McIlroy the Hostest with Mostest

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Rory McIlroy put himself in an excellent position heading into the weekend at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation and then declared he was confident he could go on to win his home event.

The Northern Irishman is playing host to the tournament for the second consecutive season but had missed the cut three years in a row before rounds of 67-70 saw him make a good start at the K Club.

His previous best finish was seventh in 2008 and the four-time Major Championship winner said before the start this week and after the first round how eager he was to at last taste victory on home soil.

To do that he must overcome an elite field, with Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett and three-time European tour winner Marc Warren both a shot ahead of him at eight under heading into the weekend.

But after striking the ball beautifully over days one and two, McIlroy believes if he can cut out the mistakes, he will be right in the mix come Sunday afternoon.

"I'm making enough birdies," he said. "I think I made six birdies yesterday. I made six birdies today. So the birdies are there. I just need to limit the mistakes. Four bogeys today, a couple of really soft bogeys as well.

"I know that I'm hitting enough good shots and I'm holing enough putts. If I can live with the mistakes, I feel like I'll be right there.

"Obviously I haven't made the cut here for a while, and to be in for the weekend and play a solid two rounds of golf, I'm right there in the mix. I'm excited for the weekend."

McIlroy came into the second round two shots behind Willett and while he twice reined him in, he twice fell two shots behind again with a closing birdie from 20 feet on the ninth - his last - cutting the gap to one.

"I was getting quite frustrated there," he added. "Especially the end of the round, I felt I was giving myself chances and wasn't converting, and any time I did make a mistake, I wasn't saving par.

"To hole that birdie putt on the last, it was nice. It gives me a little bit of momentum going into the weekend, and I'll need it."

Willett is playing his first European Tour event since his maiden Major triumph at Augusta and McIlroy is delighted to have the man he beat to the Race to Dubai title last term in contention.

"I don't think anyone was happier than me last night because of what Danny shot, and then obviously me being up there," he said. "Both up there for the weekend, the Masters Champion and myself, it's a good leaderboard.

"It's great to see Danny up there, as well. I was very pleased that he committed to come and play here."

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McGee and Phelan Added to K Club

McGee at Challenge de Madrid - Getty Images

Ruaidhri McGee and Kevin Phelan have accepted invitations from Sport Ireland to compete in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open which gets underway at The K Club next Thursday (19 May). 

This allows both players to start in a full European Tour event alongside some of the leading players in the world including Masters champion Danny Willett and Ireland's own Rory McIlroy. 

McGee, whose best finish of the season so far came on the Challenge Tour in Madrid where he was tied ninth can't wait to tee it up next week. 

"It's huge. It's such a big tournament the Irish Open. Obviously being my home tournament it's great to get to play in it. It could make a huge difference to the season. You have a good week there and it could change everything. 

"Sport Ireland have helped me out for the past three years now, it's been huge. I don't if I'd be where I am now without their support. I probably couldn't have played nearly as much as I have without it. It's been a great help." 

John Treacy, CEO Sport Ireland commented "I am delighted that Sport Ireland, through its sponsorship of the Irish Open, has been able to offer invitations to two emerging Irish golfers, Kevin Phelan and Ruaidhri McGee. This will provide both players with the opportunity to play in a top class European Tour event on home soil and also to help further their careers as professional golfers." 

Both McGee and Phelan received financial assistance this year from Sport Ireland as part of the Team Ireland Golf fund which is administered by the Confederation of Golf in Ireland. 

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Bank of Ireland Sponsors Irish Open

Bank backs Irish Open

Bank of Ireland has announced a three-year sponsorship deal with the Irish Open golf tournament. The Dubai Duty-Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation, a charitable foundation set up by Rory McIlroy, has added the bank to its list of official sponsors ahead of the 2016 tournament, which takes place at the K Club from May 19th to 22nd.

Some 100,000 people are expected to attend the Kildare venue over the course of the four-day tournament, with TV coverage in Ireland being shared between RTÉ and Sky.

As part of the sponsorship, Bank of Ireland is running a competition for golf clubs where the prize is to have the club branding displayed on the golfing attire of Shane Lowry on the Thursday and Friday of the competition.

