Where are they Now - Philip Walton

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The County Tipperary Golf Club at Dundrum House is a 150 acre golf course specifically designed to use the natural features of woodland, parkland and Multeen River where Philip Walton combined the natural elements to create a very challenging par 72 course. 

At St. Helen’s Bay Golf Cub in Rosslare he designed a championship that overlooks one of Ireland's most beautiful beaches on the south east coast wherehe took the challenge of forging a stern golfing test from the mixture of parkland and links. The 17th and 18th holes enjoy a view of beach and sea which accompany the fairways all the way home. 

Away from golf course design Walton also shares a common link with fellow Irishmen Paul McGinley, Eamon Darcy, Christy O’Connor Jnr and Graeme McDowell; Philip Walton will always be remembered for securing that all important point in the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York in 1995. 

Playing Jay Haas of the USA in the penultimate singles Walton held his nerve to two putt the final green for a European win much to the delight of his team Captain, Bernard Gallacher, and team mates; Seve Ballesteros, Howard Clark, Mark James, Ian Woosnam, Constantino Rocca, David Gilford, Colin Montgomerie, Sir Nick Faldo and Per Ulrik Johansson. 

Philip Walton grew up in Malahide and spent three years at Oklahoma University on a Scholarship. 

In the Walker Cup Philip won three points out of four in 1981 and 1983 before turning professional that same year. 

Walton has won the Irish PGA Championship four times and previous winners include Padraig Harrington [6]; Paul McGinley [4], Darren Clarke and Christy O’Connor Snr [10]. 

In 1995 Philip Walton, Ronan Rafferty and David Feherty won the Alfred Dunhill Cup, a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000 with three man teams representing each country and promoted as the "World Team Championship" hosted at St Andrews in Scotland. 

On the European Tour Walton was a winner three times with victories at the Open de Catalonia, Peugeot Open de France and Murphy's English Open. 

In 2004 he returned to The European Tour after losing his card in 1999, and enduring five unsuccessful visits to the Qualifying School Finals in the preceding years. 

Walton qualified for The Open Championship in 2008 at Royal Birkdale. 

In 2010 Walton played the 3 Irish Open in Killarney and finished 12th in the Irish PGA Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with PING and Failte Ireland.

He also hosts the annual Philip Walton Golf Classic at Dundrum House in July with another annual event at Malahide Golf Club every summer. 

Philip Walton is a regular commentator on the game with a column for the 2010 Ryder Cup with the Evening Herald.

Once Walton turned 50 in 2012 he became eligible to play the European Senior Tour.

Victories 

Peugeot Open de France (1990)

Murphy’s English Open (1995)

Catalonia Open (1995)

Team Events 

Ryder Cup (1995)

World Cup (1995)

Alfred Dunhill Cup (1990) 

Irish PGA 

PGA Championship (1987) 

PGA Championship (1989) 

PGA Championship (1993) 

PGA Championship (1995) 

Amateur Career 

Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship, (1981) 

Spanish Open Amateur Championship (1981) 

Amateur Team Events 

Walker Cup (1981, 1983)

Eisenhower Trophy (1982) 

Personal 

Date of Birth 28/03/1962 

Residence: Co. Meath, Ireland 

Attachment: FORE Ireland 

Turned Pro: 1983 (plus 1) 

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McDowell Delights in PGA Finish

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Graeme McDowell was delighted to post a final round of 66 in the US PGA Championship to give him some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.

The Majors may be over for 2013, but McDowell has some important tournaments approaching, with the US PGA Tour reaching its climax in the next two months, followed by the Final Series on The European Tour, where he will hope to win The Race to Dubai.

Currently second in money list behind Swede Henrik Stenson, having won the Volvo World Match Play Championship and the Alstom Open de France, McDowell was happy to finish on a high note at Oak Hill Country Club.

“It's been a frustrating few months, but that was a little glimmer of light, something to take away,” said the Northern Irishman, who won the 2010 US Open. “It was nice to get some momentum out there. To make eight birdies was very pleasing.

