The Irish Golf Club Gazette

11/21/2012

Clarke Collects OBE at the Palace

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2011 Open champion Darren Clarke said meeting the Queen was more nerve-racking than winning a major tournament after he was awarded his OBE.

The charismatic Ulsterman, 44, who won the 2011 Open Championship, was a vice captain of the European Ryder Cup team which memorably beat the US at the Medinah Country Club, Chicago, in September, having also played in five of the tournaments.

He captured the nation's hearts in 2006 when he put in one of the greatest ever performances in the history of the Ryder Cup at The K Club near Dublin, just six weeks after his first wife Heather lost her long fight with breast cancer.

He said Heather would have been proud of him, as was his second wife Alison, who was there to see him presented with his medal by the Queen, along with his children.

But he added: "She would have been proud of me but more proud of the kids than me, sitting in there and seeing the Queen."

He said it was a great honour to meet the Queen as he was made an OBE for services to the sport.

Asked how it compared to winning the Open or the Ryder Cup, he said: "It is right up there but the Open and Ryder Cup were much easier than this."

He added: "This wasn't a case of nerves, this was a great honour to meet the Queen. She asked me about the golf and the charity things as well."

Mr Clarke set up the Darren Clarke Foundation in his first wife's memory after her death.

11/20/2012

Rory Seeks DP World Tour Championship

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Rory McIlroy is keen to cap a successful season with victory in this week's lucrative DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

McIlroy heads an elite field of 57 players at the Jumeirah Golf Estates, with 28 of the season's winners in attendance, but the European Tour Order of Merit has already been secured by the Northern Irishman.

More than £6m in prize money is on offer and McIlroy hopes he is well placed to put last week's disappointing missed cut in Hong Kong behind him with a fifth 2012 title.

"Obviously Hong Kong wasn't the week that I wanted, but at least it gave me the chance get to Dubai a bit earlier and work on a few things," McIlroy said.

"I definitely needed to work on my putting a little bit, because I feel like I'm still hitting the ball well, I just haven't holed enough putts over the past two weeks. I was maybe also a little bit tired, mentally and physically.

"I think if I was completely fresh, I wouldn't have made the mistakes I did in Hong Kong last week. So in some ways, even though I obviously wanted to defend my title in Hong Kong, maybe having the weekend off worked out for the best, as it gave me the chance to rest up and recharge the batteries.

"It's already been an amazing season, and hopefully I can round it off in style in Dubai this week.

"Obviously I'm very proud and very honoured to win the Race to Dubai. I've had four goes at it and came close a couple of times, so it's great to be able to do it and it's been a phenomenal year."

11/19/2012

Get on G-MAC's Bike for Charity

Golf fans can bid in a charity auction for a custom-painted motorbike signed by Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irish trio signed the Honda Fury bike at this year’s Irish Open, held at Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Designed by Co Antrim artist Iain Baldwin and donated by the Belfast Honda dealership, the motorbike is worth £10,000 without the value added by the artwork and signatures.

Mr Baldwin worked 16 hours a day for eight days to finish the artwork, before the trio of Major Champions signed the bike during the tournament week.

The online auction closes on November 29, with all proceeds going to CLIC Sargent, the designated charity of the Irish Open.

Mr Baldwin came up with the idea after a conversation with CLIC Sargent Patron and former boxer Barry McGuigan.

“I got speaking to Barry and that inspired me,” he said.

“Normally I would hand over cash for charity and support them that way, but as I started up my own business I decided to give up my time by custom painting the motorbike.”

Please visit the online auction here

11/18/2012

Rory Lightens 2013 Schedule

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Rory McIlroy has vowed to cut back his competitive schedule next year after the disappointment of missing the cut in his defense of the Hong Kong Open.

The world's top-ranked golfer four-putted the final green Friday to finish three shots off.

It marks the second time this year the 23-year old has had to sit out the weekend rounds in the defense of a tournament after also missing the cut in June's U.S. Open at San Francisco.

Before leaving Hong Kong for Dubai and the season-ending World Tour Championship, McIlroy said he's learnt a further lesson and will spend the coming weeks working out where he'll compete in 2013.

"Of course, you're going to miss cuts in your career, but it's not nice and it's a tough pill to swallow when you're the defending champion in a tournament," the Northern Irishman said.

