The Irish Golf Club Gazette

1/19/2013

McGinley Choice Strikes Chord

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Paul McGinley sported a grin as wide as the 18th green at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Friday as he explained how he had been blown away by the reaction to his appointment as Europe's 2014 Ryder Cup captain.

The 46-year-old Irishman was almost certain to miss the halfway cut at the Abu Dhabi Championship after carding a one-over-par 73 for a five-over tally of 149.

While McGinley was disappointed by his inability to make a mark on this week's European Tour event, he took great comfort from the hordes of well-wishers keen to slap him on the back as he made his way to the clubhouse at the end of the second round.

"It's been a whirlwind for the last 48 hours," the genial Dubliner told Reuters in an interview as he wiped the sweat from his brow after another steamy day in the desert.

"It's all sunk in now. You can't help but think about the Ryder Cup because everyone's coming up to you wherever you turn - tour staff, fans, players, officials, caddies," said McGinley.

"It's all been completely overwhelming. I had no idea the reception would be so genuinely enthused for me and it's a really nice feeling to know your peers are so happy for you to have success."

McGinley, who took a sideways glance at the clubhouse clock as he was expecting a phone call from Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, said he had received hundreds of congratulatory text messages since his appointment on Tuesday.

"I've had nearly 500 texts and I haven't yet managed to sift my way through them all," he added. "I've had so many things to do so I don't know who most of them are from."

McGinley was not only "very excited" about what the captaincy would mean for him, he was also delighted at the positive spinoffs for golf in general, especially a project he is involved with in Africa.

"This is a real boost for me at this stage of my career because it opens so many doors for me, brings so much more worldwide exposure, and I want to use all that in the right way," said McGinley.

"I'm doing a lot of work in Ghana with Tullow Oil, the Royal and Ancient (R&A) and (golf club manufacturers) Taylor Made. They've all invested a lot in the project and now I'm Ryder Cup captain I can bring a lot more to the table when I go there."

McGinley said the oil company had found the biggest oil field in Ghana and decided to reinvest in the country.

"I sold them the idea, along with their golf-fanatic chief executive Aidan Heavey, of investing in golf and sport. They decided to do that and they've invested in Sunderland Football Club and in soccer academies.

"There is also a great golfing legacy in Ghana. They have 14 courses, most of them designed in the 1920s and 1930s by the British, but they've been left to rack and ruin over the last few years," said the four-times European Tour winner.

"The rooting though is quite strong so I've already built three new academies and I'm now going to start upgrading a couple of the courses too."

McGinley said the R&A, one of the game's two governing bodies along with the United States Golf Association, was thrilled with the project.

"The R&A are very much on my side, they're contributing financially and I've got about 15 guys working in Ghana with Paul McGinley Golf Design upgrading one of the courses," he added.

"I spent almost 30 days there last year which is a lot of time. I don't know if I'll be able to spend that much time there this year," the triple former Ryder Cup player added with a hearty laugh, "but I'll certainly be spending at least half that time there.

"I need to introduce new people to the game, send coaches to the schools and get the kids out for free golf lessons.

"We are lighting the golfing fire down there and it's important for Ghana to take that on now and keep the fire lit for a number of years."

New Clubs Not to Blame - McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy insisted he, rather than his new clubs, were to blame for his poor performance at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

The two-time major champion missed the cut by some distance in his first competitive outing of the season, shooting a second successive 75 on Friday to finish on six-over-par after 36 holes.

In the wake of his multi-million dollar switch to Nike, the change in clubs have been blamed for his form this week, but McIlroy insisted that was not the case.

"All aspects of my game were off," he told Sky Sports. "I didn't drive the ball well, my iron-play wasn't anywhere near the standard it usually is for me.

"I'm struggling with my swing a little bit, I feel like I'm spinning out of a lot and hitting it out of the heel quite a lot and I just need to put in a bit of work on the range.

"It's the first week out, I wouldn't look too much into that (the change of equipment), if anything it's more the Indian than the arrow at this point."

However, McIlroy - who will now have four weeks off - did concede that he was not happy with the driver he had been using this week and would be working hard to find a solution for an area that is normally such a strength of his game.

"I've got to work on a few things, I'm really happy with the irons and my ball and wedges, the putter's good on fast greens that I practice on," he continued.

"I just need to find a driver I feel comfortable with because I didn't drive the ball at all well and I feel like that's normally a big advantage for me."

The Northern Irishman also revealed that his decision to revert to his old putter on Friday was not a significant issue and would not necessarily mean he would continue to keep it in his bag.

"It was just for these greens this week," headded. "I felt like the greens were pretty slow out there and the Nike putter I used yesterday is a little lighter so it was just a weight issue more than anything else.

"I feel like the one I used today was a little heavier and I was able to get the ball to hole, but even when I got the ball to the hole it still didn't go in... so the change was to no avail!"

Mount Wolseley Receives Award

The Team at Mount Wolseley Resort Hotel are delighted to announce that they have been awarded the “Best Golf Resort in Leinster “for 2013 by the Golfers Guide of Ireland.

