Four Named in GB&I Squad

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A 21 player Great Britain and Ireland squad has been announced for the St Andrews Trophy match at Barsebäck Golf and Country Club in Sweden on 29 and 30 August, 2014.

The nine-man team that will face the Continent of Europe in the biennial match will be named in mid-August.

Four players will bring valuable Walker Cup experience to the squad including Matthew Fitzpatrick, who recently made his Masters Tournament debut, and Rhys Pugh who played on the GB&I side in both 2011 at Royal Aberdeen and in 2013 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York.

Greg Eason, who is currently ranked third in the WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING™, and reigning European Amateur champion Ashley Chesters bring depth to the squad, along with talented young players Sam Horsfield and 2013 Scottish Boys champion Bradley Neil.

Nigel Edwards will captain the team for the third time as GB&I look to reclaim the trophy after the Continent of Europe’s narrow 12½ – 11½ victory at Portmarnock in 2012.

“We have announced a strong squad for this year’s match,” said Edwards, a playing member of the victorious St Andrews Trophy teams in 2002, 2004 and 2006. “The final selection of the team for the St Andrews Trophy match will be dependent on performances and, therefore, players who are not named in this squad have every chance of playing their way on to the team. I am confident that the team we select will mount a real challenge for the trophy in Sweden.”

The St Andrews Trophy is the biennial men’s match which will be played alongside the annual boys’ match, the Jacques Leglise Trophy, at Barsebäck on 29 and 30 August. The St Andrews Trophy has been played alternately on British/Irish and mainland European courses since 1956. Great Britain and Ireland have won on 24 occasions and the Continent of Europe has won five times, including the 2010 and 2012 matches.

The 2014 GB&I squad is:

Tomasz Anderson (Brocket Hall) – Welwyn Garden City, England

Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park) – Wem, England 

Greg Eason (Kirby Muxloe) – Leicester, England

Ryan Evans (Wellingborough) – Wellingborough, England

Matthew Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire) – Sheffield, England

Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) – North Berwick, Scotland

Sam Horsfield (Davenport, USA) – Manchester, England

Paul Howard (Southport & Ainsdale) – Southport, England

Jack Hume (Naas) – Naas, Ireland

Gary Hurley (West Waterford) – Aglish, Ireland

Nick Marsh (Huddersfield) – Elland, England

Jimmy Mullen (Royal North Devon) – Devon, England

Gavin Moynihan (The Island) - Dublin, Ireland

Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) – Troon, Scotland

Dermot McElroy (Ballymena) – Ballymena, Northern Ireland

Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) – Perthshire, Scotland

Rhys Pugh (Pontypridd) – Pontypridd, Wales

James Ross (Royal Burgess) – Edinburgh, Scotland

Ewan Scott (St Andrews) – St Andrews, Scotland

Jordan Smith (Bowood) – Calne, England

Ben Taylor (Walton Heath) – Leatherhead, England

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GMAC Back at Hilton Head

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Graeme McDowell hopes history will repeat itself as he defends his RBC Heritage title at Harbour Town Links at Hilton Head this week.

A year ago GMAC arrived in South Carolina on the back of missing the halfway cut at the Masters, but came from four shots behind in the final round before beating Webb Simpson in a play-off.

Twelve months on, the former US Open champion again suffered an early exit from the year’s first major championship after rounds of 72 and 78 at Augusta National.

“Last year’s win was great, but it means nothing now,” McDowell said. “Now we have to treat it like another event, prepare how we always do, execute our game plan and hope things go well,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting back and managing the expectations of a defending champion this year.

“I’m aware of the pitfalls and don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.

“The Hilton Head area has always been on my radar and I feel like I can win here. It’s a very nice course that tests every facet of the game, and it’s stood the test of time. I’m excited to be coming back.”

While McDowell was off form at Augusta, three of his rivals at Hilton Head certainly were not, with 20-year-old Jordan Spieth finishing joint second, Matt Kuchar joint fifth and Kevin Stadler joint eighth.

McDowell has also been paired with first-round leader Bill Haas and Brandt Snedeker in the first two rounds, while Spieth has been drawn with past and present Ryder Cup captains Davis Love and Tom Watson.

Spieth’s performance in the Masters lifted him from 14th to fourth in the Ryder Cup qualifying standings.

Five-time RBC Heritage champion Love returns to the event after a two-year hiatus due to injury.

Love, who turned 50 on April 13th, will be making his 27th career start in the tournament. He and Watson have combined for 1,301 starts on the PGA Tour, while Spieth has made just 43.

