The Irish Golf Club Gazette: DP World

Showing posts with label DP World. Show all posts

1/22/2016

Bad Light Stops McIlroy Duel

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Rory McIlroy started his second round with eight straight pars before a bogey on the ninth, where his pushed drive finished in rocks on the edge of a lake and dropped him back to five under par at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Playing partner Jordan Spieth was faring worse with bogeys on the fourth and fifth, and the world number one was lucky not to drop more shots on the ninth, where his drive was heading towards the water before hitting a spectator.

Andy Sullivan grabbed a one-shot lead on Friday, but he will have to wait and see if he still holds it when the second round concludes on Saturday morning.

There was a two hour and 45 minute delay in the morning due to fog, meaning some of the 60 players who have yet to complete their rounds will have as many as ten holes to play upon the resumption at 0740.

Second-placed Bryson DeChambeau will have nine to complete after picking up one shot on the back nine to get to nine under before the sun set over Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

The 22 year old American is bidding to become just the fourth amateur in history to win on The European Tour and he has shown no signs of nerves in a field which includes four of the top ten players in Official World Golf Ranking.

Reigning Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy was five off the lead with five to play, level with playing partner Rickie Fowler and two shots clear of World Number One Jordan Spieth, who completed the marquee group.

But Sullivan is the man to catch after a second consecutive 67 for the Englishman who has good memories of his last visit to the Gulf states, when he pushed McIlroy all the way at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

The 28 year old finished eighth in last season's Race to Dubai after claiming three wins and arrived here on the back of claiming three points out of three for Europe at last week's EURASIA CUP presented by DRB-HICOM.

He continued the theme of threes on Friday as he opened with three birdies from the tenth and, after dropping a shot on the 15th, he played a fantastic second shot from a fairway bunker on the first to set up another gain.

A bogey on the fifth dropped him out of a share of the lead but he put his tee shot on the seventh inside ten feet and rolled it in before picking up another birdie on the next to move ahead.

A closing birdie on the ninth from 25 feet then made him the first man this week into double figures.

"I think today was even more impressive than yesterday," he said. "I think yesterday, I had it under a lot of control and it felt quite easy.

"Today, started off great, lost my way through the middle part of the round and dug deep and finished really strong with three birdies.

"I think on the whole, much much happier with today and obviously it puts me in good stead finishing that way for the rest of the tournament."

He added: "I feel totally different coming in. This time last year, I had already won but still felt this tournament of this magnitude with the players, I knew that I would have to go some to do it.

"It's nice to do that, and obviously to go out there and actually put your A Game to the test is great."

Overnight leader DeChambeu quickly wiped out the advantage Sullivan had established in the morning as he holed from eight feet on the tenth and 15 feet on the 12th but a bogey on the par five 18th saw him drop to second.

Joost Luiten fired a 68 to sit at seven under in his first start since he finished in a tie for fifth at the season-opening Alfred Dunhill Championship.

The Dutchman, who started on the tenth, turned in 33 after making three birdies in four holes from the 15th. Six pars followed but a lengthy putt on the seventh handed him another red number to sit in the clubhouse three off the lead with Rafa Cabrera-Bello.

The Spaniard opened with a bogey on the tenth but had back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th and came back in 32 to post a 67.

Thomas Bjørn was also seven under through 11 holes as he got his 2016 campaign under way. Last year was only the second in his career that he failed to record a top ten but birdies on the first, fifth, seventh and tenth have put him in contention to quickly correct that.

England's Richard Bland completed the group three off the lead having also played 11 holes and he had birdies on the 14th, 15th and 18th.

Swede Peter Hanson fired a second consecutive 69 thanks to birdies at the ninth, 16th and 18th to sit a further shot back alongside David Howell who was two under for his round with two to play.

Richie Ramsay fired nine birdies in a 66 to get to five under alongside Ian Poulter who signed for a 69 despite playing with an injured thumb.

Matthew Fitzpatrick was also in that group after he showed considerable tenacity in a battling 71, alongside Matthew Baldwin, David Horsey, Trevor Fisher Jnr and Fabrizio Zanotti.

Then came McIlroy and Fowler, who endured contrasting fortunes in the 13 holes they completed.

Fowler had been overshadowed by his playing partners in round one but he picked up birdies on the second, eighth and 12th as McIlroy and Spieth failed to fire.

The Northern Irishman had 12 pars and a single bogey on the ninth while Spieth struggled off the tee and bogeyed the fourth and fifth before picking up a shot on the tenth.

