The Irish Golf Club Gazette: Chambers Bay

Showing posts with label Chambers Bay. Show all posts

8/09/2015

McIlroy Declares PGA Fitness

Rory McIlroy effectively declared himself fit for his title defence in next week’s PGA Championship at Whistling Straits when he told Golf Channel on Sunday that his rehabilitated left ankle was a “non-issue”.

The Northern Irishman, out of action since he ruptured a ligament in his ankle while playing soccer with friends on July 4th, spoke after playing 18 holes of practice for a second day in a row at the venue in Kohler, Wisconsin.

After his first practice round at Whistling Straits on Saturday, where he was seen scampering up the hills on the undulating layout, McIlroy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel his ankle was “good” before he headed off to the parking lot.

Obviously, getting around a golf course like this, playing 18 holes, it felt fine,” the four-times major winner said. “I’ve come a long way in five weeks. This has been the five-week mark today from when I did it.”

McIlroy, 26, does not have to commit to the PGA Championship, which starts on Thursday, until his official tee time for the opening round.

He has been grouped with Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth and British Open winner Zach Johnson for the first two rounds of the PGA, the year’s final major.

Should McIlroy tee off as expected on Thursday, it would be just 40 days since he suffered an injury that some medical experts said might take about three months to heal.

It also would be more than seven weeks since McIlroy tied for ninth in the US Open at Chambers Bay in his most recent competitive start and would give the PGA Championship a huge boost.

7/03/2015

McDowell Misses French Cut

Graeme McDowell admits he has work to do on his game after missing the cut at Le Golf National.

The Northern Irishman's bid for a third successive title in France came to a frustratingly early end, as the former US Open champion's poor form continued.

McDowell was one of the early starters on Friday after thunderstorms had left 42 players unable to complete their opening rounds on day one, making par at the 18th to close and opening 72 and lie within four of the lead.

However, after a short break McDowell was back out on the course which will stage the 2018 Ryder Cup and slumped to a second round of 78, his worst score in 32 rounds at the venue.

The 35-year-old failed to register a single birdie during his second round, posting three bogeys and two double-bogeys, including at the second after sending his shot in to the hazard, to end the week eight over.

"I struggled to get in the fairway mainly and, as firm and as fast as this course is, if you're not hitting the fairway you have a bit of a problem getting close to the flag," McDowell said. "It's just a bad first nine both days.

"I rescued it coming in last night but it was a fast turnaround from a 9pm finish last night to an early start this morning and I just didn't come out of the blocks this morning at all.

"It's very disappointing, this course has been so good to me over the years, just not to be this year. It's a work in progress, I'll keep grinding and it's a big summer ahead."

It leaves McDowell without a top-ten finish since February's Dubai Desert Classic, with the Ryder Cup star in danger of dropping out of the world's top 50 unless he can produces an upturn in results.

"I have a lot of technique in my head to be honest and I have to strip that out," McDowell told Sky Sports 4. "I've got to get back to basics and try to clear the mind.

"I've been working too hard on trying to get the technique fixed and been making it worse. I know it's in there; you take the rough with the smooth and it's been a great three or four years. I will dig this out and I'll be back."

7/02/2015

Leona Maguire Makes Strong Start

Leona Maguire that she was talking of the chances that slipped by after opening with a three-under 69 in the first round of the ISPS HANDA Ladies European Masters.

Playing on a sponsor’s invite, the 20-year-old from Cavan hit 16 greens in her opening round at The Buckinghamshire Golf Club near London, carding four birdies and a single bogey for a place in the clubhouse top 10.

The Duke University golfer made the brightest of starts with a birdie at the par-five 10th before successive birdies on the 13th and 14th holes got her to three under early in her round.
Four straight pars saw her to the turn in 33 strokes and the consistency in her play saw her continue her back nine with another five pars from the first.

She got to four under with a birdie three at the par-four sixth before giving up her only shot to par of the round with a bogey five at the eighth to finish on three under, three shots behind France’s Sophie Giquel-Bettan, who carded a 66.

“I’m really happy because I got off to a great start and made a few birdies in the first few holes, so I was three under though nine,” said Maguire.

“I had quite a few chances on the back nine but a few putts didn’t drop. I hit 16 greens, so it was pretty steady. I birdied a couple of the par fives and hit all the ones on the back nine, starting on the 10th.”

