Brewin Dolphin Official Sponsor Irish Open

Leading investment management company Brewin Dolphin today announced that it will be an Official Sponsor for the Irish Open, one of The European Tour’s most prestigious titles, at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland from June 28 - July 1.

Brewin Dolphin, who have offices in both Belfast and Dublin and look after clients from all over Ireland, saw sponsorship of the Irish Open as an opportunity to raise awareness of the firm across the island.

This year Brewin Dolphin is celebrating its 250th anniversary with a number of exciting initiatives such as Chelsea Flower Show in London and the Commodores’ Cup in Cowes – so adding such a prestigious event like the Irish Open to the events calendar is very fitting.

The Irish Open returns to Northern Ireland for the first time in 59 years this year, making this a very special occasion for players and spectators alike.

Among the players competing in this year's Irish Open are the three recent Northern Irish Major winners - Graeme McDowell (2010 US Open Championship) Rory McIlroy (2011 US Open Championship) and Darren Clarke (2011 Open Championship).

Philip Browne, Marketing Director at Brewin Dolphin said: “We are so pleased to be able to join the Irish Open on The European Tour and it gives us such a wonderful platform to highlight the presence of our two nearest offices in Belfast and Dublin.”

James Finnigan, The European Tour’s Commercial Director for the Irish Open, commented: “Brewin Dolphin is a welcome addition to The European Tour’s family of sponsors and we are delighted that they will be part of one of the most eagerly anticipated Irish Opens in many years.”

Rory Relishes Sawgrass Return

Rory McIlroy starts his third spell as world number one by returning to a tournament he opted to snub 12 months ago.

The Northern Irishman caused a major stir when he turned his back on the Players Championship last year having missed the halfway cut on his previous two visits to TPC Sawgrass.

The reigning US Open champion now admits he regrets making the decision to skip the event which - with a total purse of $5.8 million - is the richest in world golf.

"Looking back it wasn't one of my brightest moments," said the 23-year-old on Tuesday after arriving in Florida.

He once said: "I don't like the golf course for a start. I find it very awkward off the tee. You're hitting across fairways all the time.

"It's personal preference - some guys love Sawgrass and some guys don't like it so much."

Now the Northern Irishman declares himself "glad to be back", insisting: "For me it's a very big tournament and it's a tournament that I'd love to win one day."

He is hoping to go one better than last week, when he lost a play-off to Rickie Fowler at the Wells Fargo Championship.

"It gave me a bit of confidence for my first week back after a little (three-week) break," he said. "It was good to get into the play-off, but I would love to have that second shot back."

After Fowler had hit his approach to four feet on the first extra hole, McIlroy pushed his more than 20 feet wide and par was not good enough.

"I was in between clubs and went with the wedge instead of the sand wedge. Looking back on it - hindsight is a great thing - I didn't really have anything to lose with Rickie being in there close."

Few would argue with McIlroy being top of the rankings again given that he has had only two finishes outside the top-five in 15 starts since last August, but he still finds himself baffled by the system.

"If you go onto the website there's a page on it where it explains," he told one reporter. "I still don't understand it, but I don't think many other people do either. I think it's a good indication."

Pressed on what goes into becoming number one he said: "Wins, consistency, majors and scoring average - I think I'm number one in that as well!"

The US Open champion has replaced his five-wood with a two-iron to try to and guarantee more accuracy off the tee at Sawgrass this year.

"I'll hit it a lot off the tee just to try and keep it in play. I don't mind sacrificing distance as long as you're hitting from the fairways here.

"Hitting three-woods on some of these holes it still goes a little too far. I don't mind going into a green with a seven-iron instead of a nine-iron."

PGA Champion Plays Irish Open

Reigning US PGA champion Keegan Bradley, who has never played a professional tournament in Europe, has entered next month's Irish Open at Royal Portrush. 

It means three of the four players to hold major titles at the moment will be there, the other two being local heroes Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke. 

