Harrington Plays Mayakoba Classic

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Pádraig Harrington plays the Mayakoba Classic this week at Playa del Caemen in Mexico this week. following a disappointing 73rd place finish at the Sanderson Farms Classic in Mississippi last week.

Having slipped to 353rd in the latest world rankings, Harrington makes one attempt before the Christmas break to get back up the rankings. Attracted no doubt by the prize fund of $6.1million, with almost $1.1million of it to the winner.

Former US Open and Masters champion Angel Cabrera is the top ranked player in the field at 60th, while five players who have the joint lowest ranking possible of 1,547th are competing at El Camaleon.

Defending champion Harris English is currently 66th in the world after struggling to rediscover the form which brought him a second PGA Tour title in the space of five months.

English was second in the FedEx Cup standings in the early stages of last season but drifted all the way to 32nd, therefore narrowly missing out on a place in the Tour Championship in Atlanta for the second year running.

“Last year I didn’t finish the way I wanted to,” English told a pre-tournament press conference.

“Obviously I was in the driver’s seat to make it to the Tour Championship (open to the top 30 players after the BMW Championship) and missed out again. I finished 31st two years ago and 32nd this past season. It’s close. I know I’m kind of knocking on the door.

“I don’t want to be in that situation again where I’m not having to pull against people but knowing my fate is in other peoples’ hands about getting to the Tour Championship. I don’t want that to happen.

“I want to control my own destiny and it’s really made me realise how important every tournament is.”

English has missed the cut in two of his first three events of the 2014-15 season, but did finish 16th in the Shriners Hospitals for Children's Open in Las Vegas.

“I don’t want to panic,” he added. “In this game you can be so close sometimes. It’s a brutal game. It’ll knock you down when you’re at the highest of the high and it’ll do some unexpected things – when nothing’s going your way you’ll do something crazy. You’ve just got to let it come to you.

“It’s getting a lot better. I’ve been working hard the past couple weeks, couple months and it’s coming together.

“I know it’s not perfect right now. It’ll never be perfect but I’m feeling good. If I can keep getting better and better every day and keep giving myself opportunities, then it’ll click.”

Spanuards Gonzalo Fernandez-Caratano  and Alvaro Quiros also play

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Harrington in PGA Tour Battle at Sea Island

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Pádraig Harrington competes this week at the McGladrey Classic at Sea Island thanks to a sponsor’s exemption, having lost his PGA tour card. The Dubliner aims to win sufficient money to earn back US privileges. 

Harrington still also has the fallback of using a one-off season’s exemption for being in the top-50 all-time money winners on the PGA Tour if that doesn’t work.

Local hero Chris Kirk is preparing to defend his title at the McGladrey Classic as thePGA Tour heads to Georgia.

The 29-year-old, who beat Briny Baird by just one shot on the Sea Island Course last year, has lived nearby at St Simons Island for six years and approaches this weekend’s tournament in high spirits.

Kirk claimed his third PGA Tour triumph at September’s Deutsche Bank Championship and finished fourth in the Tour Championship.

Tournament host Davis Love III, US Ryder Cup duo Zach Johnson and Matt Kucharand five-time Tour winner Jonathan Byrd are among those expected to challenge Kirk, while Webb Simpson has good form in Brunswick.

His three previous visits have yielded 12th, second and seventh-placed finishes and the 29-year-old recently tied for fourth at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.

Another strong contender will be rookie Tony Finau.

The Utah-born player, who turned professional in 2007, is enjoying a breakthrough season having tied for 12th at the Frys.com Open before claiming a share of seventh place in Las Vegas last week. And will be suitably reluctant to rest on his laurels at Sea Island.

“I think my confidence on the golf course is pretty high,” he added. “I’m coming off a couple of nice finishes.

“But you know, I definitely don’t feel like I’m getting comfortable or complacent or anything.”

