Wales Open and Closed for Lowry

Shane Lowry announced on Facebook that he was withdrawing from the ISPS Handa Wales Open due to illness.

"Unfortunately had to pull out of the tournament with a viral infection in my throat. So annoying because I felt like my game was coming along nicely but wasn't even nearly 100% today.... " he wrote.

His roiund 1 score card showed there was trouble afoot  after an opening round of 81 strokes at The Celtic manor on Thursday, with a triple and double bogey through holes 12 to 13 - to set him at 10 over par for the day.

Having played at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth through the weekend, and finished 68th, Lowry then travelled to Walton Heath on Monday to chase a place at the Olympic Club in the US Open Qualifier. 

An aggregate 142 was six strokes too many in the end to get one of the 11 automatic places on this occasion. But an early tee off in Wales on Thursday, after the added 36 holes on Monday, may have taken their toll on the Clara man in round 1.

In 2010 Shane qualified for both the Open Championship and the US PGA, on his way to finishing 62nd in the 2010 Race to Dubai, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Dubai World Championship.

In 2011, Shane’s game continued to improve in his final exempt season, as he would have to earn his right to play on the European Tour in 2012, since his 3 season exemption from winning the 2009 Irish Open had ended. 

Lowry would do this with ease, securing 4 top-10’s on his way to finishing 41’st in the 2011 Race to Dubai.

Fallon Leads at Galgorm Castle

Five birdies on his back nine fired Scott Fallon to a two-shot lead at the end of Round One of the Ulster Bank Open at Galgorm Castle on Wednesday.

The London golfer signed for an eight-under-par 64 on the opening day of the event, the fourth of the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour season.

Starting his round on the 10th tee, Fallon opened with a birdie before gaining further shots on the 14th, 15th and 18th. He then proceeded to improve his score by a further five shots on his back nine with a bogey at the second the only blemish on his card.

Philip Ridden (City of Newcastle Golf Club) is Fallon’s closest contender. The 26-year-old turned professional this season and an opening-round of 66 puts him in a great position to make his first cut of the Tour season.

James Hepworth (Ilkley Golf Club) is tied for third with Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes) after carding 67 with the help of an eagle on the ninth. Hepworth was victorious after winning a play off at Galgorm two years ago and is in a strong position ahead of Thursday’s second round.

Whitnell is also five under par, three shots behind the leader. He began his round with a three on the par-four first and didn’t drop a shot on his opening round.

Paul Reed (Bristol and Clifton Golf Club), Gareth Davies (Abbeydale Golf Club), Adam Keogh (Boston West Golf Club) and Alex Belt (The De Vere Club) are all tied for fifth having carded 68 on the opening day.

West Ham United midfielder Gary O’Neil is playing as an amateur in the event and is tied for 63rd after shooting 74.

Round Two gets underway at 7:30am on Thursday with a two-tee start. The Ulster Bank Open is a 54-hole strokeplay event with a field of 164 golfers playing 18 holes on both Wednesday and Thursday. There will then be a cut to the leading 50 players and ties who will play a final 18 holes on Friday.

Entry to the event is free to spectators all week. As well as the golf there is a tented village featuring free children’s golf lessons from Junior Golf Ireland, ecurie25 supercars and Bushmills Distillery among other displays.

McIlroy Plans to Play Golf

Rory McIlroy has explained his decision to play three tournaments in as many weeks ahead of the defence of his US Open crown.

Having missed the cut by at both Sawgrass and Wentworth in his last two outings, McIlroy is opted to cram his schedule with competitive golf rather than spend extra time in practice.

The world number two tees up at this week's Memorial Tournament before heading to Memphis for the FedEx St Jude Classic, with the US Open the following week in San Francisco.

"I just feel like I need some rounds," said McIlroy, who has been grouped with world number one Luke Donald for the first two rounds at Muirfield Village.

"These two-day weeks aren't really that good for me, so I just want to get some competitive rounds in.

"I'm working on a few things, and I feel trying to put them into competition will be the best way for me to prepare going into the US Open.

"When you've been on a run where you've hardly finished outside the top five and then all of a sudden two missed cuts, it's more of a shock than anything else.

"It's something I haven't really had to deal with in a while. I just have to knuckle down and figure it out and get back to the way I was at the start of the year."

Clarke Joins Forces with CLIC Sargent

The Darren Clarke Foundation has joined forces with The Tour Players’ Foundation, the charitable foundation of the European Tour, in support of the Official Charity of the 2012 Irish Open – CLIC Sargent.

The UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, CLIC Sargent provide clinical, practical and emotional support for young cancer patients and their families, from diagnosis onwards.

The charity will be the beneficiaries of the 2012 Irish Open Birdie Pledge that will see The Tour Players’ Foundation and the Darren Clarke Foundation each donate £10 per birdie, £20 per eagle and £50 per albatross scored during the four rounds of the Irish Open.

A European Tour event produces an average of 1500 birdies, meaning CLIC Sargent could be in line to receive over £30,000 by the end of the Irish Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club from June 28 – July 1.

CLIC Sargent will channel all of the funds raised during the Irish Open to their Northern Ireland Homes from Home Appeal, which has a goal of providing free self-catering accommodation in Belfast within walking distance of the specialist treatment centers for more than 200 children and young people being treated for cancer in Northern Ireland each year, to alleviate both the financial and physical strain put on the children and families by the travel to and from their treatment sessions.

Reigning Open Champion Clarke said “I am delighted to team up with the Tour Players’ Foundation to support CLIC Sargent through my own Foundation at this year’s Irish Open. CLIC Sargent is an amazing charity and the work they do with young cancer patients and their families is truly inspirational.

“Hopefully we will have great scoring conditions at Portrush next month and we can raise as much money as possible through the Birdie Pledge.”

Mark Roe, Chairman of the Tour Players’ Foundation, said: “To have Darren come on board as a charity partner to the Tour Players’ Foundation at this year’s Irish Open is a huge boost to the tournament and a magnificent gesture from one of the most generous players on Tour.

“We hope that others will be inspired to follow Darren’s example and partner us both in the Birdie Pledge, helping to raise as much money as possible for this profoundly worthy cause at this year’s Irish Open.”

Barry McGuigan, CLIC Sargent Patron said; “This is a fantastic gesture from Darren Clarke and the Tour Players Foundation and I would like to thank them for their generous support. Families in Northern Ireland travel on average up to 95 miles, five times a week, to receive the cancer treatment their child needs. So we know that CLIC Sargent’s Homes from Home Appeal will make a massive difference to those families.”

McIlroy paired with World Number 1

Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy will go head-to-head in the first two rounds of the Memorial tournament at Muirfield Village in Ohio.

The pair have been vying for the number one ranking for much of the past year, with Donald re-taking top spot with victory at Wentworth last week.

McIlroy missed the cut there - his second in a row - but said on social network Twitter he is looking forward to a better week.

"Getting some great work done here on the range at Memorial... Looking forward to a good week at one of my favourite events of the year!" said the Northern Irishman, who will only return to number one if he wins and Donald finishes worse than 13th.

The pair will be joined on the first two days by USPGA champion Keegan Bradley.

Tiger Woods is also in the field, as are Masters champion Bubba Watson following a month-long lay-off and Dustin Johnson, who has not played since March because of a back injury.