The Irish Golf Club Gazette: BMW Masters

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11/21/2014

McIlroy Slips as Stenson Storms

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Rory McIlroy’s challenge stuttered on the back-nine on day two of the DP World Tour Championships as Henrick Stenson cruised to an inward 32 to return a six-under 66 which got him to 10 under at the halfway stage at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Stenson put himself on course to retain his DP World Tour Championship title as he roared into a two-shot lead after the second round in Dubai.

A raft of earlier starters had given encouragement to the first-round leaders with some excellent scores, with Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Justin Rose making huge strides up the leaderboard.

Cabrera-Bello threatened something truly special on the Earth Course as he birdied the opening five holes and picked further shots at the eighth and 10th.

But hopes of the European Tour’s first sub-60 round ended when the Spaniard bogeyed the next two, although he bounced back to eagle the long 14th before he rolled in another birdie putt at 17 as he carded a 64 to set the clubhouse target at seven under.

Rose, who was four over after 10 holes in his first round before salvaging a 71, also hit the birdie trail as he cantered to the turn in 33 and added four more birdies after the turn to hit the front on eight under.

But Rose took the gloss off his round as he ran up a scrappy six at the last to card a 66, before Kristoffer Broberg birdied four of the last six to join the clubhouse leaders at seven under.

McIlroy, meanwhile, birdied the opening hole for the second day running before embarking on a battle with an occasionally errant driver and a cold putter as he put together a run of 10 straight pars.

A bunkered drive at the 12th led to his first bogey of the week, but he hit back with birdies at the 14th and 15th before blotting his card again at 16 with three putts from 10 feet.

The world No 1, already assured of the Race to Dubai title for the second time, responded with a two at the 17th and he scrambled a par at the last after blocking his drive into water.

McIlroy’s two-under 70 left him two adrift of the defending champion, who birdied three of the first five holes while giving one back at the fourth.

The Swede’s long game was in good order after the turn as he birdied the 10th and 13th, and he added two more in the last three holes to claim the outright lead.

McIlroy shares second place with Danny Willett, who fired seven birdies in a 67, while Richie Ramsay earned a place alongside the world No 1 for the third round after a three-under 69.

Shane Lowry, who shared the overnight lead with McIlroy, struggled early on as he bogeyed three of the first four holes while managing birdies at the second and ninth.

But the Irishman provided the highlight of the day at the 183-yard par-three 13th, where his perfectly struck mid-iron pitched six feet short of the pin and rolled gently into the cup for a superb hole-in-one.

Lowry parred in to card a 71 which leaves him on seven under alongside Cabrera-Bello, Rose, Broberg and Thorbjorn Olesen (70), while English pair David Howell and Tyrrell Hatton are a further stroke adrift.

11/15/2014

Irish Golf Desperately Seeking Cards

The momentum of a next generation of Irish golfers to follow Shane Lowry, Michael Hoey, Damien McGrane and Graeme McDowell, is very much needed in order to maintain a strong Irish presence in the game. Or protect market share to build on the pioneering work of the latest generation - two time major winner Padraig Harrington, Open Champion Darren Clarke.

As well as the first Irish Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley.

Leaving the case of Wunderkind Rory McIlroy as a separate story given the Holywood golfer is a once in a lifetime phenomenon.

In reality the game on these shores was built by the legends of the domestic game - men and women - who ploughed the furrow decades ago. In the days when prize money was minimal; travel not done by private jet; the sponsorship meagre and the hard work seeming even harder no doubt.

That roll call includes Fred Daly, Christy O'Connor, Eamonn Darcy, Des Smyth, Philip Walton, David Feherty, Ronan Rafferty and Christy O'Connor Jnr. A highlight of just some of the names who did more than their bit for Irish golf - including winning Ryder Cup's. Doing so on foreign shores and far flung places.

In those days it was just as hard to get a European Tour card. Maybe even harder they might say. Though the truth now is that there is increased competition from Sweden, Spain, France and Germany which was somewhat less then.