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Rory Finishes Fifth in Boston

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Rory McIlroy failed to covert final round contention into a title win. And as McIlroy, the world number one, closed out the Deutsche Bank championship with a 70 that ultimately left him four shots adrift in tied-fifth position, 29-year-old American Chris Kirk claimed the biggest title of his career and also moved to the top of the FedEx Cup rankings.

Kirk demonstrated a superb ability to scramble and shot a free closing round 66 for a total of 269, 15-under-par.

Another member of that US team at RCD also played his part in the final round drama, as Billy Horschel stood in the middle of the 18th fairway requiring a birdie to force a play-off and an eagle to win.

However, Horschel caught his approach shot heavy and watched in disbelief as his ball came up in the waste hazard to signal the end of his ambition.

It proved to be a costly second shot to the 18th, as Horschel bogeyed the final hole to drop back into a share of second place with Geoff Ogilvy and Russell Henley on 271.

“It is always great to play well on a big stage like that, I love being in that kind of an environment ..... playing with [McIlroy] definitely heightens my level of focus,” said Kirk. The win catapulted Kirk to the top of the FedEx Cup and also put him in line for a Ryder Cup pick from Tom Watson.

“I have said all along I would love to be a part of the team and get a pick. I have put myself in contention for one, we will just have to wait to see what happens,” said Kirk.

McIlroy – who finished with a 70 for a total of 273, 11-under – failed to get any momentum going on the front nine, where a birdie on the drivable Par 4 fourth hole was followed by back-to-back bogeys.

On the fifth, he was twice in rough and, on the difficult sixth he got too greedy from a bunker and his ball hit the lip of the bunker and came back to rest at his feet. When McIlroy birdied the seventh and eighth to move to 11-under, it appeared as if the Ulster man was ready to finally make his move. It didn’t happen.

Just as his name appeared towards the top of the leaderboard, McIlroy fell backwards with bogeys on the 10th (when in rough off the tee) and the 12th, where he missed the green with his approach shot. McIlroy had to wait until the 16th, where he hit his tee shot to 12 inches, to get back on the birdie train.

He kept the best until the end, hitting a huge 347 yards drive off the 18th tee and then hitting his approach from 180 yards to eight feet.

The birdie at least moved McIlroy to a share of fifth, sufficient to keep him in second place in the FedEx Cup standings and very much in contention for the $10 million bonus that awaits the champion after the Tour Championship.

Before heading out, McIlroy: “I think this golf course suits a longer hitter. I am comfortable around this course, there’s a big Irish community in Boston who come out to support me.”

Two players hoping to catch the eye of European captain Paul McGinley showed decent form: Ian Poulter finished with a 66 for 277, seven under, for a share of 23rd place, while Luke Donald closed with a 67 for level par 284, in tied-57th.

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Rory Suffers Double Ohio Trouble

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Rory McIlroy ended his second day in Dublin, Ohio, signing for a round of 78 at The Memorial Tournament after three consecutive double bogeys by the turn unraveled the advantage of his round of 63 on Thursday.

The BMW PGA Champions feel to earth somewhat having held a three-shot lead over Paul Casey,Bubba Watson and Chris Kirk at the start if the second round.

After starting on the back nine, McIlroy bogeyed the 10th round before parring 11 and picking the shot back up on 12. However then came off as double-bogeys followed on 13, 14 and 15 before two pars and a further bogey saw him reach the turn in 43, now four shots off the lead - a 12-shot swing.

Yesterday over the same stretch Rory picked up two eagles, three birdies and a double bogey to record a 31.

The run for home McIlroy completed in 35 strokes with just one dropped shot at the par 5 fifth hole to end the day 6 strokes over par. A total of 15 shots off his pace on Thursday but at -3 overall still only five off current leaders

Camilo Villegas was the big winner in the early stages, moving into a share of the lead with six birdies and a bogey in his first 14 holes.

Robert Garrigus was also surging up the leaderboard and he sat one shot off the lead with a flawless five birdies through 15.

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