Sort of Homecomng for McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy is hoping to celebrate his homecoming at this week’s Irish Open with a return to the top of The Race to Dubai.

The 2012 European Number One had climbed to second in this year’s standings with his BMW PGA Championship victory, but dropped to third last week as Martin Kaymer leapt into second spot with his US Open Championship triumph.

But the Northern Irishman is just €136,293 behind leader Thomas Björn, while there are also enough points on offer for the World Number Six to return to the top five of the Official World Golf Ranking.

However, the two-time Major winner’s main focus is winning his National Open for the first time.

“It's a special week for the Irish guys,” said McIlroy. “We all make an effort no matter where we are playing or where we are to come back and support this event, and it's shaping up to be a good week. 

“The win at Wentworth a few weeks ago was great. The last couple tournaments, Memorial and US Open, there were flashes of good stuff, and I fell away over the weekend at the US Open which was quite disappointing. 

“But I've got a new event - right now I focus on The Irish Open and there's a lot to play for me this week personally. 

“I've got a chance to go to the top of The Race to Dubai and a chance to get back into the top five in the world, so it's not a week I'm taking lightly. I want to come here and put my best foot forward and try to get another win.”

McIlroy’s week got off to a far from ideal start as his club’s went missing in transit across the Atlantic, but the 25 year old was successfully reunited with them earlier on Wednesday.

“They arrived this morning,” he added. “They got in at 7.00 this morning and then got them couriered down here, so reunited with them, which is good. 

“I've been disappointed with my performances in The Irish Open up until this point. I think I've managed a couple of top tens, and that's really been it. 

“It would be good to give myself a chance to win at least and feel like I have a real chance going into the last couple of days. 

“It's important, whether you're Irish or Spanish or French, your home title is always very important to you; it would be great to win it one day.

“We only get a chance to play here once a year competitively. You want to try and use all these things to your advantage if you can, and having the support of the home crowd is definitely a help, especially if you're in contention and you have a chance to win over the weekend.”

 

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Remarkable Rory Pockets PGA

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Rory McIlroy came from seven shots behind to claim a remarkable victory in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club.

McIlroy carded a closing 66 to win The European Tour's flagship event for the first time following a rollercoaster final day.

The Northern Irishman only took the outright lead for the first time with a birdie on the 71st hole and made another on the last to finish 14 under par, one ahead of Ireland's Shane Lowry with two-time winner Luke Donald and overnight leader Thomas Björn a shot behind in third.

Lowry had briefly been three clear when he started the back nine with a hat-trick of birdies, but drove into trouble on the 13th and ran up a double-bogey six.

Björn began the day five shots clear of playing partner Donald but both players ran up triple bogeys on the sixth to throw the tournament wide open, the Dane taking two attempts to get out of a fairway bunker and then finding more sand with his fourth shot.

Donald responded with five birdies in his next ten holes - chipping in on the 13th and 16th - but crucially failed to birdie the 17th which meant he needed an eagle on the last to tie.

Björn also needed a three on the 18th after birdies on the 16th and 17th, but after Donald had found the water with his approach, the 43 year old's third shot came up well short of the flag to confirm McIlroy's triumph.

McIlroy said: "It's been 18 months since I won on The European Tour and to win the flagship event, I could not have asked for any more.

"I knew coming in here I was playing well. I struggled a little on Friday but played great over the weekend. I was a little fortunate that some of the guys ahead of me made mistakes and I took advantage of it.

"My caddie JP (Fitzgerald) set me the target of 15 under today. I didn't quite get there but 14 under was enough. I really wanted to win before going into the second Major of the season (the US Open from June 12-15) and I could not have asked for a better way to prepare."

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McDowell EurAsia Cup Ready

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Graeme McDowell is the highest-ranked player at the EurAsia Cup being held in Kuala Lumpur this week.

Miguel Angel Jimenez is Team captain with a number of Ryder Cups under his belt, along with McDowell and Thomas Bjorn.

However Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson and Stephen Gallacher are all currently in qualifying positions, with Joost Luiten, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Pablo Larrazabal all with a chance at Gleneagles.

Paul McGinley's Ryder Cup team may contain a couple of the EurAsia team come Gleneagles.

"One of the toughest parts of the Ryder Cup is putting pairings together, and getting foursomes pairings right," said McDowell.

"That's why a tournament like this, the EurAsia Cup, to me is something that's very, very important for both The European Tour and the Asian Tour. Asia is the main area of growth for the game of golf in the world, so it's a natural place for The European Tour.

"It's obviously a big part of the European Tour and to have a Europe versus Asia match is something that our schedule needs from a Ryder Cup point of view.

"We need this event to become something very special, something the guys look forward to and something that is part of Ryder Cup Team building; a chance to put ten guys together, come out here and play against a good team and try some pairings and really enjoy playing team golf.

"Team golf is very different from what we are used to as individuals because you're playing for each other.

"You just don't want to let your team mates down and there is a lot of extra pressure from that, but it's also one of the main reasons why European Teams have been so successful."

McGinley's vice-captain for Gleneagles, Des Smyth, will operate in the same role for Jimenez in Kuala Lumpur this week, so he will get to know the players as they get a chance to impress.

Playing captain Jimenez has featured in four Ryder Cups as a player, winning two, and has also been a vice-captain twice and he agrees that the EurAsia Cup could be a vital part of the preparation.

"The Ryder Cup started in 1927 and probably now is the event in golf and everyone wants to play and I think is the important thing," said Jimenez. "Now we start the EurAsia Cup in 2014 and hopefully with the support of the players and the effort of these two big tours, the EurAsia Cup will become a big event along with the Ryder Cup."

All ten players on each team will be in action in every session at Glenmarie's Garden course, with five fourball matches played on the opening day on Thursday, followed by five foursomes on Friday and ten concluding singles matches on Saturday.

Team Asia

Thongchai Jaidee (Captain, Thailand), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), Gaganjeet Bhullar (India), Nicholas Fung (Malaysia), Kim Hyung-sung (Korea,) Anirban Lahiri (India), Prayad Marksaeng (Thailand), Koumei Oda (Japan), Siddikur Rahman (Bangladesh), Hideto Tanihara (Japan).

Team Europe

Miguel Angel Jimenez (Captain, Spain), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Jamie Donaldson (Wales), Victor Dubuisson (France), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Stephen Gallacher (Scotland), Pablo Larrazabal (Spain), Joost Luiten (Netherlands), Graeme McDowell (N Ireland), Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark).

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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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