These days Stephen Grant, Niall Turner, Michael McGeady, Gareth Shaw, Michael McGeady, Niall Kenney annually pitch their skills amongst a host of international hotshots. Also chasing their dream of a place on the Tour from larger golf playing population’s. The statistic of the players on tour reflect that reality and so this year it is vital that the Irish representation improves.

Last year only Kevin Phelan made it.

To be fair the Waterford man is a product of the US scholarship system and has been a talent waiting to happen for some years. Current indicators confirm he is on his way and the hurdle of a return to Q School this weekend hopefully just a formality.

As far back as 2009 only Simon Thornton and Gary Murphy got through. With both losing their cards within the season and having to return again. Unsuccessfully.

David Higgins has regained and lost his card frequently in recent years. The last time being 2011 and now surviving since on accumulated exemptions. No doubt 2015 offering fewer events having failed at Second Stage this year. Perhaps closing the chapter on a professional golf with career earnings of over one million Euro.

A decade ago Damien McGrane broke through and has retained his place ever since 2003. Gareth Maybin made it from the Challenge Tour in 2008 with Michael Hoey also getting through the final stage in 2008. Then Shane Lowry skipped school, never looking out of place in the big time after earning an exemption following the 3 Irish Open win in 2009 at Baltray, Doing so as an amateur.

Undoubtedly at Qualifying School the uninitiated face a level of intensity alien to their daily life on either the Irish PGA Region, PGA EuroProTour or in gold club pro ams. The step up needed is not easy given it is impossible to replicate that dog eat dog atmosphere at PGA Catalunya. As hopefuls of all ages and creeds fight for their livelihoods.

For neophyte tour card chasers it requires a discipline that perhaps can only be gained by long seasons on the Challenge Tour.

More recent years have highlighted that even maintaining exemptions for Irish players on the satellite tour is no easy feat. But forms a vital apprenticeship as Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer and others can attest. Or the 2010 Challenge Tour winner Edoardo Molinari proved. The Italian having become a household name after his first season on the main tour that saw him also play a pivotal role in the 2010 Ryder Cup.

In fairness, there are others that have also been successful with names such as Jose Felipe Lima, Nicolas Colsaerts, Rhys Davies and Peter Whiteford coming to mind. None more successful than Davies who within his first year reached 15th in the Race to Dubai, and spent five days with Ryder Cup Captain, Colin Montgomerie, around Celtic Manor in 2010.

However as golf is not a fairy-tale and such are the twists in the sport that Davies returns to reclaim his playing rights this weekend after a number of barren seasons. Those days of a promising protégé now a distant memory.

In Ireland Colm Moriarty, Jonathan Caldwell and Gareth Shaw know it is not that easy either and the so called failure at Q School is a reality that can dent even the strongest ambitions. Walker Cup pedigree or not. Taking the best of playing talent along with it. Golf is completely equitable in sharing bad news about the European Tour cards.

Other Irish players of the same era, Stephen Browne and Alan Murray, making the decision to pursue other careers and bring more certainty to their lives. Happy to abandon the annual ritual of tour school. Undoubtedly the toughest mental challenge there is in the sport of golf.

However there is a developing group that one hopes one day soon will get fulfil their calling. They should include Ruaidrhi McGee, Niall Turner and Niall Kearney.

But it requires patience, diligence and above all money. The latter being the scarcest commodity these days and the one that could end dreams instantly. In summary the cavalier days of registering for Q School should be over as the beyond the First Stage it is a serious business. Anyone not fully prepared should just save their entry fee.

The career of Philip Walton epitomises what that odyssey can become. The Dubliner having made the pilgrimage first in 1999 - only to follow it in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004* - when he regained his card for one year. Then a return 2005 and then finally in 2006.

Today he plays the European Senior Tour where he automatically qualifies having been a three time winner in Europe. His eye distracted on a few occasions by qualification for the much more lucrative Champions Tour. Which as yet has proved unfruitful.