Six-time major winner Nick Faldo is also in the field to mark the 30th anniversary of his victory in 1984.

US amateur Matt Fitzpatrick has also made the journey from Augusta to compete. The 19-year-old from Sheffield missed the cut on his Masters debut by just one shot.

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Kearney Shares EuroPro Lead

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Niall Kearney share a one-stroke lead after shooting four-under-par 68s on the opening day of the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour season on The Belfry’s Brabazon Course on Tuesday.

He joins Kris Nicol as lead The Matchroom Championship ehaed of six golfers who signed for opening-rounds of 69, three under. Among those tied for third are 1991 Ryder Cup player Paul Broadhurst and 2013 EuroPro Tour event winners Alex Belt and Marcus Armitage.

Kearney was the first of the leaders to complete his opening round. Teeing off on the tenth he opened his account for the week with a birdie and moved to two under when he made three at the 16th. Coming in he made three further birdies, but dropped a shot on the ninth.

“I drove it well today and got a nice feel of the greens,” said Kearney “I got it in close a few times and managed to hole the putts.

“The course is fantastic, it is a great test of golf. It is fair and tough around the greens. I hit a lot of greens and made it very easy for myself. If you are trying to get to the greens from the rough it is tough.”

Kearney’s co-leader Nicol was in one of the last groups out on day one. He made an impressive six birdies, but was left to rue fives on the par four fourth and 18th holes.

The tournament is a 54-hole strokeplay competition, featuring 156 of Europe’s best young golfers. Spectator entry is free of charge throughout, and Thursday’s final round will be filmed for a two-hour highlights package to be broadcast on Sky Sports HD on April 29th, with several repeats in the following days.

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McIlroy Signs off with 69

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Rory McIlroy was on course for his best finish at the Masters Tournament after a final round of 69 left him level par for the week.

The two-time Major Champion saved his best till last, picking up six birdies on the final day, to put himself in position for a first top ten at the Masters, beating his previous best of tied 15th in 2011.

Two sixes on the par fives on the back nine today though put an end to a higher finish and it was the long holes throughout the week which have ultimately proved costly.

“I played the par 5s in even par this week, which you just can't do out here,” he said. “I'm even par for the tournament and even par for the par 5s. So you're looking to play the par 5s somewhere around ten to 12 under par. And obviously if I had of done that it would have been a different story.

“It's been a frustrating week, because I felt like from tee to green I played as good as the leaders. I don't think I've ever played as good tee to green around this course as I have this week. Above par is very comfortable, I just need to take some more chances that I've given myself on the greens.”

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McIlroy Marked by Member Knox

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Rory McIlroy played round three at The Masters with club member Jeff Knox, who was acting as a marker and  a birdie on the last gave him a one under par finish after three bogeys and four birdies in total.

McIlroy, holed a four-foot par putt on the 18th on Friday to make the cut on the mark of four over par, started promisingly with a two-putt birdie from 25 feet on the par-five second.

However, the two-time major winner’s approach to the short third ran over the green and he was unable to get up and down for par, while birdie chances went begging on the fourth and sixth.

An errant tee shot led to another bogey on the seventh and an outward nine of 37 completed in 90 minutes, with Knox — who holds the course record of 61 from the members’ tees — out in an unofficial 35 after matching McIlroy’s birdie on the second.

McIlroy dropped another shot on the 10th after missing the green left for the second day running, and smiled wryly when he missed for birdie on the 12th only to see Knox casually hole from 30 feet.

Rory then drove into Rae’s Creek on the left of the 13th and saved par after a penalty drop, with another birdie putt on the 14th.

Though three birdies in the last four holes - brought him back under par for the day, and perhaps gave a hint of what might have been.

McIlroy had said: “I just want to go out there and try to get off to a fast start. Eleven shots back (of leader Bubba Watson) with two rounds to play is going to be nearly impossible to make up, so I’m trying to shoot two really low rounds and see where that puts me at the end of the week.

“It will take something phenomenal to shoot something in the mid-60s and get myself back under par going into the last day. But I’m going to need to be two, three or four under par going into the last day to have any sort of chance.”

Former champion Watson was seven under par at halfway and enjoyed a three-shot lead over Australian John Senden, with defending champion Adam Scott, Masters rookies Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt and Denmark’sThomas Bjorn a shot further back.

American Gary Woodland was making the biggest move of the early starters, birdies on the first and sixth coupled with an eagle on the second taking him to one under par for the tournament.

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