McIlroy the Hostest with Mostest

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Rory McIlroy put himself in an excellent position heading into the weekend at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation and then declared he was confident he could go on to win his home event.

The Northern Irishman is playing host to the tournament for the second consecutive season but had missed the cut three years in a row before rounds of 67-70 saw him make a good start at the K Club.

His previous best finish was seventh in 2008 and the four-time Major Championship winner said before the start this week and after the first round how eager he was to at last taste victory on home soil.

To do that he must overcome an elite field, with Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett and three-time European tour winner Marc Warren both a shot ahead of him at eight under heading into the weekend.

But after striking the ball beautifully over days one and two, McIlroy believes if he can cut out the mistakes, he will be right in the mix come Sunday afternoon.

"I'm making enough birdies," he said. "I think I made six birdies yesterday. I made six birdies today. So the birdies are there. I just need to limit the mistakes. Four bogeys today, a couple of really soft bogeys as well.

"I know that I'm hitting enough good shots and I'm holing enough putts. If I can live with the mistakes, I feel like I'll be right there.

"Obviously I haven't made the cut here for a while, and to be in for the weekend and play a solid two rounds of golf, I'm right there in the mix. I'm excited for the weekend."

McIlroy came into the second round two shots behind Willett and while he twice reined him in, he twice fell two shots behind again with a closing birdie from 20 feet on the ninth - his last - cutting the gap to one.

"I was getting quite frustrated there," he added. "Especially the end of the round, I felt I was giving myself chances and wasn't converting, and any time I did make a mistake, I wasn't saving par.

"To hole that birdie putt on the last, it was nice. It gives me a little bit of momentum going into the weekend, and I'll need it."

Willett is playing his first European Tour event since his maiden Major triumph at Augusta and McIlroy is delighted to have the man he beat to the Race to Dubai title last term in contention.

"I don't think anyone was happier than me last night because of what Danny shot, and then obviously me being up there," he said. "Both up there for the weekend, the Masters Champion and myself, it's a good leaderboard.

"It's great to see Danny up there, as well. I was very pleased that he committed to come and play here."

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Tom McKibbin a Future Star

Rory McIlroy may be one of the stars of world golf, but Northern Irish teenager Tom McKibbin is hoping to following in the world No 3's footsteps.

The 13-year-old has already won the Junior Honda Classic and won the World Junior Championships last August, an event previously won by McIlroy when he was aged nine.

McKibbin has had the opportunity this week to play alongside his idol during the Pro-Am at the Irish Open, hosted by the Rory Foundation, where he showcased his talent in front of a large crowd at the K Club. 

"Tom is obviously a great player," McIlroy told Sky Sports. "The first time I played with him I was really impressed. As a 13 year old, he already had everything."

The Newtownabbey teenager, nicknamed ‘T-Mac’, was invited by four-times Major champion McIlroy to play at the event, which is being hosted by the Rory Foundation.

Speaking before he travelled to the K Club, McKibbin said: “I’ve already played a round of golf with Rory and already learnt so much. I’ll use the day to learn more and have fun at the same time.”

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Master Willett Leads at The K Club

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Danny Willett leads Rory McIlroy by two shots after the first round of the Irish Open after eight birdies and a bogey in a seven-par-under 65 at the K Club.

McIlroy posted a 67 as he bids to improve his recent poor form at his home tournament, which has seen him miss three straight cuts at the event.

Callum Shinkwin and Jaco Van Zyl lie a shot behind McIlroy, with Soren Kjeldsen, Ross Fisher, Martin Kaymer and Brett Rumford three under.

World number three McIlroy, whose Rory Foundation is hosting the tournament, is seeking a first win of the season after six top-10 finishes.

The Northern Irishman recorded three birdies on his front nine, and picked up a further three shots on his inward nine, including a birdie at the 18th.

Willett showed much improved form after missing the cut at last week's Players Championship at Sawgrass, his first appearance since winning the first major of the season at Augusta.

The 28-year-old's round of 65 was only one shot off the course record set by South African Charl Schwartzel in 2003.

Heavy rain greeted the early starters but 2010 champion Fisher defied the difficult conditions to birdie three of the first five holes.

The Englishman's 69 saw him secure the clubhouse lead, along with two-time major winner Kaymer.

Shinkwin and Van Zyl bettered their scores by one, while defending champion Kjeldsen remains well in contention four shots off the lead, the same score as Australian Rumford.

