The Irish Golf Club Gazette: United States

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8/22/2016

Lowry Hopes to make it in Denmark

Shane Lowry has become the latest high-profile European Tour star to join the field for this month’s Made in Denmark, as the Irishman attempts to play his way into Europe’s team for The 2016 Ryder Cup.

It will be a maiden appearance for Lowry at Denmark’s only European Tour event, which this year has the honour of being the final counting event for the 41st edition of The Ryder Cup, due to be staged at Hazeltine National, in Minnesota, from September 30-October 2.

The 29 year old is relishing the opportunity of making a late case for inclusion in Captain Darren Clarke’s team when the third edition of the tournament takes place at Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort, from August 25-28.

“I can’t wait to get to Denmark for what could be a big week for me,” said the three-time European Tour winner. “I’m determined to play my way onto The Ryder Cup team, so it was a fairly easy decision for me to play that week, and one I hope will pay off.

“I’ve heard great things about this event and especially the fans, which suits me as I love playing in front of big crowds. So hopefully I can show them what I’m capable of, and peak at just the right time.”

Lowry is joined in the field by his fellow Irishman Clarke, who will have more than just his own game on his mind as he finalises his team for Hazeltine.

Martin Kaymer, another player chasing a wildcard pick for the Ryder Cup, will also make his Made in Denmark debut as the two-time Major winner hunts a 12th European Tour title.

Other Ryder Cup hopefuls in the field include Englishmen Matthew Fitzpatrick and Chris Wood, both of whom currently occupy automatic qualification spots; while home favourite Søren Kjeldsen will also be hoping to put on a strong showing in front of Captain Clarke as he too bids to secure a wildcard pick.

3/15/2016

Harrington Set to be Hero

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Padraig Harrington this week returns to India for the first time since 1992 and is in no doubt of his target in the Hero Indian Open.

“I’m looking to be in contention,” declared the Irishman in his press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

To do that, and to have a chance of following in the footsteps of the event’s inaugural champion in 2015, home favourite Anirban Lahiri, Harrington will not only have to overcome a strong field but also a course notorious for its tree-lined trickiness.

The winning score at Delhi Golf Club last year was just seven under par – SSP Chawrasia matched it but lost to his fellow Indian Lahiri in the play-off – and many players have suggested they will opt to jettison their driver, given the premium placed on straight hitting.

Not Harrington, however, who said: “I’ve heard players say they’ve taken out the driver but if I need to make eagle on the last hole then I will be hitting driver. I’ve got to have that club in my bag and that option if I’m chasing with nine holes to go.

“It is difficult off the tees. You get the ball going the wrong way and it might end up into the trees. A lot of intimidating factor off the tees but the goal is conservative off the tees and aggressive attacking the greens.

“You have to accept that you will make a few mistakes which results in double bogeys but hopefully you make enough birdies to counter that.”

The 44 year old last played in India at the Amateur Golf Championship of India in Calcutta, and in the intervening years has forged a brilliant career, amassing 14 European Tour victories, including his Open Championship double in 2007 and 2008 and the US PGA Championship in the latter.

He last tasted victory just over a year ago in the USA, but he is intent on returning to the winner’s circle in New Delhi.

“Every week I go out there, I look to be in contention heading into the last nine holes,” he said. “I know if I did that every week, then I know I will have enough wins by the end of the year that I’ll be happy with. The goal is to have a chance and feel the pressure on Sunday.

“It is a strong field, probably stronger than I imagined. A lot of European players have come here as it is perfect scheduling time.”

Headlining the strong line-up are Lahiri, who claimed his second win in as many weeks 12 months ago, another home favourite in Jeev Milkha Singh and Australian Scott Hend, who won in Thailand last week.

1/27/2016

PGA Farmers is Dunne Deal

Paul Dunne is relishing the chance to take a big step towards his "overall goal" when he makes his PGA Tour debut at the Farmers Insurance Open on Thursday.

