The Irish Golf Club Gazette: OmegaDDC

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2/06/2016

McIlroy Admits Dubai Defence Doubts

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Defending champion Rory McIlroy conceded he was a “long shot” to retain his title despite a brilliant finish to his third round on Saturday at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic after Danny Willett fired six birdies and an eagle in a second consecutive 65 at Emirates Golf Club to finish 16 under par. One shot ahead of halfway leader Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who returned a third straight 67.

McIlroy began the day six shots off the lead and looked to have blown his chances of a third victory at Emirates Golf Club with a front nine of 37, including a double-bogey six on the ninth.

However, for the second day running the world number two — who was outside the projected cut after 11 holes on Friday — salvaged his round on the back nine, covering it in 31 with six birdies to card a 68 and finish eight under par.

“I would have to play the front nine much better than I have the last two days; I’ve played it in five over and that’s just not good enough,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.

“It’s going to be a long shot. I came back from seven shots behind at Wentworth (to win the BMW PGA Championship) a couple of years ago so it’s not out of the realms of possibility, but this is a great field and I’ll need the wind to blow this afternoon.”

World number 20 Willett, who holed from 40 feet for an eagle on the 13th, the same hole where his approach bounced out of a lake to set up an unlikely birdie on Thursday.

“I think mentally I feel like I’m very much in control of myself, which obviously helps,” he said.

“I’m trying to keep it as simple as possible and let the mind be a little bit calmer, and it seems to be working so far.

“I played great golf today. Played really good on Friday and kept the foot down and could have been a couple better today in all fairness, but delighted. It would be nice to win every single event that we play over the span of your career, but this would be special.”

Cabrera-Bello had enjoyed a two-shot lead when he holed a bunker shot on the third for an eagle and followed it with a birdie on the next, but the Spaniard was fortunate to escape with a bogey on the seventh after a collar of rough prevented his tee shot from rolling into the water.

Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen had set the clubhouse target after a flawless 66 left him on 10 under par, one ahead of compatriot Joachim B Hansen, who had earlier completed a spectacular 64.

Hansen only got into the event an hour before teeing off on Thursday as a replacement for the injured Thomas Bjorn and made the halfway cut on the mark of one under after rounds of 72 and 71.

But the Challenge Tour graduate made a flying start to his third round with three straight birdies and started the back nine in even better fashion with an eagle on the 10th followed by four more birdies.

“Thomas actually called me (on Friday) and we had a little chat, he was just happy that I had got something out of his withdrawal,” Hansen said.

“Obviously it’s never great when someone has to withdraw with an injury, but I am pleased that I got into the tournament and have been able to take advantage of that.

“I hit a lot of good shots in the first two rounds and made plenty of birdies but made too many mistakes as well. (On Saturday) there were much less bogeys so the score was obviously a lot better. It was just one of those days where the putts drop and I managed to get on a bit of a roll.”

Three-time winner Ernie Els was a shot off the lead at the start of the day, but ended it nine behind after struggling to a 74 which equalled his worst ever score in 55 rounds in this event.

2/02/2015

Heartbreak Ridge For McIlroy

Rory McIlroy, fresh from a weekend victory in Dubai, is suing Conor Ridge's Horizon Sports Management over the cut his firm was taking from his on and off course earnings.

On Tuesday the world number one is in Dublin to contest the case in court.

The bitter row over £4.2million in fees has taken the pair all the way to the big business division of the Irish High Court.

The case centres on McIlroy's contract with Dublin-based Horizon and two other linked companies, the Malta-based Gurteen and Canovan Management, also based in the Irish capital.

The golf star, who took up the game as a youngster in Holywood, Co Down, and now has a home in Florida, claims the terms were inferior to those given to other top 10 players including fellow countryman and major winning friend Graeme McDowell, who was in the same stable.

In court papers when the case was launched in late 2013, it was claimed McIlroy signed up with Ridge's agency at an informal meeting on the day of Horizon's Christmas party in 2011.

The golfer, whose address at the time was given as Avenue Princess Grace in Monaco, alleged he was exploited, misled and taken advantage of when he joined the Dublin agency.

