No Saving Grace for Irish at Dunhill

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Kevin Phelan was the only Irish player to survive the cut at the Alfred Dunhill Championship on Friday at Loepards Creek Country Club. 

Michael Hoey, Damien McGrane and Peter Lawrie all finished off the pace and ended two rounds on the wrong side of the line as Branden Grace raced into a five shot lead at the halfway stage.

The 26 year old won four times during a memorable 2012 campaign, and remained on course for another victory as he added a second round 66 to his sparkling opening 62 at Leopard Creek Country Club. 

Three clear overnight, Grace turned in 33 after starting on the back nine before picking up another shot at the first.

His only dropped shot of the day came at the short fifth, but Grace birdied the sixth and finished with a lengthy putt for a closing gain on the ninth that put him five shots ahead of Italy’s Francesco Molinari.

“This is a golf course that suits me and if I keep hitting everything in play the way I have been the first two days then it should be a good weekend,” said Grace.

“The pins have been kind so far; I’m sure there’s going to be a couple of tricky and sticky pins out there on the weekend, but I’ll just stick to the game plan and see what the next two rounds offer us.

“Today was great – the ball striking wasn’t as good as yesterday.

“I kept it going - there was a little bit of a slip there due to a lack of concentration but it happens. 

“I’ve been hitting it well and kept on hitting good putts out there.”

Molinari was typically precise with his irons as he followed five birdies in 12 holes with an eagle at the long 13th. 

The former Ryder Cup star then missed a golden birdie chance at the 14th and dropped his first shot of the day at the 17th, but two-putted the long last to get back to seven under for the day.

“I played really well today,” said Molinari. “I holed some really good putts – the last four or five holes could have been better, but seven under is always a good round.

“Branden has set a low target for everyone, so it was good to get some birdies.”

Tjaart van der Walt, twice a runner-up on The European Tour, had five birdies before three-putting the ninth – his last – for his only bogey in a round of 67 which left him third on ten under par.

Another South African, Shaun Norris, last week’s Nedbank Challenge winner Danny Willett and Dane Lucas Bjerregaard – who chipped in at the last for eagle – were tied for fourth on nine under.

Defending champion Charl Schwartzel, looking to become only the sixth player in European Tour history to win the same event three years running, carded a two under 70 to be 11 shots adrift of leader Grace.

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Perfect Timing for Lowry 65

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Shane Lowry and Gareth Maybin will go into the third round of the Omega European Masters just three shots off the lead after both moved to nine under par on Friday afternoon in the Swiss Alps.

Lowry followed up yesterday’s 66 with a five under effort of 65 at Crans-sur-Sierre, while Maybin kept pace with a round of 67 to remain in the thick of things on a crowded leaderboard.

Former champion Richie Ramsay is still the man to catch as he set an imposing clubhouse target of 12 under, with Jamie Donaldson his nearest challenger just one shot behind.

Ramsay shared the overnight lead with Italy’s Edoardo Molinari after both posted flawless rounds of 62, the Scot admitting he had thought of shooting the first 59 in European Tour history after an eagle and six birdies in 15 holes.

The 31-year-old had to settle for pars on the final three holes but was soon back among the birdies on Friday, picking up shots at the 15th and 16th - having started from the 10th - to be out in 32.

Further birdies on the par-five first, a hole he eagled on Thursday, the fifth and short seventh took 2012 champion Ramsay to 12 under par and two shots ahead of American Brooks Koepka.

Welshman Donaldson, however, reached the turn in 31 after five birdies and came home with a 64 to close the gap to one.

“It was a little bit tougher today,” Ramsay told Sky Sports 4. “I thought some of the pins were trickier on the back side and a little bit of rain made the temperature go up and down which makes clubbing difficult.

“But I stayed steady, had a good attitude again and picked up a few shots coming in which was nice, so all in all a good day’s work.”

Ramsay, who was joint fourth in the Italian Open on Sunday, added: “I have to go with the attitude that I am up there at the top so why not enjoy it? There’s nothing to lose.

“If I do that I will have a really good attitude and just go out there, try to enjoy it and pick off a few birdies.”

Donaldson’s Ryder Cup team-mate player Victor Dubuisson was four shots off the pace after recovering from a double bogey on the 12th, his third hole, to return a 67.

“I’m very, very excited to be part of this amazing team,” Dubuisson said. “It’s been very hard to qualify this year. I had to have two top 10s in the last two majors to be safe (ninth in the Open and seventh in the US PGA).

“I have a good relationship with all the players so I will just have to manage the pressure because it’s my first Ryder Cup and I know it’s not easy to play your game.

“Sometimes you want to play a little more safe and then you lose your natural game.”

Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey is also in the mix on seven under after a 68, but Pádraig Harrington dropped back to three under with a one-over-par 71 and Peter Lawrie just made cut on one under after a 70.

