Clarke Returns to Volvo Action

An eclectic field of blossoming stars and seasoned campaigners is this week preparing to line up in the second edition of the €2million Volvo Golf Champions at its new home, the Links at Fancourt, all hoping to add the €350,000 winner’s cheque and another trophy to the victories that secured them a place in The European Tour’s ‘tournament of champions’.

And while Paul Casey, the winner of the inaugural event held last year at the Royal Golf Club course in Bahrain, is absent due to a snowboarding injury picked up in the winter break, 2011 Major Champions Darren Clarke (The Open Championship) and Charl Schwartzel (Masters Tournament) lead a stellar cast in what promises to be a thrilling contest over the celebrated links layout at Fancourt in George, South Africa.

Clarke and Schwartzel are joined by six other Major winners at this year’s event – Volvo’s 125th title sponsorship in professional golf – including South African native Ernie Els and his compatriot Retief Goosen, who was victorious in the Tour’s only other trip to Fancourt at the South African Open in 2006. 

Els, a three-time Major winner, qualified for the event after winning the South African Open Championship at the start of The 2011 European Tour International Schedule, and the 26-time European Tour winner is hoping to get his 2012 campaign underway in similar vein with victory at the Volvo Golf Champions.

He said: “Obviously I love playing in South Africa and have won five of my European Tour titles there. I have great memories of playing at the Links at Fancourt, both in professional events and when on holiday there, and I’m looking forward to trying to win The European Tour’s first true ‘tournament of champions’.

“South African golf is in great shape at the moment, which is apparent by the number of South Africans in the field. Dr. Hasso Plattner’s vision in creating The Links at Fancourt will provide the perfect stage to showcase the wonderful golf opportunities offered in South Africa.”

Indeed, the host nation is very well represented at this week’s event, as Els and Schwartzel are two of eight South Africans in a field which also includes 2001 and 2004 US Open Champion Goosen, 2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen and The European Tour’s most recent champion, 23 year old Branden Grace, who triumphed in last week’s Joburg Open after regaining his card at the Qualifying School in December.

While there is a large presence of experience on show this week in George, including the present and former incumbents of The Ryder Cup Captaincy in José María Olazábal and Colin Montgomerie, the South African crowds will also be treated to appearances by two of the most promising emerging talents in European golf in 18 year old Italian Matteo Manassero and Englishman Tom Lewis, who turned 21 earlier this month.

Manassero has already achieved significant success in his embryonic career, notching wins at the 2010 Castelló Masters – with it becoming the youngest-ever winner on The European Tour – and the 2011 Maybank Malaysian Open, victories that both came before the prodigy’s 18th birthday.

Lewis burst onto the scene after posting the lowest round by an amateur in Open Championship history on the first day at Royal St. Georges in July 2011, before going on to claim a superb victory in only his third appearance as a professional at the Portugal Masters in October.

With such an enthralling blend of youth and experience taking to The Links at Fancourt on Thursday, all with their sights set on capturing yet more silverware, the stage is well-set for the engrossing plot that is sure to unfold over the coming week.

The Volvo Golf Champions is an exclusive, limited field event with no halfway cut, open only to European Tour players who have won an event on the previous year’s European Tour International Schedule, plus the winners of the first two events of the 2012 season - the Africa Open and the Joburg Open – with the only other exception being current Tour Members, under the age of 50, with more than ten European Tour victories.

An unprecedented gathering of global golfing talent will line up at the world-acclaimed Links at Fancourt, recently voted number one course in South Africa and designed by nine-time Major winner Gary Player.

Delaney Still Chasing as Gillen Retires

Martina Gillen of Beaverstown retired after the second round of  the Ladies European Tour Q School in La Manga, Spain. 

Tara Delaney plays round three on Tuesday with work still to be done to remain within the cut for the first 72 holes.

England’s Jodi Ewart fired a four under par 67 on the North Course at La Manga Club in Spain on Monday to take a one stroke lead after the second round of Final Qualifying School for the 2012 Ladies European Tour season.

The 24-year-old from Middleham in North Yorkshire mixed six birdies with two bogeys for a seven under par 36-hole total of 137.

Alexandra Vilatte

The former Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup player is now poised to achieve a dream double after earning her LPGA Tour card in December.

She ended the day a stroke ahead of three other players. French amateur Alexandra Vilatte, the first round co-leader Sharmila Nicollet of India and Heather Bowie-Young of the United States were all on six under par.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and Marjet Van der Graff from the Netherlands finished a stroke further behind in a share of fifth place, followed by Scotland’s Clare Queen and Thailand’s Piyathida Ployumsri on four under par.