The court heard he had no legal advice or knowledge of negotiating before he signed up, and trusted them to charge the appropriate rates.

McIlroy's case will be heard before the president of the High Court, Judge Nicholas Kearns, unless the two sides attempt an 11th hour settlement.

The dispute involves McIlroy's claim that Horizon charged almost four times what top 10 golfers pay to agents.

The pre-tax rates were set at 5% of prize winnings and 20% of sponsorship and appearances money, a charge his lawyers claim is reserved for an "inexperienced or unproven golfer'', the court heard last year.

McIlroy's business interests are now overseen by Rory McIlroy Incorporated, which is headed by Donal Casey, formerly of Horizon, his father Gerry and family friend and business executive Barry Funston, who also oversees much of the golfer's charitable work under the Rory McIlroy Foundation.

Another dispute in the case is an alleged 166,000 euro (£141,000) donation to Unicef on the eve of a trip to Haiti when McIlroy was an ambassador for the charity.

There was another row over Horizon using complimentary airline seats on a flight to Abu Dhabi booked by tournament organisers in McIlroy's name.

The young golfer's career soared in the year after he signed for Ridge from Chubby Chandler's stable, earning more than £10m in 2012 before hitting a slump to earn about £2m in prizes.

He was with the company when he won the 2012 PGA Championship, rose to number one in the world and signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Nike, said to be worth in excess of £60m.

A dip in form followed and his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki ended, but the Northern Irishman has four majors to his name.

And if recent form on the course offers any insight into his demeanour in the face of a potentially ugly court case, McIlroy appeared focused when picking up his latest trophy.

Sunday's win at the Dubai Desert Classic is a repeat of his first as a professional back in 2009.

He is now favourite to complete the career grand slam of golf, aiming to have the commercial dispute over before vying for a famous green jacket at the US Masters in Augusta in April.

Unless both sides agree to last minute mediation - a plea for which already failed last December - the relations between arguably the world's most marketable sports star and a Dublin-based agent are set to play out in public over the next four to six weeks.

Ridge's Horizon is counter-suing McIlroy for at least £1.65m after breaking his contract early.

2/01/2015

McIlroy Starts 2015 Winning Streak

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Rory McIlroy produced an immaculate display of front running to win the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for a second time at Emirates Golf Club.

The World Number One, who had been in front since his sublime 64 on Friday, closed with a two under par 70 to win by three shots on a tournament record equalling 22 under par: only Thomas Bjørn and Stephen Gallacher had previously won with such a low total.

Sweden’s Alex Noren, who missed almost all of 204 with tendonitis in both wrists, carded a final round 65 to announce his return to action with a runner-up finish – his best on The European Tour since 2011.

McIlroy made this his maiden professional title back in 2009, and was delighted to end a string of runner-up finishes by going one better.

“It’s nice to be able to put my name on that trophy again,” said McIlroy, who has now won four and been runner-up in three of his last seven European Tour starts.

“It felt like I was coming second every time I was teeing it up so it was time for a change and obviously the only way I wanted to go was one better and thankfully I was able to do that today.

“I played very nicely all week; I did what I needed to do today. I didn’t play quite as well as the first three days but I played a solid round of golf and kept my nose in front.”

Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel had both seen substantial final round leads overhauled in recent weeks on The European Tour, and McIlroy admitted he had been concerned about suffering a similar fate.

“I felt like I was a little tentative the first few holes out there,” he added. “I guess we’ve seen what can happen to big leads out there the last few weeks and I was conscious of that and making sure that I wasn’t making any mistakes.”

Having started the day four shots clear, McIlroy immediately extended that advantage when nearest challenger Morten Ørum Madsen found the same bunker twice on the opening hole and ran up a triple bogey seven.

Instead it was former World Number One Lee Westwood who applied some pressure to McIlroy, birdieing three of the first five holes to get within four shots of the leader.

McIlroy had only birdied the long third from 12 feet over that stretch, and although Westwood bogeyed the sixth, McIlroy dropped a shot of his own at the short next after missing the green with his tee shot.