This week all five Irish challengers are not novices, with the youngest Kevin Phelan a veteran of one gruelling European Tour season. With two top five finishes.

Gareth Maybin, Peter Lawrie, Simon Thornton carrying enough combined experience that the nerves won't be a worry. Rather the quality of the shot making to battle the contrasting demands of the Stadium and Tour courses at PGA Catalunya.

For Michael McGeady the heady ambitions of someday making it on the tour, for at least one season, maybe closer than we imagine. he is not encumbered by memories of the past in Catalunya.

So there is no reason to fear that any of five this weekend is not fully prepared. The reality is that all five making the final twenty five spots is a mathematical impossibility. But then again we said that about an Irish player ever winning a major after Fred Daly.

Then look what happened.

11/12/2014

Garcia Chases McIlroy in Turkey

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Sergio Garcia hopes to take his pursuit of “quite extraordinary” Rory McIlroy to the last event of The Race to Dubai with victory in this week's Turkish Airlines Open presented by the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

The Spaniard requires victory at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal in Antalya and another at next week's DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in order to have any chance of preventing McIlroy winning The Race to Dubai for a second time in three seasons.

That Garcia is still in the hunt at all is testament to the 34 year old's form this season – having won in Qatar he has also amassed three runner-up finishes, two of them to McIlroy at The Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

As well as those wins McIlroy collected a second Major Championship of the year at the US PGA Championship and took The European Tour's flagship BMW PGA Championship, and Garcia was quick to praise his opponent for the European Number One crown.

“I'm a big believer that if you have done something extraordinary to be able to achieve that, to win [The Race to Dubai] before the last tournament happens, why shouldn't you be the winner,” said Garcia, who along with Jamie Donaldson and Marcel Siem is one of only three players with a chance to stop McIlroy heading into the penultimate event of The Final Series.

“I think Rory did something quite extraordinary this season and this summer more than anything, and maybe he deserves to be The Race to Dubai Champion, even before we play the Dubai World Championship next week.

“There's no doubt that it's nice to be a part of it, to have still a little chance of winning it.

“It's obviously very difficult but to at least be in the race for it and have a possibility of becoming The Race to Dubai Champion, it's something that you look forward to and I'm going to need a couple of really, really good weeks - we'll try it until it's over.”

Garcia missed the inaugural staging of this event last year, but was determined to come after hearing his fellow European Tour pros rave about the venue.

“I definitely have heard a lot of good comments,” added Garcia. “Obviously it's a fairly new tournament but a lot of good comments.

“It's one of the things that made my decision easier to come and play this year. I'm excited about seeing the course today - I heard it's in good shape. I heard the rough is a little bit high but it looks really, really good, and obviously the resort is quite spectacular, so we are enjoying that.”

11/10/2014

Turkey Action for Darren Clarke

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Darren Clarke, a five-time Ryder Cup winner as a player and two-time victor as vice captain, tees off in the Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

Shane Lowry also plays this week in the searsh for a place the world top 50.

In all nine members of Europe’s triumphant team from Gleneagles in the star-studded field, there will be a distinct Ryder Cup feel to the US$7 million event.

Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer, defending champion Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson, Thomas Bjørn, Stephen Gallacher, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter will all lock horns at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal in Belek, Antalya, from November 13-16.

The links to golf’s greatest team event do not end there, however, with Miguel Angel Jiménez, who served as a vice captain to Paul McGinley at Gleneagles, also teeing it up along with the 2010 captain and course designer Colin Montgomerie.

Also confirmed for the tournament is England’s Luke Donald, a four-time winner of The Ryder Cup.

Ahmet Ali Ağaoğlu, president of the Turkish Golf Federation, said: “We are so proud that such a strong field will be playing at the Turkish Airlines Open.

“The Ryder Cup caught the imagination of the golfing world and beyond, so it is a big honour to have so many of the players that showed such quality and passion for the sport together again in Turkey.

“We believe that the depth of quality in the field reflects the growing importance of this tournament in the golfing calendar.”

Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open Champion, and two-time Major winner John Daly will also feature in the penultimate event of The 2014 European Tour campaign.

The 78 players participating will be battling it out for a prize fund of US $7million.

The top 60 players in The Race to Dubai rankings after the Turkish Airlines Open will then move on to the United Arab Emirates for the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, the final tournament on The 2014 European Tour International Schedule.

11/07/2014

McDowell Holds Halfway HSBC Lead

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Graeme McDowell maintained his brilliant form at Sheshan International to remain in command at the halfway stage of the £5.4milllion WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.

The 35-year-old Northern Irishman fired five birdies and no bogeys and has now played his last 11 rounds at the venue in 49 under par after finishing third in 2011 and again 12 months ago.

Poulter, who was runner-up to Dustin Johnson last year and won the title when it was staged at Mission Hills in 2012, birdied four of his last five holes to match McDowell's 67.

And double Masters champion Bubba Watson went one better with birdies at all five of the closing stretch in his 67 to finish six under alongside Japan's Hiroshi Iwata, whose 65 was the best score of the week so far.

McDowell won the US Open in 2010 but has yet to win one of the WGC events and told Sky Sports 4: "It would be very special. The WGC's are a special tier of events, there's no doubt about that and this has always been one I had my eye on. This one and Doral (venue for the WGC-Cadillac Championship) are the two golf courses I feel I perform well on.

"But this is a world-class field. They are bunching up behind me and I have to get out there tomorrow and keep the pedal down and position myself for Sunday and give myself a sniff on the back nine."

Asked to explain his remarkable scoring at Sheshan, McDowell added: "I think it's the fact you don't have to hit it a long way, you have to be accurate and I like these greens. I read them well here, this course is always so well presented and I just enjoy playing it.

"I didn't play as well as I did yesterday. I missed a lot more fairways, which is a big key on this golf course. You must find fairways to have a chance out there. I got lucky a couple of times and I made some good saves.

"It wasn't my best ball-striking round but I hung in there and I'm right where I want to be going into the weekend."

In contrast, Poulter was delighted with his performance in his second tournament with new Titleist clubs as he looked to put an injury-plagued campaign behind him.

"It was great. I played very, very solid," said Poulter, who has slipped to 44th in the world rankings. "Probably the best I've played all year, which is very exciting.

"It was a little frustrating the first 13 holes that I was missing chances, but four birdies in the last five holes, chances started to go in at the end, and I'm very happy.

"I played with Graeme in the last round last year and he likes this golf course and played well, and I've had success around here as well. So if you're within six shots, then you've got a great chance on Sunday."

Watson was just level par for his round after 13 holes but produced a brilliant finish with five birdies in a row, which included using his four wood to "chip" in from the fringe on the 17th after a more orthodox chip in on the previous hole.

"It was a struggle," said the left-hander, who finished eighth last year. "I hit some good shots but couldn't make some putts. Hit some bad shots and made some putts. And then to finish that strong, it was a great round of golf, or great last five holes I guess you could say.

"It's kind of like where I was last year. I was hanging around right there going into the weekend so I look forward to the challenge. Hopefully I can play a little better this time on the weekend."

World number two Adam Scott had closed to within one of McDowell with four birdies in his first six holes, but ran up a quadruple-bogey nine on the eighth after a wild hook into the trees ended in an unplayable position and his fifth shot was stymied by a large rock in front of the green.

The former Masters champion also double-bogeyed the ninth and dropped another shot on the 11th, but eagled the 14th and birdied the 16th in an eventful 72 that left him eight off the lead on two under.

10/21/2014

Rory McIlroy Takes Golfing Break

Rory McIlroy has announced a break from golf following failed mediation talks in Dublin this week, relating to his dispute with former management company, Horizon Sports. A company he was with for two years before leaving in May 2013 to start his own management company.

In the current lawsuit, McIlroy clams Horizon took advantage of his youth and lack of legal advice in his first agreement, according to Forbes last year when McIlroy first sued Horizon.