The Greystones hit the headlines last summer when he became the first amateur since 1927 to share the lead of the Open Championship after 54 holes, before eventually finishing 30th at St Andrews.

The 23-year-old went on to gain his European Tour card via the qualifying school in November but is taking advantage of a gap in his schedule, and a sponsor's invite, to play in the United States, where he attended the same college as former US Open champion Graeme McDowell - the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

Dunne said playing on the PGA Tour is his ultimate ambition.

"I'm very excited to make my PGA Tour debut this week and spend a few weeks in California," said Dunne, who turned pro after helping Great Britain and Ireland to Walker Cup glory.

"I set my goals at the start of the year to just try to improve every day."

"When I was playing in college I was always striving to turn pro and play golf on a professional tour and I was excited to get my European Tour card back in November. Now I have a few weeks off the European Tour I'm really excited to see what the PGA Tour has to offer.

"Category 16 status on the European Tour is for Q-School graduates, so it doesn't get you in every event.

When I was looking at the schedule I knew I had the first couple of events in South Africa [he finished ninth in the Joburg Open] and then my category wouldn't get me into the events in the desert swing.

"So I knew I had a good break in tournaments and then we just sought places to play and looked to America. We were lucky enough to get invites over here.

"Obviously the overall goal for me would be to end up on the PGA Tour so any exposure I can get to that early is great.

"In terms of goals for the week, I kind of set my goals at the start of the year to just try to improve every day - get better each week and let results take care of themselves. So I'm just going to keep working on my game and hopefully I put some good scores together."

World number two Jason Day is a doubt for the defence of his title at Torrey Pines after being laid low by a virus.

Day pulled out of the pre-tournament pro-am but hopes to be fit enough on Thursday to play the opening round of the £4.5m event, one of the five tournaments he won in 2015.

The last time he missed a pro-am, he went on to shoot 61 in the opening round of the Barclays and win for the third time in four starts.

If Day does miss out, the event can still boast an impressive field, with new world number four Rickie Fowler making the 17-hour journey from Abu Dhabi after winning his second European Tour title on Sunday.

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose are also competing.

7/23/2015

Dunne Plans Professional Move

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Irish amateur Paul Dunne will turn professional later this year after hitting the headlines at the 144th Open.

Dunne began the fourth round at St Andrews in the final pairing and was looking to become the first amateur to have his name engraved on the Claret Jug since Bobby Jones in 1930.

But a six-over-par 78 saw him drop down the field into a tie for 30th, nine shots adrift of eventual play-off winner Zach Johnson of the United States.

Now the University of Alabama graduate has announced his intention to join the paid ranks following the conclusion of the Walker Cup at Royal Lytham & St Annes in September.

"Certainly once the Walker Cup is over, whether he's selected or not, he's certainly going to have a go at turning professional," Dunne's father Colum told RTE.

Graeme McDowell, the 2012 US Open winner who, like Dunne is a University of Alabama alumnus, believes the 22-year-old has what it takes to succeed at the top level.

He said: "I played with him early in the week and he hit the ball very well with a technically-correct swing. Listening to a few of his press conferences he seems like a wise-old owl for someone his age.

"He seems like a really cool character. I liked his comments about being surprised to be leading an Open Championship but not surprised about the numbers he shot. He has that Jordan Spieth maturity to him a little bit."

The Ryder Cup star believes had Dunne maintained his progress and finished strongly in the final round he should have turned pro immediately.

"If he had a good finish I don't know what he would have needed to have waited for the Walker Cup for," McDowell added.

"The Walker Cup is one of the fondest memories of my career but it means nothing as soon as you press the professional button.

"He needs starts and has an opportunity between now and the end of the season to perhaps get his European Tour card and those extra five weeks could be beneficial to him. It is a tough call and I'm not the guy to advise him."

Dunne was one of five amateurs to make the cut at St Andrews and there was intense competition for the Silver Medal, won by American Jordan Niebrugge.