However, Westwood double bogeyed the ninth for the second day running after finding the water and from then on nobody seriously looked like threatening McIlroy.

The 25 year old got up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the tenth for birdie, made a 20 footer for par at the 12th and then completed his scoring with a stunning second into the long 13th and two-putt gain.

The four-time Major Champion then proceeded to play it safe over the closing stretch, finding fairways and greens at will as he parred his way in.

Noren won three European Tour titles between 2009 and 2011, but managed only two events last season and was delighted to get the competitive juices flowing again.

“It was an amazing day, an amazing week,” said the 32 year old after carding eight birdies against a single bogey. “I missed it so much - feeling my pulse and some nervousness, it's really nice.

“I never even thought of winning; he's playing so good. I was just trying to get a nice finish in, keep making birdies and try to stay up with the other guys.

“I was pretty unsure even two months ago if I was going to play again this early - it's tough when you don't know if the hand is holding up, and that's been a little bit of a problem, but it turned out better than I thought.”

Defending champion Stephen Gallacher carded a closing 69 to finish third on 16 under, with Madsen, US Open Champion Kaymer, Abu Dhabi winner Gary Stal, South African Open Champion Andy Sullivan and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger tied for fourth a shot further back. Westwood eventually finished with a level par 72 to end the week in a tie for ninth.

Graeme McDowell finished with a final round 70 to secure a share of 9th and trailing McIlroy by nine strokes.

Michael Hoey was joint 53rd.

Peter Lawrie was two places further adrift and earned a valuable cheque for nearly seven thousand euro.

Damien McGrane suffered two over par rounds on Saturday and Sunday [74 -76] and dropped to 73rd place.

1/31/2015

Rory In Desert Battles to Hold Lead

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Rory McIlroy was relieved to get through the third round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic without a bogey on his card after scrambling hard for pars in his six-under 66.

The world No 1 looked set to break Stephen Gallacher's 54-hole record score of 21 under par after he picked up five birdies over the first eight holes to storm six strokes clear of the field.

He lost momentum when he lipped out from barely two feet for birdie at the 10th, and he then became ragged off the tee and did well to string together eight straight pars before getting up and down from thick rough for birdie at 17.

McIlroy's drive at the last leaked into the first cut, and his attempt to find the green in two came up short as his four-iron from over 200 yards failed to clear the water.

But he pitched to 20 feet and rolled in another excellent putt to make it two whole rounds without a blemish on his card, and he will head into the last round four shots clear of Morten Orum Madsen.

"It meant a lot, to be bogey free again today was important to me. To get that up and down on the last was big for momentum going into tomorrow," he told Sky Sports 4.

Great position

"It was nice to make one birdie on 17 and then a great save on the last, it was nice to go round there with no bogeys. I can't complain, another good round and I'm in a great position going into Sunday.

"I was just trying to get as many in front as I could. I knew I had some chances coming in but saying that, the back nine did play tricky. The greens got firm, the wind got up a little bit, so it was hard to get the ball close to the hole.

"You had to hit quality shots to give yourself chances for birdies, and I didn't quite do that on the back nine like I did on the front.

"I didn't put a foot wrong on the front nine and, when I missed that little short putt on 10, it seemed like that momentum I had just sort of went away and had to scramble a little bit for pars coming in.

"I've been in this position many times before, so I know the pitfalls that are waiting out there. It's just a matter of sticking to the same game plan, being aggressive, making committed swings and giving myself as many chances for birdies as I can."

RMAC on the Attack in Dubai

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Rory McIlroy’s peerless power and precision has put him in pole position at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The Northern Irishman produced a superb bogey-free eight-under-par 64 to take a one-shot lead over Scotland’s Marc Warren at 14-under.

Graeme McDowell trails Rory by two strokes after firing a second round 65

McIlroy underlined his class by closing with three successive birdies but even so, he would have come off the course with the feeling he could have gone even lower on a track where he recorded his maiden professional victory in 2009.

That shows how far the 24-year-old’s expectations have risen in the six years since he lifted the title at the Emirates Golf Club, during which time he has won four majors with two of those coming in the last six months.

