No Irish Fireworks in Dubai

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Graeme McDowell was happy to get himself back into contention at the DP World Tour Championship lying three over par after 13 holes before rolling in a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th and signing for a 72.

With it too the chance of hauling back the gap with Race to Dubai leader Henrik Stenson.

Rory McIlroy carded four birdies on the way to the turn but lost two of those gains on holes five and eight, with another bogey on the last leaving him one under par 72 for the day. 

Shane Lowry finished in a similar fashion with two bogeys undoing the birdies on holes 3,7 and 17.

Alejandro Cañizares took the first round lead at the DP World Tour Championship as Stenson strengthened his position at the top of The Race to Dubai.

Spain’s Cañizares won on only his third European Tour start in 2006, but seven years and almost 200 events later is yet to add to his trophy haul.

A six under par 66 at Jumeirah Golf Estates saw the 30 year old lead by one from Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Australia's Marcus Fraser, with Race to Dubai leader Stenson a shot further back alongside Jamie Donaldson and Rafael Cabrera-Bello.

Stenson admitted he lost focus to three-putt the 18th for his only bogey of the day, but did enough to suggest his nearest challengers for the Race to Dubai title will be hard pressed to overhaul him despite continuing to battle a wrist injury.

Playing partner Justin Rose, who needs to finish fifth or better, carded a two under par 70, while third-placed Graeme McDowell returned a 72 and fourth-placed Ian Poulter a 69.

"It has been a lot of hard work all season and I just let my focus slip on the last," said Stenson, who is looking to become the first player to win the US PGA Tour's FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai in the same year.

"That sucks, but I am still in good shape and playing nicely. The guys are running on fumes so everybody is looking forward to getting done.

"You can't win a tournament on Thursday but you can certainly play your way out of it. I would have taken four under at the start of the day so I just have to let the disappointment of the last slip away."

Poulter believes he is playing the best golf of his career after finishes of 15th, second and fifth in the first three events of the inaugural Final Series, results which have given him a chance of overhauling Stenson and beating his rival and neighbour in Lake Nona in Orlando.

The Ryder Cup star carded four birdies and one bogey in his opening 69, but was frustrated at missing a number of chances to be higher up the leaderboard.

"I am annoyed," Poulter said. "I made two putts which were outside birdie chances and took a couple more but the rest were missed. I am frustrated but happy to be only three behind (the lead).

"I need to continue to be aggressive and see if I can nick it at the end. It's a good mix to be really angry being three under par and still being in there for the next three days."

Rose proved Stenson's point about the players "running on fumes", the US Open champion revealing he is suffering from an inflamed shoulder that required an MRI scan recently.

But the 33 year old is happy to have control of his destiny, with a victory here giving him a second money list title - he won it in 2007 - regardless of other results.

"Henrik is making it hard for the rest of us but that's why I wanted it in my own hands and that's still the case, so my goal remains the same for the rest of the week," Rose said.

McDowell was happy to get himself back into contention, the Northern Irishman lying three over par after 13 holes before rolling in a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th.

Cañizares carded seven birdies and one bogey in his 66 before revealing his relief at being in Dubai at all after problems with his girlfriend's visa.

"My girlfriend is from the Czech Republic and I always forget she doesn't have a Spanish passport and needs a visa," Cañizares explained. "I only remembered when we got to the check-in desk at the airport in Turkey on Sunday evening and handed over the passports.

"Fortunately we had help from a lot of people and the tournament director Nick Tarratt was waiting with Dubai's captain of immigration when we got to Dubai at 3am on Monday morning."

Former World Number One Rory McIlroy had to settle for a one under 71 after being three under for his first four holes, but the 24 year old defending champion could at least report better news in terms of his focus on the course.

"It's much better than it has been the last few months and I am playing better, which is important," said McIlroy.

"It's good that the game is back on track. I have this event and two more so it would be great to get a win before the end of the season."

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Bishop Talks Portrush PGA

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PGA of America president Ted Bishop has suggested Royal Portrush as his choice should they take the major overseas.