"When you see three amateurs within three or four shots of the lead it says how good they are," said McDowell.

"It is a belief and acceptance level of competing at the top level as a youngster - 19, 20, 21 years old. There is a readiness that is there what wasn't there when I was turning pro.

"I am probably a bad example as I had never been to a professional tournament until I played in one (as a professional).

"Tiger Woods and subsequently Rory McIlroy and Jordan have raised the bar to say you don't have to be a late 20s- early 30s mature veteran to be able to compete in the top tournaments - the WGCs (World Golf Championships), majors - you can do it right this second."

St Andrews a Walker Bonus

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Walker Cup captain Nigel Edwards hopes the experiences of amateur golfers in this year's Open at St Andrews will benefit his side.

GB and Ireland take on the USA at Royal Lytham in September, with Welshman Edwards finalising his team next month.

It is likely to feature Ireland's Paul Dunne, who was joint 30th, and England's Ashley Chesters who tied in 12th place at St Andrews.

"They both loved it but I think they were both disappointed," said Edwards.

"They felt that they could have got a little bit more from themselves, probably I guess Paul more so than Ashley simply because of the position Paul was in after three rounds."

Dunne was leading the tournament after three days, but had a tough final round as he slipped down the field.

"I think Ashley would have liked to have got into the top 10 - he played pretty well all week," added Edwards.

"Obviously Paul going into the final round in the last group and teeing off last felt that he could have done a lot better.

"He was disappointed finishing with a [round of] 78 and I guess it shows the standard of amateur golf that these players are thinking like that and performing how they are."

Edwards has captained UK & Ire twice before, winning at Royal Aberdeen in 2011 and losing in Long Island in 2013.

He has had his provisional Walker Cup squad at Royal Lytham this week in preparation for September's competition.

7/01/2015

McDowell Seeks French Treble

Graeme McDowell will begin his quest for a hat-trick of Alstom Open de France titles alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood and rising French star Alexander Levy when the €3million tournament begins on Thursday.

The Northern Irishman, the champion at Le Golf National for the past two years, tees off from the tenth at 13.20 local time, one group behind the widely-tipped Francesco Molinari, two-time winner this season Anirban Lahiri and young Frenchman Gary Stal.

The marquee group in the morning has a Ryder Cup flavour, with Martin Kaymer, who won here in 2009, alongside his 2014 team-mates Victor Dubuisson and Jamie Donaldson at 8.30 from the tenth.

One group ahead of them is Englishman Danny Willett, currently second in The Race to Dubai, Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and France’s Julien Quesne, while the last player to win the event before McDowell, Germany’s Marcel Siem, has Italian Matteo Manassero and Sweden’s Kristoffer Broberg for company at 13.50 from the tenth tee.

European Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke begins his campaign with Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen and up-and-coming Englishman Eddie Pepperell at 7.50 from the tenth, while behind them is another home favourite in Grégory Havret alongside Scots Stephen Gallacher and Marc Warren.

A total of 29 French players will be attempting to become the first home player since Thomas Levet in 2011 to win the Alstom Open de France, including Raphaël Jacquelin, who begins from the tenth in the company of in-form Englishmen James Morrison and Chris Wood.

6/29/2015

GMAC Defends Alstom Open

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The next venue to host a Ryder Cup on European soil will take centre stage this week, as seven of the stars from the last biennial contest compete in the Alstom Open de France at Le Golf National.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell will be joined by his Gleneagles team-mates Thomas Bjørn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Stephen Gallacher, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood for the 99th edition of the tournament, which is continental Europe’s oldest national Open.

McDowell is bidding for a hat-trick of victories, having first won the title by four strokes from Richard Sterne in 2013 before successfully defending it last year, when he finished a shot clear of American Kevin Stadler and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.

The Northern Irishman won all three of his matches at The 2014 Ryder Cup and his partner for two of those, Frenchman Dubuisson, will lead the home hopes over the Albatros course which will host the contest against the United States in 2018.