"While there's a part of me that perhaps wished my year had ended as soon as I wrapped up the Race to Dubai, I now look back over the last couple of years wondering why did I stretch myself so much," he added. "I've probably played an extra couple of tournaments too much and I have learnt from the last few years, so that's why I'm cutting back my schedule even further from next year."

Counting next week's European Tour closing event, McIlroy will have played in 24 tournaments this season as well as the Ryder Cup and teeing up in two exhibition tournaments -- the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final and the recent showdown against Tiger Woods in the `Duel at Lake Jinsha'.

McIlroy arrived in Hong Kong sounding tired after wrapping up the European Tour Race to Dubai money title a week earlier with his third place finish at the Singapore Open.

And his well-being was reflected in his lethargic manner over the two days in Hong Kong.

"I'm not sure if the energy in trying to sew-up the Race to Dubai and competing in the FedExCup has taken more out of me than maybe I thought, because while I am feeling OK physically, mentally I feel really tired," he said.

"When you achieve something that you want to achieve so bad, like the Race to Dubai, there is a letdown considering there are still two events remaining."

McIlroy teed-up in 28 tournaments in his first full pro season in 2008, and then cut that by three a year later.

Last year, he competed in 22 regular European and PGA TOUR events, but also contested the Grand Slam of Golf, the World Cup, the Korean Open and joined three others competing over seven days on seven courses in the China Golf Challenge.

After combined European and PGA TOUR earnings this year of $9,618,210, McIlroy will bank another $1 million by just teeing up in Dubai -- the "bonus pool" first prize for capturing the Race to Dubai.

The leading 10 Race to Dubai finishers at the close of next week's $8 million tournament will share an additional purse of $3.75 million.

Jimenez Surpasses Des Smyth

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Miguel Angel Jimenez became the oldest European Tour winner on Sunday by shooting a 5-under 65 to capture his third Hong Kong Open title.

At 48 years and 318 days, the Spaniard surpassed the previous record set by Ireland's Des Smyth, who was 48 years and 34 days when he won the 2001 Madeira Islands Open.

"Winning now, and becoming the oldest winner on the tour at 48, my goodness. Twenty-four years I've been on the tour, I've been around a long time," Jimenez said. "But I still love it and that is fantastic, to love what you're doing, and enjoy yourself, keep fit, keep working myself a little bit and stretching a lot. And that's the main thing to do to keep the body to compete with the new guns."

Jimenez earned his 19th tour victory by making four straight birdies from the seventh hole in his third straight bogey-free round to finish with a 15-under total of 265 on the suburban Fanling course. He was one shot ahead of Fredrik Andersson Hed of Sweden, who closed with a bogey-free 64.

As always, the Malaga-based Jimenez celebrated his success with a glass of Rioja and a cigar -- and credited those habits with helping his longevity.

"There is maybe olive oil in my joints, and drinking the nice Rioja wine and those things keeps me fit and flexible," he said. "Well, the most important thing (is), I do what I like to do in my life, and golf has given me all of this pleasure."

Jimenez earned $333,330 for the win, while Andersson Hed secured a place in next week's season-ending DP World Tour Championship with his second-place finish.

Australia's Marcus Fraser also shot a 64 to finish third on 12 under for his sixth top-10 placing of the season.

Italy's Matteo Manassero (68) shared fourth place with Ireland's Peter Lawrie (66) and Scotland's Stephen Gallacher (65).

New Zealand's Michael Campbell, who was tied with Jimenez for the third-round lead and looking to end a seven-year winless drought, double bogeyed the last in a score of 72 to drop to eighth place.

Welshman Rhys Davies (70) also had a disappointing day as his tie for 51st place means he will lose his tour card for next season after slipping outside of the top-119 who will retain automatic membership.

Davies arrived in Hong Kong lying 119th, but dropped to 120th -- missing out on retaining his tour card by just $133 on the money list. The European Tour also confirmed that John Daly will be facing a fine after throwing a club on the second day of the event.

Daly hurled his putter into the trees at the 11th green ahead of missing the cut after being continually bothered by fans using mobile phones and cameras.

Tournament director Mickael Ericsson said the tour will take those disturbances into account, but that Daly will still be fined.

"Yes, the circumstances regarding crowd manners and behavior will be considered, but when it all boils down there is still no excuse for throwing his putter," Ericsson said.