McGrane Returns to Volvo China Open

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Damien McGrane returns to the Volvo China Open this week and plays in an event where he emerged as the outright winner in 2008 when it was hosted in Beijing. As a former winner McGrane enjoys an exemption and so returns to a European Tour event following his loss of playing rights at W School in PGA de Catalunya last year.

Michael Hoey joins him this week as the only other Irish player and will be keen to recover from the missed cut last week at the Shenzen International. Next week Hoey is due to play the Trophee Hassan in Morocco an event he won in 2012.

A strong international field, including a number of those in action at last week’s Masters such as Bernd Wiesberger, Victor Dubuisson and Kiradech Aphibarnrat, will battle it out overlooking one of the most impressive wonders of the world - the Great Wall of China - when the 22nd staging of the Volvo China Open tees off at Topwin Golf and Country Club next week.

As the entry list closed for the 2016 edition of China’s national open championship, it revealed that a truly international field containing golfers from no fewer than 28 countries will line up in Beijing, as the tournament returns to the capital for the first time since 2009. 

It is also Ryder Cup and Olympics year, and players from all over the world will be keen to make a mark and put themselves in contention for an appearance at two of sport's biggest occasions. The line-up includes 13 of the Top 100 golfers in the world, and no fewer than ten former holders of the Volvo China Open.

Wiesberger, Austria’s most successful golfer of all time with three wins on the European Tour, said: “I am really looking forward to playing the Volvo China Open – I have not played the event in seven years so it will be great to see how it has grown as a tournament since 2009.

"I have had a pretty good record in China in recent years and it is a place I always enjoy visiting. Beijing is such a vibrant city, it’s always an exciting place to be and I have heard Topwin Golf and Country Club is very close to the Great Wall of China so it will be a really cool experience to see that.  

"My form this year has been steady but I am really keen to push for more titles heading into the summer and hopefully I can do that in Beijing by claiming my first victory on Chinese soil."

Frenchman Dubuisson has a strong track record of top five finishes in Volvo events such as the Volvo Golf Champions, the Volvo World Match Play Championship and the Volvo China Open, and he will have his eyes on the trophy in Beijing. He said: “It has been three years since I competed in the Volvo China Open, so I am looking forward to returning this year - especially at a new venue.

"I have always enjoyed playing this tournament and am determined to get my first win in China at Topwin Golf and Country Club. Chinese events are always great fun and always very well organised, so I’m sure it will be a great week.”

Defending Champion Ashun is keen on keeping the crown and he said: “I’m looking forward to playing in Beijing and I am totally committed to defending my title. There hasn’t been a top international professional golf tournament in Beijing for a long time. I truly believe that with the championship coming back to Beijing, it will have another profound impact on the development of golf in China.”

With the venue so close to the Chinese capital, large crowds are expected to enjoy all that is on offer; world-class golf, the unique environment by the Great Wall, and the chance to experience the Spectator Village where golf and all manner of Volvo activities are on offer. 

The 22nd staging of the Volvo China Open will take place from April 28 to May 1. Volvo was the first western brand to engage with golf in China in 1995, and this will be Volvo’s 85th tournament on the European Tour. The tournament is organised by the China Golf Association with Volvo as co-organiser and promoter, and is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and OneAsia.

A Truly Special Season - Rory McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy has described being crowned as European Tour No 1 for a second time as "truly special" as he reflected on a memorable 2014 campaign.

The world No 1 was confirmed as the winner of the Race to Dubai following Brook's Koepka's victory at the Turkish Airlines Open, the penultimate tournament of the European Tour's Final Series.

Closest rival Henrik Stenson closed with a 64 to claim outright third place in Antalya, finishing three shots adrift of Koepka, but the Swede is a distant 2,726,514 points behind McIlroy with only 1,666,600 on offer to the winner of next week's season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

McIlroy, 25, also added another record to his collection as he became the youngest player in history to capture the Harry Vardon Trophy twice having claimed his first in 2012.

The Northern Irishman ended an 18-month title drought with his victory at the BMW PGA Championship in May, and he returned to the top of the world rankings with a stunning run of form in July and August.

He captured his first Open Championship crown at Royal Liverpool before winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, his fourth major victory.

"This has obviously been the best season of my career by a long way, and to win The Race to Dubai for the second time really is something truly special"

“This has obviously been the best season of my career by a long way, and to win The Race to Dubai for the second time really is something truly special," said McIlroy, who will return to action in Dubai next week after taking time off to prepare for a court case involving his former management company.

