The Irish Golf Club Gazette

5/22/2013

No News on Horizon - McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy was on unable to clarify reports that he is leaving Horizon Sports Management to create his own management group, but revealed he has cleared the air with Graeme McDowell.

McIlroy denied speculation at the Players Championship that he would create his own team with his father, close friends and associates, but McDowell said during the World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria that the world number two had decided on his second management change since October 2011.

The 24-year-old left International Sports Management just four months after winning his first major by eight shots in the US Open at Congressional, joining his good friend McDowell at Horizon. McIlroy told a press conference ahead of the BMW PGA Championship: "I'm here to try and stay on point and talk about golf. I can't really comment on speculation at this point."

He added: "Obviously you guys know that something's up. That's fair enough. But at this point I can't really say much more."

Asked about his apparent annoyance with McDowell - "Ask G-Mac. He knows more than me" he said to reporters on Tuesday - McIlroy added: "I spoke to Graeme yesterday afternoon. We got back to the hotel and we just had a chat. Everything's good.

"I'm great friends with Graeme. He's been a real big brother to me on Tour. I remember playing practise rounds with him at the Dunhill Links, for example, back in 2007 when I got my card.

"He really showed me the ropes out here for a couple years and it's great to have good friends on Tour and he's obviously somebody that I consider a very good friend."

McIlroy was less forthcoming when pressed to explain a comment he made in an interview with Sky Sports, when he was asked if he had been frustrated by the speculation and replied: "No, not at all. Someone very smart said to me a couple of weeks ago, if you want to be in the circus, you have to put up with the clowns."

Pushed to explain who he was referring to, McIlroy said: "I thought it was quite a good comment. Just think about it."

McIlroy's European Delight

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Rory McIlroy is delighted to be back in Europe where he starts this week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth as one of the favourites to win the prestigious tournament.

With the eventual champion collecting a €791,660 cheque on Sunday, the world No 2 says the famed West Course is looking good.

The 24-year-old Ulsterman said: "I like the course. Greens are in great condition and so are the fairways.

"It's always exciting to come back to Wentworth every year. There's always a good buzz here and the event always attracts a great depth of talent."

As for his own chances, McIlroy says his game is coming to the boil at the right time.

He added: "I've had a slow start to the season but the last few weeks have been promising and I feel I am playing well.

"I've had a few top 10s and had a great chance to win in Texas, the week before the Masters."

With regards to the decision by the R&A and the United States Golf Association to ban long putters, McIlroy added: "I've generally sat on the fence with these putters as it doesn't affect me.

"But clubs should be swung not anchored so I think it's a good thing - in the best spirit of the game."

A number of recent Major champions have used these types of putters, namely: Adam Scott, Ernie Els, Webb Simpson and Keegan Bradley.

And McIlroy's compatriot Graeme McDowell says he is delighted with the proposed change that would come into effect in 2016 calling it "the right call."

5/21/2013

Paul McGinley Goes Wild

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Paul McGinley will have three wild cards picks on his team for next year's Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

The victorious 2012 captain Jose Maria Olazabal had just two wild card selections but McGinley says he has made the change in order to "give myself a little bit of extra flexibility".

The team will therefore comprise the leading five European players in the world rankings, the top four eligible players in the European order of merit points list and McGinley's three picks.

The Irishman said: "Hopefully, this will ensure I have the right players to face the examination paper that Gleneagles will set out next September.

Gleneages history a factor

"It gives me a bit of wiggle room. We could have inclement weather and it's a golf course we have played on the European Tour for at least 10 years now, so there are guys with history there, and they could potentially be picks.

"There are a number of requirements I'll be looking at in tailoring the team.

"But you only need to look at the record books to see we haven't done too badly of late, so I didn't see the need to make sweeping changes."

McGinley was asked whether the fact that just four picks would come from the European points list might diminish the European tour somewhat.

But he said: "No, I can assure you, and I'll assure the players too, that the extra pick is more aligned to identifying people playing well on the European Tour.

"If you're not in the top 50 in the world and in the top events, it's so difficult to make the team.

European form will be key

"I feel that, by having an extra pick, I can keep an eye on who is playing well in Europe. If you're performing well, week-in week-out in Europe, I'm going to be looking closely at you as a potential pick."

The opposing captains will have the same number of picks in 2014 because American skipper Tom Watson has decided to reduce his number of wild card picks from four to three.

Europe hold the trophy after they produced a memorable last-day fightback to win 14.5-13.5 last autumn at Medinah.

5/20/2013

Dunbar Leads Irish Telnet Challenge

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Alan Dunbar, the 2012 Amateur Open Champion leads the Irish challenge in Belgium this week where he is joined by Simon Thornton, Gareth Shaw, Peter O'Keeffe and Stephen Grant for the Telnet Trophy.

The focus however will be on Marco Crespi who is relishing the prospect of defending a European Challenge Tour title for the first time in his career at the Royal Waterloo Golf Club, close to the Belgian capital of Brussels.

The Italian stole the show in front of huge crowds at Ravenstein Royal Golf Club last year, storming to a three shot victory to claim his maiden Challenge Tour title.

While the 34 year old could not take full advantage of that victory and earn a European Tour card for the 2013 season, he is delighted to be returning to Belgium to defend his crown.

