GMAC Seeking Season Kick Start

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Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer are both looking to kick-start their seasons when they tee it up at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation this week.

The Northern Irishman won in November on the US PGA Tour but has struggled for form since the turn of the year, while Kaymer claimed his first top ten of the campaign at the Real Club Valderrama Open de España, Hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation a month ago.

Both men have represented Europe in the last three Ryder Cups, with McDowell the only man to have qualified for the last four, but with the next contest coming up at Hazeltine in the autumn, they are currently on the outside looking in.

McDowell has slipped to 68th in the Official World Golf Ranking but feels his game is not too far off and is now aiming for a big summer.

"I've generally been feeling very good about my game this year," he said. "Started off kind of strong early in the Florida Swing. Lost my way a little bit sort of into the Match Play and Augusta.

"Sort of hit the reset button after Hilton Head and came back last week, starting to get those good feelings back again, a little bit of confidence seeing the ball do what I wanted to do, staying patient, and a little bit of belief coming back again.

"The weekend at The Players was nice on a lot of levels, gave me that little bit of confidence coming here, and into next week, as well, and looking forward to the summer with three Majors to play here in the next few months, a lot of big events. Looking to the French Open with double Ryder Cup points.

There's lots and lots of jockeying for position to come up here in the next few months and I feel like I'm well positioned mentally and physically to do that - Graeme McDowell

"Of course I'd love to be part of the team."

Kaymer is four spots ahead of McDowell in the World Rankings and although he has not won since claiming his second Major Championship at the 2014 US Open, he came close when losing out in a play-off to Rikard Karlberg at last season's 72° OPEN D'ITALIA presented by DAMIANI, and is eager to contend again.

"I haven't really competed in a tournament properly," he said. "Preparation has been good for the summer, so now I look forward to hopefully all the work and the practice paying off, because I really need to work my way into the Ryder Cup.

"In terms of the tournaments coming up now, they are obviously big ones that you want to win, and a few I've won in the past. I've got experience with it and a lot of positive memories. I'm really excited to play all the tournaments now until the Olympic Games."

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GMAC Makes Move on Jason's Day

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Graeme McDowell signed for a 69 on Saturday to move himself up the Players Championship leader board on a day that frustrated many of the leading contenders at TPC Sawgrass.

The 2010 US Open Champions carved out a round of three-under-par, leaving him on five-under for the tournament -  nine shots behind Australian Jason Day, who leads on nine under.

That was in stark contrast to Rory McIlroy, who tumbled downwards after a 75 that left him tied 18th with McDowell on five under after three rounds.

Lowry is also on five under after dropping six shots on a day that saw him just a solitary birdie alongside five bogies and a double bogey. 

Both had been in the mix heading into their third rounds with the Holywood man three shots behind his potential Olympic team-mate, who added a 68 to his opening 65 to finish 11 under par, three off leader Day. However on a day which had more spills than thrills both men tumbled.

Butch Harmon accused tournament officials of letting playing conditions get "out of control" as Jason Day stayed in control at the summit. He was 14-under for the tournament, four clear of Hideki Matsuyama, Ken Duke and Alex Cejka.

Day had established a new 36-hole scoring record at Sawgrass when the delayed second round was completed on Saturday morning, the world number one having opted not to finish the 15th hole when play was suspended due to darkness on Friday after an earlier two-hour weather delay.

That proved to be an excellent decision when the 28-year-old hit his approach to 15 feet and holed out for a third birdie in succession, before pars at the last three holes meant the US PGA champion added a 66 to his opening 63 for a 15-under-par total of 129, a shot better than the previous record set by fellow Australian Greg Norman in 1994.

Norman dropped just one shot all week on his way to a tournament record of 24 under par and Day finally carded his first bogey on the third hole of the third round, three-putting from 40 feet.

Worse was to come on the sixth when Day four-putted from 17 feet and furiously threw his ball into the water left of the green, and although he bounced back with a brilliant approach to within a foot of the hole on the next, another double bogey followed on the eighth.

