The Irish Golf Club Gazette

1/15/2016

Honolulu for Harrington and McDowell

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Padraig Harrington carded a first round 66, hitting five birdies marred by a bogey on the first, at the Sony Open in Honolulu. Hawaii

Graeme McDowell was four shots adrift of the Dubliner after three birdies and three bogeys to leave him on 70 for the round.

Former world number one and 2005 champion Singh rolled back the years as he charged into a share of the first-round lead with a sizzling seven-under-par 63 in the opening round of the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday.

Seeking to become the oldest winner in PGA Tour history, the 52-year-old Fijian racked up seven birdies with his cross-handed putting style on the tight, palm tree-lined layout at Waialae Country Club.

He finished the day in a five-way tie along with Americans Ricky Barnes, Morgan Hoffmann, Kevin Kisner and Brandt Snedeker.

Singh, who turns 53 next month, narrowly missed a nine-foot putt for eagle on his final hole, the par-five ninth, as he ended a bogey-free display with consecutive birdies in relatively benign morning conditions.

“I was feeling good about my body, my swing, my mind, so I just went out there -- it was early -- started off well and just kept it going,” Singh told Golf Channel after making his 19th career start at the event.

“I scrambled very well. Early on, I didn’t hit too many fairways but I got it around the greens, chipped in once and my putter was working really well.”

If he wins on Sunday, Singh would become the oldest winner in PGA Tour history, eclipsing the record held by Sam Snead, who won the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open at the age of 52 years, 10 months and eight days.

Singh, a 34-times winner on the PGA Tour, has not triumphed since 2008, and in recent years battled assorted health problems which impacted his trademark loose-limbed swing, but he still believes he is capable of winning at the game’s highest level.

“I just want to play,” he replied when asked what kept motivating him as one of the PGA Tour veterans. “I feel like I can come out and win any tournament if I play well. It’s been the same way for the last five, six years.

“I just haven’t produced the scores that I want to produce, but I’m always optimistic about my next day, my next round, my next tournament. Same this year,” added Singh, who has long been renowned for his workaholic approach to practice.

Among the leaders, Kisner and Snedeker played in the afternoon.

“I’ve always struggled at this course,” said Kisner, who credited his improvement to having had a chance to shake off the rust at last week’s Tournament of Champions on nearby Maui.

Reigning champion Jimmy Walker, who is bidding for an unprecedented third victory in a row at Waialae, carded a 69.

Europe Lead EURASIA Day One

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Ian Poulter led from the front as Europe built a commanding lead on the opening day of the EURASIA CUP presented by DRB-HICOM.

Darren Clarke's Europe lead 4 ½ - 1 ½ after winning four of Friday's six fourball matches, with Asia taking one and the other ending all square.

Bernd Wiesberger and Ian Poulter, one of the star performers in Europe’s recent Ryder Cup victories, put the visitors' first point on the board after beating Anirban Lahiri and Jeung Hun Wang 4 and 3 in match one.

Europe did not have to wait long for their second point, with Ross Fisher and Kristoffer Broberg posting a 6 and 4 victory over Prayad Marksaeng and K.T Kim in match four.

Asia took their first point shortly after when Byeong-hun An and Thongchai Jaidee completed their stunning turnaround to beat Yorkshiremen Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick 3 and 1.

But Europe made it 3-1 when Shane Lowry and Andy Sullivan beat Wu Ashun and Shingo Katayama 2 and 1 before Søren Kjeldsen and Victor Dubuisson, who was struggling with a knee injury on the back nine, halved their match with home favourites Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung.

Lee Westwood and Chris Wood then beat Kiradech Aphibarnrat and SSP Chawrasia 2 and 1 in match six to round off a successful day for Europe.

European captain Clarke was thrilled with his team's start to the competition. He said: "It's a wonderful start for Europe. There was a lot of matches there where it could have swung either way on the back nine.

"Halfway around, Europe were leading in all the matches. I was on the radio to a few of the other guys and said, this is match play, Asia are going to come back at some stage on the back nine, and that's exactly what they did.

"We had a strong couple matches and managed to finish with a very good result."

In the morning's first match, Wiesberger and Poulter were one up thanks to a birdie from the Austrian at the sixth, and they caught fire after the turn, winning three holes in a row from the tenth to build an unassailable lead.

Poulter was pleased with their performance. He said: "It was good golf. We played nice. It's nice to get it done early, as hot as it is out here right now.

"We holed a couple of putts, which is always handy in this format. It normally makes the difference - Ian Poulter.

"Those guys really didn't hole anything, and that's the turning point. If you hole putts from 15, 20 feet, then obviously it makes it very difficult for your opponent."

Wiesberger added: "I think we did good as a team. We holed some key putts when we wanted to, and we had our good moments - each of us - and helped each other out, so it was a good team effort today."

Fisher and Broberg were four up at the turn before increasing their lead further by taking the tenth hole.

Marksaeng and Kim claimed the 11th, but the European duo restored their five-hole lead when Broberg rolled in his long-range putt at the next, and they secured the point by winning the 14th.

Fisher said: "We were really up for the challenge come the first tee, and just kept saying to each other 'come on, let's keep the pedal down, let's just put two balls in play'.