"That four-week spell over the summer, from The Open to the US PGA Championship, would have to be the best golf of my life, so I feel like I’ve really earned The Race to Dubai.

“Winning it for the first time two years ago was a fantastic feeling, but I feel like I’m now a more complete player and my all-round game has moved to another level. I’ve put in a lot of hard work this season, with my game and my fitness, so it’s nice to get the rewards at the end of it.

“In some ways the pressure is off next week, but I’ll fight very hard to end the year on a high with another victory. I’ve a great record in this tournament, and in Dubai generally, having secured my first European Tour win there in 2009.

“Finishing with five birdies to win the DP World Tour Championship in 2012 is right up there with my best performances on The European Tour, so every time I go back to Jumeirah Golf Estates, it always brings back some happy memories.

“It’s a great tournament to finish the season with, and if I can notch up another win it really will complete an amazing year. I’m looking forward to getting out on the golf course and feeling that competitive edge again.”

European Tour chief executive George O'Grady added: “During another season of incredible success for the European Tour, with our members winning three of the four major championships, it says something about his outstanding form that Rory ends the year as the dominant player not only on our Tour, but on the world stage.

“Given the extraordinary success he has achieved, it is only right that the season should culminate in Rory winning the Harry Vardon Trophy for the second time, and it would be no surprise to anyone if he were to end his campaign with another win in Dubai next week.

"He is a credit both to himself and the European Tour, and a most deserving winner of The Race to Dubai.”

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Rory Out of Woods - Tiger

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Tiger Woods believes Rory McIlroy is slowly getting his game back on track and predicted that the former world No1 would claim his first victory of the year by the end of December.

McIlroy was on top of the world at the end of 2012, having won the orders of merit on both sides of the Atlantic, but he has had a turbulent season this year on and off the course.

The Northern Irishman changed his clubs to Nike in January, a switch that was criticised by several pundits. He is also in the middle of a bitter court dispute with his former management team and, according to media reports, has split from his girlfriend, Caroline Wozniacki.

"He is playing better and swinging a lot better," Woods said. "You can see that some of the stuff he and his coach are working on is starting to come together.

"He's starting to put together a few good rounds, now he just has to make a few more putts. I can definitely see him winning sometime this year because his game has come around."

Woods, winner of 14 major titles and currently world No1, had a close-up view of McIlroy when he lost to the twice major winner in a lucrative head-to-head exhibition match on China's Hainan Island on Monday.

The two golfers are both based in Florida and the 37-year-old American said he and McIlroy, now world No 6, had formed an excellent relationship.

"Rory has become a good friend of mine over probably the past year, year and a half," Woods said. "It seems like every tournament we're paired together, we're also playing practice rounds together and we have really hit it off.

"He plays on both tours, US and European, so we see each other at big events and, when we do, we try and play practice rounds whenever we can."

The American is to miss the final World Golf Championship event of the season in Shanghai this week but will compete in next week's Turkish Open.

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McIlroy Wins Mission Hills

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Rory McIlroy beat Tiger Woods by one shot in an 18-hole exhibition event in Haikou, China, to claim victory in the event for the second year in succession.

Woods had an opportunity to tie the match at the final hole but failed in a 20-foot eagle attempt to hand McIlroy the victory.

While the tournament is meaningless in all, bar the considerable appearance money on offer to both players, victory will come as some relief to the 24-year-old former world No. 1 after his recent travails. 

Despite the relatively relaxed nature of the event, he will be delighted with his form.

McIlroy struck eight birdies to Tiger's seven, while a double bogey at the fifth was cancelled out by two dropped shots from his opponent over the course of the round.

The Northern Irishman has spent the last few weeks in Asia, playing tournaments in Seoul and Shanghai, but he has been unable to come close to ending his long title drought.

The event in Hainan province was expected to earn McIlroy close to £1 million, per The Telegraph, with Woods earning well in excess of that figure as China continues to flex its financial muscle to attract major sporting stars and events to the country.

A relative non-event on the international golf calendar, the day was given major billing by the Chinese media.

Besides the round, the golfers were also involved in a skills demonstration with young Chinese prodigy Guan Tianlang, who, at age 14, played the Masters at Augusta last year.