The Australian responded immediately with a birdie on the par-five ninth to take a two-shot lead over Matsuyama and Alex Cejka into the back nine, but Tiger Woods' former coach Harmon was not impressed with the hard and lightning fast greens.

After watching Ian Poulter three-putt the 12th, Harmon said on Sky Sports: "Okay I'll say it - these greens are out of control now. They've let them get away from themselves I think.

"These greens are almost unplayable and we don't even have that much wind. I will tell you what, they did not like that 15 under leading did they? They have taken care of that quickly with this course set-up.

"I would like to be a fly on the wall in that locker-room when these players get in there. It's not going to sound good."

The loudest complaints might come from Spain's Sergio Garcia after he six-putted from 70 feet on the fifth, the 2008 champion racing his birdie attempt eight feet past and needing five more attempts to find the bottom of the cup for a quadruple-bogey eight.

Rory McIlroy was similarly disenchanted after he three-putted the fourth from eight feet, the world number three missing from 12 inches for par and then flicking his ball into the water in front of the green in frustration.

McIlroy made amends with a brilliant escape from the trees on the sixth and a birdie from close range on the next, but three-putted the 10th and 12th to fall further off the pace.

Kevin Chappell added his voice to the criticism of the conditions after covering the front nine in 31 and the back nine in 39, telling Sky Sports: "I don't know if someone was trying to prove a point, but point taken.

"The golf course is difficult and probably got a little out of hand."

Despite such complaints, Matsuyama completed a 67 to set the clubhouse target on ten under that was soon matched by veteran American Ken Duke, the 47-year-old firing six birdies in his last seven holes to card a brilliant 65.

Day had birdied the par-five 11th to reach 13 under but McIlroy continued to slide down the leaderboard after another three putt on the 13th and a double bogey on the 15th.

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New Family on Horizon for GMAC

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Graeme McDowell will sit out the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston after becoming a father on Monday.

The Northern Irishman's wife Kristin underwent a planned cesarean and 35-year-old McDowell duly tweeted about his new arrival.

He wrote: "Thanks so much for all the well wishes. Mum and baby girl are happy and healthy. Happiest moment of my life hands down. #daddy #love."

Having completed his final round at the BMW Championship on Sunday, McDowell told the Golf Channel: "My caddie has been telling me all year 'You're not going to want to go to Boston', so I've decided to give myself the weekend off and just be with the family. Nice to be able to plan it that way."

By missing Friday's Deutsche Bank, McDowell will not be able to advance his current FedEx Cup standing of 40th, while he also has a Ryder Cup slot to protect on the world points list.

McDowell has also announced he is leaving Horizon Sports Managements at the end of the 2014 season to look after his own commercial affairs.

His compatriot Rory McIlroy left Horizon last year and remains in dispute with the company.

McDowell admitted before The Open that the row had "been a strain on our relationship" but insisted he would happily renew his Ryder Cup pairing with McIlroy at Gleneagles next month.

Explaining his own departure from Horizon, he said: "I am at a stage in my life where it feels right to move on to the next phase of my career - both in golf and business.

"I'm now involved with a growing number of exciting business ventures, many of which Horizon helped me establish, and as the landscape evolves so must I."

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Harrington Backs The Wild Thing

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Padraig Harrington defended playing-partner John Daly, the 1995 Open Champion, who posted a round of 90 during last week's Valspar Championship at Innisbrook in Florida.

The 47-year-old's card included an eight-over-par 12 at the 16th, plus three other double bogeys.

The American missed the cut by 19 shots but Harrington believes he did not give up during his second circuit of the Copperhead course.

Twice Open Champion Harrington said: "He came out pressing as we all did on Friday after a 74.

"But he was very respectful to play with. He was useful out there. He was trying in terms of lines and getting clubs and things like that.

"You could see what he was doing. It wasn't like I wouldn't prefer him to be there.

