Horizon's GMAC No Rory Role

Graeme McDowell has insisted he played no role in Rory McIlroy's recent decision to quit the ISM management stable.

McIlroy caused more than a few a ripples in golfing circles after announcing he had decided to leave Andrew 'Chubby' Chandler's ISM team to join Dublin-based Horizon Sports - the company that represents McDowell.

McDowell and McIlroy - the last two US Open champions - are close friends and McDowell also opted to leave ISM for Horizon earlier in his career.

With speculation swirling that he had influenced McIlroy's decision, McDowell has come out to deny any such involvement.

Business decision

"Rory's a very intelligent man, he's got to make his own decisions about his career and I certainly would never want to get involved in a guy's career like that," McDowell told Sky Sports.

"Rory's going to be one of the best players in the world, if not the best, he's going to win a lot of major championships and never would I want to get involved in a guy's business decision like that.

"Rory's witnessed the job Horizon have done for me over the last few years, we're very close friends and he knows they've done a great job for me.

"I really have no idea what went wrong within the ISM camp but we're very excited to have him at Horizon Sports and I'm very happy to have a friend, and a friendly rivalry, within the camp."

Meanwhile, McDowell believes he is close to rediscovering the kind of form that saw him win no fewer than four times last season.

The 32-year-old admits he has struggled to hit the heights this time around but is hopeful the Andalucia Masters will signal a change in fortunes.

Returning as champion, McDowell got his defence at Valderrama underway with a two-over 73, but is hopeful the tournament in Spain will spark a late-season charge.

Turned the corner

"It's great to be back here defending this year and looking for a bit of a special spark that perhaps this golf course will give to me," he continued.

"I've been working hard, I feel like I've been playing pretty well the last couple of months and I've really turned that corner.

"It's been a frustrating year for me, no doubt about it, but the Dunhill Links, finishing third there, gave me a lot of confidence and my game's really getting there.

"I'm starting to understand my mechanics a bit better than I have this year and understanding where the bad ones come from and, of course, where the good ones come from so I'm excited.

"I've got a great schedule this next seven weeks and this is where it's all going to start for me."

Harrington Happy with Irish Dates

Padraig Harrington has welcomed a decision to move next year’s Irish Open to June 28th to July 1st 2012 even though a main sponsor still to be signed. It means the 2012 Irish Open will now not clash with the July 27th commencement of the London Olympics.

It will also see four of the biggest events on the 2012 Race to Dubai schedule being contested between the June 17th concluding U.S. Open in San Francisco and the July 19th starting British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes

.

They include the BMW International Open (June 21stto 24th), Irish Open (June 28th to July 1st), French Open (July 5th to 8th) and the Scottish Open (July 12thto 15th).

“It’s a good decision but then I don’t think moving the Irish Open to before The Open Championship will do it any harm compared to the date it has had the past two years and that’s two weeks after The Open,” said Harrington.

“We’re still going to get all the leading Irish players competing but then moving the Irish Open certainly won’t attract any less of the other leading Europeans.”

Harrington is a former winner of the Irish Open having won his national Open for a first occasion in 2008 at Adare Manor.

However the only concern moving the Irish Open to late June could be the loss of reigning U.S. Open champion, Rory McIlroy as the PGA Tour’s A T & T National is played in that week each year.

Rory McIlroy will be taking up full time PGA Tour membership, and will be competing given the event is returning to the Congressional course where he claimed a maiden Major Championship title.

Keith Waters, Director of International Policy with the European Tour, indicated that discussions are still on-going in regards to finding a main sponsor for the Irish Open.

“We are pretty sure we are returning to Killarney next year but then we are still in dicussions regarding a sponsor,” said Waters.

“But the good thing in moving the Irish Open is that if it were to take place next year two weeks after The Open, as it has for the past two years, it would clash with the Olympics in London.

“As it is the two events that will clash with the London Olympics are both in the States at that time of year, the Bridgestone Invitational and PGA Championship.”

Ballesteros to Make Majorcan Debut

The late Seve Ballesteros's son Javier is set to make his European Tour debut in next year's Majorca Open

Javier, 21, will take a break from his law studies to play in the event in May as an amateur, it was reported in Thursday's Marca newspaper.

