Harrington Happy with Irish Open Slot

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Padraig Harrington is intent on going with the flow as he prepares for this week’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at the K Club.

“This is a tough week for all the Irish guys,” he said. “There’s a lot going on. The key here is that you’ve got to embrace what’s going on and not fight against it.

“You can’t do your regular stuff, you can’t do your regular routines, your preparation isn’t going to be the same this week as it is any other week.

“You have to embrace that and accept it. I certainly fought against that for years and I really found this the toughest event. Now, I just accept I won’t be able to do everything right.

“There aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done in an Irish Open week, and by trying to fit everything in, you’ll actually fail miserably.”

One area where players shouldn’t have too many causes for concern is on the actual course, which has come in for praise.

“The guys are giving it a very positive appraisal,” the 44-year-old revealed. “I haven’t managed to get a practice round in, I’ve been too busy!

“I play the pro-am tomorrow (Wednesday) and I’ll see the golf course. I assume my past knowledge of it will be good enough to get myself around it. 

“But I’m looking forward to it. I hear it’s in good condition. The two weeks of good weather in the last two weeks really brought it on.” 

The lure of a big pot has attracted a stellar field and Harrington confirmed: “A €4million event has basically ensured that all the European players play.

“It counts for so much when it comes to making the Ryder Cup team and the Race To Dubai itself.

“If you talk about changing the date, next week is the BMW Championship in the UK, which is one of the biggest events.

“So players see it as a natural sequence of a couple of events.

“It has got a good time at the moment - it is a good slot on the European schedule.”

The Dubliner also revealed the influence Christy O’Connor Sr had on his career on the day the legendary golfer was laid to rest. 

“It was very sad news,” he said.“I went out and saw the family today. 

“I was reminded of a little story. My dad only took up golf because of Christy O'Connor Sr. So I wouldn’t be playing golf, only for Christy O'Connor Sr.”

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McDowell's Opportunity Knox

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Graeme McDowell won his first PGA Tour title since April 2013 with victory at the first play-off hole in the OHL Classic in Mexico. The 2010 US Open winner admits the barren run - his last victory anywhere was at the French Open 16 months ago - left him questioning his ability after dropping out of the world’s top 50.

But after handing the initiative to fellow co-leader Russell Knox by bogeying the 16th as the rain-delayed tournament went into an extra day he seized his second chance at the first play-off hole with a brilliant approach to two feet for birdie to guarantee himself a place at next year’s Masters and PGA Championship.

“It really gives me something to grab onto,” McDowell said of the victory. “You go through a year like this and you think ‘am I finished? Am I good enough?’

Graeme McDowell elected to finish the par-5 13th when the horn sounded to suspend play because of darkness. He made birdie. Photograph: APGraeme McDowell grabs share of Mexico lead as play suspended

“It has been a tough year but this is special. I have been dreaming of this day and I said to myself I was going to appreciate it when it came.

“I’ve stuck to my task the last couple of months and this is a nice step back up to where I want to be. “I hit as good a five-iron as I could hit and it was nice to knock in a two-and-a-half footer to take care of this.”

McDowell began the day tied with Knox on 19-under after Sunday’s final day was cut short by storms but after a brief stoppage for more rain Knox made his move with a birdie at the 13th. The Scot, chasing back-to-back victories after winning the WGC-HSBC Champions last week, handed back that shot at the next but it was McDowell’s error in leaving his par putt in the jaws of the hole at the 16th which opened the door for Knox.

As the Co Antrim golfer posted the clubhouse lead on 18-under - holing a nerveless 10-footer for par - Knox stood on the 18th tee needing a par-four for victory.

However, he pulled his drive into a bunker, came up short of the green and missed from 15 feet for victory. Jason Bohn, who had started the day two behind, joined them in the play-off but when McDowell, first to play his approach to the 18th, hit a five iron to two feet victory was his as neither of his rivals could match his birdie.

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Clarke Delights in Open Return

The Open Championship will return to Royal Portrush in 2019, the R&A have confirmed.

The famous links, situated on the northern tip of County Antrim in Northern Ireland, became the first course outside Scotland and England to host The Open in 1951, when Max Faulkner clinched his only major title.

There has been much clamour to take the tournament back to Portrush over the last few years, although the R&A had been wary of logistical problems including access to the course for spectators.

