Happy Birthday Waltz

Philip Walton comes of age on Wednesday becoming eligible to play on the European Senior Tour as he celebrates his fiftieth birthday, having been a three time winner on the main Tour.

At the 1995 Ryder Cup in Oak Hill, New York, playing Jay Haas of the USA in the penultimate singles, Walton held his nerve to two putt the final green and secure a historic win for Europe - much to the delight of his team Captain Bernard Gallacher, who nearly squeezed the life out of the Dubliner during the celebration on that final green.

All that week Walton played a Rookie's role alongside Ryder Cup greats such as Seve Ballesteros, Howard Clark, Mark James, Ian Woosnam, Constantino Rocca, David Gilford, Colin Montgomerie, Sir Nick Faldo and Per Ulrik Johansson - only to find himself battling for that vital point on Sunday afternoon to win the trophy. 

Over the years Walton come to share the distinction of winning a Ryder Cup with fellow Irishmen Paul McGinley, Eamon Darcy, Christy O’Connor Jnr and Graeme McDowell. Although for many Philip will always be remembered for securing that all important point in Rochester back in 1995.

But his career was more than that having spent three years at Oklahoma University on a scholarship, where for a period he was the number one ranking amateur in the world. It was a time that he also played Walker Cup on two occasions, winning three points out of four in 1981 and 1983.

After turning professional in 1983 Walton went on to win the Irish PGA Championship four times winner and joined an illustrious cast of previous winners that include Padraig Harrington [6]; Paul McGinley [4], Darren Clarke and Christy O’Connor Snr [10]. 

In 1995 Philip Walton, Ronan Rafferty and David Feherty won the Alfred Dunhill Cup, a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000 with three man teams representing each country and promoted as the "World Team Championship" - hosted at St Andrews in Scotland. 

On the European Tour Walton was a winner three times with victories at the Open de Catalonia, Peugeot Open de France and Murphy's English Open. 

In 2004 he returned to The European Tour after losing his card in 1999, after enduring five unsuccessful visits to the Qualifying School Finals in the preceding years.  In 2008 Walton qualified for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. 

In 2010 Walton played the 3 Irish Open in Killarney and finished 12th in the Irish PGA Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with PING and Failte Ireland. During 2011 he continued playing the Irish PGA circuit, also making a trip to the Champions Tour Q School in September, seeking playing rights in the USA

Away from competition Walton has also been involved golf club design and counts The County Tipperary Golf Club at Dundrum House amongst those projects, a 150 acre golf course specifically designed to use the natural features of woodland, parkland and Multeen River. It is a course where Walton combined the natural elements to create a very challenging par 72 course. 

At St. Helen’s Bay Golf Cub in Rosslare, Walton designed a championship course that overlooks a beautiful beaches and forges a stern golfing test with a mixture of parkland and links. The 17th and 18th holes in particularly  enjoy a spectacular  view of beach.

As of March 28th 2012, Walton embarks on the next stage of a lengthy golfing career - full of its bumps and runs - and officially joins the European Senior Tour circuit. But he do so with ambition to make an impact and also try his luck on the Champions Tour  when later this year he will return to Q-School.

In the short term though he follows in the footsteps of Des Smyth, Eamonn Darcy, Christy  O'Connor Jnr, Jimmy Heggarty, Liam Higgins, Denis O'Sullivan and other Irish players who have forged success in the Senior Ranks.

In the mix on the Senior Tour will also be some of his old adversaries, including Ian Woosnam, to whom he lost that infamous Carroll's Irish Open play-off at Portmarnock in 1988.

Walton was born in Malahide and still lives near the golf club fifty years on.

Happy Birthday Waltz!

Victories 

Peugeot Open de France (1990)

Murphy’s English Open (1995)

Catalonia Open (1995)

Team Events 

Ryder Cup (1995)

World Cup (1995)

Alfred Dunhill Cup (1990) 

Irish PGA 

PGA Championship (1987) 

PGA Championship (1989) 

PGA Championship (1993) 

PGA Championship (1995) 

Amateur Career 

Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship, (1981) 

Spanish Open Amateur Championship (1981) 

Amateur Team Events 

Walker Cup (1981, 1983)

Eisenhower Trophy (1982) 

Personal 

Date of Birth 28/03/1962 

Residence: Co. Meath, Ireland 

Attachment:  

Turned Pro: 1983 (plus 1)

Michael Hoey - With This Win

• His fourth European Tour International Schedule victory in his 151st European Tour event.

