The Irish Golf Club Gazette: Le Golf National

Showing posts with label Le Golf National. Show all posts

5/04/2016

McIlroy Out of BMW PGA Championship

Rory McIlroy will miss the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth this month in a further blow to the European Tour's flagship event.

McIlroy is defending his title in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow this week and will then contest the Players Championship, followed by the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, an event hosted by his own foundation.

That means the BMW PGA Championship, which he won in 2014, would have been a fourth tournament in a row and the world number three had previously indicated he was not keen on such a schedule following the ankle injury he suffered in 2015.

"The reason I took three weeks off after Augusta was that I'm not going to have more than a week off until after the Ryder Cup. Until October it's going to be very busy," McIlroy said.

"I'm playing here, next week at the Players, the Irish Open and then it's basically week on, week off from there. Memorial, week off, US Open, week off, French Open, week off, Open, week off, PGA, week off, Olympics, week off, Fed Ex Cup, Ryder Cup.

"There's a little bit of travel in there as well so it's a busy stretch coming up and you can't play every week. You want to feel as fresh as you can for every tournament that you play so I feel it's the best way for me to approach it."

The good news for the European Tour is that McIlroy is playing the 100th Open de France instead of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, which he won in 2014.

A re-working of the PGA Tour's 2016 calendar to accommodate golf's return to the Olympics saw the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational brought forward to the end of June, bringing it into direct conflict with the French Open at Le Golf National, venue for the 2018 Ryder Cup.

The European Tour responded by withdrawing its sanction of the WGC event just two days after Shane Lowry won it last August, meaning money won in Akron will not count for Ryder Cup points or towards the Race to Dubai.

The French Open will also offer increased prize money and extra Ryder Cup qualifying points, as well as counting as two of the five tournaments outside majors and WGC events which players now need to play to fulfil their membership.

Speaking ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last November, European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said he wanted to see the BMW PGA Championship offering more prize money than its current "unacceptable" €5 million.

"A lot of people talk about Wentworth as being a flagship event," Pelley said. "Wentworth is €5.1 million. The other event in the US that week is $6 million. That's unacceptable. Wentworth needs to be $8-$10 million dollars.

"The important thing for me at Wentworth is what they do to the West Course. From everything that I have heard, there is significant investment. We are continuing at Wentworth until at least 2018 and if the West Course becomes exactly what they believe it will, and we can increase the prize purse, then perhaps it can be a flagship event going forward.

"Our flagship event right here is the DP World Tour Championship, which is eight million dollars plus a bonus prize."

8/12/2015

Lowry Might Become Cup Tied

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The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational next year will not be sanctioned by the European Tour as it clashes with the Open de France.

The Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, which is usually held in August, is being moved forward in 2016 by more than five weeks to accommodate golf’s return to the Olympics in Rio.

The WGC tournament will now be played between June 30 and July 3, the same date as the French Open which is one of the oldest national championships in European golf.

In a statement, the European Tour said: "The Alstom Open de France is the oldest national open championship in continental Europe and has been a fixture on the European Tour International Schedule since the Tour's formation in 1972.

"Furthermore, next year's tournament at Le Golf National will be the 100th staging of the event.

"Withdrawing the sanction means that the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational will not be part of the 2016 European Tour International Schedule, nor will money won in it count towards the Race to Dubai or for Ryder Cup points."

This year’s Bridgestone event was won by Shane Lowry, although a number of European Ryder Cup hopefuls may have to rethink their schedule next summer depending on their qualifying ranking at the time.

Keith Pelley, chief executive officer of the European Tour, said: “The Albatros Course at Le Golf National is currently undergoing renovation to prepare not only for next year’s landmark tournament but also for the staging of the Ryder Cup in 2018.

“We are confident that next year’s event, with an increased prize fund alongside the current renovations to the golf course, will properly reflect the importance of the tournament alongside the 100th anniversary celebrations.”

7/03/2015

McDowell Misses French Cut

Graeme McDowell admits he has work to do on his game after missing the cut at Le Golf National.

The Northern Irishman's bid for a third successive title in France came to a frustratingly early end, as the former US Open champion's poor form continued.

McDowell was one of the early starters on Friday after thunderstorms had left 42 players unable to complete their opening rounds on day one, making par at the 18th to close and opening 72 and lie within four of the lead.