Shane Lowry, who won the title as an amateur in 2009, ended one over, with 2007 champion Padraig Harrington five shots worse off after carding two double-bogeys on his front nine.

Graeme McDowell joined Lowry on one under, with Lee Westwood level par and European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke one over.

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Rory Relishes Willett Master Battle

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Rory McIlroy is relishing another battle against Danny Willett after the Race to Dubai champion and the Masters Tournament champion stole the show on day one of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation.

Willett pushed McIlroy all the way to the final day of last season before the Northern Irishman finished as Europe's Number One for the second consecutive year with his victory at the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

In 2016 it has been the Englishman who has stolen a march, with a first Major Championship victory at Augusta added to his win at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic to give Willett a lead over McIlroy of over a million points in the season-long battle.

The 28 year old also took the upper hand on Thursday, establishing a two-shot lead over McIlroy at the K Club, and the four-time Major winner is hopeful the two can continue to duel it out over the weekend.

"It's a great day one," said McIlroy. "Hopefully it entices people to come out and watch the golf over the next three days.

Having Danny here is a huge help, and him playing like he did today, and me playing like I did, it would be great if we could have a battle over the weekend and get the crowds to flock in - Rory McIlroy

"It would be one that I'd be looking forward to."

A victory for McIlroy would be his first at his home Open after missing the cut the last three seasons, and he admits he is excited by the thought of getting his hands on the trophy.

"I just get goosebumps thinking about it, so I can't really think about it too much now," he added.

"To win here, no matter what the circumstances are, whether I've won the week before or whether I haven't won in six months, to win The Irish Open would be something that would be very special, and I've got off to a great start towards doing that this week. I just have to keep playing the way I did today.

"It's a big thing, especially with how I've played here the last few years, it's been very disappointing.

"It's day one. There's a lot of golf to play but it's a very encouraging start.

"I think there was more out there. I thought it was a very comfortable 67. Get to go five under par after 13 with a couple of par fives to come in, had a bit of a blip on 14 with a three-putt. But apart from that, I felt like I played pretty well.

"It was nice to get an opening round like that and get a score like that under my belt, because I know what's out there now. I know if I go out and play well and the conditions are similar that I can go even better than that."

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GMAC Seeking Season Kick Start

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Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer are both looking to kick-start their seasons when they tee it up at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hosted by the Rory Foundation this week.

The Northern Irishman won in November on the US PGA Tour but has struggled for form since the turn of the year, while Kaymer claimed his first top ten of the campaign at the Real Club Valderrama Open de España, Hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation a month ago.

Both men have represented Europe in the last three Ryder Cups, with McDowell the only man to have qualified for the last four, but with the next contest coming up at Hazeltine in the autumn, they are currently on the outside looking in.

McDowell has slipped to 68th in the Official World Golf Ranking but feels his game is not too far off and is now aiming for a big summer.

"I've generally been feeling very good about my game this year," he said. "Started off kind of strong early in the Florida Swing. Lost my way a little bit sort of into the Match Play and Augusta.

"Sort of hit the reset button after Hilton Head and came back last week, starting to get those good feelings back again, a little bit of confidence seeing the ball do what I wanted to do, staying patient, and a little bit of belief coming back again.

"The weekend at The Players was nice on a lot of levels, gave me that little bit of confidence coming here, and into next week, as well, and looking forward to the summer with three Majors to play here in the next few months, a lot of big events. Looking to the French Open with double Ryder Cup points.

There's lots and lots of jockeying for position to come up here in the next few months and I feel like I'm well positioned mentally and physically to do that - Graeme McDowell

"Of course I'd love to be part of the team."

Kaymer is four spots ahead of McDowell in the World Rankings and although he has not won since claiming his second Major Championship at the 2014 US Open, he came close when losing out in a play-off to Rikard Karlberg at last season's 72° OPEN D'ITALIA presented by DAMIANI, and is eager to contend again.

"I haven't really competed in a tournament properly," he said. "Preparation has been good for the summer, so now I look forward to hopefully all the work and the practice paying off, because I really need to work my way into the Ryder Cup.

"In terms of the tournaments coming up now, they are obviously big ones that you want to win, and a few I've won in the past. I've got experience with it and a lot of positive memories. I'm really excited to play all the tournaments now until the Olympic Games."

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