• Moves to €316,798 in The Race to Dubai.

• Would move to around 70th from 98th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

• His second consecutive season with a European Tour victory, following the 2011 Madeira Islands Open and 2011 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

• This victory beats his previous best 2012 performance of tied 12th in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters presented by Dolphin Energy.

• His third European Tour win in his last 25 European Tour events, dating back to the 2011 Madeira Islands Open.

• Began the final round two shots behind the leaders. This equals the largest 54 hole comeback by a winner since the event became part of The European Tour. He would match the figure of Rhys Davies in 2010.

• The first Northern Irish victory of the 2012 European Tour season.

• The first player from Northern Ireland to win the Trophée Hassan II.

• Victory comes in his third appearance in the event and beats his previous best performance of tied 19th in 2011.

OTHER FACTS

• The 44th Northern Irish win in European Tour history.

• His seventh win as a professional.

• Extends his European Tour exemption until the end of 2014.

• Gains a place in the 2013 Volvo Golf Champions.

• Moves over €2 million in European Tour Official Career Earnings.

• Becomes the seventh former Challenge Tour player to win on the 2012 European Tour. They are: Louis Oosthuizen (Africa Open), Branden Grace (Joburg Open and Volvo Golf Champions), Robert Rock (Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship), Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Omega Dubai Desert Classic), Justin Rose (WGC – Cadillac Championship), Julien Quesne (Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol) and Michael Hoey (Trophée Hassan II).

• Becomes the 292nd European Tour victory by a former Challenge Tour player.

Hoey 65 Claims Hassan II Trophy

Michael Hoey fired a closing round of 65 to claim his fourth European Tour victory in the Hassan II Trophy in Morocco.

The Northern Irishman benefited from being one of the few players to complete his third round on Saturday - several of his adversaries having to finish early on Sunday.

Hoey's 65 the previous day eventually saw him start the final round two off the lead held by Matteo Manassero (65) and Damien McGrane, who double-bogeyed the 18th early in the day to card a 71.

Irishman McGrane retrieved both shots at the first two holes in his final round but Hoey raced to the turn in 31 including a run of four successive birdies from the fourth.

The pair continued to trade the lead though, McGrane picking up shots at the 10th and 11th while Hoey made his first mistake of the day as he turned for home, making six at the long 10th after finding the wrong green.

But McGrane then gave one back at the short 12th, and although he got it straight back it was Hoey who was to finish the stronger, picking up three birdies in four holes to sink McGrane's hopes of a first win in four years.

He won by three shots at the finish with McGrane hanging on for second with a round of 70.

"I knew it was going to be tough, I'm surprised Damien bogeyed 17 and I thought it would be a little bit tighter towards the end," Hoey, who had a breakthrough win at the Dunhill Links last year, told Sky Sports.

"It was nice to see my second shot land on the green there and I had three or four putts for it, which is unique, really.

"I've been working hard with my coach and my swing is more consistent and obviously my putting has been brilliant, I've got a nice team and my wife who travels with me."

Manassero had been searching for a victory that would take him back to Augusta next month, but his round never got going at he went to the turn in 38.

At eagle at the 15th gave him renewed hope but he still required a strong finish and it wasn't to be, a six at the 17th seeing him fall into a tie for sixth.

But the round of the day undoubtedly belonged to Jamie Donaldson, who returned a sensational 11-under-par 61 that included an eagle at the ninth - his closing hole - after finding rough off the tee.

The Welshman had two more eagles on his front nine as he covered it in 28 to spark dreams of a first 59 on the European circuit, and although he birdied the 10th a six via the water at the par-five fifth halted the momentum, but a third place finish proivides excellent compensation.

Donaldson was joined by fellow Welshman Phillip Price and Englishman Robert Coles on -13, four behind Hoey, with Manassero alongside Edoardo Molinari and Keith Horne one further back.

Moroccan McGrane Takes Sunday Lead

Damien McGrane leads after three day of the Trophée Hassan II, but Matteo Manassero is just one shot behind as the Italian seeks a second Masters Tournament appearance before his 19th birthday.

McGrane's only European Tour title came by nine shots in China four years ago and he started the day three strokes behind clubhouse leader Phillip Price but with 13 holes of his second round remaining after lengthy wind delays on Friday.

