No Hydro for Higgins, Murphy and Moriarty

David Higgins, Colm Moriarty and Gary Murphy all missed the cut at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotel and Resorts on Friday in Aviemore, ending the Irish interest at the Challenge Tour event.

Sam Walker is in line to claim his second Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts title as he raced into a four shot overnight lead thanks to a four under par round of 67 on a rain-delayed second day in Aviemore.

Heavy overnight rain meant that the beginning of the second round was delayed by two and a half hours but rain soon turned to sunshine and Walker made hay despite a stunning performance from Chris Lloyd, who moved 106 places up the leaderboard thanks to 10 birdies in his final 13 holes.

That contributed to a nine under par round of 62 which left him amongst a five-man chasing pack, four shots back on seven under.

Walker, who won this very title in its inaugural year, 2006, before going on to earn a card for The European Tour the following season, looked to be running away with it midway through his round as he went five under par for the day through eight holes and five shots clear, having teed off at the 11th.

The 34 year old got off to the perfect start as he birdied the difficult par four 11th and he built on that when he almost knocked a four iron second shot into the cup for an albatross at the par five 13th hole, before tapping in for birdie. Back to back birdies on the 17th and 18th followed before he negotiated the back nine in one over par to move to 11 under par for the tournament.

“I just played very steady,” said Walker. “It could have been lower. I knocked it to two foot down the ninth and missed it. I thought I hit a good putt but it just lipped out. I'm putting extremely well, which you need to do around here, I think.

“I'm hitting it close, driving it well and putting everything in the right places. It couldn’t have been any worse than four under today. I'm just chilled, very relaxed. You’ve got to take everything on board. It’s four rounds of golf, anything can happen tomorrow, you just have to stay patient.”

As the day drew to a close, it looked like nobody would get near Walker’s lead, not least young English compatriot Chris Lloyd as he lingered 14 shots off the pace through four holes after a double bogey at the 14th hole had him three over par for the tournament.

If he had remained on that score, the 20 year old would have missed the cut by five shots but he performed a truly incredible run which began on the 16th and 17th holes with back to back birdies, having teed off on the 11th.

That started a run of 10 birdies in 13 holes with three pars coming at the 18th, fourth and 10th, his final hole.

“I was one over through five for my round after the double at the 14th and I was three over for the tournament and I was giving myself a hard time,” said the Bristol native.

“But I just hit it stone dead at the 16th and got up and down for birdie at the 17th and from there on it was just stone dead, stone dead.

“It was eight birdies in nine holes from the first to the ninth. It was pretty cool, I have to say. I've been out injured recently and after yesterday it was up and down but as soon as I got it going it was like my old self. It was quite fun.”

Lloyd joined four others in the chasing pack on seven under par, including two fellow Englishmen Jamie Abbott and Simon Wakefield as well as Chile’s Mark Tullo and Garry Houston of Wales.

McGinley in the Driving Seat

Former Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley continued his excellent form with a second round 70 to sit two shots off the halfway lead at the BMW International Open.

The 45 year old Irishman joined English pair Chris Wood and Danny Willett and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti on nine under par, two adrift of Swede Joel Sjöholm.

Sjoholm is the halfway leader at the BMW International Open in Cologne. Sjoholm, dressed in his now customary plus-fours, eagled both the 577-yard 16th and 546-yard third for a superb 66 in the windy conditions at Gut Larchenhof.

A closing birdie took the 26-year-old, 306th in the world and chasing his first European Tour win, to 11 under par. He enters the third round two ahead of Ireland’s Paul McGinley, English pair Chris Wood and Danny Willett and Paraguayan Fabrizio Zanotti.

Local favourite Martin Kaymer, at 13th the highest-ranked player in the field, missed the cut, but 54-year-old compatriot Bernhard Langer shot 67 and at five under is not out of the hunt yet.

Swede Sjoholm, with a best finish on the circuit of third in Sicily last year, followed his first eagle with back-to-back bogeys.

But it was a different tale after the second one. He added birdies on the fifth and ninth to go clear in the race for a first prize of just under €270,000.

McGinley, now a front-runner to captain Europe in the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, has not won for seven years but his career appears to be on the rise again. He finished seventh in Korea in April, but on his last start in Wales three weeks ago produced a closing 65 for sixth place.

