Ireland's Strong Ryder Cup Record

Graeme McDowell knew it was a mistake as soon as he glanced up at the scoreboard.

That comfortable lead Europe had taken into the singles matches two years ago was gone, erased in a flurry of American birdies. Instead of coasting into the victory party as he'd expected as the 12th man out, the Ryder Cup - to say nothing of Europe's pride and honor - was in McDowell's hands.

"Those last seven holes, I've never been so nervous in my life," McDowell recalled Tuesday. "Coming down the stretch that day was some of the toughest golf I had ever played in my life, and some of the most nerve-racking golf. Myself and Hunter Mahan, someone was going to be the hero and someone was going to be the villain that day.

"Thankfully I was able to get the job done."

Of course he did. When the Ryder Cup is on the line, the Irish usually do.

McDowell delivered the winning point at Celtic Manor with a 15-foot birdie on the 16th hole, joining Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Philip Walton and Christy O'Connor Jr. as Irish heroes on one of the biggest stages in golf.

Don't be surprised if that Irish luck holds this week, too. Though European captain Jose Maria Olazabal refused to give any hints about his lineup, it's almost certain McDowell will be playing with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, his good friend and fellow Northern Irishman, when the Ryder Cup begins Friday at Medinah Country Club.

Paired together two years ago, the two were 1-1-1 in team matches.

"He's one of our main men," Olazabal said of McDowell. "He loves this competition, and I think it brings out the best in him. He's a very gutsy player. It doesn't matter if he's not striking the ball well, he will fight until the very end. He will fight for every shot, for every inch. And we saw that in the past."

Not just from McDowell, either.

Back in 2006, it was Clarke who carried the Europeans. Playing just six weeks after his wife, Heather, died of breast cancer, Clarke gave the Europeans an emotional charge the Americans never came close to answering. He won all three of his matches, and the Europeans routed the U.S. 18 1/2-9 1/2 for their third straight victory.

Four years before that, McGinley made a spectacular save on 18 to snatch a halve from Furyk and take the cup from the Americans. After McGinley had pulled even with a 12-footer on 17, Furyk was only 3 feet away from a certain par - after a beautiful bunker shot. McGinley, meanwhile, missed the green - badly. But he made a gorgeous pitch to about 8 feet, and sank the putt for the halve.

Back in 1995, the little-known Walton had lost what would be his only other Ryder Cup match, in Saturday morning foursomes. He would go 3-up on Jay Haas with three holes left in singles, only to lose 16 and 17. But Haas was in trouble off the 18th tee, and Walton two-putted for a bogey and the point Europe needed to win the cup, kickstarting its current dominance. The Europeans have won six of the last eight Ryder Cups.

And in 1989, O'Connor - a captain's pick - upset Fred Couples by making two birdies on the last three holes. One of the most celebrated shots in Irish golf was O'Connor hitting 2-iron from 229 yards to about 4 feet for birdie. It shook Couples so badly that he missed the green with a 9-iron, and it was key to Europe retaining the cup.

"The Ryder Cup's become such a big deal, I think people love it as a spectacle," McDowell said. "The aftermath (in 2010) and the 17th green when everyone swamped that green, it was something like I've never seen in golf before, and cool to be part of."

McDowell was hardly an unknown at Celtic Manor. He'd been unflappable in winning the U.S. Open just three months earlier, barely blinking as he withstood charges by Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els at Pebble Beach. He wasn't a Ryder Cup rookie, either, going 2-1-1 at Valhalla.

But it was his performance in Wales that transformed the 33-year-old - on and off the course.

"Winning the U.S. Open, there was sort of an aftermath of congratulations from everyone. I think that lasted a few weeks," McDowell said. "But the Ryder Cup was something a bit different because that was enjoyed by European fans, the European Tour, anyone that calls themselves European. I think I certainly got recognized more for that putt at the Ryder Cup than I did for my U.S. Open. There's no doubt about that, certainly in Europe."

McDowell hasn't won a tournament since 2010 but he's never far from the conversation, either. 

He's made all but four cuts in 22 starts on the PGA and European tours this year, and has five top-five finishes. He settled for second at the U.S. Open after missing a 25-footer to force a playoff, and was fifth at the British after blowing up with a final-round 75.

If Olazabal sends him out last again in singles, McDowell will be ready to deliver again.

"Where will I play on Sunday? Who knows?" he said. "Part of me would love that opportunity again - part of me would love it, part of me would hate it. I'll take whatever comes."

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Lowry 29 Sets Sawgrass Record

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Shane Lowry fired a record back nine of 29 strokes at TPC Sawgrass for an opening round of  65, seven under par, at The Players Championship on Thursday.