On his return to the Golf du Palais Royal course in Agadir McGrane birdied the seventh, ninth and tenth to pull level with former Ryder Cup hero Price, before two-putting the long 15th for birdie to take the outright lead.

He holed an important six footer at the last to confirm his halfway advantage, then mixed four birdies with three bogeys over the first ten holes of his third round to reach 12 under par.

That was one ahead of not only teenager Manassero, but also Spain’s José Manuel Lara, with Northern Irishman Michael Hoey a shot further back in fourth after a brilliant 65 – that despite missing a six foot par putt and bogeying the last.

“It was a nice way to finish the day with a birdie but I have to be honest and say that it was a bit of a mixed bag out there today,” said McGrane.

“Plenty of birdies and bogeys so not quite as good as the first two rounds. I have actually missed a few fairways out there in the third round and that is probably the easiest thing to do on this course.

“But I can’t complain too much – I am in the position you want to be going into the final day and hopefully I can get the job done. We’ll come back tomorrow and we will have a winner so hopefully that can be me.”

Manassero, needing a win to climb into the Official World Golf Ranking's top 50 and earn a place at the Masters Tournament in a fortnight’s time, was a brilliant six under through 14 holes.

The 18 year old, who impressed with a 36th-placed finish at Augusta National as a 16 year old, two-putted the long tenth for birdie, gained another shot with an approach to ten feet at the next then completed his hattrick with a two at the 199 yard 12th after an outward 33.

“It was a very good round for me,” said the Maybank Malaysian Open champion.

“I went out there trying to make no mistakes and not to leave any shots out there and it worked out to be a great 15 holes. I made a lot of birdies and a lot of good putts and I knew that I needed to do that. I knew that I needed to get to double figures at least by the end of the day to get into contention and that is the way it went.

“The dream is still alive and I have to try my best to make it happen. I am certainly going to try and win the event first and foremost to win the event and then if The Masters happens it would be amazing.

“I have to say that the extra prize of the Masters really helps me as well. It gives me extra motivation and I seem to play better in that kind of situation. I had a few months recently where I couldn’t get into contention but after last week and now this week it feels great to be playing well and having chances to win.”

The 34 year old Lara had carded a 65 to race into contention on Friday, and mixed three birdies with a single bogey over the first ten holes of his third round.

“It was a difficult day and it was tough conditions for the first few holes today but all in all I am still in a great position,” said the two-time European Tour winner.

“I just hit a bad drive in the 11th but overall I am happy to be 11 under and at the top of the leaderboard.

“I am playing well so I am trying to do the same things as I have been all week and hoping that it will be good enough tomorrow. Thankfully one thing is certain tomorrow - we won’t finish in the dark!”

Former Ryder Cup star Phillip Price, the overnight leader, had a disappointing start to his third round and missed putts from inside five feet on the fifth and sixth to turn in 39.

But a huge eagle putt at the tenth got the Welshman back to nine under, just three behind and with eight holes remaining.

McGrane Takes Second Round Lead

Damien McGrane signed for a second round 68 on his return to Golf du Pails Royal to retake the lead at the Trophée Hassan II.

The Irishman only played five holes on Friday after five-and-a-half hours’ play was lost to strong winds in Morocco.

That allowed Welshman Phillip Price to set the clubhouse target at ten under par with the former Ryder Cup star carding a 66.

But McGrane, who began the tournament with a 65, had four birdies and no dropped shots over the 13 holes remaining in his round to re-establish his lead at 11 under par.

José Manuel Lara and Joel Sjöholm, who like Price were able to complete their rounds on Friday, lie third and fourth on nine and eight under respectively.

As the second round drew to close Dutchman Joost Luiten produced an eagle and two birdies in his last four holes for a 66 to charge into a share of fourth with Swede Sjöholm.

“I have been very steady for the last 36 holes and playing nicely and taking a lot of the opportunities that I am creating for myself,” said McGrane, whose only European Tour title came by nine shots at the Volvo China Open.

“I am playing with confidence and have now given myself a great opportunity to try and get another win here. I have some good feelings out on the course this morning and I am very content at the moment.

“I suppose you could say that I have had the good side of the draw this week because I didn’t have to wait around at the course all day yesterday. It is always better when you can relax around the hotel and take it easy there, but these things even themselves out over the course of the season and I just have to try and take advantage the best I can.”