In published comments the agreed upon commissions entitled Horizon Sports Management to a rich 20% fee on all off-the-course income received by McIlroy.

The golfer claims that the commissions were excessive and resulted in an unconscionable contract, as an athlete of McIlroy’s stature should not have to pay more than 7% of earnings from endorsement deals. McIlroy also alleges that he was young, naive and failed to have the support of legal counsel when he executed the agreement containing such a compensation structure. Albeit he had already experienced a number of years with a previous management company, International Sports management based in the UK.

Horizon is countering by suing for a reported $3 million for a breach of contract.

In order to prepare for the court date McIlroy is opting out of the European Tour's BMW Masters at the end of October and the PGA Tour's WGC-HSBC Champions the second week of November. The world number is however expected to return for the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, the final event of the European Tour's 'Race to Dubai.'

No doubt these changes are bad news to the tournament sponsors.

There remains a possibility McIlroy's early 2015 tournament schedule could be affected with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic set for January. On the PGA Tour McIlroy can start as he did last season at the Honda Classic, which is convenient to his home in Florida. This year, the Honda Classic begins on February 26, and less than two months before McIlroy will attempt to win his first Masters. So the timing of the case is not ideal

Conor Ridge of Horizon Sports Management was McIlroy’s agent when he signed the sizeable 9 figure endorsement deal with Nike. Albeit one that also resulted in a lawsuit filed by Oakley based on a breach of contract claim.

Oakley’s position was the McIlroy ignored the company’s right of first refusal to match any offers that McIlroy received from a competitor of Oakley, and Oakley deemed Nike to fit the classification. The matter was ultimately settled with Oakley in November 2013.

The real issue perhaps, as identified by Forbes magazine in 2013, is that agents are entitled to commissions on all deals negotiated while they served in a representative capacity. The fact that the agent who negotiated a contract is no longer the athlete’s official representative while the term of the agreement continues has no legal effect on the agent’s right to commissions under the terms of the terminated representation agreement.

Which raises the potential entitlement due to Horizon for the balance of the years on the Nike agreement for example – if as yet unpaid.

The possibility of a 20% commission on the $25Million a year Nike deal might still carry an 8 or 9 year liability from McIlroy is a considerable chunk of change in anyone's language. And one which would explain why mediation has broken down and that may not be as open and shut case as is being reported. Or just about a US$3m counter claim

At the time the case was first made public, The Daily Telegraph reported the contract was presented to him on December 21st, 2011 in a solicitor’s office on the day of the Horizon Christmas party “in circumstances of great informality”. Since that moment things have gained a lot more formality and even the on course earnings have increased to unimaginable bake levels following the McIlroy's two major wins this season.

However as things stand the Dublin courts are destined to hear more about McIlroy’s finances next February. Which could prove unsavoury for the sports star keen on his privacy. If the assumption of the remaining commission is incorrect then it is hard to understand why paying the counter claim of US$3m would not be the most expedient solution. Given that two appearances in Asia could easily cover that for McIlroy.

Therefore there must be more than meets the eye on this one.

The onoy certainty for Horizon Sports is that losses will only further increase as Graeme McDowell is set to leave the company at the end of the year to work under his own management organisation. Which will leave Shane Lowry as the major Irish player under Horizon’s watch, along with 2010 Irish Open winner, Ross Fisher. A dramatic turn of events for an Irish company that shot to the fore in 2010 when McDowell ended the 40 year old barren run by Europeans, by winning the US Open.

These days that historic day on the eighteenth green at Pebble Beach must seem but a distant memory for all concerned these days.

10/31/2013

McIlroy Fires into HSBC Lead

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Rory McIlroy established a two shot lead on the opening day of the WGC-HSBC Champions as the former World Number One set about justifying his pre-tournament predictions.

McIlroy won five times in 2012, including a second Major title by eight shots, to finish top of the money lists on both side of the Atlantic but has yet to taste victory this season.