Ewart said: “I hit 16 greens and had 30 putts so it was just really steady and I birdied my last two holes so that helped a lot. I felt like I left a couple of shots out there so that’s always good when you shoot four under. Everything is really steady and I’m just taking it one shot at a time.”

Living in Sarasota, Florida, where she trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Ewart is used to playing in sunny weather, but she was prepared for the heavy rain and strong winds which were predicted for the second round. She and the rest of the field of competitors were pleasantly surprised to find blue skies and a light breeze by mid morning. 

Sharmila Nicollet

“The weather charts said an 80 per cent chance of rain but it was nice all day. There was not too much wind so it was perfect really,” said Ewart, who spent four years studying psychology at the University of New Mexico.

Overnight co-leader Nicollet held her nerve to post a one under par 70 on the North Course. The 20-year-old from south of Bangalore mixed five birdies with four bogeys to remain well within the top 30 places eligible for a full tour card after five rounds.

“My recoveries were good today and my driving was good compared to yesterday, so the goal for the week is to finish under par in total and every day, so that is the mentality for the week,” said Nicollet. “The course is playing short for me; distance is my strength so most of the time I have a 52 degree in and I can reach the par fives in two. I think this is my strength over the other players so the target is to go low.”

Vilatte, a 29-year-old amateur from Paris, led the European ranking in 2005 and she has spent the last six years studying to become a pharmacist.

On her second round of four under par 69 on the South Course, containing six birdies and two birdies, she said: “The best part of my game was my irons but my driving was good too. My wedges were very good too and on the par fives that was great.”

Bowie Young, 36, a full-time member of the LPGA who represented the United States at The 2003 Solheim Cup is hoping to give herself more playing options by joining the Ladies European Tour and her second round of five under par 68 on the South Course put her in the ideal position. 

Marjet Van der Graaff from the Netherlands is playing to retain her playing rights after four years on tour, while Queen is also trying to keep her card having played on tour for six seasons.

The 90-hole Final Qualifying School is being played with 36 holes on each of La Manga Club’s North and South courses for the first four rounds with a cut to the leading 50 players and ties after 72 holes. 

The fifth round will be played on the South Course on Thursday and the top 30 players will earn LET Membership in category 8a.

Gillen Opens Q School with 74

India’s Sharmila Nicollet and Chrisje de Vries of the Netherlands set a flying pace with rounds of five under par on the opening day of the Ladies European Tour’s Final Qualifying School for the 2012 season at La Manga Club in Spain.

Nicollet had seven birdies and two bogeys for an opening 68 on the South Course while De Vries had four birdies, one bogey and an eagle two at the ninth hole in a 66 on the North Course.

England’s Jodi Ewart, Germany’s Stephanie Kirchmayr, Sweden’s Elin Emanuelsson and Spain’s Laura Cabanillas were the next best placed players on three under par.

On two under par were Marjet Van der Graff, Alexandre Vilatte, Mary Mattson, Jessica Yadloczky, Caroline Martens and Eleanor Givens.

Co-leader Nicollet, 20, from south Bangalore, said that she felt confident after shooting her best score in Europe.

“This is my first experience here in Spain and at the qualifiers. The whole of India is behind me. I am the only Indian to qualify so a lot of motivation and pressure got me through,” Nicollet said. 

“I love Europe and want to play here so that motivates me to want to play here. I’m in my comfort zone in India so I need to test myself. Playing five under par amongst the top players has boosted my confidence for the last few days. I’m in good form and my game is good so that pretty much sums up my feelings. The weather was perfect and it was the best time to play so I’m loving everything.”

Nicollet said that all parts of her game came together, but she was particularly pleased to have had only 29 putts.

“I’m very comfortable with my driving and putting, but putting was probably my strength today. I holed a lot of medium range putts and started birdie, birdie, birdie, so I was four under after five.”

De Vries was equally pleased after her round, having finished with an eagle at the ninth after holing her second shot with a five-iron from 143 metres. 

The 23-year-old from Amsterdam said: “It was a pretty special round actually. I started off okay with a bogey on 11 but then made a birdie on 15 and 16 and in between made pars and a few up and downs. From that point I started putting better and my caddie was making good decisions about the clubs and the wind, which was a bit tricky, I thought. I had a birdie on the third and then kept working at shots. I made a birdie on eight and nine was a nice finish. I just brought it in from the right with the wind.”