After opening with a 74 on Thursday, Darren Clarke improved by eight shots, showing stunning form to reach the turn in 30 with six birdies, but bogeys at 10 and 15 left him a shot short of the weekend’s action on level par.

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Gareth Maybin Enjoys Swiss Roll

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Gareth Maybin dropped his only shot of the round at the par-three eighth before making his seventh birdie for a six-under 64 at the Omega European Masters on Friday.

Competing for his European Tour card next season, Maybin, 124th in The Race to Dubai, said: “I played really solid golf all day – as well as I’ve played in a very long time.

“I posted some decent scores in recent weeks without playing all that well, but today was a different story. I hit the ball very well and got my just rewards, so I’m, happy.”

Richie Ramsay built on a blistering start to the Omega European Masters to lead in the first round but was caught late on by Edoardo Molinari at the stunning Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.

Ramsay, twice a winner on the European Tour including the 2012 Omega European Masters, eagled the first and birdied the next two holes to get going.

The Scot, 75th on The Race to Dubai, then made gains on the seventh, 12th, 13th and 15th in a trouble free round of 62 to sit eight under par.

taly’s Molinari, also with two European Tour wins to his name, likewise enjoyed a flawless round, picking up eight gains to match Ramsay’s score.

Ramsay said: “Four under through three holes was a nice way to start. I hit a great six iron into the first and then two more good iron shots into the next two, so I was flying at that point. It gave me a great boost and I managed to pick off a few more birdies after that.”

Asked if a round of 59 crossed his mind, Ramsay replied: “On the 16th, I thought that if I could make my birdie putt I’d have a good chance, because the last two holes are decent chances for birdie. But once I missed the putt, I obviously knew the game was up.” 

Molinari, who missed this tournament for the last two years through injury and is now 30th in The Race to Dubai, said: “I hit the ball very well from the tee, which wasn’t the case last week. And I’ve been hitting my irons very well lately, so I know that when I find the fairways, I’m probably going to give myself a good chance to get close to the pin.”

Asked which was his best birdie, Molinaro explained: “The one on the fourth hole, for sure. It’s a very tough par four, so to birdie it was very pleasing and almost felt like I’d made two shots on the field. I hit a great iron to 15 feet and made the putt, so that definitely stands out in my mind.”

Ramsay and Molinari were two shots ahead of Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Graeme Storm plus Maybin, who all made 64s in the first half of the day.

Wales’ Jamie Donaldson, seeking consecutive European Tour triumphs, went round in 65 to be in a group of seven on five under.

Defending champion Thomas Björn of Denmark was among a large group one shot further back.

Björn predicted that the afternoon players would set the bar higher than the morning ones, a prophecy that only Ramsay and Molinari fulfilled.

Björn said: “It was ideal this morning, although it was a bit cold early on. Usually that would mean the ball doesn’t go as far, but with the altitude that cancelled one another out.

“There was hardly any wind out there today, so the course was definitely there for the taking. I won’t be anywhere near the top of the leaderboard by the end of the day, but it’s still a reasonable enough start.”

Fleetwood, whose sole European Tour victory came in the 2013 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, eagled the first but double bogeyed the fourth while otherwise carding seven birdies and a bogey.

He said: “It’s obviously never nice to start with a three-putt, then I holed a good par putt on the 11th, so I could’ve been two over after two.

“But the birdie on 15 got me going, and from there on in I played really well and felt good about my game.

“I shot five under on my back nine, which is the front nine, and didn’t really have to hole any putts of note.

“When you’re playing that well you just want to make the most of it, and luckily I managed to do that today.”

Donaldson, who won the D+D REAL Czech Masters in his previous appearance before enjoying last week off, had an eagle at the 15th as the highlight of his round.

He said: “It’s a tough flag on the back right, and I actually pulled my second shot slightly. But if you’re going to miss, you have to miss on the left side.

“So it was a good miss if you like, and I left myself with a fairly straightforward chip which I managed to hole, so that was a bit of a bonus.”

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Flying Finn Wins Fota Irish Open

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Mikko Ilonen survived a final hole scare to win the Irish Open at Fota Island with a closing one-under 70.

The Finn had a two-shot teeing off at the par five final hole but drove into trees, hit his recovery up against another and could only punch his third 100 yards down the fairway.

However, a solid wedge to the green allowed the 34-year-old to two-putt for a bogey six and take his third European title with a score of 13-under - a shot better than Italian Edoardo Molinari and two in front of Swede Kristoffer Broberg and English duo Mattew Baldwin and Danny Willett.

Graeme McDowell's bid to delight his home Irish fans and score a first win on home soil ended in frustration as a cold putter denied him the chance to convert numerous birdie chances.

He managed just one all day in a round of level par 71 which left him down in tied sixth place with Swede Magnus A Carlsson.

McDowell said: "One of the worst putting.rounds as a weekend of my career as regards being in contention. I let a lot slip away yesterday and continued in the same vein today. I kind of got in that mode where I was starting to search a bit on the greens, over-reading, over-technicalising.