"I have an invitation to play next May in the Majorca Open and I will play, for sure," one-handicapper Javier said.

"Then when I've finished my law degree I would like to give it a shot and turn pro. While I am studying I cannot train a lot. I hit 200 balls every day but I can play only once a week and playing is when you really learn the game."

Following the death of his father in May this year, Javier turned to a new golf teacher.

"My father was always my coach," said Javier. "Now this is not possible any more. Angel Matallana from Pedrena is helping me with my swing at Club Santander."

Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe's 2012 Ryder Cup captain, is delighted that his close friend's son is going to try to follow in his father's footsteps.

"I haven't seen him play for a long time but he's just lived and loved the game since he was tiny," Olazabal said.

"He's gone through so much in the last few years but he's matured very quickly."

World number one Luke Donald played with Javier in the Madrid Masters two weeks ago and said: "I was very impressed with Javier, he is so like his father. I guess the genes have been passed down."

Seve Ballesteros began his European Tour career in the April 1974 Spanish Open. He missed the cut on his debut but went on to claim five majors and 50 European Tour titles.

Trainor Wins Race and Order of Merit

Barrie Trainor pressed the power pedal over the weekend to take the chequered flag in the final lap of the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with PING and Bord Fáilte.

The former Warrenpoint Senior Cup golfer, clocked rounds of 68 and 70 for a six-under-par total of 138 to win by four strokes from Brendan McGovern and, not only win the final Lexus lap, but also snatch the Irish Order of Merit from last year's winner David Higgins.

Trainor collected a cheque for € 4,000 for his weekend 36 holes work which left him on 43,458.75 Order of Merit points and, shooting to the top of the Order of Merit leaderboard, earned him an extra €10,000.

"It certainly has been the best weekend of my life," enthused Barrie, "and at the moment I just don't know where I am. It was a superb way to finish the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet.

"This is my sixth year as a professional and I was getting worried that I would end it without a title. I won the Irish Amateur Championship for the first three years and then for the last two years I won the PGA Ulster Championship.

"Thankfully, this year I have kept the record going of winning a title every year as a pro. I can relax a little now then I'll have to prepare for the Titleis PGA Play-Offs in Turkey next month."

Trainor and McGovern led on four-under-par 68 after Saturday's 18 holes but McGovern dropped to 74 yesterday with Trainor carding 70. He didn't set the tyres on fire until the back nine as he recorded eight opening pars before a birdie three at the ninth hole.

The brakes went on as he bogeyed 11 and 12, missing both greens, but then he slipped into overdrive with three-under-par for holes 13 to 17.

He rifled an eight iron over water to eight feet, at the stroke index one 13th for birdie three and made a two at the next with a six iron to 10 feet.

The winner was short at the long 17th but, from 70 yards, pitched to six feet for birdie four to clinch victory.

Higgins, who finished joint third alongside four others including PGA Cup player Rob Giles, ended second in the Order of Merit to add a bonus of €7,500 while Damian Mooney, tied 16th yesterday, retained his third position in the Merit table and earned a €5,000 bonus.

It was a good weekend for McGovern, too, as he jumped from 33rd position to 17th for the season.

Higgins Defends Mount Juliet Title

David Higgins faces a thrilling 36-hole shoot-out with Barrie Trainor, Damien Mooney and Michael Collins as he bids to hold onto his Lexus Race To Mount Juliet crown.

Waterville stalwart Higgins, impressive winner of last year's inaugural Race to Mount Juliet, is just 578 points clear of Trainor in the Irish Order of Merit as the domestic season comes to a gripping climax over the weekend.

Yet with 10,000 ranking points on offer to the first-place finisher in the €50,000 season finale, Mooney (4,836 points behind) and Collins (9,171 points down) also have a mathematical chance to leapfrog the Kerryman and claim the €10,000 bonus due to the overall winner of the 2011 Race to Mount Juliet.

Proceedings warm up with a €2,500 pro-am.

Golf enthusiasts can also take in the Food and Craft Fair which takes place on the estate this weekend.