Maguire’s only bogey came on her penultimate hole, which at 425 yards was the longest of the par-fours.

“I made a bogey on eight after hitting a good drive but my second was left of the green in the hay so I had to hack at it to get on the green and then had two putts from there so it was a good bogey really, because the pin was long and the hole was playing tricky,” added Maguire.

“I’d have taken a three under going out this morning and it’s a good score. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

6/29/2015

Sharvin Clinches Brabazon

Cormac Sharvin continued his season of consistency when he lifted the English men’s open stroke-play title for the Brabazon Trophy over the Hollinwell course at Nottingham at the weekend.

The 22-year-old star from Ardglass who has been prominent in stroke-play events in Scotland, Wales and Ireland this summer already became the first Irishman since Rory McIlroy in 2006 to hold aloft the famous Trophy.

Sharvin who had put himself in pole position with a stunning five under par 67 on Friday to take the lead finished with a solid 70 for a 72-hole aggregate of seven under par 281.

And that total gave him a one-stroke victory over fellow Irishman and Walker Cup player Gavin Moynihan, the Dubliner who plays out of The Island.

Sharvin carded four birdies on the outward half and just one on the homeward stretch but seven pars to finish were sufficient for him to edge home.

Moynihan posted a brilliant concluding 66 which included two bogeys in the last three holes. An eagle three on the long sixth hole was the highlight of Moynihan’s final round.

In what was an excellent tournament for the Irish contingent Jack Hume of Naas ended in joint third place with the English pair of Charlie Danielson and Paul Kinnea, all carding totals of 284 – four under par. Paul Dunne tied for ninth spot with Kevin Le Blanc and Dermot McElroy in 11th place.

These performances will almost certainly cement places for Sharvin, Moynihan and Hume in the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup side to face the Americans at Royal Lytham and St Annes in September.

“I have been pretty consistent all season apart from a hiccup at the Amateur and it is great to win this big one – a tournament every amateur international targets,” said Sharvin.

He will now hope to help Ireland win the Euro Team Championships for the first time since 2008 and then play a major role in the Home Internationals before heading to Lytham.

6/23/2015

Darren Made in Denmark

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Darren Clarke has confirmed he will play in the 2015 Made in Denmark, the tournament which made such a successful debut on The European Tour International Schedule last summer.

Nearly 75,000 spectators flocked to Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort over the four days last year, creating an electric atmosphere which Clarke is keen to experience this time around.

“I’ve heard so much about the tournament from all my friends who were there,” said the 46 year old, who won The Open Championship in 2011. “The crowds are supposed to be absolutely sensational and I’m really looking forward to playing there this year.

“Thomas Bjørn is one of my best and oldest friends on Tour and he has spoken so highly of the Made in Denmark. We’ve played so much golf together so I trust him when he says it’s a fantastic tournament.

“With him playing there and another home favourite in Thorbjørn Olesen, I’m sure it will be another huge and successful event.”

Tournament promoter Flemming Astrup said: “We are very happy to have Darren Clarke in our field this year. He is a great golfer and always a pleasure to watch on a golf course. So our many fans really have something to look forward to.”

6/22/2015

Spieth Heads Towards Top Spot

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Jordan Spieth has closed the gap on world No 1 Rory McIlroy to less than two average ranking points after his US Open win.

The 21-year-old American’s second major triumph of the season lifted his average to 11.06 ranking points per event, up from 9.28.

Northern Irishman McIlroy dropped from 12.92 to 12.77 after finishing in a share of ninth place at Chambers Bay on Sunday.

American Dustin Johnson jumped four places to third in the list after his agonising near miss in the US Open, when he three-putted the last hole to finish one shot behind Spieth.

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, who shared second place with Johnson, returns to the top 20 in 16th.

England's Justin Rose is up one place to fourth, while Australia's Jason Day, who played on at Chambers Bay after collapsing from vertigo to finish alongside McIlroy on level par, rises from 10th to eighth.

Australian Cameron Smith is the big mover up the list from 167th to 89th after finishing in a share of fourth place.

Former world No 1 Tiger Woods has tumbled a further 10 places to 205th after his miserable run continued as he missed the cut at the US Open after firing an 80 and a 76 in the opening two rounds.