But former R&A chief executive Peter Dawson announced last year that the historic Dunluce Course would host The Open in the near future, and the tournament will now be played there in 2019 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Renowned course architect Martin Ebert will oversee many changes to the course, the overall length of which will increase by just under 200 yards to 7,337 yards while the number of bunkers will be increased by three to 62 in total, still leaving Royal Portrush with the fewest bunkers of any of the courses which host The Open.

The move received the support of Open champions Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy, who are relishing the chance to play in the world's oldest major in their homeland.

Clarke, the 2011 champion, said: "This is going to be absolutely huge for Northern Ireland and, indeed, Ireland as a whole. To have the world's biggest and best golf Championship played at such a fantastic venue as Royal Portrush, with all the passion that the Irish fans will bring to the event, is going to be amazing."

To have the world's biggest and best golf Championship played at such a fantastic venue as Royal Portrush, with all the passion that the Irish fans will bring to the event, is going to be amazing

McIlroy, who lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool in 2014, added: "Royal Portrush is one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I think it will be a fantastic Open venue. They are going to add a couple of new holes to the golf course and I think that will be a great addition and will make the course even stronger. I'm really looking forward to it."

An R&A statement read: "The Open is expected to be the biggest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, generating more than £70m in terms of economic impact and destination marketing benefit.

Royal Portrush is one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I think it will be a fantastic Open venue

"Northern Ireland will be at the centre of the global sporting spotlight from 18-21 July 2019 as The Open is staged outside of Scotland and England for only the second time in the Championship's more than 150-year history with sports fans from throughout Ireland and around the world expected to descend upon the town of Portrush."

Peter Unsworth, chairman of The R&A's championship committee, said, "We are very much looking forward to bringing The Open to Royal Portrush in 2019 and believe it will be a tremendous venue for the Championship. We know there is great anticipation throughout Ireland at the prospect of welcoming the world's top golfers and it promises to be a hugely memorable week.

"We are delighted with the progress being made on the course preparations and they will undoubtedly enhance the challenge presented by these historic links." 

The venue proved its credentials for hosting a big tournament when the Irish Open was held there in 2012, with 112,000 fans attending over week to watch Jamie Donaldson win his first European Tour title.

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Lawrie Facing Q School Trip

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Peter Lawrie missed the cut after shooting a second round 72 at the Portugal Masters and now set to lose his European Tour card and his automatic playing rights for next season.

Lawrie now needs a sponsor’s invitation to next week’s Hong Kong Open and needs to win enough money to move himself into the top 110 places in the Race to Dubai to avoid the dreaded trip to Q-School in Spain next month.

Mount Juliet’s Kevin Phelan will need a good weekend performance to avoid the same fate.

Phelan, who came through Q-School to earn his card in 2013, made the cut on the mark (one under par) but will need to go low over the weekend to earn enough prize money to move from 126th into the top 10. Even the weather looks to be against the 24-year-old however – heavy rain forecast over the weekend has put into doubt whether there will even be the full 72 holes played. If the tournament was shortened to, say, 54 holes, then the prize money would be reduced.

Paul Dunne and Padraig Harrington will join Phelan over the weekend with both players sitting 12 shots off the lead on two under par.

It is Dunne’s third and last sponsor’s invite of the season as he looks to add to the €80,000 he’s won already before heading to Spain next month to compete for the 25 tour cards on offer.

Darren Clarke and Michael Hoey both finished a long way off the cut-mark.

Damien McGrane still leads the Irish charge, despite a one over par 73 today. The Meath golfer sits on three under par, 11 shots behind tournament leader Andy Sullivan.

Severe storms with 50mph-plus winds are predicted for late Saturday morning and organisers have taken the rare decision to hold a shotgun start — groups teeing off on all 18 holes from 8am — in an attempt to get day three completed.

Sullivan, who began the day tied with Nicolas Colsaerts on seven under, is currently sitting pretty at the top of the leaderboard after a second successive 64 moved him to 14 under and three shots clear of Belgian Thomas Pieters, who carded a 66 and is also looking for his third win of the season.

However, there is plenty of scope for that to change if the forecast at Oceanico Victoria Golf Club turns out to be accurate.

“Due to the extremely poor weather forecast for the next two days it has been decided that the best chance of completing the third round is to schedule a shotgun start from 8am on Saturday,” said a statement from the European Tour.

“All parties have agreed to this in the best interests of the tournament.”

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Irish Open 2016 at The K Club

Rory McIlroy will continue to host the Irish Open for the next three years on behalf of his foundation, with Dubai Duty Free also extending its sponsorship until 2018.