“The putter has been cold for the last few months. It’s been a disappointing few months even with the French Open win in there.  There has been some very average ball striking and very average technique. I feel like I kind of got it back on track a little this week.

“It's very difficult to have your game exacted for these Major weeks. It's hard to peak, it's hard to be ready. I missed the cut at the Masters and I win the week after. I missed the cut at the US Open and won a couple of weeks after at the French Open. 

“It's a hard game. It's hard to get it right on the day.  The Major Championships are the toughest tests in golf, as we know.  They stress you, they frustrate you.  That's why great players win Majors, because they are hard to win.”

McDowell will also marry his girlfriend Kristin Snape in the autumn, and added: “It’s a big thing in a man’s life and I’m very much looking forward to it. The first time I’ll tee it up as a married man will be in the BMW Masters in Shanghai.”

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McIlory Rors Back into PGA Mix

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For a second day running, defending champion Rory McIlroy put together a flying finish to surge inside the top ten as the third day progressed at the US PGA Championship.

McIlroy, who yesterday birdied four of his last seven holes after a stuttering start had earlier threatened his place in the weekend action at Oak Hill Country Club, was level par on Saturday through 12 holes before three birdies in his last six holes – including two in succession to finish – helped the Northern Irishman sign for a superb 67.

The third round of a golf tournament is commonly known as ‘Moving Day’ and McIlroy’s heroics, completed amidst bright but breezy conditions in Rochester, certainly helped him do just that as the 24 year old jumped back inside the top ten and back within a few shots of the lead as much of the field struggled on Saturday.

It was indeed a remarkable turnaround, having been four over par for the tournament midway through his second round before a resilient fight back saw him close level par on Friday, and the two-time Major Champion showed some more of the same iron grit to get right back in contention.

A birdie at the sixth hole was tempered by his only dropped shot of the day at the tenth, before a second gain of the day at the long 13th preceded a truly extraordinary close.

Ranked by far the hardest two holes on the golf course, the World Number Three belied the statistics to sink a 50-foot birdie putt at the 17th before chipping in from off the green for a precious three at the last.

“It was good to feel the sort of rush again,” said McIlroy, who triumphed in record-breaking circumstances at Kiawah Island 12 months ago. “Making a birdie on 17 is like an eagle and then to follow it up with another on the last is even better.

“I had 24 putts for 71 on Friday and I had 25 putts for 69 on Saturday so clearly my short game has been really, really good and it was just a matter of trying to get a long game in shape.

“I wouldn't say that that was my best ball striking round out there by any means, but I got it up and down when I needed to and that was the most important thing.”

With many of the field over par for the day, McIlroy knows he still might have a real chance of becoming the first from Britain to defend the same Major title since Nick Faldo in 1989-90.

“The way the conditions are with the swirling wind, it's tricky out there so I felt like I still had a chance,” he continued. “I felt good enough about my game that I could go out there and post a good one today and at least give myself a chance going into tomorrow.”

Scotland’s Marc Warren was another to take advantage of the high scoring on Saturday, firing five birdies en route to a two under par 68, a superb performance that saw the 32 year old US PGA debutant jump inside the top 20 on one under par for the tournament.

Warren has wife Laura with him this week and their four month old son, Archie, who has now been overseas to Ireland, France and the US since he was born.

“After the first day here on Monday I felt practice went really well but then I was a bit frustrated after the first round score I shot,” said Warren, who narrowly missed out on the flagship BMW PGA Championship in May, losing out in a play-off to Italy’s Matteo Manassero at Wentworth.

“I just felt I was trying a little too hard to be perfect with my swing but managed to settle down after that and yesterday’s round was one of the best tee-to-green all week so it was a good 67 and then to back that up today with a 68 is very pleasing.