McIlroy said afterwards: "I've seen a lot of promising signs over the past few weeks in practice and also in competitive play.

"I still have four tournaments left until the end of the season and I would love to finish 2013 strongly and get a little bit of momentum going into next season. But I think as I showed out there, I'm hitting the ball well."

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McIlroy Suffers in Korea

OneAsia

Rory McIlroy suffered a frustrating third day at the Kolon Korea Open, missing birdie putts on the way to the ninth and with no better fortune on the run for home at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club - to finally card a 75. 

The worlds number 6 now heads into Sunday at one over and tied for 13th place.

Kim Hyung-tae will take a commanding four-stroke lead into the final round of OneAsia's Kolon Korea Open on Sunday after a flawless five-under-par 66 that left him nine under for the tournament.

Overnight leader Hong Soon-sang kept pace on the outward nine of the 6,582-metre (7,198-yard) Woo Jeong Hills Country Club course, but three bogeys coming home saw him slip to sole second place with a 71.

Kim, winner of the Korean PGA Championship earlier this year -- his fifth title on the domestic tour -- took command of the one billion won (U.S. $950,000) tournament with four birdies in five holes from the fourth.

"I had a good feeling about this week," said the 36-year-old, whose wife gave birth to their first son last month.

"We've tried seven years to have a child and so whenever I need a boost, I just look at his face, or his picture, and it makes me very happy."

Kim has been a fixture on the Korean tour since turning pro in 2000, but spent last year in Japan before losing his card after a frustrating season where his best finish was joint 16th.

A member of OneAsia since the tour's founding in 2009, Kim lost to China's Liang Wenchong in a three-hole playoff at the 2010 Chengdu Luxehills Open. The two have since become close friends.

"I am playing with confidence," said Kim, who will become the first player in 42 years to do the Korean "Major Double" if he adds the Open crown to his PGA Championship title.

"I think there is a reason why people can't do it, it's hard," he said. "I will try to focus only on my game tomorrow and not think about history."

McIlroy, whose presence here has boosted the ranking points for the tournament, said he would try to go low in Sunday's final round.

"Last time here (in 2011) I shot 64 in the last round so it would need something probably similar or a little better to have a chance," he said.

"A frustrating day, because I was in contention after two days and if you shoot a solid score today you're right in there. I've just got to go out there tomorrow and shoot the best score that I can."

The Northern Irishman's day was summed up by the double-bogey he made on the par-four 10th. He splayed his tee shot to the right and had to improvise a left-handed recovery pitch from the base of a tree before landing his approach to within 15 feet of the pin. Three putts later he walked off shaking his head.

"I just think the story of the day is that I missed a lot of putts, missed a lot of chances for birdies at the start of the round and then missed a few short ones for pars in the middle and end of the round. That's really what it was," he said.

"It's a struggle, especially where they've put some of the pin positions. It's tough to get yourself to commit to a certain line because you'll hit a few and they'll go through the break, and some turn more than others. It's just tough to commit to the line you choose."

Winless since changing club manufacturer earlier this year, McIlroy refused to be downcast.

"I wanted to come here and play; it's nothing about trying to build confidence or anything like that. I guess more than anything else I wanted to shake the rust off this week and try and get into contention -- and obviously try to win."

Second-placed Hong was disappointed with his effort and conceded he had a mountain to climb.

"Four shots is a little bit too much, but nobody knows what will happen tomorrow," he said.

Defending champion Kim Dae-sub, meanwhile, seeking his fourth Korea Open title and second as a professional, moved into fourth place with a bogey-free 68 that left him at three under.

On a scoreboard dominated by Koreans, Thailand-based Scot Simon Yates (71) and Canadian Ryan Yip (73) were the next best of the foreigners and go into the final round sharing 21st place at three over.

Shot of the day belonged to Park Sang-eon who aced the 222-yard (200-metre) par three 13th with a sweetly struck four iron to win a BMW 750Li worth $190 million won (U.S. $180,000).

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Darren Clarke in Nanshan

OneAsia

Darren Clarke expects a tough challenge from some of the Asia-Pacific's top players when he tee's off in the Nanshan China Masters starting Thursday.

After a close look at the Montgomerie Course at Nanshan International Golf Club in coastal Shandong province on Wednesday, the pair Clarke and Charl Schwartzel said it was playing longer and tighter than expected, adding conditions would suit local players familiar with the links-style layout.

