Baltray Champion wins Ballantines

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2004 Nissan Irish Open winner, Brett Rumford, overcame a late wobble to win the Ballantine’s Championship after a play-off with compatriot Marcus Fraser and Scotland’s Peter Whiteford.

An eagle at the first extra hole gave the 35 year old a fourth European Tour title and first for six years after a closing 68 left him level with Fraser (68) and Whiteford (69) on 11 under par.

Rumford had raced to the turn in just 30 strokes in the final round and still led by two shots with two holes to play, only to run up a double-bogey six on the 17th after a wild drive led to a penalty drop from a bush.

Another errant tee-shot on the 18th meant Rumford eventually had to hole from eight feet to save par, and when Fraser was also unable to birdie the 543 yard par five, Whiteford knew he needed a four to win.

The 32 year old chipped to five feet after missing the green with his approach, but missed the birdie putt to finish alongside Rumford and Fraser on 11 under.

The three returned to the 18th tee and, after a quick call to coach Pete Cowen, Rumford hit a much better drive and having seen his opponents fail to reach the green in two fired a brilliant approach to four feet and eagled.

“A lot of thanks go to Pete,” said Rumford. “I battled with my driver constantly and I guess that’s what keeps me out of most golf tournaments. 

“I left a few drives right - it wasn’t just the last two drives, it was the whole back nine I was feeling stuck and a little bit trapped - had a quick word with Pete and hit a five or six balls off the first tee and it obviously did the trick.

“It was an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions out there this afternoon, obviously my last five holes yesterday and front nine today got me in a great position to take this tournament. Ballantine’s is always a tremendous sponsor and it’s just a great event.”

Rumford, who finished his third round with five consecutive birdies at Blackstone Golf Club, took that run to seven when he opened with a 20 footer on the first green then fired his approach to five feet at the next.

He then had three pars but a bunker shot to three feet at the sixth sparked a run of four straight birdies and he looked in complete control until his six-five finish.

Afterwards Rumford admitted it had been a difficult spell since his last triumph, and thanked his wife Sally for her support the day before her birthday.

“It was mixed emotions coming home and I’m really lost for words at the moment but there are a lot of people I need to thank – starting with my wife Sally,” said Rumford, after delivering a perfect early gift with his €367,500 winner’s cheque.

“It’s been pretty hard golf-wise and raising twins is not easy; she’s an amazing lady and she’s a great support to me and that’s why I’m standing here today. 

“I’m really pleased with the result and I owe a lot to Ronnie my caddy and I’ve got a great team around me.” 

While Whiteford was understandably frustrated to miss out on a maiden victory, earning enough to secure his card for next season was some consolation having not recorded a top-ten finish since August.

“I'm sure once it's all settled it will be a great week,” he said. “Probably made just enough to keep my card now - I know that's not what I should be thinking about, but I’ve done that and can press on for the rest of the season. 

“Guys like me don't get many chances to win tournaments, and whatever it was, four or five feet, hit a decent putt and didn't go in. But to be fair, at least we got beat by a three on the last and didn't throw it away - Brett deserves it in the play-off there.” 

France's Romain Wattel finished fourth on nine under par, with World Number Seven Louis Oosthuizen a shot further back. Overnight leader Alex Noren suffered a penalty shot at the second when his ball moved a fraction as he addressed his par putt, eventually carding a 74 to finish in a tie for sixth.

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McGinley 65 Still Not Enough

 

Paul McGinley put together a spectacular run of birdies to move to within a shot of the lead during the third round of the Ballantine’s Championship. The former Ryder Cup hero, who won the last of his four European Tour titles back in 2005, started with five birdies in his first six holes at Blackstone Golf Club.

He added another again at the 12th, and then at the 18th to sign for a third round 65 and 7 under for the tournament.

But it was Bernd Wiesberger who again took complete control after a second consecutive 65  at the Blackstone Golf Club. One clear of 2010 champion Marcus Fraser overnight, Wiesberger matched his own course record to reach 14 under par.

“I think that's what we call a great day at the office,” the Austrian said afterwards. “It was fun out there. It was nice conditions again like yesterday, and really nice set up for the course. I enjoyed myself out there, made a lot of putts and that was the key to another perfect day.” 