"I'm very disappointed. I did the tee-to-green stuff. Gave myself the opportunities coming in but just couldn't get the ball in the hole.

"Really disappointed but what a fantastic week. A great Irish Open, great fans and I'm just disappointed I couldn't do a little bit better for them." 

Ilonen had laid the foundation for victory with a new course record of 64 in the opening round and although that only lasted until Willett, aided by a hole-in-one, shot 63 on Saturday, the 34-year-old Finn took a one-shot lead into the final round.

Birdies on the second and fourth took Ilonen three clear of the field until Willett carded his second birdie of the day on the ninth, but that was as close as anyone got until Ilonen dropped his only shot of the day on the last, ironically after hitting an iron off the tee for safety.

English teenager Matt Fitzpatrick, who was the only amateur to make the cut in the US Open last week, finished in a tie for 29th in his first tournament as a professional following a closing 68.

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McIlroy Needs Good Friday

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Rory McIlroy blamed a "sloppy" short game for an opening round of 74 which left him facing a battle to avoid another early exit from the Irish Open.

McIlroy has a relatively poor record in his national championship, recording two top-10 finishes in seven appearances and missing the cut last year along with Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell.

The 25-year-old had the added incentives of being able to move top of the European Tour's Race to Dubai and getting back inside the top five on the world rankings with a good performance, but could only finish three over par in perfect conditions at Fota Island.

"I still drove the ball great and got in the positions that you need to, but short-sided myself a couple of times, hit a couple of loose shots with my wedges and could not get a putt to drop," said McIlroy, who had carded an approximate 62 in Wednesday's pro-am.

"I was pretty sloppy with the scoring clubs so I might head to the range this afternoon to work on those. I need to do better tomorrow to be here for the weekend."

Starting from the 10th, McIlroy hit his third shot to the 537-yard par-five over the green and had to scramble for his par, something he was unable to do on the short 11th after finding sand off the tee.

McIlroy split the fairway on the next but had to save par again after coming up short of the green with his approach, while another missed green on the 14th resulted in a second bogey of the day after a duffed chip.

A birdie on the par-five 18th took McIlroy to the turn in one over, but another bogey soon followed on the second when a misjudged approach flew well over the green.

McIlroy was lucky not to pull his tee shot into the water on the third, but failed to make the most of his good fortune before repairing some of the damage with a birdie on the par-five fifth.

After three-putting the sixth and failing to get up and down from a bunker on the seventh, McIlroy at least finished in style with a birdie on the last which prompted the two-time major winner to raise his arms in mock celebration.

"Not being able to do much on Monday and Tuesday was really frustrating, but I played well in the pro-am and had a good practice session on the range till about 8pm last night," added McIlroy, whose clubs only arrived on Wednesday morning after being mislaid in transit from the United States.

"It's tough because I feel like I have been playing well for a while and I am still getting days like this. When you are playing well you should be capitalising on that and not throwing in scores like I did today."

Playing partner Harrington fared considerably better than McIlroy, the three-time major winner also making a birdie on the last to return a two-under-par 69. But that was still five shots off the clubhouse target set by Finland's Mikko Ilonen, who carded eight birdies and one bogey to establish a new course record of 64.

England's Matt Fitzpatrick, who was the leading amateur in last week's US Open, carded a one-over 72 in his first tournament round as a professional.

Ilonen, who lost a play-off to Sergio Garcia for the Qatar Masters in January, had started on the back nine and was three under par at the turn before a bogey on the first proved to be an unlikely catalyst for five birdies in his last seven holes.

"On our 10th hole, the first hole, I made a mess out of it," said Ilonen, who enoyed a three-shot lead over England's Matthew Baldwin and Italy's Edoardo Molinari. "I hit a big drive, middle of the fairway with sand wedge and I walk off with a five.

"Luckily I didn't get too angry with it and I just get going and kept hitting greens and kept giving myself chances. Luckily in the end I made a few putts. I didn't feel so good with the putter today but in the end, it started feeling good."

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Padraig in US Open Qualifier

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Padraig Harrington will be part of a strong field in the US Open International qualifying tournament at Walton Heath on Monday.

The Dubliner has played in every US Open since 2000, but his exemption from winning the 2008 US PGA Championship has now expired and a lack of form has seen him drop to 209th in the world.

Harrington, who won The Open in 2007 and 2008, played two rounds at the Surrey venue before the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and was planning to go back for another look on Sunday after completing the event at four-over.

There are more than 100 players lined up for the 36-hole event played on the Old and New courses with between nine and 12 places available for next month's tournament at Pinehurst.

Former Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal, along with ex-Ryder Cup players David Howell, Ross Fisher and Edoardo Molinari, and defending Wentworth champion Matteo Manassero are also due to try and qualify.

But American Peter Uihlein will not be in the field as he was forced to withdraw with the back injury that caused him to pull out of the PGA after three holes on Thursday.

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