Latest leading positions and points average:

1 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 12.77

2 Jordan Spieth (USA) 11.05

3 Dustin Johnson (USA) 6.97

4 Justin Rose (Eng) 6.65

5 Bubba Watson (USA) 6.64

6 Jim Furyk (USA) 6.61

7 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 6.44

8 Jason Day (Aus) 5.90

9 Sergio Garcia (Esp) 5.84

10 Rickie Fowler (USA) 5.70

11 Adam Scott (Aus) 5.38

12 Jimmy Walker (USA) 5.17

13 JB Holmes (USA) 4.78

14 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 4.52

15 Patrick Reed (USA) 4.29

16 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 4.10

17 Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.08

18 Chris Kirk (USA) 4.02

19 Billy Horschel (USA) 3.96

20 Phil Mickelson (USA) 3.87

Some If's and Putts for Lowry

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Shane Lowry admitted the 115th US Open Championship had been a bittersweet experience, as he left Chambers Bay proud at having achieved his joint highest finish in a Major, but feeling he might have come away with the trophy.

A closing round of 71 meant Lowry finished in a tie for ninth place alongside fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy and Australian Jason Day on level par but, with a better performance on Chambers Bay’s notoriously testing greens, he may have been challenging Jordan Spieth for the title.

Lowry mixed two birdies with four bogeys in an eventful back nine in which, by his own admission, nerves got the better of him at times.

But he grew in composure as the round progressed, making gains at the tenth, 12th and 16th holes and making – yet spurning – countless other opportunities.

A closing bogey left a somewhat sour taste in Lowry’s mouth, but the two-time European Tour champion still left Seattle with experience and positives aplenty.

He said: “I feel like I played the golf today to really have a chance to win at the end, but I missed a couple of short putts for par that you can’t be doing on days like this. I just didn’t do enough on the greens this week – if I’d holed a few more putts, I would’ve had a chance coming down the stretch.

“Even then, I was thinking if I could birdie 17 and 18 and get to three under, I’d have a chance. In the end it wasn’t to be, but it was still a good week for me and I’m probably back inside the top 50 in the world. That was a good coming into the week, so I’m pleased to have achieved that.

“It was a long day today, and I’ll learn from it. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole week, to be honest. I loved the golf course, and I loved how tough it played. Tough courses tend to suit me and bring the best out of me. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how I played. When you walk away from a Major Championship and you feel like you played the golf to win, you’ve got to be happy with yourself.”

6/21/2015

Lowry Positive in Chambers

Shane Lowry is Europe's best chance of a fifth US Open victory in the last six years after benefiting from a positive attitude at Chambers Bay.

The course and conditions have come in for a large amount of criticism, with Masters champion Jordan Spieth calling the 18th "dumb" and "unbelievably stupid" when played as a par four and Henrik Stenson comparing the greens to "putting on broccoli."

USGA executive director Mike Davis said players would need 10 practice rounds to get to grips with the course, which only opened in 2007 - but 36 holes of practice were enough for Lowry to finish his third round on one under par, three off the lead shared by Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Branden Grace.

"I said to my caddie coming up the last, it's probably one of the most enjoyable days I've had at a golf course in a while," Lowry said after a second consecutive 70 which featured three birdies and three bogeys.

"Being in contention in a tournament like this, what more do you want? It's great. I'm excited about tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. It's tough. It's very tough. But I think it's playable. I think it's been getting a lot of stick.

"The greens are not the best surfaces, but if you hit a good putt nine times out of 10 it goes in. Sometimes you hit a good putt and it misses. That's the thing a lot of players are focusing on.

"It's tough to hit greens but at the end of the day it's a US Open. If you missed the green at Pinehurst last year you couldn't chip. I think that was a little more unfair than this is."

Asked if such an attitude was vital, the 28-year-old added: "Yeah, I said it about three or four months ago. A couple of guys came up and played here and then I saw a few comments on Twitter from a few people. Talking about the golf course before you get here is not necessarily the right thing to do.

"You want to get here and see it and see how it plays. When I got here on Monday I thought, yeah, it's a bit funky, like the first (hole) if you miss it left.

"But the more you play it, the more it grows on you and that's what I felt. And that was one of the reasons I think I'm in the position I'm in today. It would obviously mean everything (to win). I'm going to go out there and give it a hundred per cent tomorrow and what happens will happen.

"I think if I played the way I played today I should have a chance coming down the last few holes."

8/09/2015

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