A 15 footer for birdie at the fourth and a five foot putt at the sixth kept him ahead on the front nine, and he forged clear with a spectacular inward 31.

The 26 year old barely missed a putt after the turn, holing a 12 footer for birdie at the tenth, converting from ten feet for another gain at the 12th, then preventing a first dropped shot in 36 holes by saving par from 15 feet at the 13th.

That was followed by a brilliant downhill 20 footer for birdie at the 14th, and Wiesberger displayed his all-round talents with a tee shot to two feet at the 16th and a chip to within a foot at the last.“Out there on the greens I really felt like I saw the lines perfectly today and I putted the ball nicely,” added Wiesberger, who won twice on The Challenge Tour in 2010 and was a runner-up twice on The European Tour last year. 

“It feels like I'm getting into position more often, and played well when I was in those positions in the last half of the year last year. It was a good preparation the last two years, and I hope it pays off tomorrow.”

Australian Fraser played some fine golf in his 69, but in contrast to his playing partner struggled to get the putter going and now has five shots to make up in the final round.

Chile’s Felipe Aguilar (68) and England’s Oliver Fisher (67) share third on eight under, with Ryder Cup veterans Miguel Angel Jiménez and Paul McGinley a shot further back.

But they will all need something special to catch Wiesberger and Fraser certainly feels it will be difficult to stop the runaway leader claiming his first European Tour title.

“I felt really comfortable out there, hit a lot of good shots inside 20 feet, and just couldn't get anything going,” said the 33 year old.

“I hit putts where I was wanting to hit them, but they just weren't taking the break. 

“I felt like I was playing chase out there most of the day and trying to keep up. Bernd is playing great - so much game and definitely a star of The European Tour to come. He's obviously a great player now but he's got big things in front of him, that's for sure. 

“It reflects the way he's playing. He played great here and gives himself a chance on every hole and he's a great putter, as well. 

“If I was a betting man, I would put the house on him. He's just played so well and looks very comfortable.”

Shane Lowry signed for a third round 70 and share of 29th place on 2 under par.

Gareth Maybin was one strike further back with an improved 67 on day three.

Damien McGrane was 2 over par overall after Saturday's round of 73.

Clarke Misses out in Incheon

Darren Clarke carded a level par second round on Friday, after an opening round of 77, and just misses the cut by one stroke at the Ballantine's Championship. The tough weather conditions at the Blackstone Golf club on the opening day left him battling at five over par total to earn a weekend stay.

Gareth Maybin on the other hand just made the mark after a second round 75 left him on +4 overall - and one stroke to the good.

Damien McGrane, Shane Lowry and Paul McGinley are alllevel for the torunament at close of play on Friday. 

But it is Bernd Wiesberger who leads and believes he is mentally ready to win his first European Tour title after taking full advantage of benign morning conditions to lead at the halfway stage.

The 26 year old Austrian carded a brilliant seven under par 65, and having opened with a respectable level par 72 on a blustery first day, leads by one from Australian Marcus Fraser.

Wiesberger was twice a runner-up in his rookie season last year, and having been beaten in a five-man play-off at Gleneagles by Thomas Björn feels he has gained some crucial experience to help him over the weekend.

“Last year I've always kind of hung in there,” he said. “So I feel comfortable up there. It's different for you if you go in the last day as the leader, but we'll see how it goes. 

“We'll see how tomorrow goes, and I'll just take it easy and hope that I have a nice day tomorrow.”

After starting on the back nine and turning in 33, Wiesberger holed a 20 footer for birdie at the second, knocked in a 25 foot uphill putt at the fifth, and struck his approach to five feet at the sixth.

That took him into a share of the lead, and the two-time Challenge Tour winner finished by holing a downhill chip from the rough at the ninth to complete a blemish-free second round.

Fraser, who won this title on Jeju Island in 2010, signed for a 67 that left the 33 year old one ahead of Swede Oskar Floren.

“Today I couldn't really do anything wrong really,” added Wiesberger. “It felt like everything was going in the right direction. 

“I’m just trying to hit a lot of greens and try and hit on the right spots, which is important here. It's a tricky golf course when you hit into the wrong places.” 

Fraser started on the back nine and turned in 32 after four birdies, the last of which came when he chipped to within a foot from a greenside bunker at the par five 18th.