"That's what Clarkey reiterated to us last night at the meeting and that's what we tried to do today - put two balls in play, put two balls on the green and give ourselves looks at birdies. We made a bunch today and we're delighted to be finished early."

Elsewhere, Jaidee put the Asian pair ahead in match two when he holed a monster putt from some 90 feet at the fifth.

But Englishmen Willett and Fitzpatrick bounced back and looked well-placed to win another point for Europe after some brilliant putting saw them take a two-hole lead into the turn.

But An and Jaidee had other ideas, winning the 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th holes to seal Asia’s first point.

Lowry and Sullivan were two up at the turn before birdies at the 13th and 14th gave them a four-hole lead.

Katayama chipped in at the 15th before a birdie from Wu at the 16th reduced the deficit for the Asian pair, but the European duo halved the 17th to close out victory.

Dubuisson and Kjeldsen went one up at the earliest opportunity in match three, with Frenchman Dubuisson firing a birdie at the first.

Fung levelled things up with a birdie at the short fifth before Dubuisson sank a sensational long putt at the ninth to restore Europe's one-hole lead.

The Asian pair drew level at the next but Europe regained the lead at the 14th, only for Fung to square the match by winning the 15th.

Kjeldsen thought he had edged his pair back in front when he chipped in at the 17th, but Fung also chipped in to set up a thrilling finale.

The match was halved at the 18th after both teams managed par.

Westwood and Wood started strongly, going two up after winning the second and fifth holes, but they were pegged back as Aphibarnrat won the seventh and Chawrasia took the tenth for Asia.

But birdies at the 12th and 16th helped the Englishmen win the point.

1/14/2016

Course Designer - Eddie Hackett

Born in a Dublin pub in 1910, twelve years before Irish independence, Hackett survived a Dickensian childhood of periodic penury and grave illness (he spent long stretches in hospital with

While Eddie was still a teenager, the family fell on hard times and so Hackett was thankful to get a job as a clubmaker at the Royal Dublin Golf Club.He worked on his game, became an assistant professional, and in 1939 landed the job as the head professional at the exclusive Portmarnock links for the princely sum of 10 pounds a week.

"As the professional I was never allowed into the clubhouse," Hackett remembers."I'm an honorary member now, and I still don't go into the clubhouse. It's just the way I am."

Hackett left Portmarnock in 1950 to take part in an ill-advised business venture. The next few years turned out to be the worst of his life, and he spent another nine months in bed in a near-fatal battle with meningitis.Hackett returned to golf almost by chance in the early 1960s when the Golfing Union of Ireland asked him to give teaching clinics across the country. One of the clubs was looking for someone to design a golf course (one of the first full-length courses to be built in thirty years) and Hackett's name was recommended. He stumbled his way through the job and suddenly he was an expert. For all intents and purposes he was Ireland's only golf architect.

"In those years, there was no one else to go to," says Hackett, "unless you went to an English architect, but they were expensive. All my life I've been charging too little, but at that time, you see, I wouldn't have the confidence in my abilities."

On occasion, Hackett even tried to convince clubs not to hire him.

"I told them that if I was in your position, and I wanted to make some money, I wouldn't use Hackett, I'd use a Nicklaus or a Palmer or a Trent Jones."

In two notable cases, clubs followed his advice, and hired Arnold Palmer (Tralee) and Robert Trent Jones (Ballybunion New). Both are worthy efforts, built on spectacular terrain, but they have a theatricality out of sync with the great Irish and British links. The consensus in Ireland is that they don't rank with Hackett's best, which have an air of maturity and grace rare in young courses of any kind.

Hackett's courses tend to be long from the back tees, with clearly visible landing areas, large greens and spectacular elevated tees. Despite his great love for the classic links of Ireland and Scotland (which he played as a young professional), Hackett eschews one of their most common features -- blind tee shots and hidden hazards -- and prefers to make a hole's challenges clearly visible in the modern style. Every one of his links courses is enormously enjoyable, even thrilling to play, with at least a half-dozen holes that will stop you dead in your tracks in admiration.

Because Hackett's layouts are so sensitive to the natural terrain, there is always a consistent style and rhythm to his links that takes its theme from the specific natural surroundings. Nothing seems artificial or imposed. Hackett would be horrified to think his courses looked like one another -- he doesn't want to leave his signature about. He doesn't talk so much about designing golf holes as finding them, and he is proudest when he can point to a hole and say "it's just as nature."

www.westwaterfordgolf.com

Club History - Royal Portrush

From its inception, the distinguished Royal Portrush Golf Club has always been a little different from the rest.

Originally known as the 'County Club' when first formed in May 1888 when the Railway Company brought people from various cities to the fisher village of Portrush and the invigorating fresh air coming straight off the Atlantic Ocean.

It became the 'Royal County Club' only four years later in 1892, with His Royal Highness The Duke of York was its patron. Other clubs have typically had to wait a quarter century or longer to obtain the 'Royal' seal of approval, proving their pedigree before being accepted into the elite circle of clubs in the British Isles permitted to carry the 'Royal' title.