When asked today on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive which international venue he has a strong interest in pursuing, Bishop said: “You know, I think that Royal Portrush would be a great first international major.

“It was the first golf course played outside of England or Scotland for an Open Championship and I think given the effect that Irish golfers have on the professional game today, that might be a good place to start.”

The Antrim venue hosted the Open Championship in 1951, while it hosted the Irish Open last year.

The PGA have discussed taking the year’s fourth major abroad, and the earliest possible year that the event could be held overseas would be 2020. 

Last month PGA of America chief executive Pete Bevacqua said: "When we sat down to map our strategic plan... the question arose as to what impact it would have to take the PGA Championship to an international location once or twice a decade.

"It would be something we would only do if we had the cooperation of quite a few groups. We would want the international PGAs to be a part of this and share in this. Many pieces would have to fall in place."

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Kevin David and Ruaidhri McGee

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Kevin Phelan remains the only Irish player - from the three remaining at PGA Catalunya - with a glimmer of hope ahead of the last day of European Tour Final Qualifying of sneaking one of the final 25 places. 

Phelan, who starred in the 2013 Walker Cup as well as the US Open Championship in June, where he briefly flirted with the top of the leaderboard before making the cut. A two under par fourth round proved insufficient to make that one stroke move from seven under and enter the mix. 

The Waterford golfer carded five birdies on Thursday but with three bogeys damaging any promise of a low score signing for 70 after his days work on the Stadium Course.

David Higgins finds himself in familiar territory in Girona playing the final round as a formality having finished two strokes over par and a share of 66th. A level par score for the week marks the distance with the pace of the event with sixty three players under par, and the top ten all -11.

Fortunately Higgins faces the loss of automatic playing privileges for a year but still holds access to 17 events in the 2014 season, from which he can no doubt yield some better dividend.

Ruadhri McGee saw his hopes fade in an earlier round and a score of 75 on the fifth day reflected the pressure of surrendering to Tour School at this level. All of which will prove a learning experience with much time on his side to make a comeback.

McGee suffered a final nine holes of the fifty seven variety on three consecutive holes - carding a birdie on the third, a double on the fourth and then a bogey on the fifth – to sign for for a 75 on +1 overall. 

In a share of 70th place the Rosapenna attached golfer trails the bottom of the leaderboard  having been up in the top then after round three.

Del Moral though increased his commanding four shot lead thanks to a seven under par fifth round of 67 and moved to 21 under par.

Another high powered round which included no less than eight birdies, thereby virtually securing his return to The European Tour and a fourth promotion via the Qualifying School in the last six years.

With the top 25 and ties at the conclusion of the final round earning European Tour status, the dreams of many were still hanging in the balance in Girona, north-east Spain.

The cut-off point for promotion sits at eight under par currently, with six former European Tour winners including James Morrison, Mikael Lundberg and Alastair Forsyth all inside the mark while former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson is just one shot outside the crucial number heading into the final round.

Once more, though, it was Del Moral who stole the show as he followed up a stunning fourth round 63 by again claiming the best round of the day over a Stadium Course which he has played three times this week, gaining 17 shots to par along the way.

The 28 year old has his girlfriend Karin Dedering on the bag this week and he believes that she has played a huge part in his success as he looks forward to a full season on The 2014 Race to Dubai.

“I have struggled a lot this year and so I decided that no one knows me better than my girlfriend and she’s a great golfer too, a scratch handicap, so she knows what she is doing,” said the Qualifying School specialist.

“She is very supportive and it has been very emotional for both of us, first of all playing for just a Challenge Tour category at Second Stage and then here for a European Tour card, so hopefully we can have an unforgettable finish tomorrow.

“She is a great putter and every time I have a doubt I ask her. She knows my game and my distances very well and she is doing great as a caddie. She gives me that emotional support too and if I have a bogey she might come and say, ‘you’re cute’, so it cheers me up. It’s really nice to have her out there.”

The Stadium Course itself is proving something of a second love for the romantic Valencia native and he is hoping for another stress-free day as he looks to become the first Spanish winner of Final Stage since 2006, when Carlos Rodiles topped the qualifiers.

