GMAC Seeks Irish Open Title

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Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell have confirmed that they will both compete in the Irish Open, completing Ireland’s line-up of Major Champions at Carton House, in Co. Kildare, from June 27-30.

The pair will join Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy in the field, along with Carton House Touring Professional Shane Lowry, as they attempt to become the first home winner of the event since Lowry’s sensational victory as an amateur at County Louth Golf Club in 2009.

Clarke, the 2011 Open Champion, was third behind winner Thomas Björn the last time the Irish Open was played at Carton House in 2006.

He was also joint runner up to Colin Montgomerie at Fota Island in 2001, and the 44 year old is hoping to go one better when he makes his 22nd appearance in the Irish Open.

“The Irish Open is obviously one of the highlights of the year for us, and it is always an event I always look forward to playing in,” said Clarke.

“The atmosphere at Royal Portrush last year was unbelievable and I think we can expect some more fantastic home support at Carton House. I played well the last time we were there in 2006 so I’d like to think I can do well again this year.”

McDowell, who reached the quarter-finals of last week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona, is also looking forward to putting on a good show for the Irish golf fans. The 2010 US Open Champion finished tied 16th last year at his home course of Royal Portrush and has yet to finish in the top ten in the Irish Open, with his best performance to date a share of 11th position at Co. Louth in 2004.

“Carton House should be another great venue for the Irish Open,” said McDowell. “Obviously Portrush was a huge success last year and was very special for me personally, but I think the Irish golf fans will again support the event and it will be another celebration of Irish golf.

“We’ve had some great success on the international stage and so it would be nice for one of us to do it at home, in front of our own fans.

“Personally, I’d love to win the Irish Open one day and hopefully this can be the year I do it.”

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Hoey Headlines Galgorm Challenge

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The European Challenge Tour will return to Northern Irish shores for the first time in ten years when Galgorm Castle Golf Club, Ballymena, hosts the Northern Ireland Open Challenge from August 29 - September 1.

Michael Hoey, a four-time winner on The European Tour, will headline the field at the Country Antrim venue, hoping to add to his trophy haul, having also won three times on the Challenge Tour.Hoey has since played a part in Northern Ireland’s incredible story in world golf alongside current World Number One Rory McIlroy, 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke and 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, while the staging of the Irish Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2012 proved an unprecedented success.

The €170,000 Northern Ireland Open Challenge presents an opportunity for the next generation to follow in the footsteps of those superstars and begin their path to The European Tour.It is the first time Galgorm Castle, one of the country’s premier parkland courses set in the spectacular surrounds of an historical estate, will host a Challenge Tour event.

Gary Henry, General Manager of Galgorm Castle, said: “We are expecting big crowds at Galgorm Castle to see some of Europe’s top young players and some of the more established names as well as some top quality home grown talent.“The excitement is already building ahead of the tournament and, with the support of the people of Northern Ireland, we plan to make this one of the most exhilarating events on the Challenge Tour’s international schedule.”

Alain de Soultrait, Director of the Challenge Tour, said: “We are delighted to bring the Challenge Tour back to Northern Ireland, a country which has experienced such great success on the world golfing stage recently and which produced record crowds at last year’s Irish Open.“Galgorm Castle provides a superb venue which is fitting of a tournament of this stature and we are sure that in the coming years this will grow to become one of the premier events on the Challenge Tour schedule, creating more and more opportunities for talented young golfers throughout Ireland.

“We must thank everyone at Galgorm Castle for their commitment, enthusiasm and determination in making this tournament happen.”

Hoey, whose biggest win came at the 2011 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, said: “I am deeply honoured to be the ambassador for the new Challenge Tour event at Galgorm Castle.

“The Challenge Tour was a hugely important part of my early career and has helped me develop into the player I am today. By hosting an event in Northern Ireland, Galgorm Castle Golf Club is contributing to the development of the next generation of Irish golfers and I am delighted to be able to play a part in the tournament.”Hoey claimed a top 15 finish the last time Northern Ireland hosted a Challenge Tour event in 2003, when Clarke emerged victorious three weeks after his famous victory at the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational, while another Open Champion – the winner at St Andrews in 2010, Louis Oosthuizen - finished tied 12th.