The prize fund for next year's tournament at The K Club over May 19-22 will increase by 60 per cent, rising from 2.5million euros (£1.85m) to 4m euros (£2.96m).

Four-time major winner McIlroy, who missed the cut at Royal County Down earlier this year, said: "The Irish Open has always meant so much to me, so I am really excited to announce my commitment to host the tournament, on behalf of the Rory Foundation, for the next three years.

"I would like to thank Colm McLoughlin of Dubai Duty Free and Keith Pelley of The European Tour for supporting my vision to develop the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation into one of the leading events on The European Tour's schedule over the next three years.

"I was delighted with the support I received, not only from the players who competed this year, but also from the fans who came along to the Irish Open at Royal County Down in May - they made it another sell-out tournament.

"I am sure The K Club - on the 10th anniversary as host of the 2006 Ryder Cup - will be an excellent venue for the 2016 Irish Open."

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Clarke in Love at Hazeltine

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Darren Clarke insists there will be no controversial gamesmanship at next year’s competition following the uproar at the women’s Solheim Cup.

Clarke said the incident at the Solheim Cup, when Europe’s Suzann Pettersen insisted on penalising the USA’s Alison Lee for picking up her ball after she believed a putt had been conceded, was against the spirit of golf.

Speaking at a news conference with USA captain Davis Love III to mark a year to go to the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, Minnesota, Clarke said: “This Ryder Cup will be played in the manner in which Davis and I respect each other.

“We’ve been friends for such a long time; I hold Davis in the highest regard. He’s been a good friend but probably one of the best gentlemen in our sport.

“The Solheim Cup was an unfortunate thing. What Suzann did was correct in ‘The Rules of Golf’, but in the spirit of the game, it was wrong. And she admitted that on the Monday with hindsight. Hindsight is always a wonderful thing.

“In the Ryder Cup, we are always briefed by the referees earlier in the week and the rules officials, and we do not touch a golf ball until we hear either from our opposite number or from the referees, just one of those things. I hope and I’m sure it won’t happen under our watch.”

Love agreed that sportsmanship would be key.

He said: “Darren and I will set the tone with our teams, and with our messaging over the next year, what we expect and how we expect the matches to be played.

“Something will come up during the three days that is uncomfortable. But we’ll handle it as gentlemen and a sportsmanlike way. It will be fair and competitive and fun.

“In the end, one of us will win, one of us will lose, but we’ll enjoy a cigar and a tear afterwards on Sunday night.”

Love said he was “reluctantly” facing the fact he would not be a playing captain, and expressed his hope that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson could be back in contention.

He added: “Tiger has had some surgeries and that’s slowing him down a little bit.

“I have a feeling Phil’s going to be strongly motivated to make the next team, and obviously Tiger wants to get healthy and play. They are just two of a lot of players that have stressed to me that they want to play on a winning Ryder Cup team.”

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McIlroy Not Moved by Fedex Cheque

Rory McIlroy has said he does not care about the $10m bonus that could come with victory at the Tour Championship.

The 26-year-old, whose season has been interrupted by injury, just wants to get back to winning and is more motivated by adding the FedExCup to his list of trophies.

"Luckily, that amount of money doesn't sort of mean much to me anymore," said McIlroy on the eve of the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta that caps the FedExCup playoffs and awards the bonus to the points leader.

"It will go in the bank and if I want to buy something nice, I will. I mean, like, it's nice to think that you could win $10m this week, but that's not what excites me.

"It excites me to play well and to try and win. And the FedExCup is... one of the only things that I haven't put on my golf CV and that would be more exciting to do that rather than walk away with a cheque."

The young Northern Irishman has already won financial security for generations of family to come.

In 2013, McIlroy signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Nike Golf worth a reported $200m, and he's earned more than $28m in his PGA Tour career, not counting tens of millions more from European Tour earnings and more still from other endorsements.

However, the 26-year-old Northern Irishman regrets the loss of a chunk of his year after he injured his ankle playing football with friends.

McIlroy said he had learned some lessons from 2015, including that he should avoid putting extra pressure on himself as he believes he did when he was trying to extend his run to three majors in a row at the Masters in April.

"I'll still work as hard as ever in trying to get prepared and trying to get my shape in the best place possible to play those (major) tournaments, but not work at it for the reason of 'I can make history here'.

"There was just this expectation of and knowing what was at stake, what could happen, instead of just going out and playing and trying not to think about all that stuff."

There is another lesson McIlroy said he learned.

"Don't play football in the middle of the season."

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