“It was good. I hit a couple of loose shots early on but found my rhythm and after that I played pretty well and converted most of my chances,” he told European Tour Radio.

“You can’t ask for much more: bogey-free, eight birdies. I’ve set myself up nicely for a good run at it in the next couple of days.

“I saw a stat yesterday that since the first round of The Open, I’ve played 45 rounds and a third of them were 66 or better, which just shows you the level that I am at.

“I’ve put the work in and I’ve worked hard; I continue to work hard and this is the result, which is nice.

“I am very comfortable and a lot of the parts of my game are in good shape but the conditions out there are absolutely perfect so I would expect the scoring to stay low for the weekend and I am going to have to carry on playing like this.

“It is the best place to be, one shot ahead, but you just got to go out and be aggressive and try to make as many birdies as you can.

“I’m going to need something similar over the weekend to stay in the same position, as there are so many people close to the lead, it is so bunched up, you can’t play defensively on this course.”

McIlroy’s power advantage was evident early on as he almost eagled the 351-yard second after driving the green but had to settle for one of three birdies in his first five holes.

That put him four off the lead but back-to-back birdies at the 10th and par-three 11th, where he hit a brilliant approach to three feet, got him moving again and he would have advanced quicker had a four-foot birdie attempt not lipped out at the next and not mis-read from inside 10 feet at the 13th and 14th.

But he continued to push hard and at both 16 and 17 he hit driver then wedge to eight and six feet respectively before holing an 18-footer at the 564-yard last having flown the water-guarded green with his approach.

McIlroy’s performance took the shine off Warren’s round of 65, which was possibly not as clean but included nine birdies – including five in six holes from the 13th, having started on the back nine.

The in-form Scot, runner up in Qatar last week, is now 30 under for his last five rounds and he told Sky Sports News: “It was very good from the fairways but scrappier than I would have wanted off the tees.

“(In) Abu Dhabi I drove the ball really well, I improved my iron play last week and I am giving myself lots of chances.”

England’s Seve Benson and Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell lead the chasing pack with 12 players within four shots of the lead.

Among them are Englishman Lee Westwood, who was bogey-free in carding 68, and Dane Morten Orum Madsen who had seven birdies and an eagle on the way to a best-of-the-week 63.

Darren Clarke was the only one to miss the cut after a second round 71.

Peter Lawrie made it into the money with a 69 on Friday which put just on the cut line and an invaluable weekend's golf.

Michale Hoey ended T49th after a 70

Damien McGrane carded a 71.

1/30/2015

Classic for McIlroy in Dubai Desert

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Rory McIlroy confessed the conditions were almost too easy as he joined a host of players in cashing in on a low-scoring first day of the Dubai Desert Classic.

Bernd Wiesberger made the most of lower than predicted winds to fire a flawless 64 and take a one-shot lead into the second round, with 18 players within three shots of the Austrian.

One of those is McIlroy, whose 66 was enough to leave him six under, two off the lead, as he chases victory after finishing second in his last three events.

The world number one was returning to the scene of his first professional win six years ago, where he has secured four consecutive top-10 finishes, and showed why he is so fond of the Emirates Golf Club with seven birdies and just a single bogey on the ninth.

The wind normally poses some challenge in Dubai but still conditions led to low scoring and McIlroy, who started on the 10th, admitted he would have liked more of a test.

“I’d be disappointed if I didn’t shoot anything below 68 today, especially with the conditions and 66 is a nice start,” he told Sky Sports 4.

“I’d like to see it blow a little bit and make it more of a challenging golf course. You still need to hit the shots, but it would be nice to play in some conditions that are a little different than this.”

He added on the European Tour website: “It was a little disappointing to bogey the last but the golf I played up until then was nice.

“It’s a solid start. I felt like I hit the ball very well for the most part and gave myself plenty of birdie chances and was able to covert a few more of them than I was doing in Abu Dhabi a couple of weeks ago.

“I putted nicely and it’s definitely something to build on for the next few days.”