In 1895, the club was renamed 'Royal Portrush Golf Club', with the Prince of Wales as patron.

In 1946, the Club purchased the Holyrood Hotel and converted it to a new Clubhouse.

A major Clubhouse project commenced at a cost of £1.5 million in 1997, with much improved facilities for members and visitors. In May 1999, His Royal Highness The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, officially declared open the new clubhouse.

Major Events

As befits a golf course of such quality, Royal Portrush Golf Club has hosted many major events over the years. The Irish Amateur Championships were inaugurated here in 1892, while the first professional event on Irish soil was also hosted at Portrush in 1895. In the same year the first Ladies Championships were held. From the exclusive group of clubs so honored, only one has been located outside Scotland or England, when Royal Portrush Golf Club hosted the Open Championship.

The current layout bears little resemblance to the original, thanks to a creative redesign undertaken by the renowned English architect Harry Colt between 1929 and 1932.

It was July 1951 when Royal Portrush made real headlines on the world stage by becoming the first (and last) golf course outside Great Britain to host the British Open Golf Championship, an event won by Max Faulkner with an aggregate score of 285 over four rounds.

Max Faulkner wins the 1951 Open

Going into the final round at Royal Portrush, Max Faulkner enjoyed a six-shot lead courtesy of some wonderful putting and shot making. Leading the field by four strokes at the 16th hole of the third round, Faulkner hooked his tee shot within a few inches of the out-of-bounds fence and was faced with a tricky decision. He could either take a wedge and chip the ball onto the fairway and probably accept a bogey, or he could take a full swing and start the ball out of bounds, hoping to fade it back into play.

Reaching for his three wood, Faulkner lashed the ball over the fence and, as the gallery watched spellbound, it dutifully turned right, right and right again as it crossed the fence and bounded up the fairway on to the green. "It was," said American playing partner Frank Stranahan, "the greatest shot I've ever seen."

In 1019 Northern Ireland will be at the centre of the global sporting spotlight once again as from 18-21 July 2019 as The Open is staged outside of Scotland and England for only the second time in 150-years.

www.royalportrush.com

Captain Clarke Ready for Battle

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Darren Clarke will put his captaincy skills to the test in this weekend’s EurAsia Cup before he tries to lead Europe to an eighth Ryder Cup victory in the last 10 contests in October.

Clarke insists the clash with the United States at Hazeltine will be at the back of his mind when his side take on Asia in Kuala Lumpur, although the parallels between the two events are hard to escape.

Ian Poulter, one of Clarke’s two wild cards, will partner Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger in Friday’s opening fourball match against Anirban Lahiri and Korea’s Jeunghun Wang.

Clarke’s other wild card and nine-time Ryder Cup player Lee Westwood has been entrusted with the anchor role, partnering fellow Englishman Chris Wood against Kiradech Aphibarnrat and SSP Chawrasia.

Yorkshiremen Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick could be another European pair in Minnesota and they face Byeong-hun An and Thongchai Jaidee, while Victor Dubuisson and Soren Kjeldsen take on Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung.

Ross Fisher and Kristoffer Broberg face Prayad Marksaeng and KT Kim before WGC-Bridgestone Invitational winner Shane Lowry and Andy Sullivan play Wu Ashun and Shingo Katayama.

“Obviously there’s Ryder Cup stuff going on in the back of my mind with possible pairings, but first and foremost, it’s about the EurAsia Cup this week,” Clarke said.

“We’re here to try and win, as Jeev (Milkha Singh, Asia’s captain) is with his team. The thoughts and everything I’m trying to do is going towards this week.

“When we’re finished this week, if we come back with a few pairings and hopefully if I’ve learned something from this week come September, then so be it. First and foremost, it’s definitely this week and the EurAsia Cup.”

Poulter has been a talismanic figure in the Ryder Cup, earning the nicknames of ’Mr Ryder Cup’ and the ’Postman’ because he always delivers a point for the side.

The 40-year-old had won an incredible 80 per cent of his matches before the 2014 contest, but two halves and one defeat saw that drop to 72.22 per cent, with Justin Rose now just behind at 71.42 per cent after three wins and two halves at Gleneagles.

“The reason why I certainly like the Ryder Cup and obviously this format is because it’s the purest form of golf. It’s match play,” Poulter said. “You see your opponent right in the face and you can go out there and you can make a difference.

“You can hole a chip shot; you can hole a bunker shot; you can hole a long putt; you can turn a match around. In stroke-play events, that doesn’t really happen, but in match play, it does.

“The second you hit that first tee shot, you want to get your opponent off the golf course as soon as possible. This format really excites me.”

The inaugural contest in 2014 finished in a 10-10 draw after Asia fought back from being whitewashed in the opening session and trailing 7-3 heading into the singles.

“I’m really excited about this,” captain Singh said. “Both the teams are very strong. At the end of the day I think whoever holes more putts, good course management, that’s what it’s all going to come down to.

“Both the sides are really experienced. But I still feel my team looks very good. I’m positive, I’m excited, and I believe in my team that they are going to do really well.”

1/15/2016

Honolulu for Harrington and McDowell

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1/14/2016

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