The bank will also support the Irish Open Golf Skills Challenge for under-15s, run by the European Tour in conjunction with the Confederation of Golf in Ireland.

The competition, which is open to all clubs, aims to help develop young golfers in their putting, chipping, iron play and driving skills. Two winning teams will be given the opportunity to attend the pro-am in Kildare on May 18th.

Bank of Ireland’s chief executive of corporate banking Tom Hayes said the bank was “proud to be associated with an event that has developed into one of the most popular tournaments on the European Tour”.

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Lowry Joins Love III and Louis Oosthuizen

Shane Lowry

Shane Lowry ended a disappointing week on a thrilling note with a hole-in-one in the final round of the Masters at Augusta National on Sunday.

Lowry holed out with an eight iron on the 16th in a final-round 75, his tee shot landing in the perfect spot to the right of the hole and trickling down the slope into the cup.

"It was amazing to have a hole-in-one on 16 around here in the final round," Lowry said. "I just wish I would have been able to come up with more birdies, but it was a perfect shot.

"I just hit it in right of the hole and (the slope) just took it down and in. I feel pretty lucky to have a hole-in-one around this place, in this tournament. It's nice. I'm sure I'll get a picture somewhere and frame it in the house and it will be a nice memento to have."

After picking the ball out of the hole, Lowry motioned as if he was going to throw it into the crowd, but added: "No, I wasn't giving the ball away. My last hole-in-one in competition my parents were there as well in Dubai and I still have the ball from that. So I feel like I'll keep that one."

Lowry was just two shots off the lead after an opening 68, but fell out of contention with a 76 on Friday and struggled to a 79 in Saturday's third round.

"Yesterday it was just a tough day and I just let it get away from me," added the 29-year-old. "Friday didn't go too well obviously either. I feel like my game wasn't there, I didn't hole enough putts. I made a few bad decisions.

"I feel like I could have done a lot better and I'm a bit disappointed with the week as a whole. When I sit back and look at it, this week will definitely help me in the future. So I've got to look at it that way.

"There's a lot of good positives to take out of it. I feel like my iron play was quite good for most of the week, just a few bad breaks here and there the last couple of days and I feel like I could have been a little bit closer to the lead, but that's the way major golf is and that's the way this course is.

"Every week you play a major, especially the Masters, is a learning curve and I learned a lot this week and I'm sure I'll take it with me in the future."

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McIlroy Feels Pressure of Slam

Rory McIlroy final round of Masters - Getty Images

Rory McIlroy fired a closing 71, which featured seven birdies and six bogeys and admitted he felt the pressure of trying to complete the career grand slam after a disappointing weekend at Augusta National.

McIlroy went into the third round of the Masters just a shot behind defending champion Jordan Spieth, but struggled to a 77 to fall five shots adrift, a deficit he never threatened to make up on Sunday.

" I was in a great position going into the weekend and I just didn't play the golf I needed to when it really mattered," McIlroy said after a closing 71 featuring seven birdies and six bogeys. " That's the thing that I take away not just from this week, but from previous Masters.

"I've been in position before and I haven't got the job done when I needed to and I don't think that's anything to do with my game, I think that's more me mentally - I'm trying to deal with the pressure of it and the thrill of the achievement if it were to happen. I think that's the thing that's really holding me back.

"The more times I can get in position to win this tournament, the more times I'll learnand I'll know what not to do. And I feel like I learned a lot yesterday reflecting on it and that's something that hopefully I'll do things differently.

"This is the one that I haven't won and this is the one I want to win more than anything else. I won a Claret Jug, I want to win more. I won a Wanamaker (Trophy), I won the US Open, but this is the one that I haven't.

" Once I overcome that mental hurdle that I'm struggling with at the minute, then I know how to play this course. I've played this course very well before and I can string good rounds together here, but it's just a matter of doing it."

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Still Can Win The Masters - Rory McIlroy

Spieth and McIlroy, R3 - Getty Images

Rory McIlroy believes he still has a chance to win the Masters and complete the career grand slam after Jordan Spieth's late stumble threw the tournament wide open.

