The Irish Golf Club Gazette: Harris English

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11/14/2014

Harrington Opens with 74 in Mexico

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Pádraig Harrington signed for a three over par first round at the OHL Classic and settled for a 74 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico - and off the pace.

Daniel Berger was making his sixth PGA TOUR start, and birdied 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 and finished with two pars to match Will MacKenzie, Robert Garrigus, Steve Wheatcroft, Hudson Swafford and Tony Finau at 6-under 65 on Mayakoba's El Camaleon course.

"This is what we work so hard for, so it's great to get off to a good start, but got to keep it going," said Berger, the 21-year-old former Florida State player who earned a PGA TOUR card last season on the Web.com Tour.

The six-player tie is the largest after 18 holes since six players also topped the leaderboard in the 2013 St. Jude Classic.

The Greg Norman-designed course requires accuracy off the tee.

"I think I hit maybe two drivers all day," Berger said. "It's just kind of one of those courses where you've got to hit the fairway. Super tight off the tee, so just put it in play and you've got some birdie opportunities."

The long-hitting Finau hit driver only once.

"I'm still able to use my length by hitting 3-woods and 2-irons and moving it up the fairway still where most guys would have to hit driver," Finau said. "I definitely wasn't able to use my driver length, but I still use my length off the tee."

Fifty-year-old Davis Love III was at 66 in a group that included Aaron Baddeley, Charley Hoffman and Pat Perez.

"I made some putts when I had to," Love said. "I had four birdies in five holes in a little spurt in the middle of the round, and put the ball in play. I think that's what you have to do here. You have to keep it in the fairway and you have to putt well."

Defending champion Harris English closed with a three-putt bogey for a 67.

"It hurt on the last hole, three-putting, but I'm still going to take a lot of positives out of today," English said.

Carlos Ortiz topped the seven Mexican players in the field at 67. He won three times on the Web.com Tour last season.

"I started a little bit nervous with all the people who were watching, family, friends," Ortiz said. "But I had a very good beginning on the first hole with a birdie and then I birdied 3, 4, 5. It helped me a lot to get relaxed."

Canada's Nick Taylor, the Sanderson Farms Championship winner Sunday in Mississippi, had a 71.

3/07/2014

Rory Rounds Blue Monster

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Rory McIlroy was satisfied with his a showing in the weather-affected opening round of the WGC – Cadillac Championship, with the Northern Irishman handily placed just two shots off the pace.

Starting on the tenth tee, McIlroy displayed no signs of a hangover from his play-off defeat in last week’s Honda Classic, flying out of the blocks with three birdies in his opening four holes over the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral, draining a 53 foot putt on the 13th hole.

He dropped a shot at the next after finding the bunker, but regained it immediately with an eight foot birdie putt on the 15th before back-to-back bogeys on the 17th and 18th holes just before storms halted played for more than two hours.

The former World Number One regrouped during the delay and resumed his round in the middle of the first fairway, duly birdieing it to move to two under par before lipping out with another birdie chance on the second hole from eight feet.

With conditions proving tough, McIlroy bogeyed the fourth hole to sit on one under par through 14 holes of his round. With five players currently setting the pace on three under par, including clubhouse leader Harris English, McIlroy was rightly pleased with his efforts on the opening day.

“I said I’d be happy with anything under par from this round and I’m still on course for that,” he said. “I’m happy with the way I played and I’d like to get something in the 60s.

“I played pretty good. It was tough out there though with the wind and the firm greens with the moisture on top. It was really skidding. So it was hard when we got back out to control the distance. You had to guess a little how much the ball would skip forward. I’ll get back out in the morning and play the last three and a half holes without as much wind and with better conditions.”

After finishing runner up twice already this season, the two-time Major Champion has plenty of cause for optimism over the next three days.

“I'm playing well and I'm comfortable with my game,” he said. “I wasn't going to let one bad day last week derail the good path that I'm on.

“I played well from the start again, and made four birdies quickly. Hopefully I will make a few more tomorrow.”