Three-time winner Martin Kaymer was in the group at five under, two under for the day through 12 holes, with BMW PGA Championship winner Byeong-hun An also two under on the day having played 11.

The third round, going off the first and the tenth holes in three-balls, will not begin before 1045.

12/12/2014

Rory Could Clean Sweep 2015 - Monty

Former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie believes it would be "worth a punt" on Rory McIlroy winning six majors in a row by completing a 2015 clean sweep.

The Co down native won the final two major championships of 2014 with victory at the Open in July and the US PGA Championship the following month.

Montgomerie, who captained a European team featuring McIlroy to Ryder Cup glory at Celtic Manor in 2010, believes the 25-year-old can dominate the sport in a way not even Tiger Woods managed.

Speaking to social network site kicca.com, Montgomerie said:

"Can he win all four in a year, never mind two? That means six in a row. Wow, that'll be something.

"If you're a betting man, I'm sure there are a lot of people putting money on it, I'm sure it's a 100-1 shot but it's worth a punt. If I was a gambler, which I'm not, I'd put money on that; he's that dominant, and that good."

Montgomerie certainly believes McIlroy is capable of holding all four major titles at the same time by winning the opening two majors of 2015 - the Masters and the US Open.

"The 2015 majors are coming up with the first one, the Masters, in April. Rory McIlroy, having won the Open and the US PGA, he's going for three in a row and if he does that, the US Open will be a big event, to see if he can get that grand slam.

"If he does win the Masters, wow, that US Open will be a big, big, big do indeed."

12/11/2014

Horizon Claims Implausible - McIlroy

There is "not a shred of evidence" Rory McIlroy was involved in a conspiracy to plan his exit from a contract with his former sports management company, Dublin High Court has heard.

Counsel for the golfer said such a claim by a lawyer for Horizon Sports Management and two other companies was "inherently implausible".

Horizon Sports Management wants orders from court for further disclosure.

These include for documents and the inspection of electronic devices.

Mr McIlroy, who first signed the representation agreement in December 2011, signed a third agreement with Horizon in March of 2013.

That agreement was shortly afterwards repudiated by Mr McIlroy who then brought legal proceedings.

His counsel said Horizon's application to court for the right to forensically inspect the phones held by Mr McIlroy over a three-year period had effectively been dealt with during another hearing earlier this year seeking disclosure of documents.

This latest application was "dressed up" as seeking inspection of phones when it was in fact an application for further and better discovery of documents previously dealt with by Mr Justice Peter Kelly in July, counsel said.

Horizon has claimed Mr McIlroy and others close to him deliberately wiped data on their phones that could be relevant to the case.

Mr McIlroy is suing Dublin-based Horizon, along with Gurteen Ltd, with a registered address in Malta, and Canovan Management Services, also based in Dublin, claiming the representation agreement is unenforceable on grounds including alleged undue influence.

He claims he was just 22 at the time with no business experience and without the benefit of legal advice.

The defendants deny the claims and have counter-claimed for some US$3m allegedly outstanding under the agreement for off-course revenues.

Counsel for the defendants said at the opening of the hearing that the March 2013 agreement had barely been signed when Mr McIlroy had set up his own sports management company, Rory McIlroy Inc.

His personal assistant Sean O'Flaherty left Horizon to work for the new company as did Donal Casey who later became CEO of Rory McIlroy Inc.

It was part of Horizon's case that Mr McIlroy and a number of others were instrumental in bringing about the unlawful attempt to repudiate the contract, the counsel said.

Despite the existence of legal proceedings, Mr McIlroy, his father Gerry, Mr O'Flaherty and Mr Casey destroyed relevant data on their mobile phones by "factory resetting" them, counsel also said.

On the second day of the defendants' application to inspect those people's phones and seek better disclosure, the counsel for Mr McIlroy said the application was "wholly misplaced" and should be refused.

Mr McIlroy had done nothing wrong and Horizon's criticism of him was wholly misplaced.

It was criticism "made against a backdrop of an allegation of conspiracy that he planned his exit from Horizon for which there is not a shred of evidence", counsel said.

In reply, counsel also for the defendants, said there had been significant destruction of data and this was not an inference or speculative assertion.

The hearing continues.

11/27/2014

McIlroy Opens in Sydney 2 Under

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Rory McIlroy's defense of his Australian Open title began with a 2-under 69 on a cool, overcast and often drizzly morning at The Australian Golf Club.