Wiesberger came alive on the back nine after reaching the turn in 33, picking up a shot on 10 and then registering five consecutive birdies from 13 to set the target.

“I’ve always played well here,” he said. “I know I can make a lot of birdies out here.

“Perfect conditions like we have had the last couple of weeks make the guys go low.”

Wiesberger was one shot clear of a chasing group of four which featured Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, American Peter Uihlein and English duo Lee Westwood and Andy Sullivan.

Sullivan claimed his first European Tour title at the South African Open earlier this year and was in sparkling form again as he recorded five birdies and an eagle on the 18th to share the lead.

The likeable 28-year-old was playing alongside McIlroy and Martin Kaymer and, while he looked perfectly at home in such company, he admitted to being a little overawed.

“It’s one of the best days of my life out there today, just watching Rory and Martin go at it,” he said.

“When I first looked at the draw I thought they’d messed it up. I thought ’I can’t be playing with these guys’. It’s an absolute pleasure.

“I didn’t really look at the leaderboard today. I was just watching them guys play golf and it was just absolutely fantastic, one of the best days of my life.

“And to play the way I did as well was brilliant.”

Fellow Englishman Westwood has 22 more Tour wins than Sullivan and finished with two birdies in a flawless 65.

Two-time defending champion Stephen Gallacher was alongside McIlroy on six under with the Ryder Cup duo being joined by another Scot in Marc Warren, German Maximilian Kieffer, Dane Anders Hansen, Englishman Seve Benson and South Africa’s Hennie Otto.

Graeme McDowell finished birdie-birdie to join the group on five under which included Kaymer, Race to Dubai leader Danny Willett and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, who went out in 37 but came back in 30 as he birdied his last seven holes.

Graeme McDowell carded a round of 65.

Damien McGrane finished one under par.

Michael Hoey signed for a level par 72.

Peter Lawrie faces a tough second day after an opening 73 and needing at leats three shots to get back near the projected cut line.

1/28/2015

No Line on the Horizon - McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy is hoping for a swift court case between himself and Horizon Sports Management so that he can get back to doing what his does best on the golf course.

McIlroy took action against his former employers, claiming he is entitled to repudiate a December 2011 agreement with the three companies, on grounds that it was improvident.

Horizon Sport Management Ltd, Gurteen Ltd and Canovan Management Services deny his claims and have counter-claimed for damages.

"I want to put in a good performance this week, try to win and then turn my attention to the court case - hopefully it won't take too long and we can get it over and done with," said McIlroy ahead of the Dubai Desert Classic.

"It's not something you want hanging over your head and it's not something I'd want anyone to go through, it's not a nice process.

"It's a shame it's gone this far and that two sides see things completely differently. The only way to sort it out is to get a judger to come in and tell us what to do."

McIlroy is fully focuses on the week's action however.

"I am disappointed if I don't win, to be honest," he added. "You're not here to try to finish in the top five.

"I'd definitely like to break the runners-up duck the right way than the wrong way. We'll see. But I'm comfortable on this golf course, and I have good memories here, and I seem to play the course very well."

McIlroy was runner-up in the World Tour Championship in November, the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December, and the Abu Dhabi Championship two weeks ago in his first start of the year.

To finish the tour's desert swing a winner again, he will have to beat the likes of world No. 2 Henrik Stenson, No. 5 Sergio Garcia, No. 12 Martin Kaymer, and two-time defending champion Stephen Gallacher, who is a remarkable 55-under par in his last three tournaments on the Majlis course at Emirates.

Then he has a date in a Dublin court next week, as his legal battle with Horizon Sports, his former management company, inches toward a final judgement.

McIlroy said he was trying not to think of the court case until after the tournament.

"To be honest, I've been concentrating on my golf and practice, and that stuff is much more important to me than what's going to happen next week," he said.

"I will be relieved when this (case) is over. It's not something that I would want anyone to go through. I'm going to be heading to the States regardless, with it off my mind and not having to deal with it or think about it anymore."

The classic also marks the first start of the year for Europe Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell. Ernie Els, a three-time classic winner, and holder of the course record of 11-under par 61, is also entered.

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