The Dubliner began his 518th Tour event with another 65 and then added a 70 like Wood and Willett. “It was much tougher – a real good test of golf,” said McGinley. “You had to work the ball and it’s very important to keep it on the fairways.”

He had an eagle on his card for the second day running, making a 20-foot putt at the third before finding the target as well with a 20-foot birdie attempt three holes later. Former amateur internationals Wood and Willett have yet to register their first victories.

Wood is best known for finishing fifth in the 2008 Open as an amateur and then coming third a year later at Turnberry, while Willett was a team-mate of Rory McIlroy in the 2007 Walker Cup – against an American side that included new US Open champion Webb Simpson, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson.

Zanotti had shared the first-round lead with Marcus Fraser, but managed only a 71 while the Australian fell five behind with a 74.

Simon Thornton was one under par at the halfway stage, and joins Damien McGrane, one stroke better, for the weekend.

Michael Hoey, Gareth Maybin and Shane Lowry missed the cut.

McGinley Sets Pace at BMW

Paul McGinley continued exactly where he left off in Wales with a stunning finish to his opening round of 65 in the BMW International Open in Cologne yesterday.

The 2002 Ryder Cup hero eagled the 577-yard 16th from 30 feet and then almost holed his approach to the difficult 456-yard last – which he birdied.

“It turned a good day into a great day,” McGinley said. “In all my life I don’t think I’ve been on that 16th in two before – that’s new technology for you.”

McGinley is in joint second place with England’s Chris Wood and Danny Willett, who also eagled the 18th – one shot behind leaders Australian Marcus Fraser and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti, who both shot opening 64s.

Wood staged his own version of The Great Escape before his fine first round. Among a number of golfers stuck in traffic and worried they might miss their tee-off times, the 24-year-old from Bristol led a breakaway movement through the fields.

“We finally decided to leg it when we had gone one kilometre in 20 minutes – it was that bad,” Wood said. “It was about 3.5km and I was a bit sweaty when I got here, but it was worth it.”

The former England international, still seeking his maiden victory on the European Tour after three runner-up finishes, grabbed no fewer than nine birdies on the Gut Larchenhof course.

There were also two bogeys on his card, however, and with a seven-under-par tally he finished the day one behind Fraser and Zanotti. “It was the best I’ve putted all year,” added Wood, perhaps best known for his fifth place in the 2008 British Open when still an amateur and then his tie for third the following year at Turnberry.

Scoring was low following some heavy rain, but that did not help Paul Casey on his latest return from injury. Ten years on from scoring a career-low 62 on the same lay-out, Casey – who missed last week’s US Open to give his shoulder more rest – managed only a 76 to be down near the rear of the 156-strong field.

Fraser birdied five of his last six holes to set the early target, while Zanotti’s round was even more action-packed – two eagles, seven birdies, a bogey and a double bogey.

Colin Montgomerie, back from television commentary work in San Francisco, shot 69, but local favourite Martin Kaymer struggled with jet-lag and had to settle for a 71, the same as Sergio Garcia.

It was a disappointing day too for Paul Lawrie. He chose not to enter the US Open because he did not think it would help his bid for a return to the Ryder Cup after a 13-year gap, but he might well have to improve on his opening 72 just to survive the cut.

Fraser, chasing his third Tour win, said: “I missed only one fairway and managed to make a few putts – it was one of those days when everything went right.”

Michael Hoey was the next best Irishman on the day, one of a host of players on three-under par. 

Simon Thornton and Shane Lowry shot rounds of 71.

Damien McGrane finished with a 76.

Walton Happy in The Hague

After a steady start to his European Senior Tour career, Philip Walton believes he is rediscovering his competitive edge and feels the time is right to take the handbrake off at this week’s Van Lanschot Senior Open.

The Irishman, a three time winner on The European Tour in the 1990s, spent nearly seven years away from full-time competition before making his Senior Tour debut in the Mallorca Open Senior last month.

He has finished in the top 30 in three out of four events so far in 2012, but with a busy Senior Tour schedule ahead of him over the next two months, Walton believes bigger performances are just around the corner, starting this week at The Royal Haagsche Golf & Country Club in The Hague.

“I’ve had a pretty steady start so far, but now I’m ready to rock and roll,” said the 50 year old Dubliner. “I feel like I’ve shaken off the rust. I’ve played four tournaments now so I feel like I’m ready to do something and shoot a few good scores.