Down from first in the Official World Golf Ranking to sixth as a result, McIlroy is 62nd on The Race to Dubai and needs to move into the top 60 this week to have a chance of qualifying for the DP World Tour Championship in November.

McIlroy is less than €4,000 behind Garth Mulroy in 60th place, but will need to win much more than that to feel safe.

The first prize of €1,012,145 would of course take care of everything and McIlroy took confidence from his one shot victory over Tiger Woods in their 18-hole exhibition match at Mission Hills on Monday, insisting he was more likely to win in Shanghai than miss out on a trip to Dubai.

And that did not appear to be an idle boast as the 24 year old opened with a seven under par 65 to lead Wales’ Jamie Donaldson and last week’s BMW Masters champion Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño by two.

Starting from the tenth with a birdie, McIlroy gave the shot straight back at the next but also picked up shots at the 12th, 14th and 16th.

A long birdie putt was left inches short on the par three 17th but McIlroy made no such mistake from four feet on the par five 18th to reach the turn in 32, before another birdie on the first took the former World Number One into a share of the lead on five under.

McIlroy moved into the outright lead with a birdie on the par five second and although he missed from six feet to double his advantage on the third, he holed from similar distance on the next to avoid a three-putt bogey.

Open Champion Phil Mickelson emerged to join McIlroy at the top of the leaderboard with his sixth birdie of the day on the short par four seventh, the left-hander driving close to the green and producing a trademark pitch to three feet.

But in the group ahead, McIlroy holed from seven feet for a birdie on the par five eighth to regain top spot on seven under par, and Mickelson dropped four shots on the eighth moments later to undo much of his good work.

10/25/2013

Daly Milk Leads to 68

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John Daly spent three months putting ice on his elbow and chocolate milk in his belly, and he returned Thursday feeling better than he has in years.

Playing for the first time since surgery to repair the tendon in his right elbow, Daly played bogey-free in strong wind and opened with a 4-under 68 in the BMW Masters and was alone in second place, three shots behind Luke Guthrie.

Daly withdrew after three holes of the second round at The Greenbrier Classic on July 5 and had surgery a week later. He figured he would be out for at least four months, but returned a few weeks earlier than his doctor expected.

"I've always been a quick healer. I don't know why," Daly said. "He figured four months. I did everything he told me to do. I usually don't listen to anybody."

Daly received a sponsor's exemption into the BMW Masters, in part because of a relationship formed when he won the BMW International Open in Germany in 2001. The wind blew about 30 mph across many of the holes at Lake Malaren. It was a good test for Daly, because he needed to hit several three-quarter shots to keep the ball flight down in the wind. That's the shot that had been giving him trouble.

He kept bogeys off this card, picked up a pair of birdies on the par 5s and his late one on the par-3 17th. Daly caught a break on the 18th when someone stepped on his ball in the rough, allowing for a drop. He came up just short of the green, and his 50-foot chip stopped one turn away from falling.

Daly would have settled for anything around par on this blustery day in Shanghai. He said he could play well Friday and shoot 80 in this kind of wind.

The 68 exceeded his expectations. More than a number, he was pleased with how he controlled his distance.

"What's been a blessing is to be able to pinch golf shots," he said. "Full shots are easier than three-quarter shots, because you have to hit it harder. I haven't had a right hand in golf for probably six years. It feels good just having two arms to swing again. I feel like I can control the golf ball. That three-quarter shot is my bread-and-butter. You've got to have it on a day like this, and I executed it."

Daly rolled up the sleeve of his wind vest to reveal a scar on the right elbow. He said doctors inserted two screws and wrapped tendons both ways, and he never flinched or felt any pain on any of his shots.

He returned looking a bit heavier than in the summer, and part of that was by design. He felt he needed to add some weight to regain strength, and it was an easy fix.

"I drank a ton of Vitamin D milk," Daly said. "My mom always told me the old remedy was to drink a lot of milk. But I put a lot of chocolate syrup in mine."

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