He then added further gains at the first and second, the latter after an approach to five feet, but bogeyed both par threes on the front nine and only a birdie at the fifth kept him in solo second.

“Obviously yesterday was very windy, pretty tricky for everybody,” said the two-time European Tour winner. 

“And then today was completely different. We basically had no wind for most of the day and then it kicked up a little bit over the last maybe five, six holes. But overall, I’m very happy and very pleased with the way it's going at the moment.” 

Asked what it was about the Ballantine’s Championship that brought the best out of him Fraser joked: “It's obviously just the alcohol – I can't really survive without it! 

“It's obviously one of our premiere events now on The European Tour, and Ballantine's have been such a great sponsor and product. It’s just a great week and somewhere I love coming back.”

Floren was level par for his round and the tournament with five holes to play, but followed birdies at the 14th, 16th and 17th with an eagle three at the 18th.

“I hit a terrible, terrible tee shot on 14 but got a break with it and hit a good shot in and knocked in the birdie,” he said. “From there on, I hit only good shots.”

Spanish Ryder Cup star Miguel Angel Jiménez, England’s Anthony Wall and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar share fourth on four under, with none of the afternoon starters able to break into the top six in much windier conditions.

McGinley in Early Ballantines Mix

Paul McGinley battled the cold and gusting winds that greeted yesterday's early starters at the Ballantines Championship in Korea where self-belief was essential firing through swirling breezes and marked elevations to tiny target areas on Blackstone's rolling greens.


McGinley (45) signed for a one-under-par 71, which left him three off the lead in a tie for seventh with, among others, pre-tournament favourite Adam Scott.


Though tired after a day's toil on undulating hillside terrain, McGinley revealed that he had "absolutely no problem" with the chronic knee injuries that have hampered him so badly in recent years.

"I shortened my schedule a little at the start of this season and I've definitely reaped the benefit. I'm really with my knee," he said. "The biggest challenge now is not physical, it's mental -- trusting it and getting onto my left side (in the swing)."

McGinley is even looking forward with optimism to the summer.

"I've only played four events this year. From Wentworth on, I'll play a full schedule, the tournaments I normally play. Hopefully, I'll be nice and fresh this year," added McGinley, who had three birdies and just two bogeys on a day in which potential disaster lurked around every dog-leg.

Scott had to recover from a double-bogey six at dawn after hitting a stiff-limbed approach into the greenside hazard at 10, and Victor Dubuisson (22) needed to sink 18-foot putts for bogey at one and par at two before going on to post the stunning 68 which gave him the first-round lead.

Gareth Maybin played the front nine brilliantly in three-under, but stumbled on the way home to a level-par 72 which still edged him into the top 20.

Damien McGrane opened with a 73, Shane Lowry shot 74 and Darren Clarke returned from his honeymoon with a ring-rusty 77.

Clarke looking for Korean Dazzle

Darren Clarke wants to leave the Ballantine’s Championship with silverware in his hands on Sunday night. But, unlike the rest of the field, the Ulsterman was the only player to arrive in Korea with a very special trophy already in his luggage.

Nine months ago the 43 year old completed the greatest victory of his illustrious professional career when he claimed The 140th Open Championship, holding off Americans Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson to triumph at Royal St George’s.

As well as worldwide acclaim and a place in the annals of golfing history for all time, Clarke also received one very special reward for his victory, the famous Claret Jug, recognised across the globe as perhaps the most famous trophy in golf.

Naturally proud of his achievement, Clarke endeavours to take the trophy with him to as many places in the world as he plays and Korea is no exception, the Claret Jug taking pride of place on the table at the Gala Dinner which heralded the start of the Ballantine’s Championship week.

“I must admit that the Gala Dinner went really well last night,” he said. “I had the Claret Jug there last night and there were a lot of pictures taken with it. It's certainly a privilege for me to bring it with me most places where I go.”

Clarke enjoyed another memorable celebration earlier this month when he married his fiancée Alison Campbell, the former Miss Northern Ireland, at a beach ceremony in the Bahamas, attended by Clarke’s sons Tyrone and Conor, close friends and family and Clarke’s manager Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler.

The couple met in 2009 after having been introduced by fellow European Tour professional Graeme McDowell and Alison was by Clarke’s side in Kent last summer when he triumphed in The Open Championship.