“The wind makes the conditions a little tougher because when we played in the rain yesterday there was no breeze to speak of and that made clubbing a bit easier. Heading into tomorrow I will just work on the same things. I won't hit that many balls this afternoon and will just chill out and get ready for tomorrow."

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McIlroy Tees Off with PGA Winners

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Rory McIlroy will begin the defence of his title in the company of his fellow Major winners Martin Kaymer of Germany and Fiji’s Vijay Singh when the 95th edition of the US PGA Championship gets under way at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.

The trio, who tee off in the first round at 1.25pm on Thursday afternoon, all know what it takes to triumph at the last Major of the season, with Singh having won the US PGA Championship in 2004, before Kaymer followed suit six years later. 

Both victories were earned after play-offs, in stark contrast to McIlroy’s triumph by a record-breaking eight shots at Kiawah Island 12 months ago. 

Twenty minutes after McIlroy and co. tee off, American Phil Mickelson, England’s Justin Rose and Australian Adam Scott, respectively the reigning Open, US Open and Masters Tournament Champions, will go in search of their second Major successes of the season.

No doubt The Ryder Cup will be a hot topic of discussion between Europe’s Captain Paul McGinley and his American counterpart Tom Watson, who will take to the course at 12.35pm alongside another player who has become synonymous with golf’s greatest team event, Darren Clarke. 

Davis Love III, Watson’s predecessor as America’s Captain, will get his first round underway at 8.35am in the company of the 2011 US PGA Champion Keegan Bradley and World Number One Tiger Woods, who has won the tournament four times. 

Ten minutes later, young American Peter Uihlein, the winner of the Madeira Islands Open, will bid to enhance to his burgeoning reputation in his maiden Major appearance alongside two players with a wealth of experience in the Major arena, his compatriot Jim Furyk and Denmark’s Thomas Björn.

Other notable groupings include Dustin Johnson, Henrik Stenson and Charl Schwartzel, who precede the Woods group at 8.25am; while Schwartzel’s fellow South African Ernie Els and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell will both bid to bring their Major pedigree to bear when they get their challenge underway alongside American Bill Haas at 8.05am. 

Having come so close to winning The Open Championship, England’s Lee Westwood will go in search of his Major breakthrough alongside South African Tim Clark and big-hitting American Bubba Watson at 1.05pm. 

Westwood’s compatriot Luke Donald, who is also searching for his first Major title, will tee up at 1.35am alongside his fellow European Tour champion Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño and rising American star Jordan Spieth.

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Captain McGinley Backs McIlroy

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Europe's Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley says Rory McIlroy will bounce back from his recent poor run of results.

McIlroy missed the cut in last week's Open Championship at Muirfield, labelling his own play "brain dead" following an opening round of 79, three weeks after also missing the weekend in the Irish Open at Carton House.

The 24-year-old Northern Irishman won five times last year, including his second major by eight shots in the USPGA Championship, to finish top of the money list on both sides of the Atlantic.

But he has yet to record a win in 2013 since a controversial multi-million pound switch to Nike in January, also damaging his reputation by walking off the course during his defence of the Honda Classic and bending a club out of shape during the final round of the US Open last month.

McGinley, who will want a fully firing McIlroy at Gleneagles next year against the United States, told Standard Sport: "At 46 years of age, one of the lessons I've learned is that you have to know who you are and play to your strength, not your weakness.

"Looking back, when I was 24, I wish I got to know myself better. That would have helped my golf.

"Hopefully, Rory will get to know himself really well. Keep doing what works for him. Identify his package, making it stronger and stronger. Rory is not arrogant. He has a lot of common sense and is willing to listen. He will learn and I have no doubt he will come back."

McGinley also pointed to how McIlroy recovered from last year's Open disappointment at Royal Lytham, where he could only finish 60th.

He predicted that the Northern Irishman would target his defence of the year's final major, the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York next month, as the time to find his best.

"Everybody was saying Rory was playing rubbish (after Lytham)," added Dubliner McGinley. "A month later he went to the US PGA and won by eight."

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