This prestigious award recognises the leadership role that Luxury Resort Hotel properties with golf courses are having on attracting tourism by giving the visitor the all inclusive holiday experience and is a very welcome and fitting Award for all the Team at Mount Wolseley.

This is also recognition of this romantic and picturesque county of Carlow that Francis F. Hayden wrote about over a century and a half ago, with its fertile vales and lawns, unfolding their several beauties to the feasted eye of the entranced visitor.

Lisa Morrissey, Director of Mount Wolseley stated that the Team are particularly honoured with this accolade as it is based on an all Ireland pole undertaken from within the golf related industry. Lisa also states, that the Resort Team are dedicated to consistent and meticulous

presentation over all the Resort with a dedicated Team maintaining the 18 hole Championship golf course designed by Christy O’Connor, with its tree lined fairways and fair but testing challenges for the golfer.

Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa and Country Club offer the complete experience for those wishing to take a leisure or a golfing break. We also specialise in weddings and conferences and our facilities are renowned nationally which were surely taken into account by the industry when it was making the decision to award this much sought after Prestigious Award.

1/18/2013

Greek Goddess Putts Rory Out

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Day two of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship showed little improvement for the Nike Golf ambassadors, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who were among the later starters on Friday at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

For Rory an opening 75 with his new Nike clubs and ball having left him outside the top 65 and ties and Woods, meanwhile, hoping to improve on a first day 72 that left him in a tie for 36th place overnight.

But things just got worse for Woods - and indeed McIlroy - as both bogeyed the fourth and fifth to be four over and five over at one point.

McIlroy had briefly revived his hopes of being around for the weekend when he pitched to two feet on the long eighth and then chipped in at the ninth - after almost driving the water.

Rory took an adventurous route, to say the least, on the tenth. After driving left close to the trees he went across the fairway into a bunker, came out in the rough and put his next in more sand.

A bogey six and even after saving par from 12 feet at the short 12th - he was in yet another bunker and signed in the end for a round of 75 on 6 over par. Well outside the cut mark and perhaps a very predictable result given the hype and media speculation about the new Nike deal over recent months.

Indeed, with the launch only last Monday of the Nike Golf relationship, and all the related media interviews, the outcome in his first outing of 2013 was really no surprise. No doubt Nike, the greek goddess for victory, will have more major events in sight on her horizon.

With four weeks off McIlroy has time to sort out his new clubs, and his putter, with reports that he reverted on Friday to the Scotty Cameron putter for the second round given his putting woes on the opening day.

Woods two-putted the tenth, but went over the next green and with a bogey and was outside the cut line again at 73rd on three over par – albeit just one stroke off the projected cut line.

Justin Rose remained the man to catch as the second round developed in glorious conditions and the World Number Five Rose resumed on five under par alongside Welshman Jamie Donaldson.

Making his debut in the tournament, the 32 year old birdied the 16th, second and fourth, but also bogeyed the third after pulling his pitch into the thick rough.

Rose had only Open Champion Ernie Els for company this time, defending champion Robert Rock having pulled out through illness after a four over 76.

Els remained one under after a back nine 36, but then went from sand to trees to rough for a double bogey six at the 439 yard third. But the South African star came back with birdies at the fifth and sixth, but three-putted the next to stand level par, just inside the expected cut mark.

In the group ahead Padraig Harrington was also level par after 16 holes and Paul Lawrie - another former Open Champion, of course - one over.

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1/17/2013

McIlroy's Opening Nikemare

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Rory McIlroy endured a disappointing return to action after failing to impress during the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Competing alongside new Nike stablemate Tiger Woods, the 23-year-old recorded two double-bogeys and dropped a further shot as he carded a three-over 75.

But it was hardly the dream pairing that had been hoped for, with McIlroy struggling throughout.

He sprayed a tee shot way over the short 15th - his sixth hole - and then drove out of bounds on the 439-yard third to record his doubles, while he pulled a fairway wood on the 18th so wide it finished behind one of the greenside hospitality units.

The world No 1 did pick up two shots to lessen the impact but that would have done little to lift McIlroy's mood.

Afterwards he admitted he lacked sharpness, telling Sky Sports: "I feel like I was just a little bit rusty.

"I didn't drive the ball particularly well which you need to around here because the rough is very thick and I didn't hole any putts. I didn't drive it well and I didn't putt well so I'll have to work on that this afternoon."

However, he refused to blame his form on his recent switch of equipment, adding: "For the most part I was very happy with everything (equipment), I just have to work on a couple of things."

Woods fared slightly better after signing for a level-par 72, however, he too had plenty of moments to forget.

The world No 2 - who saw McIlroy unveiled as his Nike colleague on Monday in a multi-million deal - saw four birdies cancelled out by four dropped shots.

He also hit a shocking drive off the first tee which failed to reach the fairway, while on the second hole he dragged his third shot into rough and failed to get up and down.

But while the world's top two were struggling, Welshman Jamie Donaldson was showing how the course should be played.

Donaldson was the early clubhouse leader on five-under after six birdies and just the one dropped shot to blot his copybook.