"But he didn't walk in. He didn't stop trying. He tried to hit the right shots on the last two holes. It didn't seem to us he was shooting that score.

"If I was going to say anything, it's that he tries too hard. He's caring too much. I know that's not what people see."

Daly, a winner of two major titles in the 1990s, is currently ranked outside the world's top 500.

David Duval, winner of The Open in 2001, also plays this week in a season he has deemed as his comeback year. He is currently ranked 195th in FedEx rankings.

Graeme McDowell was due to tee off with Tiger Woods and Harris English. However Woods has now withdrawn from the tournament he has dominated over the years due to injury.

Darren Clarke is paired with JJ Henry and Vijay Singh.

Padraig Harrington plays with  Camilo Villegas and Erik Compton.

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GMAC Lowry Team 11th

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Graeme McDowell carded a level par second round at the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf in Australia with team mate Shane Lowry signing for one stroke more for a 72.

Ireland are in 11th ahead of the weekend on +6 and thirteen strokes off the leader Thomas Bjorn.

On day two Bjorn continued his love affair with the Royal Melbourne Golf Course shooting a a 3-under 68 to take a one stroke lead into the weekend.

Bjorn leads the tournament at 8-under par, one ahead of American Kevin Streelman.

Portugal’s Ricardo Santos shot a third round of 4-under 67 to sit in a tie for third alongside Australia’s Jason Day, the Australians fighting hard in both the team and individual components of the tournament with help from a revitalised Adam Scott.

Despite being tested on numerous occasions by the course, leader Bjorn’s affection for Royal Melbourne continued to shine.

“I love this course,” said Bjorn who leads despite three putting the first.

“There were a couple of things that happened on the golf course today that really tested me.”

“I just want to play 72 holes, stay focussed, stay concentrated, knowing that this is a golf course that a lot of people are going to find difficult.”

Bjorn’s admiration also extended to local hero Adam Scott.

“You have got the greatest ambassador in golf, the nicest guy you will ever meet and what he is doing for Australian golf at the moment is just remarkable. Most other golfers would have chased a bit of cash around the world and done other things and, you know, Australia should be proud of what he does these four weeks that’s for sure.”

Out this morning Streelman got out to an early lead over the field of 60, the 35-year-old starting with four consecutive birdies.

However disaster struck towards the end of the American’s front nine, Streelman carding a bogey and double bogey on holes eight and nine.

“I just hit it in the wrong part of the golf course, No.8 and No.9, and Royal Melbourne will bite you when you do that which is what makes it such an awesome golf course,” he said.

Signing for a 1-under 70 an unlucky Jason Day was rueing a round that saw a number of putts lip out.

“I had three lip outs, pretty harsh ones, but I’m definitely happy with shooting one under today, especially being out here at Royal Melbourne with how hard and fast the greens are - it can definitely go south pretty quick.”

Finishing at 4-under for the tournament, Day said he was motivated by the home-crowd support around Royal Melbourne that included a number of The Fanatics in full sing.

“It just kind of takes your mind away from what has happened. When you are play in a different sport like football and you are not kicking that great, you can kind of take your aggression out on someone else.”

“We can’t really go and tackle someone across the green so to have the fanatics there to take our minds of mental errors is a good thing.”

Starting at the opposite end of the leaderboard fellow Aussie Adam Scott wasted no time in trying to make amends for yesterday’s disappointing round.

The Queenslander birdied both the first and second hole on his way to a second round 3-under par 68 total.

“I needed to have a decent score today and it was hard out there. I do not think there were too many great scores to be had because Royal Melbourne is playing tricky so it felt like a hard working 68,” said Scott.

“It would be nice if I could play my way up there to the top few individually tomorrow and tee off around Jason as well. We both just have to play well over the weekend but the teams competition is well within our reach and six shots between two people can change very quickly so I think we are looking in good shape for a good weekend.”

In the teams component, the United States leads at 247 (-10), followed by Denmark at 277(-7) with Japan and Australia tied for third at 281 (-3).

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