovered well and that’s what you have to do at majors.”

Spain’s Azahara Munoz, who held the overnight lead with Miyazato, tumbled down the boards with a 78 to drop to one-over and a share of 48th.

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Harrington Opens with 74 in Mexico

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Pádraig Harrington signed for a three over par first round at the OHL Classic and settled  for a 74 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico - and off the pace.

Daniel Berger was making his sixth PGA TOUR start, and birdied 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 and finished with two pars to match Will MacKenzie, Robert Garrigus, Steve Wheatcroft, Hudson Swafford and Tony Finau at 6-under 65 on Mayakoba's El Camaleon course.

"This is what we work so hard for, so it's great to get off to a good start, but got to keep it going," said Berger, the 21-year-old former Florida State player who earned a PGA TOUR card last season on the Web.com Tour.

The six-player tie is the largest after 18 holes since six players also topped the leaderboard in the 2013 St. Jude Classic.

The Greg Norman-designed course requires accuracy off the tee.

"I think I hit maybe two drivers all day," Berger said. "It's just kind of one of those courses where you've got to hit the fairway. Super tight off the tee, so just put it in play and you've got some birdie opportunities."

The long-hitting Finau hit driver only once.

"I'm still able to use my length by hitting 3-woods and 2-irons and moving it up the fairway still where most guys would have to hit driver," Finau said. "I definitely wasn't able to use my driver length, but I still use my length off the tee."

Fifty-year-old Davis Love III was at 66 in a group that included Aaron Baddeley, Charley Hoffman and Pat Perez.

"I made some putts when I had to," Love said. "I had four birdies in five holes in a little spurt in the middle of the round, and put the ball in play. I think that's what you have to do here. You have to keep it in the fairway and you have to putt well."

Defending champion Harris English closed with a three-putt bogey for a 67.

"It hurt on the last hole, three-putting, but I'm still going to take a lot of positives out of today," English said.

Carlos Ortiz topped the seven Mexican players in the field at 67. He won three times on the Web.com Tour last season.

"I started a little bit nervous with all the people who were watching, family, friends," Ortiz said. "But I had a very good beginning on the first hole with a birdie and then I birdied 3, 4, 5. It helped me a lot to get relaxed."

Canada's Nick Taylor, the Sanderson Farms Championship winner Sunday in Mississippi, had a 71.

Melbourne Miss for McIlroy

OneAsia

Rory McIlroy, currently playing in this week's Kolon Korea Open on the OneAsia Tour, and will be heading the charge for the international players at the Royal Sydney Golf Club next month when he plays the Emirates Australia Open. Another OneAsia co-sanctioned event

A decision that precludes the world number six from playing in the World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne due to sponsor commitments.

However six former champions have confirmed their places from November 28 – December 1, which will be the final stroke play event on the OneAsia calendar for 2013.

Past winners Greg Chalmers, John Senden, Aaron Baddeley, Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby, Adam Scott - and defending champion Peter Senior - will all be in the field vying for the Stonehaven Cup.

Senior has enjoyed another successful season on the Champions Tour, recording eight Top 10 finishes, while 2010 champion Ogilvy recorded his best PGA Tour result for the year at the Honda Classic in March where he finished runner up.

World number two and U.S. Masters champion Scott and world number 16 Jason Day will lead the strong Australian contingent on the Rose Bay layout.

“It’s a very special year for Australian golf and it’s great to see Sydney host this world-class event," said New South Wales Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris.

"Visitors coming to the Australian Open in Sydney are in for a real treat to indulge in their golfing passion. The NSW government remains committed to the long term vision of showcasing the historic Australian Open and highlighting Sydney and NSW’s stunning, world-class golf courses to the world.”

Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt said Australian players held a special place in their hearts for the championship and always returned to support the tournament.

“We’re really pleased to be able to showcase so many of the Australian players who already have their name on the Stonehaven Cup. These six have won the trophy ten times between them,” Pitt said.

“It’s also an exciting time for the next generation -- players like Jason Day -- who are bidding for their first Emirates Australian Open victory at the end of next month in Sydney. We’re looking forward to a fantastic championship and have no doubt the crowds will be out in force to see world-class golf.”

The Championship is owned by Golf Australia and is managed by World Sport Group in conjunction with the PGA of Australia, with the assistance of TRP Sports.

It is sanctioned by OneAsia and the PGA Tour of Australasia.

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