“I cannot wait to play there as a defending champion,” he said. “I was in the flow in the back nine and had four birdies in a row and then when I was on the 18th tee I was just thinking about what club to play, nothing else.

“I hit the rescue and it went down the centre of the fairway and when I made the green with my approach I thought, ‘OK this is it’. There were a lot of people for the final round so it was great, a really good experience.

“I know it’s a different course but they are very similar so I think it will be good for me.”

While he is not returning to the course on which he triumphed, Crespi admits to having a lfondness for the Belgian layouts and thinks Royal Waterloo, Nicolas Colsaerts’ home club, will suit him down to the ground.

“I like the Belgian courses because they are old style courses, in the woods and tight,” he said. “My game is good too right now. At Madeira I wasn’t great from 100 metres so it just wasn’t my course but otherwise, it has been good so I'm pretty confident.

“My game has improved over the last winter. I worked a lot on my long game and my putting and my putting especially is very good now so I think I can have a good season. Hopefully I can get another win or maybe two or three!”

Crespi is joined in the field by all four of the winners in regular Challenge Tour events this season, with Shiv Kapur, winner of the season-opening Gujarat Kensville Challenge, playing his first event since winning back in January.

Also present are Barclays Kenya Open champion Jordi Garcia Pinto, Challenge de España winner François Calmels – a former Telenet Trophy champion - and Brooks Koepka, who claimed his second Challenge Tour title at the Montecchia Golf Open presented by POLAROID.

Former European Tour winners in the field include Nick Dougherty, Raymond Russell and Daniel Vancsik

5/19/2013

McDowell Match Play Champion

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Graeme McDowell came from behind to beat Thongchai Jaidee 2 and 1 and win the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria.

Last year’s runner-up had got off to a string of fast starts en route to the final, but found himself two down after four to the resilient Jaidee and took seven holes to register a win.

Still one down at the turn, a run of three wins in four holes from the 12th gave the Northern Irishman the €800,000 winner’s cheque and one of the most prestigious titles on The European Tour.

“Obviously a nice day and a great trophy,” said McDowell. “I talked about it all week about the prestige of this event and how many great champions, and nice to add my name to that list of legends.

“We talked a lot about what Volvo have done with this event, what they have done with golf around the world and coming to Bulgaria this week obviously was a brave move, but I think it's paid off.

“Sitting here with the trophy I'm going to say great things about the place but I think if you talk to all the players, I think everyone enjoyed themselves, everyone enjoyed the golf course.”

Jaidee had the consolation of €400,000 as runner-up, but could be forgiven for wondering how his name had not joined the distinguished list of winners on the trophy which includes the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Sir Nick Faldo and Ernie Els.

In perfect conditions at a sun-drenched Thracian Cliffs Golf & Beach Resort, it was 43 year old Thai Jaidee who won the second from 25 feet, having salvaged a half at the first despite driving into a bunker.

Five-time European Tour winner Jaidee, having seen off Thomas Aiken in the morning’s semi-finals, doubled his advantage at the long fourth when McDowell missed a ten foot birdie putt and the World Number 63 converted from half that distance.

Former US Open Champion McDowell had beaten Branden Grace in his semi-final and was looking to atone for his defeat to Nicolas Colsaerts at the same stage last year.

But the World Number Eight was lucky not to go three down at the par five fifth when his approach went into an unplayable patch of rough and he had to salvage par from 12 feet, with Jaidee missing his birdie effort from six feet.

A hole finally went McDowell’s way when he birdied the short seventh from six feet, and the next four were halved with pars – although Jaidee had a chance from six feet at the eighth and McDowell had to hole lengthy par putts at the ninth and tenth.

Only McDowell was able to birdie the long 12th and so the contest went into the closing stretch all square again, although the momentum had clearly shifted.

McDowell won the 14th with a par after Jaidee drove into a bush and had to play out sideways, and as a result led the final for the first time, before taking the 15th after a brilliant approach to five feet and paring the next two for victory.

“It was a little bit more tentative this afternoon,” added McDowell, who won the RBC Heritage on the US PGA Tour last month. “It was tough to keep that level of golf up all weekend, and the key putts really this afternoon were with the par saves on nine and ten - they were massive.

“I sensed from Thongchai after that that he was starting to fatigue a little bit; I really sensed a bit of an opening. I just had to hit the shots and I did that well coming down the stretch. The mistake he made on 14 and then the birdie I made on 15 was really the telling stuff.

“Like I say, it’s great to put my name on the trophy. I'm looking across to see Montgomerie and Westwood just popping off the trophy at me, great European Tour legends, Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, the history of this event, it's fantastic.

“This feels really, really like a special win. I'm sure Volvo are going to work hard to take this tournament from strength to strength and get it back as one of the premiere events, one of the special events on The European Tour season, which it needs to be.

“Els, Montgomerie, Westwood, Ballesteros, Norman, Lyle, Faldo, Player, Palmer, it's just crazy stuff really. To thrust yourself into that - to have your name on a trophy this cool is pretty special.

“I'll drink a couple of cold ones tonight and enjoy this. This is a special moment in my career, no doubt about it. Wins are super special - two in five weeks, that's great. I'm feeling pretty good right now.”