McIlroy, winner of back-to-back majors this year at the the Open Championship and PGA Championship, began play on the back nine and made the turn at even-par after a birdie and a bogey. He birdied the first hole of his second nine, added another at the par-5 fifth, but made bogey on the seventh.

He finished strongly, hitting his approach on the ninth to less than 2 feet and making an easy birdie. McIlroy was a stroke behind Australian Aron Price, who was the best of the morning groupings with a 68.

It was a day that almost made him feel at home, McIlroy said.

"It was cold, windy and a little bit of rain here and there," explained the Northern Irishman. "When I think of playing golf in Australia, it's not the kind of day I expected."

McIlroy said the wind was tricky and predicted it could get tougher for the afternoon starters.

"The wind was up early on, then it died, then got up again," he said.

McIlroy missed a 10-foot putt for birdie on the 12th hole -- his third of the day after starting on the back nine -- and fought to save par on the 13th after putting his approach through the green.

He birdied the short par-5 14th after a bunker shot to three feet, but gave the shot back on the next hole after a poor shot out of the sand on the par-3 15th on the revamped Jack Nicklaus layout.

"Three birdies on the back nine, a nice one at the end," he said. "I'll take anything in the 60s. I thought was a good score and puts me right there for tomorrow."

Adam Scott, who finished second in last year's tournament at Royal Sydney when McIlroy birdied the 18th hole of the final round, was in an afternoon group that included American Jordan Spieth.

11/24/2014

Scott and McIlroy Meet in Sydney

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The Australian Open this week is all about the rematch between the No 1 v No 3 in the world, as Adam Scott lost a place when his birdie putt on the 18th hole lipped out at The Metropolitan in Melbourne on Sunday - leaving him with a share of second place.

Meanwhile Sweden’s Henrik Stenson held off world No 1 Rory McIlroy to claim the European season-ending tour championship in Dubai and slip past Scott into the No 2 slot. Scott is unlikely to need any more motivation for his rematch with McIlroy at the Australian Golf Club in Sydney this week, after the Northern Irishman spoiled his rare opportunity to claim Australia’s triple crown of tournaments at Royal Sydney last year. But if he does beat the world No 1 to the title here, he is also likely to take back that lost ground on the rankings.

Neither player will arrive in Sydney claiming to be in career-best form, but both will be coming off runner-up finishes and with enough in the tank to recreate the fireworks they produced at their last meeting in the harbour city.

Scott left Melbourne yesterday believing he had found his rhythm on the final day of the Masters, and that the Australian layout, recently redesigned by Jack Nicklaus, will suit his style better than the confines of Metropolitan.

“I felt in good shape coming (to Melbourne) and just got knocked around on Thursday with that northerly (wind),’’ Scott explained on Sunday.

“I got a bit out of sorts and it’s taken me a couple of days to get back to where I thought I was. I’ve chipped away at it, today was definitely the best I’ve swung the club, chipped and putted.”

Scott hasn’t played the course since he was an amateur — he missed the two Australian Opens played there in the past 10 years (2004 and 2007) — but that’s unlikely to hurt his chances.

Some of those who have played the remodelled course say it may as well be brand new, so extensive are the changes. It is longer and much of the rough has been removed but the greens and bunkering are entirely different.

“I just remember it as a pretty long, tough golf course, demanding, and that’ll kind of suit me,’’ Scott said.

“If I get to hit the driver a bit more, that’s certainly to my advantage.”

McIlroy left Dubai less certain of his form but confident of his ability to contend no matter what.

“Given how I have played the last few days, second place isn’t too bad,’’ McIlroy said. “I didn’t have my best golf at all this week but at least I gave myself a chance (to win).

“It’s been a great season in terms of the wins I have had but these weeks are what I am proud of as well. In years gone by when I haven’t played my best golf it’s been middle of the pack, not a second-place finish. It’s something I am really excited about. My level of consistency is much higher and hopefully that will give me a lot more chances to win.’’

McIlroy will certainly want to put up a sturdy defence of the Australian Open title that sparked his run back to the top of the world this year. The Northern Irishman had not won for a year when he arrived in Australia last November but rediscovered his mojo in Sydney, where he birdied the 18th on the last day to snatch the title from Scott, who said at the time he was “gutted’’ by the result.

McIlroy went on to win two majors this year, the British Open and US PGA championship, as well as a world golf championship (Bridgestone Invitational) and reclaim the world No 1 ranking. He also won the European Tour’s Race to Dubai for the second time in three years.