Harrington Needs New Driver

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Padraig Harrington must overcome a broken driver this week at the Maybank Malaysian Open, after the Dubliner's broke last week in Thailand, and finding a replacement is proving tricky. A  problem that he could do without with only three weeks to go until the Masters.

The 41 year old would love nothing more than to fix the problem at the magnificent Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, explaining: “I was very, very comfortable with the old driver, so having to get used to a new one always causes a little bit of anxiety.

“I was quite confident with where I was at. But obviously when you put a new club in, it takes a bit of time to understand it and you’re not quite sure how it’s going to go. 

“I used a new driver last Sunday and it was okay on the range but not on the course. Often you find that you take a club on the range and think it works nicely, but when you take it out on the course it has a shot in it you didn’t see on the range because of the different tempo or speed on the course.

“So it’s thrown a bit of a curveball in my preparations and I’d dearly love to drive it well this week so that I have that confidence. I don’t want to go home next week still looking for a driver and then possibly play in another tournament where I’m in doubt. The last thing I want is to be going to the Masters with any doubt.”

Driver issues aside, Harrington is delighted to return to the Malaysian capital for an event he believes has gone from strength to strength in the last few years.

“Kuala Lumpur is one of the best cities in the world, no doubt about it,” he said. “There’s a good feel about it and the golf course is excellent. They’ve revamped it and it really is an exciting layout. There’s a lot of water and you have to position your tee shots. You have to be aggressive and go after birdies, even though there is plenty of danger out there.

“Maybank do a fantastic job at putting on a great event, so I’m delighted to be back. 

“They’ve done an excellent job at attracting some big players. We’re playing on an exciting golf course, so it lends itself to a big tournament feel and exciting event. 

“It should be a great spectacle on TV and a great show for the fans to come to. You have to credit Maybank for this, because their drive for the tournament, their work behind the scenes and what they are prepared to invest, is fantastic. 

“They put up the prize money, but that’s just a small part of what they do for this tournament. They’ve done a tremendous job at creating a top class event.” 

Peter Lawrie and Gareth Maybin complete the Irish entries for the tournament.

World Number Three Luke Donald is also in the field for the US$2.75million event, as is 2011 Masters Champion Charl Schwartzel, Italian Matteo Manassero, who won the title here in 2011, and last week’s winner of the Avantha Masters, Thomas Aiken.

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Captain Relishes Homecoming

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Paul McGinley expects to feel humble, as well as deeply honoured, when he steps on the first tee of the 2013 Irish Open to be introduced as Ireland’s first Ryder Cup Captain.

The 46 year old Dubliner is relishing the opportunity to return to his homeland to compete at Carton House, Co.Kildare, from June 27-30, in a tournament which has been close to his heart since he made his debut as an amateur in 1989.

McGinley, who in January was handed the responsibility of trying to help Europe retain The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland next year, cannot wait to join the all-star cast of Major Champions and Tour winners taking part in what he believes has become one of the premiere events on The European Tour Schedule.

His inclusion in the 2013 field ensures that the ‘Famous Five’ of Irish golf – Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and McGinley – will all be on centre stage at Carton House in June.

“It is obviously a tournament I always look forward to with an immense amount of excitement and anticipation and one I always enjoy playing in,” said McGinley, who holds the privileged position of playing in three successful Ryder Cup Teams.

“I’ve said on many occasions that the Ryder Cup captaincy is not just an honour for me, it is an honour for the whole of Ireland. I think Irish people are genuinely happy for me but they are also genuinely happy that an Irishman is the Captain. You can see that in the reaction I get whenever I come home.

“With the success that Irish players have had around the world in recent years, too, the Irish Open really is now a showcase event on The European Tour and a chance for the Irish fans to see the Number One player in the world in Rory McIlroy, as well as our other Major Champions of late – Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke.