Dubuisson returns home following a top 20 finish in last week’s BMW International Open in Germany. He will be hoping to become the first Frenchman since Thomas Levet in 2011 to win his home Open.

Kaymer is also a former winner at Le Golf National, having defeated team-mate Westwood in a play-off in 2009, and he will be aiming to bounce back from missing the cut in the US Open and in Munich last week.

In addition to Dubuisson, there is a strong looking home challenge, which includes Gary Stal, already a winner on The 2015 Race to Dubai in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, and Alexander Levy, who won twice in 2014.

Le Golf National, on the outskirts of the French capital Paris, is a European Tour Destination and member venue of The European Tour Properties network

6/23/2015

Darren Made in Denmark

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Darren Clarke has confirmed he will play in the 2015 Made in Denmark, the tournament which made such a successful debut on The European Tour International Schedule last summer.

Nearly 75,000 spectators flocked to Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort over the four days last year, creating an electric atmosphere which Clarke is keen to experience this time around.

“I’ve heard so much about the tournament from all my friends who were there,” said the 46 year old, who won The Open Championship in 2011. “The crowds are supposed to be absolutely sensational and I’m really looking forward to playing there this year.

“Thomas Bjørn is one of my best and oldest friends on Tour and he has spoken so highly of the Made in Denmark. We’ve played so much golf together so I trust him when he says it’s a fantastic tournament.

“With him playing there and another home favourite in Thorbjørn Olesen, I’m sure it will be another huge and successful event.”

Tournament promoter Flemming Astrup said: “We are very happy to have Darren Clarke in our field this year. He is a great golfer and always a pleasure to watch on a golf course. So our many fans really have something to look forward to.”

4/12/2015

Augusta Sunday Pairings

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Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have been paired together for the final round of the Masters at Augusta National.

Although both will start a distant 10 shots behind leader Jordan Spieth and have only a slim chance of contending for the title, the marquee pair are certain to attract the biggest galleries of the final day.

Both McIlroy and Woods bogeyed the final hole in the third round to hand in four-under 68s, but organisers looked likely to miss out on their dream ticket until Dustin Johnson also ran up a five at the 18th late in the day.

But England's Justin Rose will go out in the final group with Spieth after he birdied the last to close out a 67 which got him to within four of the lead.

Phil Mickelson (-11) and Charley Hoffman (-10) are in the penultimate group, going out behind McIlroy and Woods.

Final round tee times: (Players USA unless stated - all times BST)

1500 T Jaidee (Tha)

1510 D Clarke (NIrl), V Singh (Fij)

1520 J Donaldson (Wal), G McDowell (NIrl)

1530 E Compton, A Lahiri (Ind)

1540 J Walker, J Dufner

1550 M O'Meara, S Stricker

1600 K Bradley, D Willett (Eng)

1610 R Palmer, M Kuchar

1620 C Kirk, G Ogilvy (Aus)

1630 M Hoffman, J Senden (Aus)

1650 P Reed, S-M Bae (Kor)

1700 W Simpson, S-Y Noh (Kor)

1710 H Stenson (Swe), B Koepka

1720 A Scott (Aus), L Westwood (Eng)

1730 B Wiesberger (Aut), B Watson

1740 C Tringale, R Fowler

1750 A Cabrera (Arg), E Els (Rsa)

1800 R Henley, C Schwartzel (Rsa)

1810 S Garcia (Esp), R Moore

1830 B Haas, H Mahan

1840 J Day (Aus), L Oosthuizen

1850 Z Johnson, J Blixt (Swe)

1900 P Casey (Eng), I Poulter (Eng)

1910 D Johnson, H Matsuyama (Jpn)

1920 K Streelman, K Na

1930 R McIlroy (NIrl), T Woods

1940 P Mickelson, C Hoffman

1950 J Spieth, J Rose

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