“I’m not stressed at all on that course,” he said. “I'm playing every shot really calm and positive and I'm not making many mistakes out there.

“I feel like if I have any putts between five and ten metres I have a chance so I don’t need to go for pins and when you don’t have to go for pins it’s a lot easier. I have got a lot of trust in my putter and hopefully it will be the same tomorrow.”

Four shots back in second place is Chile’s Fabrizio Zanotti, who signed for a four under par 68 to move to 17 under par and also virtually guarantee a return to The European Tour, having finished 140th in The 2013 Race to Dubai.

“I’m in a good position but tomorrow I need to do more of what I have been doing these last few days,” said the 30 year old. “I need to hit it shot-by-shot and stay patient. It is going to be a long day again so you just have to do your best.

“It is a little tiring. We have already played five rounds and we’ve still got one to go, but I think the Q-School is a fair tournament. It is a very good way of deciding who is going to play on The European Tour.”

While 32 players currently sit inside the cut mark for a European Tour card on eight under par or better, there are likely to be twists and turns aplenty in what is always one of golf’s most dramatic finales.

The promising 21 year old Belgian and protégé of Nicolas Colsaerts, Thomas Pieters, is on course for a rookie season on The European Tour after a four under par 68 moved him to tied tenth on eleven under.

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Del Moral Shoots the Numbers

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Carlos del Moral carded a nine-under-par 63 as he swept to the top of the leaderboard on the fourth day of the European Tour's Qualifying School in northern Spain.

With two rounds still to play, the 28-year-old from Valencia holds a one-stroke advantage over Fabrizio Zanotti and Daniel Brooks, both of whom enjoyed bogey-free days over the Stadium Course at Girona.

New leader del Moral, who teed off in a tie-for-26th, posted seven birdies and an eagle in 13 holes from the third to put himself in pole position to re-claim his Tour card.

Paraguay's Zanotti shot 68, while Englishman Brooks had a 66.

At the end of 108 holes on Friday, the leading 25 pros and ties will earn their cards for the 2014 season.

At present, the leading 35 players are separated by just seven strokes with Wednesday's cut leaving 71 golfers to fight it out over the final 36 holes.

The last two rounds will be staged over the Stadium Course, which shared duties with the Tour course over the first four days, and this pleases del Moral whose caddy this week is his girlfriend.

He said: "I feel much more comfortable playing this tougher Stadium Course.

"I just feel a lot looser playing it. The Tour course feels a little smaller.

"I'm looking forward to the next two rounds on this course, especially when the other guys seem to think it is tougher.

"I know it sounds silly but I don't feel like that. I seem to know this one much better."

As for some of the bigger names returning on Thursday for the fifth round, 2008 Ryder Cup rookie Oliver Wilson is tied-for-36th and remains well in the hunt.

Wilson is one stroke behind Bradley Dredge, Fredrik Andersson Hed and Richard Finch.

One of those scraping into the final two rounds is Ben Evans who covered the back nine on Wednesday in 31 shots - including a birdie three at the last - to make the cut without a stroke to spare. At two-under-par, Evans is 12 strokes adrift of del Moral.

But disappointment for a trio of three-time European Tour winners Pablo Martin, Johan Edfors and Nick Dougherty.

Martin, whose fourth round 65 closed him to within three shots of the cut mark, will rue a 78 on Tuesday, while Edfors and Dougherty missed out by nine and 11 strokes respectively.

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Phelan Carries Irish Hopes

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Kevin Phelan heads into the final 36 holes of European Tour Final Qualifying in share of 41st place after a one under par fourth round on the Stadium Course on Wednesday, signing for a 71.

The Waterford man's two middle rounds of 67 and 68 eased him comfortably past the cut mark of with all those inside 62^nd place just making it through, Which fortunately included Ruadhri McGee and David Higgins both on 2 under for the day. Just one stroke to the good with a total of -2 and little margin of error fro either player.

Phelan remains 11 shots off the leader Carlos del Moral but only a two stroke swing from a much sought after 25th place. So his chances are still somewhat realistic.