In the same period, Scott has nursed his hurt from that near-miss at Royal Sydney with a view to reversing it this week.

Going into last year’s Australian Open, Scott looked like the best player in the world. Coming out, McIlroy looked like the No 1.

The question now is who will be on top next Sunday.

11/23/2014

Stenson Retains DP World Title

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Henrik Stenson set his sights on an elusive Major Championship after successfully defending a title for the first time in his career following a thrilling finish to the DP World Tour Championship.

Stenson carded a closing 70 at Jumeirah Golf Estates to finish 16 under par, two shots ahead of World Number One Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup team-mates Justin Rose and Victor Dubuisson.

Shane Lowry finished a shot further back in fifth.

The victory ensured he finished second in The Race to Dubai with 4981093 points behind McIlroy, whose points tally with the bonus pool added up to 7149503 points.

It also took Stenson second in the World Ranking, but the 38 year old said: "It would be nice to have been ranked the world's best at some point, but if I had the choice I would go for a Major Championship so I am going to try and be in good shape for them next year."

Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello held a two shot lead with seven holes to play only to bogey the 12th and run up double bogeys on the 16th and 17th after finding water on both occasions.

Stenson had also found trouble on a rollercoaster back nine, hitting his tee shot out of bounds on the 11th to gift playing partner Cabrera-Bello that two-shot advantage, but a brilliant five iron tee shot on the par three 17th produced a tap-in birdie to reclaim the lead.

McIlroy and Rose had missed birdie putts on the 18th from near-identical positions, while Dubuisson had to settle for a birdie after almost holing out from a greenside bunker.

"It feels great," added Stenson, who finished in style with a birdie on the 18th. "I'm exhausted to say the least. It was hot out there and tricky on the back nine. I did not play my best and had a shocking hole on 11.

"I walked up to the tee with too much club in my hand and instead of changing I tried to cut a two-iron but hit a push, slice, shank straight into the buildings.

"That knocked me back but I did not give up. I just had to dig in there and wait for something to happen. I had a couple of close calls this year to get my win and it was not to be. It's been close but eventually you get something if you stick around and I surely did that."

McIlroy failed to take advantage of a lucky break on the 18th when his tee shot hit a rock in the creek which runs through the middle of the fairway and bounced to safety.

Rose was ultimately left to rue a slow start to the week - he was four over par after ten holes of the opening round - and his failure to pick up a shot on the 17th or 18th after a brilliant escape from the trees on the 15th had set up his third birdie in a row.

"All week I was clawing my way back, right from the start on Thursday," Rose said. "Today I did everything I needed to do early in my round and made a few poor mistakes in the middle of the round. That was where I struggled.

"But all in all, lots of positives and a good week. It's a little bit like Shanghai (the BMW Masters) where I had a good chance there as well after a poor start (four over after four holes). But at least it tells me I'm playing well and getting myself into contention. It's never easy to win every time."

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.

11/09/2013

Harry Needs a Break

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Padraig Harrington insists he will not be upset if he fails to qualify for next week's DP World Tour Championship as he needs a break.

The Irishman began this week's Turkish Airlines Open 67th on the Race to Dubai, and probably needing a top-10 finish to climb into the top 60 to qualify for the European Tour's season-ending showpiece.

A third-round 71, however, left him languishing in a tie for 40th at seven under par and in need of something special from his final round at the Montgomerie Maxx Royal.

Asked how big a blow it would be were he to not qualify on Sunday, given his status as a former European No 1 and three-time major winner, Harrington responded: "Sorry to say not at all. I need the week and I need a break.

"I'm trying to make it and I'd love to be there, but bear in mind anybody who just scrambles in gets an early tee time the first day and it's nearly impossible to come out of the early tee times next week.

"Every hole will play about 30 yards longer than it will in the afternoon - it's a tough task to win from the early tee times next week."

Harrington revealed a loss of patience early on had been responsible for his mediocre third round which he started with a bogey at the opening hole.

"It's a tough day," he said. "On the greens I didn't hole anything and got off to a bad start.

"If I could get a good start it would be fine, but I'm sure everyone who's not scoring on this course is saying the same thing.

"I definitely lost my patience early on today so that's maybe something - when you're not making birdies out there you feel like you're going backwards.

"I think I need to get to 16 [under par, to qualify for Dubai], but if you offered me 15 now I'd sit in the clubhouse and hope to get lucky."