It was slightly overshadowed though by Jason Day’s course record-equalling 63 which was made up of nine birdies and nine pars and enabled the Australian to grab the lead.

 

Day’s error-free round gave him a two-stroke lead over Lowry,Justin Rose and American trio of Cameron Tringale, Brendan Steele and Bill Haas on a day of little wind and fine scoring.

Jordan Spieth – playing for the first time since his Masters collapse last month – suffered a double-bogey seven on the Par 5 ninth, his finishing hole. Asked what had happened, he quipped: “ I hit it seven times.” He signed for a level par 72.

Rory McIlroy was nine shots off the lead after a 72 containing two birdies and two bogeys, the 27-year-old finishing alongside Rickie Fowler after the defending champion carded a double bogey on the 18th. 

Graeme McDowell and Pádraig Harrington, both out in the tougher afternoon conditions, shot level-par 72s.

Day’s 63 was 18 strokes better than his second-round 81 a year ago when he missed the cut for a third time in five appearances on the Pete Dye design.

“I was under par going through my first nine but there were guys at seven under when I was five under and I’m there going, ‘Okay, I’ve got to keep pushing. When you see someone up the leaderboard distancing themselves away from the field, you’ve got to do something to catch up to them,” said Day.

Lowry, bouncing back from a missed cut in the Wells Fargo at Quail Hollow last week, turned in level par before lighting a fuse that ignited his play on the homeward stretch.

Lowry’s run of birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie from the 10th was sensational and far removed from the frustration he endured in his final practice round on Wednesday. The Offalyman was so at odds with his game and his swing that it took some calming words on the phone in “an emergency call” with his coach Neil Manchip and a piece of live advice from Graeme McDowell to rectify matters.

Of that “meltdown,” Lowry recounted: “I was losing the head (in practice). I was like almost thinking, ‘what’s the point being here?’, because I felt like I was playing poorly and I was struggling on the greens.”

He added: “I’m very much a confidence player, highs and lows are a bit too much at times. But, yeah, when I get it going I’m normally quite good. Sometimes I can get very hard on myself and beat myself up. So, it’s just trying to get somewhere in between.”

A word in the ear from McDowell – who was playing the practice round with him – provided a light bulb moment. “I got a little tip from G-Mac (in practice) and it seemed to help me. Hopefully I can carry that forward and do all the right things come the weekend. I was just getting over the ball a little too close and he just told me to move it an inch away from where it was and see how it feels. For some reason, it just felt easier to see my lines.”

There was no evidence of Lowry’s transformation on a front nine that saw him merely treading water with one birdie and a bogey to turn in level par. On the back nine, however, he opened his shoulders, found his targets and, most critically of all, got the putter working as he rolled in birdie putts and, on occasion, par saves to leapfrog through the field.

On the 10th, Lowry rolled in a 35-footer for birdie that gave him a pep in his step. From there, he moved into a zone. He eagled the 11th, rolled in a five-footer for birdie on the 12th and another from six feet on the 13th.

On the Par 5 16th, Lowry putted from off the front of the green for a tap-in birdie and, after failing to convert a birdie chance from 10 feet on the famed island hole, where he’d hit “a hard sand wedge from 124 yards” off the tee, he then ripped a 332 yards drive down the 18th and put his sand wedge approach to 15 feet and sank the birdie putt to finish in style.

On being told he was the first player to shoot 29 on the back nine, Lowry remarked: “It’s probably as good a golf course as we play all year. It’s a proper test of golf. And to go out and do it on that nine was nice.”

His score was all the more remarkable for the low expectations he carried into the tournament, missing the cut at Quail Hollow and struggling in practice on Wednesday.

“I kind of was coming out thinking, ‘if I can just get four rounds in here it will be a big help for (the Irish Open) next week. So, I’m on my way to getting four rounds in anyhow . . . next week’s a massive week for me. This week is big as well, but I’d love nothing more than to go back next week and win a tournament.”

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McIlroy All Smylie After Second Austin Win

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Rory McIlroy, if not exactly firing on all cylinders, made it two wins from two matches in his defence of the WGC-Dell Matchplay championship with a 3 and 1 victory over American Smylie Kaufman in the second day of group play.

As McIlroy marched on in pursuit of back-to-back wins in the championship, with a final group match against Kevin Na set to decide who progresses, there was only disappointment for Shane Lowry, who went from a position of strength in his match with Australian Marcus Fraser, three up at the turn, to collapse on the back nine and end up with only a halved match that ended any chance of progression into the knockout phase.