Spieth held a four-shot lead with two holes to play and was eight clear of playing partner McIlroy, who struggled to a 77 and failed to record a single birdie for the first time in 81 major championship rounds.

However, the defending champion then bogeyed the 17th and ran up a double bogey on the last to finish just a shot ahead of compatriot Smylie Kaufman, with McIlroy another four shots behind.

"I couldn't get anything going really," McIlroy said. "It felt more like a US Open than a Masters today. I am disappointed. I felt like I righted the ship a little on the back nine but couldn't take the few opportunities I gave myself.

"If I am to take heart from anything then it's the fact Jordan has just let a lot of people in after his finish. But I need to get off to a fast start tomorrow. The forecast is for better conditions and we know stranger things have happened, but I need to play a lot better than I played today.

"I think it's winnable from here. If Jordan hadn't had that finish then I would probably say no, but he finished that way and the guys on two and three over like myself feel like we have a chance now. I just have to make sure that I get off to a fast start and put some red numbers on the board and make a bit of noise to put a bit of pressure on the guys playing behind me.

"I need to be more aggressive. I played very tentatively today right from the get-go. I hit it in the bunker on two and that was the way of it. I didn't birdie any of the holes I had been doing for the first two days, I didn't take advantage of the par fives.

"I made a couple of big numbers and had no red on the card and that is never going to bode well. I was trying so hard on that last putt to just make one birdie today but it wasn't to be.

"I'm only five back and I can't believe I am standing here saying that because I was eight behind standing on the 17th tee. I need to regroup and stay positive and go out and attack tomorrow."

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McIroy Must Make Most of Par 5's - Montgomerie

Colin Montgomerie, Sky Sports

Colin Montgomerie believes Rory McIlroy needs to continue to make the most of the par-fives and cut out the mistakes in his game after a steady start to the Masters.

The world No 3 bogeyed the last hole to close a two-under 70 and sit four shots adrift of early pacesetter Jordan Spieth, with the four-time major champion having the most success on Augusta's longer holes.

McIlroy carded an eagle and two birdies when tackling the par-fives on Thursday, which Montgomerie feels keeps the Northern Irishman in contention.

"He has played them in his four under which he had to do and that has kept them in it," Montgomerie told Sky Sports. "He is driving the ball magnificently and he'll be very disappointed with his finish after the driving the ball so brilliantly.

"He has done what he has to do and he has to keep doing that over the next three days. He has to keep birdieing these par-fives. If he does that, then he has a chance.

"The rest of the course he played in two over, which isn't that great, but those par-fives have kept him in the top 10.

"There were four dropped shots from Rory, which is four too many for someone as good as Rory. He has got to cut out the unforced errors like at 18 if he is to beat Jordan Spieth.

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McIlroy Heads One Direction at Augusta

Niall Horan

It's a year since One Direction star Niall Horan took a tumble as he caddied for Rory McIlroy at the annual Masters Par 3 Contest.

Most players treat the contest as light relief and invite family or friends to act as their caddies, and Horan's blossoming friendship with McIlroy resulted in the singer being asked to caddie for the then world No 1 at Augusta.

Horan certainly was not the first caddie to find the hazard when given the chance to tee it up at the final hole, but worse was to come as he slipped on the pine straw just as the pair were about to be interviewed by Kirsty Gallacher.

But despite his stumble, Horan admitted it was an enjoyable experience.

"It's just great to be at Augusta," Horan told Sky Sports 4. "I knew about a year ago I had the time off to come to the Masters. Then I met this man (McIlroy) and he asked me, 'did I want to carry the bag on Wednesday?' Of course, if the world No 1 asks you to carry his bag, you carry it!"

On getting to play in front of a large crowd, he added: "I can't say I've been that nervous in a long time! It was tough, but it was alright! It's great to be around Rory. It's a big week for him and hopefully come Sunday he'll have a green jacket on his back."

McIlroy added: "The deal was if I made him hit a shot here, they're playing in Boston when I'm there at the end of summer and I'll have to go up on stage and maybe sing a few lines, so (I'm) not looking forward to that!

"It has been a great afternoon and he’s a great sport for doing it."

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