However, after a short break McDowell was back out on the course which will stage the 2018 Ryder Cup and slumped to a second round of 78, his worst score in 32 rounds at the venue.

The 35-year-old failed to register a single birdie during his second round, posting three bogeys and two double-bogeys, including at the second after sending his shot in to the hazard, to end the week eight over.

"I struggled to get in the fairway mainly and, as firm and as fast as this course is, if you're not hitting the fairway you have a bit of a problem getting close to the flag," McDowell said. "It's just a bad first nine both days.

"I rescued it coming in last night but it was a fast turnaround from a 9pm finish last night to an early start this morning and I just didn't come out of the blocks this morning at all.

"It's very disappointing, this course has been so good to me over the years, just not to be this year. It's a work in progress, I'll keep grinding and it's a big summer ahead."

It leaves McDowell without a top-ten finish since February's Dubai Desert Classic, with the Ryder Cup star in danger of dropping out of the world's top 50 unless he can produces an upturn in results.

"I have a lot of technique in my head to be honest and I have to strip that out," McDowell told Sky Sports 4. "I've got to get back to basics and try to clear the mind.

"I've been working too hard on trying to get the technique fixed and been making it worse. I know it's in there; you take the rough with the smooth and it's been a great three or four years. I will dig this out and I'll be back."

10/14/2014

McDowell Defends at London Club

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Graeme McDowell goes into the Volvo World Match Play looking to defend his second title of 2014, although he will have to do so at a different venue to where he won last year’s tournament.

The Thracian Cliffs Golf and Beach Resort in Bulgaria hosted the Volvo World Match Play when the Northern Irishman was victorious in May 2013.

Now the famous competition, enjoying its 50th anniversary, has returned to its spiritual home of south-east England with The London Golf Club in Kent staging the event.

In July McDowell, who won three points out of three as Europe retained The Ryder Cup last month, defended the Alstom Open de France crown.

While that was at Le Golf National both years, he will face quite different conditions to Bulgaria this week as he goes in search of back-to-back Volvo World Match Play successes.

“I’m happy to be back in London where this tournament belongs,” said McDowell, who has not competed since The Ryder Cup.

“I’m excited about my defence. It’s nice to not have to switch gears from my couple weeks off from my match play frame of mind.

“I was able to keep the match play sort of switch flicked the last couple weeks, and look forward to coming into this week and continuing hopefully where I left off at Gleneagles and win a couple matches and get myself into the nitty gritty over the weekend.”

McDowell will open his defence on Wednesday against in-form Frenchman Alexander Levy, the winner of last week’s weather-affected Portugal Masters.

The 35 year old McDowell plays mainly in the United States, but still sits 14th in The Race to Dubai while occupying 18th in The Official World Golf Rankings.

“I guess I haven't played a lot of golf since the FedEx really. I kind of hung my hat on my preparation for The Ryder Cup and ended up giving Wales a miss,” he continued.

“Thankfully it worked out. I felt fresh and ready for The Ryder Cup and performed reasonably well.

“I’m coming here feeling appreciated and actually excited to play golf this week, which is cool.

“I'll play both events in China and then obviously The Race to Dubai. So the goals are to try and get as far as I can this week and try and put some money on the board, and then go to China, obviously trying to chase my way into the top - I say the top five (in the) Race to Dubai.”

McDowell is the top seed in the Gustaf Larson Group, whilst the leading lights in the Arnold Palmer, Mark McCormack and Assar Gabrielsson groups are his Ryder Cup team-mates Henrik Stenson, Jamie Donaldson and Victor Dubuisson respectively.

But for Thomas Bjørn withdrawing due to a neck injury, McDowell would have been one of five recent Ryder Cup winners in action this week.

United States’ Patrick Reed involvement means there are six competitors from Gleneagles overall.

“We were potentially going to have seven Ryder Cup players this week. Obviously Thomas has pulled out so we have six, with a little bit of a glimmer of an exciting invitation with Patrick Reed being here. I think it has the right dynamic of a strong field,” McDowell added.

“Yes, we are missing a few headliners like the Rorys and the Westwoods and whatever, the top, top real echelon of the game. But it's a very solid field, let's be honest and like you say, put a show on, hopefully the sun shines and we get a good crowd and quality lineup Saturday and Sunday to showcase.