“Is there any point me coming down?” Lowry enquired forlornly to his caddie Dermot Byrne after hitting his tee-shot on the Par 3 17th into the hazard.

There wasn’t, the ball was never found, and despite Byrne’s best efforts, the ball was never found and that poor tee shot in effect – leading to a bogey on that hole for the second day in a row – ended Lowry’s hopes in the championship a day early. His final group match against Zach Johnson will be purely a matter of pride.

Lowry had started like a train – a birdie-birdie start giving him a two hole lead – and he turned three up and seemingly in total control only to lose the 10th and 11th to birdies and the match was back to all-square after Fraser holed from off the green on the 14th.

For McIlroy, there was again a doggedness about how he went about his business in his pursuit of defending the title. Just as his opening group match with Thorbjorn Olesen swung his way late on, he benefitted from the travails of his opponent, Kaufman, who hit one water ball after another on the homeward run.

McIlroy was one up through the turn but lost the 10th and 11th in what appeared to be a momentum- changer to go one down. He didn’t need to produce any heroics of his own, however, to regain the initiative as Kaufman was twice in the water on the 13th and again found water on the 14th for McIlroy to go all-square and then move one up.

Kaufman’s woes were evident again on the 17th, where a pulled tee shot into the same territory as Lowry ahead of him had found resulted in a concession of the hole and the match to McIlroy. The Northern Irishman will complete his group stage against Kevin Na in a winner-takes-all conclusion to see who advances to the last 16.

“It was nice not to go down the last but then it was a little scary at the start of the match, but I’m happy Smylie did concede there at 17 and I move,” said McIlroy, adding: “I certainly feel now after these two days that the longer the match goes on the better my chances are . . . the pleasing thing over the last couple of days is that when I needed to play some of my best golf, I have been able to do that.”

McIlroy made it two wins from two, as did Patrick Reed with a comprehensive 4 and 3 win over England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick to set up a showdown with Phil Mickelson.

Jordan Spieth also made it two wins from two with a 5 and 4 win over Victor Dubuisson.

Graeme McDowell’s involvement came to an early end, as he halved his match with England’s Paul Casey. 

Jason Day, who suffered a back injury in defeating McDowell on Wednesday, received intensive physiotherapy to enable him to play and confirmed his well being with a 5 and 3 win over Thonghai Jaidee that has the Australian set to move on to the knockout phase.

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McIlroy Wins as GMAC and Lowry Lose

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A shake of the hand and a pat on the shoulder from Shane Lowry to Martin Kaymer demonstrated his magnanimity after losing out to the German in the first match of the group stages of the WGC-Dell Matchplay championship at Austin, Texas. But such gestures were delivered with a sense of utter wonderment at how the Claraman had ended up on the losing end of the deal.

For most of the match, Lowry had the upper hand and was one-up with three holes to play only to lose the Par 5 16th and then three-putt for bogey on the 17th to lose back-to-back holes that swung the match in Kaymer’s favour. The one hole defeat has left Lowry with an uphill battle to escape the group stages.

In contrast, Rory McIlroy - who had trailed Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen for most of their match - fought back from being two down after 13 holes to win his match on the 18th green. The Northern Irishman birdied the 14th and 15th to get back to all-square and then won the 18th after the Dane missed the green to claim a one hole win.

Graeme McDowell was given a front row seat to two performances in his opening group match: the first was a close-up view of world number two Jason Day, his opponent, continuing his stellar form on the back of his Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament win; the second was an closer view of the Australian’s back injury late-on in their match which cast a cloud on Day’s 3 and 2 opening day win.

Day was required to undergo immediate treatment on his ailing back after suffering what were described as “shooting pains” down his lower back and into both legs, which has put a question mark over his continued participation in the WGC event and also a worry over his participation in the upcoming US Masters.

“He grabbed his back and said, ‘oh, I just tweaked it,” his caddie Colin Swatton said of his player’s injury, adding: “Up until that point, there was nothing.”

In fact, Day - who had opted not to play any practice rounds ahead of the tournament - had demonstrated his status as one of the game’s in-form players with a comprehensive win that also showed resolve. He was two down to the Ulsterman after just four holes, but won the fifth with a birdie and then claimed the eighth and ninth holes to turn one up.

McDowell’s day got worse on the Par 3 11th, where, with 192 yards to the flag, he put his tee shot into the lake and was ultimately forced to concede the hole. Day won the 12th with a birdie four to go three up, but instead of coasting home had to endure a painful finish as he suffered back problems from the 15th fairway where he was seen holding his back and stretching. By the time he reached the green, he was grimacing and in obvious pain.

