7/28/2011
7/27/2011
Clarke Plays Down Party Tales
Darren Clarke has told those who criticised his lengthy celebrations after his Open Championship victory to "get a life".
By his own admission, Clarke had "quite a few drinks" after his emotional win at Sandwich and this has led to criticism from some quarters.
However, the Open champion urged those critics to have a sense of perspective.
"Look what happened in Norway over the weekend... I won a golf tournament," said Clarke ahead of the Irish Open.
"There's been a little bit of chat about 'he shouldn't have had a drink, he shouldn't have done this, he shouldn't have done that'.
"People are concerned about whether or not I had one pint too many. I mean, get a life - it's sport.
"It's fantastic and I'm very fortunate to win but you have 93 people that got murdered in Norway [the original death toll has since been revised down to 76]."
After staying up all night immediately after his Sandwich triumph, Clarke partied on when he returned to Portrush.
"I think I lit the candle a little bit too much and had the flu over the weekend," he added.
Clarke, 42, did not sound back to 100% for Wednesday's pro-am but after being "hammered" by three friends when he started playing again on Friday, he has spoken to his mind coaches Bob Rotella and Mike Finnegan.
"I think it's not going to make any difference as to my desire and determination to win tournaments, but I'm much more relaxed," said the Open champion.
"One of Rotella's old sayings is 'try less and get more', whereas I've done trying a lot and getting a little bit."
Clarke joins other Irish major winners Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy in the Killarney field.
After his stunning US Open victory, McIlroy finished only 25th at Sandwich and struck a defeatist tone by questioning his own ability to handle windy links-like conditions.
McIlroy said on Wednesday that he regretted those comments.
"I was very frustrated coming off the course - I just really said what I felt at the time.
"I'm going to have to learn how to play in those conditions. You just have to deal with them as best you can."
7/26/2011
Harrington Feels No Open Pressure
Padraig Harrington insists he is not feeling any pressure going into the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland, with much of the attention this week focussing on current Major Champions Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.
The former Open and US PGA Champion was runner up to Ross Fisher 12 months ago, pushing the Englishman all the way with a final round 65.
Having already won his national Open in 2007 – just before he captured his first Claret Jug – Harrington is feeling relatively relaxed about teeing it up at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club, although he admits he is keen to get his hands on another trophy this year.
“I'm not that stressed as I would be coming into my National Open in other years,” he said, when asked if the attention was on Ireland’s other Major winners. “I’m probably bringing some other stress in with me but not the stress of having to win this.
“I’d just I'd like to win a tournament,” he laughed. “It's been eight months or so (since winning the Iskandar Johor Open). It would be nice to have some good performances. That would be my own personal stress. Besides that, there are not too many external factors worrying me at the moment.
Harrington has fond memories of his title challenge at Killarney 12 months, which despite the fervent home support ultimately came up just short as he finished runner up for a remarkable 27th time on The European Tour.
“It was as a great event last year and the crowds were great,” he said. “The atmosphere was great and Ross Fisher was a clear winner, even though I came reasonably close.
“I made it somewhat exciting. It would be nice to have a similar performance this year, and you know, maybe for somebody not to play as well as Ross played last year. He really did play great golf.
“You never really know when it comes to winning a tournament. You just try to look after playing your own game. It will be interesting to see how I get on this year. Obviously I did a lot of things right last year. I got plenty of good breaks and I shot 16 under par.
“That seems like a lot under par when you play the course. It’s not like there are a lot of opportunities for birdies out there. It doesn't seem like that. But obviously when you get into tournament play and things like, that somebody is going to hole the putts, and obviously it was me and Ross Fisher last year.”
With all four Irish Major Champions in the field – Harrington, Clarke, McIIroy and Graeme McDowell – the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland is set to be a celebration of everything achieved by the country over the past four years.
Much has been reported about the influence that Harrington’s three Major Champions had on the three subsequent Irish victories and the 39 year old believes even more success could be on the horizon for European players
“There's no doubt that me winning helped Graeme, and I don't know if we helped Rory, I think that might have happened,” he joked. “But certainly Martin Kaymer certainly said my wins helped him, and I'm sure the lot of us winning has helped Darren do it.
“It seemed to have worked when you look at Woosie and Lyle and Langer and Olazábal winning on the back of Seve and Faldo sort of thing. Those wins came first, and then obviously it would have been easier for Darren maybe to win a major from 1995 to 2004 if other Europeans were doing it.
“Obviously now we are winning Majors, so I expect to see not just more European wins, but probably a few other people from Europe winning, as well.”
Irish Open Notice on Killarney GC
Golf fans intending to visit the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club today (Tuesday, July 26) are respectfully advised that there is NO PUBLIC ENTRYto the site.
The tournament site will be open to the public from 07.30 on Wednesday, July 27 when the Irish Open for Business Pro-Am gets underway.
Interest in the pre-tournament Pro-Am, featuring three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington, 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, 2011 US Open Champion Rory McIlroy and last week’s Open Champion Clarke is expected to be enormous.
Adult spectators eager to see Ireland’s four Major Champions in action on Wednesday, July 27 – including new Open Champion Darren Clarke – will be invited to make a donation of €5 which will provide a flying start to the week’s fundraising activities for Barnardos, the tournament’s Official Charity.
And tournament officials are confident that Irish golf fans will support a charitable initiative to assist an organisation such as Barnardos, who every year work with over 5,900 children and their families, providing direct services, advice and support through more than 40 centres backed in some of the most disadvantaged communities in Ireland.
Tickets to The Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland are available NOW onwww.europeantour.com/tickets and will also be available to purchase at the Entry Gate from Thursday morning.
7/25/2011
Heineken Irish Open Official Sponsor
The European Tour today announced Heineken as an Official Sponsor to this week’s Irish Open at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club.
Heineken owns and manages one of the world’s leading portfolios of beer brands and is recognised and respected for its high profile and valued sponsorship portfolios: The Heineken Cup/Rugby World Cup/UEFA Champions League.
The company reacquainted its relationship with professional golf in Ireland at this tournament last year. Heineken has a number of sponsorship partnerships with The European Tour across Europe this year and retained a strong presence for many years under The Murphy’s Brand as title sponsor of The Irish Open.
Walter Drenth, Marketing Director for Heineken Ireland, said: “We are delighted with the opportunity to present Heineken at this prestigious sporting event. The Irish Open is respected throughout Europe by the professional golfers and spectators alike. The special ambiance of Killarney and its unique beauty will enhance the staging of the tournament.
“Last year’s event was truly special – and who can forget the images shown across the world from this most treasured location. We recognise the large number of people who visited Killarney and attended The Irish Open in 2010. Their attendance created a unique sporting and respectful support to the many great golfers who entertained over the four days of competition. With Irish golf again at a special place we expect the interest in The Irish Open to surpass last year. We look forward to playing our part in all enjoying a memorable experience again this year. It promises to be a great week.”
James Finnigan, Sales and Marketing Executive for The European Tour, said: “The European Tour are pleased to once again get support from Heineken, this commitment to become an Official Sponsor of the Irish Open represents a significant coup for the tournament and The European Tour.
“Sponsorship is a very challenging marketplace; therefore it is especially pleasing for the European Tour to welcome back an organization of Heineken’s stature to the Irish Open. We look forward to working with Heineken in the weeks preceding the tournament and tournament week, which will contribute to the success of a very special Bank Holiday weekend for Irish sports fans.”
Heineken join Failte Ireland and other Official Sponsors BMW, Genworth, The Europe Hotel, Liebherr and The Irish Examiner at this year’s Irish Open in Killarney.