De Vries held limited membership of the LET in category 11a in 2011 and played in only three tournaments, missing the cut in Holland, Morocco and Sicily. She also played on the LET Access Series with a season best finish of sixth at the LETAS Ladies Open in Hazlemere and feels that every competitive experience is improving her game.

At the other end of the experience spectrum, Cabanillas, from Malaga, has played on tour for 11 years and has returned to La Manga Club for the second successive year but feels no pressure to retain her playing privileges.

She had three birdies in a round of 68 on the North Course and said: “I think all the shots were fine. I feel very confident with the driver and with the irons. The putts were really good but I lipped out many times and could have had four more birdies.”

Ewart, born in North Allerton in Yorkshire, carded a 70 on the South Course containing two birdies, a bogey and an eagle.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Florida, is an experienced competitor having earned her card for the LPGA in December.

She said: “This will be my fourth time at a Q-School so I’m used to how it works.”

On her round, she added: “I played really solid and only had one bogey so really steady. I eagled the last hole, the 18th, which was nice. I hit a five-iron to ten feet from 165 yards and holed it, so a nice way to finish.”

Kirchmayr also shot 70 on the South Course after carding two birdies, a bogey and an eagle.

The 26-year-old from Nuernberg in Bavaria was pleased with the start to her final qualifying campaign.

“It was a great round. I thought it was quite tough this morning with the wind, but I guess it was not that tough because so many scores are under par.

On her eagle at the par-five 18th, she added: “I took driver and hit a four-iron into the green and made a really good putt from four metres downhill. It was a good round and I didn’t make many mistakes.”

The 90-hole Final Qualifying School is being played over the resort’s two world-class courses, the North and the South, for the first four rounds with a cut to the leading 50 players and ties after 72 holes. The fifth round will be played on the South Course on Thursday and the top 30 players will earn LET Membership in category 8a.

Gillen Sole Success at LET Q School

Martina Gillen of Team Ireland Golf was the only Irish player to come through the Ladies European Tour  pre-qualifying tournament at La Manga yesterday.

The field for the 72-hole event was divided into two groups, with 35 places available in each for final qualifying, which starts at La Manga on Sunday.

All the players competed alternately on the North and South courses at the Spanish resort.

Gillen comfortably finished joint 15th in Group B on seven-over par - 18 shots behind England's Hannah Burke.

Burke won the Irish Women's Open Strokeplay Championship in 2010 at Newlands.

The previous year she lost a marathon play-off at the seventh tie-hole to Lisa Maguire at Slieve Russell.

Former Curtis Cup player Danielle McVeigh and PGA professional Marion Riordan finished outside the qualifying places.

McVeigh was tied-54th in Group B on 17-over par, while Riordan finished joint 60th on 18-over par in Group A.

McGrane Sets Joburg Pace

Damien McGrane set about making amends for his missed cut at the African Open as the Meath man set the early target at the Joburg Open this morning. McGrane, one of three Irish players in the 210-strong field, leads by one on eight under.

With the event played over two courses at Royal Johannesburg, McGrane took full advantage of conditions on the West Course to post a round of 63, one ahead of South Africa’s Desvonde Botes.

Peter Lawrie was not faring quite so well having reached the turn on one over while Simon Thornton was among the afternoon starters.

Charl Schwartzel, seeking a hat-trick of victories in the event to join a select group of just six players to win the same European Tour event three years in a row, made a shaky start to lie one over through nine holes.

McGrane carded five birdies in a flawless front nine of 31, before collecting two more and an eagle on the 15th on the back nine. The only blemish on his scorecard came at the 18th with a bogey five, but he still enjoyed a one-shot advantage over Botes.

“I am delighted to be in a good position after round one,” McGrane said after signing for his 63. “For the last three or four years Irish golf has been quite incredible, and I think we feed off each other. For a small nation it sure is great to be there or thereabouts.

“I stacked up a few birdies during the round, but that eagle really turned my round. I played beautifully from start to finish, and this course does give up opportunities. The greens and weather were perfect, so if you’re on your game there are birdie chances. Needless to say you have to make the chances and today I holed a few nice putts.

“I hit plenty of fairways and holed a few nice putts for birdie, it was just the bogey at the last which was disappointing. Apart from that it was a perfect round of golf.”

Botes carded a seven-under 65 to claim outright second, and was the only player in the top 17 to make his score on the par-72 East Course.

Seven players were a shot further back on six under including Scottish duo David Drysdale and George Murray. Drysdale holed a 20-foot birdie putt at the last for an inward nine of 30 just before play was suspended due to thunderstorms.