The latest stop on the OneAsia circuit comes with a U.S. $1 million purse -- the richest men's tournament in the Asia-Pacific this week -- and players are jockeying for position on the money list as the year draws to a close.

Several of China's top players -- including veteran Zhang Lianwei -- have spent over a week at the course preparing for battle, and if the wind picks up it could blow in their favour.

"It's actually tougher than I expected. The fairways are quite narrow and you've got to shape some shots," said Schwartzel, the 2011 U.S. Masters champion, who arrived late Tuesday after being part of the International Team that lost to the United States in the Presidents Cup at the weekend.

"I think if the wind comes up it will be a really tough test. Hopefully they'll cut the fairways down a little bit because they're fairly long. It'll help a little bit, because if you're hitting flyers out of the fairways, that's not nice."

Schwartzel, the world number 19, said he expected an easy transition from the mindset of playing team matchplay in Ohio last weekend to individual stroke play in Nanshan.

"It's tougher the other way around," the South African said. "We play a lot of stroke play and not much match play, so this way is a lot easier."

Northern Ireland's 2011 Open Champion, agreed the layout provided a stiff challenge.

"I think the course is very demanding. It's playing long because the fairways are soft and the greens have a lot of undulation in them.

"Off the back tees we're having to hit four irons, five irons, six irons … long to medium irons into the green to try and get to the flag. The greens are a little bit slow, but they're pure and I expect them to speed up by the weekend."

The pair of Major winners will not have it all their own way this week with all four of OneAsia's previous Order of Merit title winners in the field -- Scott Strange, Liang Wenchong, Andre Stolz and Kim Bi-o.

Kim won the inaugural Nanshan China Masters and Liang is the defending champion, although both editions were held on the nearby Danling Course, another jewel in the sprawling Nanshan International Golf Club's treasure chest which boasts an astonishing 279 holes in total.

Nanshan is also home to the China Golf Association's National Training Centre, which is grooming the next generation of stars -- including Guan Tianlang, who stunned the golf world by making the cut at the U.S. Masters in April at just 14.

Several young amateurs have earned slots in this week's field via qualifying, and Clarke said he was "very impressed" with the state-of-the-art facilities and the calibre of players being produced by China.

"The Chinese moving into golf en-masse has been a more recent development but with their proud history in the Olympics it looks like they've decided to try and win some medals in golf as well," he said.

"With the facility they have created there, I think the kids, the Chinese players of the future, will definitely be fighting for Olympic honours."

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Tiger and Rory on Mission

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Tiger Woods will take on Rory McIlroy in an 18-hole match-play exhibition in China next month.

The event will be held at Mission Hills' Blackstone Course on October 28 in Haikou, China.

In the first iteration of a McIlroy-Woods match in China last October, the Northern Irishman bested Tiger by a shot with a 67. They were No. 1 and No. 2 in the world at the time. Woods also received a reported $2 million appearance fee, while McIlroy earned $1 million. Details for this year were not released.

The rest of Woods' 2013 schedule includes playing this week's BMW Championship and next week's Tour Championship on the PGA Tour, then taking a week off before playing for the U.S. team in the Presidents Cup Oct. 3-6.

He's also slated to tee it up at the Turkish Airlines Open from Nov. 7-10 on the European Tour as well as the event he hosts, the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge, Dec. 5-8 in Thousand Oaks, California.

As for McIlroy, he's also playing this week outside Chicago and will play next week at East Lake if he gets inside the top 30 on the FedEx Cup points list. After that, he's expected to play in the WGC-HSBC Champions, which is an official PGA Tour event this year, from Oct. 31-Nov. 3 and then alongside Woods in Turkey.

McIlroy, who is currently 53rd in the European Tour's Race to Dubai standings, also plans to play in that tour's season-ending event, the DP World Tour Championship, if he can remain inside the top 60 in the standings.

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Russian Move Helps Hoey Chances

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Michael Hoey signed for a round of 67 to share second place and end round two just two shots behind the leader,Rikard Karlberg, who will take a two shot lead into the weekend at the M2M Russian Open as the Swede seeks his maiden European Tour title.

"It's been a bit up and down, to be honest," said Hoey. "The good stuff is really good, but then I am making quite a lot of silly mistakes which is costing me a lot of shots.