“It’s all mental really, but I feel like I’m ready now. It’s been great being back on Tour so far, meeting all the lads again. It’s been good fun, but I’d really like to step it up now and do well over the next few weeks leading up to The Senior Open Championship at Turnberry. It would be nice to be in good shape for that.

“So this is a big week for me. I’ve always done pretty well in Holland. I‘ve had a good few top tens here on the main Tour but I’ve not won yet, so fingers crossed I can change that this week.”

Walton, who secured the winning point in The 1995 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, will attempt to succeed fellow Irishman Des Smyth as winner of the Van Lanschot Senior Open, following Smyth’s magnificent final round 65 last year which sealed a two-shot victory over Peter Fowler.

Also in the field is former World Number One and Masters Champion Ian Woosnam, who will be looking to find form ahead of defending his Berenberg Bank Masters title next week.

Irish Open Weekend Sold Out

The Irish Open at Royal Portrush has officially sold out on Saturday June 30 and Sunday July 1, and time is running out to book tickets in advance for Thursday June 28 and Friday June 29.

The European Tour announced that for the first time in its history, it has had to close tickets sales for any day of a regular Tour event as the Irish Open became the best selling tournament on the schedule this year.

Spectators were also urged to book tickets for Thursday and Friday in advance although the deadline to do that is 5pm tomorrow (Friday). While it may be possible to purchase day tickets for those days on the gate, that definitely won’t be an option on the Saturday and Sunday which are completely sold out.

The European Tour is urging spectators to plan their journeys in advance by booking Translink rail and bus services or, if travelling by car, to follow dedicated event car park signage in order to facilitate the ease of access and exit to the event.

“We are preparing for a crowd around the 100,000 mark for the week of the Championship, and with a particularly large spectator audience expected for the weekend, we felt it prudent to stop selling tickets for Saturday and Sunday,” said Irish Open Championship Director Antonia Beggs.

“For operational reasons we also have to close the sale of advance tickets for Thursday and Friday at 5pm this Friday. Due to the close proximity to the event, it would be impossible to guarantee that tickets bought after this Friday would arrive in time for the start of the tournament.”

Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) Chief Executive Alan Clarke said that this year’s tournament will be a record-breaking success and reiterated that people cannot turn up at the weekend without a ticket.

“This year’s Irish Open is sure to be one of the biggest in the competition’s history with advance ticket sales reaching unprecedented levels and record crowds expected in Co. Antrim.” said Clarke. 

“While in previous years, it may have been possible for spectators to turn up on the day and purchase tickets on the day, we would strongly urge people not to try this on Saturday and Sunday as the event is completely sold out at the weekend and there is absolutely no chance of being admitted without a ticket.

“This reflects the tremendous interest in the competition this year but really it comes as no surprise to us given the fact that it’s the first time the Irish Open has been held in Northern Ireland for 59 years, and of course the incredible success in recent years of our golfers, who are all taking part in the Championship alongside a host of other top players,” he added.

“The Irish Open is the latest in a packed programme of major events, celebrations and commemorations during 2012 which are changing the global perception of Northern Ireland as a destination and restoring a sense of pride to everyone who lives here.” he added.

Beggs added: “It is important that the spectators enjoy the experience of attending the event so we are reminding everyone to follow the official Automobile Association event signage to and from the tournament rather than rely on ‘SatNav technology’ as the signs will direct spectators to the best available car park at the time.”

Speaking about dedicated rail and bus services, Translink’s Arthur Hamilton encouraged anyone travelling to the Irish Open to book train or coach tickets now to guarantee their seats.

“In addition to normal scheduled services, extra trains will run from Belfast and Derry–Londonderry to Portrush with tickets available to book online or purchase in advance from main train stations,” said Arthur.

“Dedicated golf coach services will depart locations across Northern Ireland and are available to book online only. Ulsterbus Tours is also offering both travel and Irish Open ticket packages.

“Golf rail service online ticket bookings will close at 2pm three days prior to travel. However, additional rail tickets will also be available to purchase from selected stations on day of travel.

“Golf coach ticket bookings will close at 5pm on day prior to travel and are only available to purchase online

For travel information including bus and rail ticket bookings click www.translink.co.uk/irishopen or call the Translink contact centre on 00 44 (0) 28 9066 6630.