“It has been a special couple of weeks, that’s for certain, and it was good to have the opportunity to have a little break and get married again. I feel very lucky, but it is back to work again now and I’ll be trying to get back into my golf again.”

Clarke has enjoyed 14 victories on The European Tour International Schedule in addition to numerous successes around the globe including winning the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan in successive seasons in 2004-05 and the BMW Asian Open in China in 2008.

But he admitted he is looking forward to trying to add to his title haul with a first success in Korea on his debut over the demanding Blackstone Golf Club layout.

“It is my first time here, I have not played the course before, but obviously heard a lot of good things from the tournament and about the golf course from other players,” he said.

“It's another good field again and because of that there are a lot of World Ranking points on offer. As a result, I'm sure it will be another great week.”

Clarke Returns to Ballantine's

The Open Champion, Darren Clarke, returns to action this week keen to regain his winning touch and does so after a disappointing Masters - where injury almost forced him to drop out. The event in Korea follows his honeymoon after his wedding to Alison in Barbados in days after the Augusta trip.

Clarke heads the Irish field at The Ballantine’s Championship this week, where he is joined by Shane Lowry, Damien McGrane and Gareth Maybin who played in China last weekend.

Paul McGinley also returns to action following a missed cut at The Sicilian Open a fortnight ago.

The event toasts its fifth anniversary this week with a strong list of international stars at Blackstone Golf Club near Seoul all hoping to kick start their seasons - Adam Scott, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter. 

The home challengers are led by Korean trio KT Kim, Bae Sang-moon and YE Yang, the first Asian player to win a Major Championship.

Jiménez will be looking to go one better than last year when he finished one stroke behind winner Lee Westwood, with the Spaniard player searching for his 19th European Tour title.

He will face some stern competition from Clarke and Poulter, two players who have consistently exhibited the ‘true character’ trait which is emblematic of the Ballantine’s brand.

Poulter returns to Blackstone Golf Club following a hugely encouraging final round performance in last week’s Volvo China Open, when he improved on a frustrating first three days with an impressive closing six under par 66.

That, according to the 36 year old Englishman, was the perfect preparation for this week’s €2,205,000 event, the second staging of the tournament at the exclusive Blackstone resort.

“I am looking forward to getting out there after the final round in China,” said Poulter, who recorded a career-best seventh place finish at the Masters Tournament at the start of the month.

“The first three days in China were frustrating because I was hitting the ball well, but then to go out on Sunday and make a load of birdies and leave a few out there as well tells me I could have gone very low.

“That’s good for the confidence heading to the Ballantine’s Championship, and I feel that I can go there and put on a show. I was disappointed to miss the cut last year because it is a golf course that should suit me and is one that really fits my eye.

“There are a lot of elevation changes, and there are a number of tee shots that you need to be really aggressive on, and I like that. I am driving the ball very well at the moment, and when I do that on any golf course I am going to give myself chances.

“We have some great players in the field this week and if I can keep that standard of play that I had last Sunday then I am pretty hopeful that I can come out on top.”

Kim, Bae and Yang, who are all inside the top 60 on the Official World Golf Ranking, carry the Korean hopes, with World Number 32 Sang-moon having shown some fine form so far this year, including losing to Luke Donald in a play-off in the Transitions Championship on the US PGA Tour.

Australian Scott, winner of last year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, is the highest ranked player in the 156-man field, and he will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Marcus Fraser, who won the Ballantine’s Championship in 2010, and who will be buoyed by a strong performance in China last week, where he finished in a tie for sixth place behind the South African Branden Grace.

“I can’t wait to get back to Korea,” he said. “The Blackstone Golf Club is a very impressive place, and I played well last year and defended my title well.

“The club really suits the Ballantine’s brand – it is very classy and just the perfect place for tournament like the Ballantine’s Championship. They are as good a sponsor as we have in Tour. I went to the gala dinner last year as defending champion and it was one of the most impressive events I have ever been to.

“The golf course is great and suits me off the tee – hopefully I can make enough putts and give myself a chance.

“I played really well in China all week and the game feels like it is really coming together. I think over the past six or seven months I have been playing some of the best golf of my career so I am hoping to continue on that path.

“Winning the Ballantine’s Championship really kicked my career off again. I went there having not one in six years or so it was a massive confidence boost. It goes without saying I’d love to win it again.”