“We are in a very fortunate position now to have such a wide variety of talented players from our shores and it is an opportunity for us to showcase that to the world in our home country.”

It will be McGinley’s 23rd appearance at the Irish Open and he will be hoping to draw on the good memories of a tied third place in 2000 at Ballybunion and a tie for fifth at Baltray in 2004.

“I played really well at Ballybunion and at Baltray, too, and I just hope I can recreate a few of those memories when we return to Carton House.

“It would be special for me to go and compete for the title and get up there amongst the leaders. I’m anticipating big crowds there again this year like we had last year at Portrush and hopefully we will get good weather which will help swell the crowds even more.”

Tickets for the 2013 Irish Open are selling well and spectators are advised to buy early. An advance season ticket for all four days of the 2013 Irish Open can be purchased for €70, a saving and €10 on admission at the gate. Adult day tickets are priced at €30 pre-event, and €35 on the gate.

Concessions are available at €50 for a season (€60 on the gate) and €20 for any one day (€25 on the gate).

Under-16s accompanied by an adult are admitted free of charge and all car parking is also free. Reserved grandstand seating can also be purchased immediately for Thursday, Friday and Saturday (€10) and the Sunday (€15) of the event.

Additionally, as part of the Irish Open ticket campaign, fans of golf and horse racing can enjoy both sports on the same day – Saturday, June 29 – by purchasing a specially priced ‘Irish Double’ ticket to enjoy the third round of the Irish Open and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day for a combined price of €50.

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No Paddy's Day Luck for Harry

OneAsia

Padraig Harrington saw the chance of a St Patrick's Day victory at The Thailand Open disappear at Thana City Golf and Sports Club on Saturday, after a three over par third round of 75, dropped him eleven shots off the leader.

Three bogeys by the turn put 39 strokes on Harrington's card and reaching the club house level on the back nine, after a birdie on the 16th recovered a lost shot on the par four 15th. 

Brazilian Lucas Lee drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the last on Saturday to snatch a one-stroke lead over defending champion Chris Wood of England and China's Hu Mu after three rounds of the U.S. $1 million Thailand Open at Thana City Golf & Sports Club.

Lee's rounds of 65, 67 and 65 leave him 19 under for the tournament, which is jointly sanctioned by OneAsia and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation with earnings to count for both Orders of Merit.

Thai-based Scot Simon Yates celebrated his 43rd birthday with a 64, to share fourth place at 17 under with overnight leader Scott Strange of Australia who carded a 68. 

Born in Brazil to émigré Korean parents, Lee finished seventh at Q-School in 2012 and parlayed that into a top 50 finish on the OneAsia Order of Merit last year.

Although he has won a couple of one-day professional tournaments and finished second four times on the Canadian Tour, the 25-year-old is still seeking his breakthrough victory on a major circuit.

He refused to be intimidated on Saturday despite playing with defending champion Wood (65) lurking a stroke behind.

"After the first hole you try to forget who they are and try to beat them like any other of the guys, but they do hit the ball very well," said Lee, who is fluent in English, Korean and Portuguese.

"It was a good learning experience. Tomorrow I'm just going to try and be as positive as possible, while also keeping it simple."

Wood, who made his breakthrough professional victory at this tournament last year and followed it up with victory at the European Tour's Qatar Masters in January, said he was delighted so far with his defence of the title.

"I'm really pleased with my efforts so far. I came here to put in a good defence," he said.

"It will take something in the mid 60s to win."

Hu, another OneAsia regular but with victory under his belt from China's domestic tour, credited an improved tournament strategy for his performance.

"I have been playing quite awful on the last days of tournaments, so what I have been doing recently is try to make a game plan for the entire week and then stick to it," he said.

"I've been doing quite well on that, and so hopefully I can do the same tomorrow."

Best of the local challengers was Prayad Marksaeng, who started with five birdies in-a-row for his 65 and shares sixth place at 16 under.

The round of the day belonged to Japan's Katsumasa Miyamoto, who equalled the course record with a 63 after making the turn in 29.

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