Levet Alstom Jump Brings Fracture

Levet and Bartez jump into water

Thomas Levet may miss The Open after he fractured a leg jumping into a lake to celebrate his French Open win.

The flamboyant Frenchman, 42, suffered a shin fracture and will miss this week's Scottish Open after his leg was put into a cast.

He will have intensive treatment and will consult a specialist again later this week before making a decision about whether to play.

Levet had come through a qualifier to play at The Open, which starts on July 14.

Faldo Supports Ballesteros Event

Sir Nick Faldo has lent his support to a national charity golf event which will take place on July 23 and 24 to raise funds for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation.

The National Golf Club Challenge will bring thousands of golfers together on the same weekend at clubs throughout the UK as part of a nationwide charity golf event in memory of the late Seve Ballesteros. The purpose is simple: to raise as much money as possible for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, which works in partnership with Cancer Research UK to beat brain cancer.

In an effort to encourage golf clubs to take part, Sir Nick Faldo said: "I'm delighted to lend my support to the National Golf Club Challenge's tournament in support of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation. This event is not only a great way for golfers from across the UK to raise money for an extremely worthy cause but also a very fitting way to honour one of European golf's true legends."

As well as helping raise money for research into brain cancer, golfers up and down the UK will be playing for a place in the grand final which will be held at The Shire London - the only Seve Ballesteros-designed golf course in the UK - in September. The finalists will battle it out to win The Seve Challenge trophy, designed by master silversmiths Thomas Lyte, and compete for some outstanding golfing prizes, including golfing holidays to Spain and Egypt.

Ballesteros set up his Foundation in partnership with Cancer Research UK, with the ambition of being the biggest funder of brain cancer research in the UK. Since 2009 the Foundation has raised almost £1.5 million for Cancer Research UK's life-saving brain cancer research through a variety of events and partnerships.

Seve will always be remembered for the strength and determination he showed not only on the golf course but also in the last years of his life as he fought brain cancer. The Foundation - and events such as the National Golf Club Challenge - are part of Seve's lasting legacy.

The format for the National Golf Club Challenge makes it easy for clubs everywhere to take part. The challenge competition is designed to be incorporated into each participating golf club's monthly stableford event, with each club turning the day into their own charity golf event, raising funds for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation. The competing clubs submit their aggregate scores from their best players on the day, with teams from the top four clubs being invited to take part in the final in September.

For more information about the National Golf Club Challenge, including how to enter your golf club, go to www.thesevechallenge.com.

GMAC Happy to Support Irish Open

GMAC

Graeme McDowell has insisted that Ireland's top players will support the Irish Open despite having its prize fund slashed by 50% this year.

Speaking on a visit to the Northern Ireland EuroPro Open at Galgorm Castle, McDowell described the Irish Open prize fund as "irrelevant".

"It's still the Irish Open. We're going to support it 100%," said McDowell.

"Ireland is having a tough time financially. We understand it. We'll be patient and be there supporting it."

McDowell added:"It's one of the classy tournaments on the European Tour and we don't want to lose it."

Last year's US Open winner has been preparing for his upcoming Open Championship challenge at Royal St Georges by playing links golf at his home club Royal Portrush this week.

He will also have a round at Royal County Down on Saturday before tackling the Open venue Sandwich on Monday.

McDowell will experience further links golf at next week's Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

I've been playing at Portrush this week and am going to (Royal) County Down on SaturdayGraeme McDowell

The Scottish event moves from Loch Lomond to the links course near Inverness and McDowell believes the new venue will be beneficial for his Open build-up.

"Loch Lomond was a great venue but it was a little different from links golf," added the 2008 Scottish Open winner.

"I've been playing at Portrush this week and am going to (Royal) County Down on Saturday. I feel like I'm playing well enough to compete right now."

McDowell also took time to pay tribute to the organisers of the EuroPro event at Galgorm.

"This event is a great training event for the stars of the future.

"It's very difficult to jump straight on to the European Tour. Guys have to toughen themselves up and learn their trade.

"It's a great event for Galgorm Castle which is a course I played when I was a young boy.

"It's a great location and they have great sponsors on board."

Maybin Suffers National Setback

Gareth Maybin 

Gareth Maybin's chances of challenging for the French Open title suffered a major setback as he carded a triple-bogey seven at the 18th hole to move back to level par for the tournament.

Maybin posted a 72 which also included four birdies and a double bogey and is 10 behind leader James Morrison.

Michael Hoey is one over after a 71 which saw him six over for his first nine and six under for his second nine.

Darren Clarke missed the cut on four over after a 71.

Clarke registered two birdies and two bogeys in his round but was unable to undo the damage of his opening 75.

James Morrison leads on 10 under following a 66, one ahead of Richard Green, who was joint overnight leader after the first round.

Paul McGinley is level par after consecutive rounds of 71, Peter Lawrie made the cut on two over thanks to a 70 but Shane Lowry exited on five over despite a 69.

Hoey's eventful round saw him post an early birdie, before recording double bogeys at the 13th and 15th and a triple bogey seven at the 18th.

The Belfast player registered six birdies in his second nine holes.

GMAC Wants Open Back at Portrush

Graeme McDowell wants the Open to return to his home town of Portrush after a gap of 60 years.

The man Rory McIlroy succeeded as US Open champion was speaking after receiving an honorary degree from the University of Ulster on Tuesday.

"Rory and I would be behind a NI event with the potential of then getting the Open back to Portrush," he said.

"To play the Open in Portrush is a wild dream, to play a European Tour event in Portrush is an achievable dream."

He added: "I will do everything I can to make it happen."

The remarkable back-to-back US Open victories by Northern Ireland golfers have prompted renewed calls for the Open to return - it was last played at Royal Portrush in 1951.

Concerns have been previously been raised about the area's infrastructure and whether it cope with hosting such a large event.

As he rose to address fellow graduates at the university's campus in Coleraine - only a few miles from Portrush - McDowell admitted he was more nervous than he was during the closing stages of the 2010 US Open, or in the crucial final singles match at last year's Ryder Cup.

I've been fortunate in my career, I've had a lot of good breaks, made a lot of good decisions and holed a couple of good putts at the right time.Graeme McDowell

"Take me outside of my comfort zone, off the golf course, I've hit a couple of pretty important shots in my career last year but nothing really close to how I feel right now," he said.

McDowell urged to the young audience to set high goals in life, but ensure they had some fun along the way.

"I've been very lucky," said the 31-year-old, who turned pro before he could complete a degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama.

"I've been fortunate in my career, I've had a lot of good breaks, made a lot of good decisions and holed a couple of good putts at the right time, so it's been an amazing experience."

Reflecting on Northern Ireland's US Open successes, McDowell said there was something a "little bit special" about his homeland.

"To have back-to-back US Open champions to come from a small country of Northern Ireland - 1.6 million people, whatever we have - I think the odds of that are pretty astronomical," he said.

"It really says something about the type of people we build here in Northern Ireland."