“When you look at the trophy and the names on it, this tournament deserves a great spot in the calendar. It deserves a quality venue like this one this week. It's a phenomenal purse. Volvo have done a phenomenal job for this tournament and like you say, leaving a title sponsor, we don't want to be losing this event.

“This event needs to be reinstated to its former glory and we'll do everything we can to support that.”

7/06/2014

GMAC Defends French Title

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Graeme McDowell will head into the Open Championship buoyed by his first ever successful title defence following a dramatic final round of the Open de France.

McDowell overturned an eight-shot deficit thanks to a brilliant closing 67 despite the wet and windy conditions at Le Golf National, although he also had plenty of help from the American Kevin Stadler.

Stadler’s four-shot overnight lead disappeared with a front nine of 41, but he battled back well with birdies on the 14th and 16th to pull within one of McDowell, who had moved three ahead with his fifth birdie of the day on the 16th.

With McDowell then dropping his only shot of the day on the 18th after finding heavy rough off the tee, Stadler needed to par the 18th to force a play-off but missed from two feet just as McDowell left the recording area to prepare for extra holes.

Stadler’s closing 76 left him in a tie for second with Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, who dropped five shots in the first four holes but played the remainder in four-under for a 72.

“I’m very surprised,” McDowell said after claiming his 10th European Tour title. “Midway through my second glass of red wine last night, when I was very disappointed with my back-nine performance on Saturday, I really didn’t think I’d be a) standing here with an opportunity to be in a play-off and b) with a trophy in my hands.

“I feel very fortunate. Kevin Stadler is a great, great player. I literally gave him that putt on the last green. I didn’t expect him to miss that. It’s not really the way you like to win. I was ready to go for the playoff, but I’ll take it and run. I really needed this victory. It’s a special one for me. It’s pretty timely. There’s a busy summer ahead and this a really good kick-start to the summer.”

McDowell has deliberately played a lighter schedule this year – even missing the PGA Championship at Wentworth – to leave himself fresher for the second half of the season.

“It’s a good decision now, but I have to say myself and my team were starting to question it,” the former US Open champion added. “But my body has probably never been in as good a shape at this point in the season coming into two major championships, the FedEx Cup play-offs and hopefully the Ryder Cup.

“I’m very proud to defend my first title ever and this is the boost I needed on many fronts, especially the Ryder Cup [the win takes him 10th on the European points list].”

McDowell, who held the outright lead after the first round of the Open the last time it was held at Hoylake, in 2006, added: “I was at Hoylake a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s my type of set-up. You really have to find fairways off the tee and there are big flat greens where you can hole some putts. This is a nice confidence booster and I will be back at Hoylake next Sunday ready to go.”

Stadler found himself five clear of the field when his playing partner, Jaidee, got off to a terrible start and the local favourite Victor Riu followed a birdie on the 1st with a double bogey on the 2nd.

But the 34-year-old then missed from 18 inches for par on the 4th and four feet on the 6th, before running up a double-bogey six on the next, where his ball was only found in the deep rough because an on-course television commentator stood on it.

Stadler was allowed a free drop but could only hack the ball a few yards sideways and eventually did well to get up and down from short of the green for a six.

A poor chip from left of the 8th green led to another bogey and two more early in the back nine looked to have ended his chances as McDowell picked up shots on the 13th, 14th and 16th.

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7/02/2014

Deja-vu for GMAC at Alstom

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Graeme McDowell will go in search of a successful title defence for the first time in his illustrious career at this week’s Alstom Open de France, but a world-class field stands between the Irishman and a repeat triumph at Le Golf National.

The World Number 20 cruised to victory by four shots on the outskirts of Paris 12 months ago, but with his fellow Major Champion Martin Kaymer, rising star Victor Dubuisson and the current Race to Dubai leader Thomas Björn all amongst the protagonists, McDowell will be hard pushed to match the feats of Jean-François Remesy, the last player to mount a successful defence of the title in 2004-2005.

McDowell’s last competitive appearance was in the Irish Open, where he narrowly missed out on delivering what would have been an emotional home victory. But a tied sixth finish was McDowell’s best performance in a stroke play event this season, and boosted his hopes of a fourth successive Ryder Cup appearance in September.