“I’m not going to say it rubbed salt in my wound when a guy is 3 up with three to go and then he starts hurting and is able to limp up and win the match, but it does put a salty edge in it for me,” McDowell said, before adding, with a laugh: “Go down six holes ago if you're going.”

“But you never wish an injury on a guy,” he said, “especially on a guy on top of his form like Jason is, and as good of an athlete as Jason is.”

Day would move ahead of Jordan Spieth into the world number one spot with a win in Austin but that prospect was reduced by his latest medical setback and there is a question over whether or not he will be able to complete the two remaining matches in the group, with the winner advancing to the last-16. And, with the Masters just two weeks away, his fitness for the season’s first Major is an even greater concern.

As his caddie put it, “He’s been great all year,” Swatton said of Day’s health. “Just out of the blue. I don’t know if it was one swing or what it was.” Subsequently, his agent issued a statement confirming that Day’s post-round treatment had proven beneficial and he aimed to play his second round match.

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Lowry Tops Honda Leaderboard

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Shane Lowry signed for an opening round of 67 at The Honda Classic courtesy of a birdie on the 17th and then an eagle 3 on the 18th in the opening round of The Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. .

He shared a threeway lead in the clubhouse with Sweden's David Lingmerth and American George McNeill, who has missed the cut in his last five events and whose last competitive round was an 84 in the Farmers Insurance Open.

"It wasn't easy," McNeill told PGA Tour radio after a round containing six birdies, one bogey and a double bogey. "The wind always blows here, it was the opposite direction to what it was in the practice rounds and the pro-am and a little cooler.

"I putted pretty phenomenal, that's really all I did well. I haven't made a putt in two years so it kind of felt good! To see them consistently go in, I didn't expect to make that many, but it was nice.

"Being back in Florida I feel a little more comfortable being back on Bermuda grass and greens. The stuff out west, I have fits out there just because I can't read it and putt it there. Being back in Florida helps."

Out on the course, the start of Sergio Garcia's round was as spectacular as Lowry's finish, the Ryder Cup star holing his approach to the second from 148 yards for an eagle two.

The world number 19 then holed from six feet for birdie on the par-five third to move into a share of the lead, with playing partner Rickie Fowler a shot behind after birdies on the second and third.

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Harrington Happy at Hyundai in Hawaii

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Padraig Harrington who bogeyed the last and carded four birdies a  share of 12th place after day one of the Hyndai Tournament of Champions - courtesy of his win earlier this year at The Honda Classic.

Patrick Reed struck four birdies and an eagle in the final six holes to fire an eight-under 65 and take his place at the top of the first-round leaderboard at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

The four-time PGA Tour winner was well down the leaderboard after turning on two under, but was in scintillating form on the back nine, reeling off birdies at the 13th, 14th and 15th holes.

After hitting par at the 16th, he was back in the red with another birdie before bringing his round to a close with an eagle on the par 5 18th.

He came home in just 31 shots, six under par.

Reed's playing partner and world number one Jordan Spieth finished one shot behind on seven-under after another blemish-free round, registering seven birdies.

Brandt Snedeker, J.B Holmes and Danny Lee are all placed on six under while two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson is a further two behind after shooting 69.

World number two Jason Day did not enjoy as productive days as Reed and Spieth, but is still well-placed thanks to a bogey-free three under.

Scotland's Russell Knox is the best-placed Brit on two under.

Graeme McDowell struck two double bogeys in his two-over-par 75

Harrington told the Golf Channel after his round: “Last year was quite a disappointing year for me. I didn’t play as well as I would have liked.

“But I liked what I saw today and that’s good enough for me, because it’s all about the moment and what you’re doing.

“I made a few changes during the winter and first week out I’m liking what I see and I hope that it will go from strength to strength during the season.”

Harrington has featured at six Ryder Cups but now finds himself 141st in the world rankings.

While not giving up hope of an unlikely spot on the European team later this year, the 44-year-old has admitted that his focus for the time being is very much on his own individual performances.

“It’s a big ask from the position I’m in,” he added.

“I’m going to have to have a big year.

“I’m literally going to have to win at least twice or a major.

“It really is going to have to be a big year for any guy to get into the Ryder Cup team.

“Especially as I’m not in those World Series events - I wasn’t in the ones at the end of last year.

“So as much as I’d like to play - and it’s a goal of mine - it’s not necessarily on my radar. I’ve got to go out and get a win under my belt and then I’ll start thinking about it.”

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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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