'I'm very proud of my Irish heritage,' said the American, whose roots are in County Cork. And I've wanted to represent them in the Irish national championship. 

'Also Graeme (McDowell) and Darren both have told me what a fabulous lay-out Portrush is, so I'm doubly excited about the opportunity to compete there.'

The Irish Open has not been held in Northern Ireland since 1953, but the victories by McDowell and McIlroy in the last two US Opens and then Clarke in last summer's Open Championship inevitably led to calls for it to be staged there again - possibly followed by The Open in the near future. 

Last August Bradley became only the second player since 1913 to win on his first-ever appearance in a major, beating compatriot Jason Dufner in a play-off in Atlanta, incredibly after being five shots behind with only three holes to play. 

He is following the lead of Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson, the Masters champion, who last year played in Europe in the build-up to The Open. 

Northern Ireland's tourism minister Arlene Foster said: 'To have a reigning US PGA Championship winner taking part is a major coup and delivers an even greater competitive edge to this tournament. 

'It proves that a small place like Northern Ireland can produce top golfers and that we have what it takes to host tournaments which attract some of the best players in the world.'

Maybin Finishes Fourth in Spain

Gareth Maybin closed with a 67 for a total of 286 and a share of fourth place in Seville at the Open de Espana.

Peter Lawrie slipped back after a final 73 to finish on 288.

Simon Thornton ended on an aggregate 292 after a closing 72.

Francesco Molinari returned to winning ways on Sunday carding a best-of-the-week round of 65, seven under par, to turn a four-stroke deficit into a three-shot win at the Reale Seguros Spanish Open in Seville.

Molinari was ranked 14th in the world when he beat Lee Westwood at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai nearly 18 months ago, but this was his first success since then.

While he celebrated his third European Tour victory, however, overnight leader Simon Dyson was left to reflect on a 76 that dealt a big blow to his hopes of a Ryder Cup debut in September. Nobody in the top 50 scored worse on the final day, Dyson falling all the way to joint 12th – and that after starting with two birdies.

Dane Soren Kjeldsen and Spaniards Alejandro Canizares and Pablo Larrazabal finished joint second, but Molinari out-played them all.“I knew I was playing well. I just needed some putts to drop,” said the 29-year-old, who moves back into the world’s top 30. In much easier conditions – the first three rounds were played in wind and rain – Dyson made quick amends for his closing double bogey on Saturday by sinking an 18-foot putt on the first and then holing out from sand at the next. 

But it all started to go wrong for the York golfer again when he ran up a six at the long fifth and further bogeys came on the seventh, eighth, 13th, 15th and 17th. In contrast Molinari birdied three of the first five, then took the outright lead by two-putting the 545-yard ninth to complete an outward 32.

McIlroy Loss Earns World No 1

Rickie Fowler beat Rory McIlroy and DA Points in a sudden-death play-off to win the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina.

The 23-year-old American, ranked 39 in the world, secured his maiden PGA Tour title after producing a superb approach shot at the first extra hole.

McIlroy's final round of 70 was enough for him to leapfrog Luke Donald at the top of the world rankings.

England's Lee Westwood finished joint-fifth after a final-round of 66.

McIlroy took some solace from returning to the top of the world rankings after missing out on a second Wells Fargo Championship title.

"That's nice. It's a little consolation," McIlroy said. "I would rather win the tournament, but yeah, it's good. I want to try and play well for the next few weeks and try and solidify my spot there at number one and hopefully start by doing that next week and giving myself another chance to win."

Fowler won the play-off with his second shot from the fairway, which left him around four feet from the hole. As his rivals managed tricky two-putts for par, Fowler sank his birdie attempt.

The win brought back memories of McIlroy's first Tour win, which came at the same venue two years ago - albeit in more spectacular fashion as he finished with a course-record 62.

Fowler said: "We've always had a great camaraderie, been good buddies. I definitely respect him as a player, and I feel like he respects me as well.

"But I've had a lot of fun playing against him."