McGee though suffered a double bogey in a mixed day and finished 2 over par 74, dropping 30 places.  An untimely reverse having been very steady throughout  his campaign thus far.

David Higgins also ended 62^nd despite a two under par round on Wednesday with a mix of bogeys reducing any gains from  birdies on holes 6, 11 14 and 17. The veteran of  Q School requiring now two out of the ordinary rounds to get close to the mix with those  20^th on the leader board on -8

Amateur Dermot McElroy signed off with a round of 68 to finish 96th.

American Daniel Im and Italian Niccolo Quintarelli were two of the big winners as they showed the requisite nerve at crunch time to not only earn their place in the final two rounds but also climb into contention for European Tour promotion.

The fourth day at the gruelling six-day marathon is always an exciting one as the axe falls and the 156-man field is chopped, with the top 70 and ties making it through to the final two days.

The cut sat at two under par for much of the day but at one point it all came down to Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl in the last group. If the Dane had shot over par for the day then he could have moved the qualifying mark back a shot, but a level par 72 meant the seven players on one under par were eventually left disappointed.

Im was one of those to make big gains in round four as he signed for an impressive six under par 64 to move from outside the cut mark on one over par to inside it on five under.

The Californian is now looking forward to pushing ahead and vying for a European Tour card after the disappointment of missing out on graduation from the Challenge Tour on the final day of the season less than two weeks ago.

“Coming into the day one over I knew I had to give it a good score,” said the 28 year old. “The weather held up and I saw the cut line at one so I knew I had to do something.

“Since Oman on the Challenge Tour I've been really flat but I kept practicing and I never lost hope. I just kept grinding and today everything just fell into place. I made some putts and I birdied the first so I just said to myself, ‘let’s do this’.

“I kept it going and on seven, I chipped in with a great chip for eagle and then you think things are going your way, but you just never know with this game.

“I guess you can take the disappointment of the Challenge Tour Grand Final both ways. I was inside the number going into the final week but I didn’t play well and I had to come to Q-School but at the same time, I get another chance at getting my European Tour card.

“The first few days here I was losing hope a little but I had a good rest in Barcelona after Dubai and had some fun with Agus (Domingo) and my brother and we had some good tapas and ham!

“I have to give it a go now. I'm not here to finish top 50. I'm here to get my card so I can go after it now full throttle. I'm really looking forward to the next few days but hopefully the weather will hold up.”

Quintarelli, meanwhile, carded one of the rounds of the day as the 24 year old fired an incredible 11 birdies, including five in a row, to move from one under par to nine under at PGA Catalunya Resort.

The Venetian said that it was one of the rounds of his life as he climbed to tied 13th place, with the top 25 and ties earning European Tour status at the conclusion of this week’s gruelling six-round marathon.

“I played awesome,” said Quintarelli, who finished 97th in the Challenge Tour Rankings this year. “I was looking forward to today after shooting one under on the Stadium Course on day three and I played one of my best rounds of golf in the last few years so I’m very happy about that.

“I holed a lot, struck the ball good, so I’m very happy. My irons were very good today, especially the short irons which were unbelievable, and I hit a lot of those inside ten feet or so, and even left tap ins a lot of the time, so my long game was pretty perfect really.

“Also, when I had to hole a long putt, I did so. It really was a perfect round apart from that double bogey at the 15th. But anyway I had a great last three holes, finishing birdie-par-birdie, which was awesome.

“I just want to keep trying to do my best the last two rounds, to try and earn my card, and we’ll just have to see what happens as I am feeling positive and playing well so I think I can do it.”

Some others who made the climb inside the qualifying mark to at least guarantee a Challenge Tour card for the 2013 season as well as a shot at European Tour promotion over the next two days included Tain Lee. The American carded a stunning eight under par 64 on the Stadium Course to climb from level par to eight under overall.

Englishman Ben Evans also ensured another two days’ play at the stunning resort near Girona in Spain after a five under par 65 on the Tour Course moved him to two under and just inside the cut line.

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