"You just need to look at the scores. I have made 15 birdies in the first two rounds here and I am only seven-under. If I can get rid of those silly mistakes then I still have a great chance to win."

The 26 year old, playing his 50th European Tour event despite never having been fully exempt, shot a four under par 68 at Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club to reach nine under for the halfway stage.

That was two clear of England’s Matthew Baldwin, France’s Alexandre Kaleka, China’s Liang Wen-chong and Michael Hoey.

“It was a pretty tough day out there today because the wind got really strong in the middle of the round and caused quite a few problems,” said Karlberg, who birdied four of his first six holes, dropped shots at the 18th and fifth, then finished with two gains over the closing stretch to reclaim his advantage.

“But I made a really good start to the round and then when the conditions got worse I managed to hang in there and then had a great finish with two birdies in my last few holes which is very satisfying obviously.

“I am in a great position right now but there is still a long way to go. We are only at the halfway stage and I need to keep doing what I have been doing and making birdies to have a chance.

“I am looking forward to the weekend – this is why we play the game; to get ourselves into these positions so hopefully I can keep playing well and make another good score tomorrow and we will go from there.”

Kaleka won this event last year when it was part of the Challenge Tour schedule, and was delighted to overcome a double bogey at the 12th for the second day running with an incredible seven birdies as he signed for a round of 67 at a venue that clearly suits his eye.

“It was pretty special to come back here after winning on the Challenge Tour at Tseleevo last year,” he said. “As soon as I arrived at the club, a lot of great memories of last year came back to me and thankfully I have been able to use that to help me play well again this week.

“As soon as it was announced the tournament was coming here I was pretty happy because this golf course really suits my game. It is quite wide off the tee and long, and that really suits my game because I hit the ball quite far and it allows me a bit of an advantage.

“I am looking forward to the weekend and to try and win the tournament again. There is obviously a lot of golf to be played before Sunday, but I am in a good position and it would great to win here again.”

The 26 year old Baldwin, who finished an impressive 76th on The Race to Dubai in his rookie campaign last year but is yet to finish higher than fifth on The European Tour, birdied his final hole for a 69 as he advanced to seven under par.

“I have to admit that it wasn’t very pretty out there at times today,” he said. “It was a strange day really because I didn’t feel that I played that great but I managed to get a score together and that is the most important thing. 

“I don’t really care if it looks ugly to be honest with you, as long as I am happy when I sign that scorecard then that is all that really matters!”

Overnight co-leader Liang had been level with Karlberg and England’s Simon Dyson on five under par after the first round.

The 34 year old’s only European Tour win came in 2007, and he had not posted a top-ten finish in more than two years prior to finishing third in India and Austria this season.

Having bogeyed the opening hole this morning, he fought back with four birdies and only one further dropped shot.

“I am very happy with the score because the conditions were a lot tougher than yesterday afternoon,” he said. “This morning it was cold and wet and the wind was really difficult to manage, so to shoot two under is a good result for me this morning."

Four-time European Tour winner Hoey has not finished better than 25th on The European Tour this season and had missed seven of his last ten cuts coming into the event.

However, eight birdies and three bogeys in a brilliant 67 suggest the Northern Irishman may be recapturing his best form.

“It’s been a bit up and down to be honest,” the 34 year old admitted. “The good stuff is really good but then I am making quite a lot of silly mistakes which is costing me a lot of shots. 

“You just need to look at the scores: I have made 15 birdies in the first two rounds here and I am only seven under. So I really need to stop making silly errors because you can’t do that for four days at this level and expect to win a golf tournament; it’s not possible.

“They are just silly errors that creep in now and then. You just shouldn’t be flying the ball over greens with a wedge in your hand for example, that was probably the most frustrating one today. 

“But I need to look at the positives – I am on that leaderboard and in a good position for the weekend. If I can get rid of those silly mistakes then I still have a great chance to win.”

English amateur Jack Singh Brar shot the best round of the day with a 66 to climb more than 50 places and safely make the cut on one under, but his compatriot Dyson slipped back to three under after a 74 that included a double bogey seven on the 17th.

David Higgins played steadily for 71 to lie inside the top 20 at two-under-par for the tournament, while Gareth Shaw from Ballyliffin made the cut on the mark at four-over. Alan Dunbar missed the cut, as did Damien McGrane.
McGrane tried valiantly to redress the balance after a horrible 80 in his opening round, but a level-par 72 yesterday was too little, too late.

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