Kaymer all but secured his place in Captain Paul McGinley’s team after his stunning US Open triumph, but the German – who took the Open de France title in 2009 after a play-off with Lee Westwood – will be keen to bounce back from a disappointing homecoming in last week’s BMW International Open, where he missed the cut.

Björn, who was recently sidelined for three weeks with neck and shoulder injuries, fared rather better on his return to duty in Germany, recording his sixth top ten finish of a superb season to extend his lead over Kaymer at the top of The Race to Dubai to €62,126.

But with a €3million prize fund available at the 98th edition of the Open de France, which was first played back in 1906, victory for Kaymer would see him usurp the Dane at the top of the standings.

Fabrizio Zanotti will bid to become the first player to win back to back titles this season after his breakthrough victory in the BMW International Open.

Having become the first Paraguayan to win on The European Tour, Zanotti will now hope to join a roll call of winners which includes no fewer than 20 Major Champions.

Welshman Jamie Donaldson, currently in fourth place in The Race to Dubai, also arrives in Versailles in fine fettle after his tied fifth finish behind Zanotti in Cologne, where he missed out on making it a five-way play-off by a single stroke.

The same applies to Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, currently in a rich vein of form after claiming his fifth European Tour title in the recent Nordea Masters.

Other notable names in the field include former winners Thomas Levet and Marcel Siem; European and US PGA Tour champion Kevin Stadler of America; rising English star Matthew Fitzpatrick, who continues his education in the professional ranks; and hot young French prospects Julien Brun and Jérôme Lando Casanova.

8/05/2013

GMAC July Player of the Month

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Graeme McDowell has been named The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month for July after becoming the second multiple winner on The 2013 European Tour International Schedule with his triumph in the Alstom Open de France.

McDowell, who receives an engraved alms dish and a Jeroboam of Moët & Chandon champagne, claimed a four shot victory at Le Golf National – venue for The 2018 Ryder Cup – on the outskirts of Paris in Continental Europe’s oldest National Open Championship to follow his victory in the Volvo World Match Play Championship in May.

The 2010 US Open Champion, who is currently second behind Justin Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, in The 2013 Race to Dubai, became the first Northern Irishman to win the Alstom Open de France – first played in 1906 – and claimed his third success of a momentous season following another win on the US PGA Tour.

McDowell, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Tuesday, said: “It’s nice to have another reason to celebrate, in addition to my birthday, this week. It was obviously a great win at the French Open. It’s a golf course I’ve always felt I can do well on.

“It was a special win at a prestigious venue. I’m delighted it has been recognised with this award. It’s always nice when it’s recognised that you’re playing well, especially against such a high quality field with some top, top players and in Major season too.”

The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month Panel, comprising members of the Association of Golf Writers as well as commentators from television and radio, also considered the winning performances of another Northern Irishman, Michael Hoey, in the M2M Russian Open and Sweden’s Jonas Blixt on the US PGA Tour, in addition to Sweden’s Henrik Stenson’s back-to-back performances in the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open and The 142nd Open Championship.

Stenson included brilliant rounds of 64 and 66 at Castle Stuart Golf Links to finish tied third behind Phil Mickelson, then seven days later demonstrated his brilliance again on the links by taking the runners-up berth behind Mickelson at Muirfield to move to fourth in The 2013 Race to Dubai and re-enter the Official World Golf Ranking top 20.

Derek Lawrenson, Golf Correspondent of The Daily Mail, said: “Henrik Stenson’s rise from the depths of the middle 200s in the Official World Ranking is a heart-warming example of the old adage about class being permanent.

"Nevertheless the Open de France is one of the most historic and best tournaments on The European Tour, played on a top-class course that was presented in perfect shape, and to come out on top Graeme McDowell demonstrated not only great craft and skill but all the combative qualities that make him such a wonderful competitor. He is a most worthy European Tour Golfer of the Month.”

McDowell will now be considered – along with previous winners Chris Wood (January), Darren Fichardt (February), Marcel Siem (March), Raphaël Jacquelin (April), Matteo Manassero (May) and Justin Rose (June) – for The 2013 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year Award, and all will be seeking to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Rory McIlroy.