The Irish Golf Club Gazette

4/08/2013

Clarke Withdraws from Masters

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Darren Clarke has been forced to withdraw from the US Masters through injury.

The 2011 Open champion pulled a hamstring more than a week ago during holiday on The Bahamas island of Abaco and will miss the season’s first major championship.

"It is with deep regret that I will not be able to play at Augusta this year," said Clarke. "Playing in The Masters is one of golf’s greatest pleasures and I am very disappointed to be missing out."

The problem prompted Clarke to pull out of last week’s Texas Valero Open in the hope that further rest would speed his recovery, but intensive treatment twice a day has failed to bring the Northern Irishman back to the levels of fitness necessary to cope with the undulating terrain at Augusta National.

Clarke is to continue with treatment in The Bahamas, but will not make a decision on his comeback until the problem has been resolved.

Laird Holds Off Rory's 66

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Rory McIlroy, who entered the Texas Open at the last minute to shake off rust before the year's opening major, flirted with his first win of the season as he showed improved form with a six-under par 66 for a 276 total.

The 23-year-old twice pulled within a shot of the lead with birdies on 14 and 16, but Laird, playing a group in front of McIlroy, kept up the torrid pace and birdied holes 16, 17 and 18.

But it was Scotland's Martin Laird who held off McIlroy with a spectacular final-round 63 to win the Texas Open by two shots over the world number two on Sunday.

Laird started the day five shots behind leader Billy Horschel but vaulted into the mix with five birdies on his front nine. He added four more on the back to complete the bogey-free round in nine-under and end the tournament at 14-under 274.

The victory brought Laird his first win on the PGA Tour in over two years and more importantly earned him an invitation to this week's Masters.

"It's pretty special," Laird told reporters, who missed four of eight cuts entering the tournament.

"I play my best golf when I'm aggressive. If someone is behind me making birdies I know I have to keep making (them)."

"Everything I wanted to accomplish this week, I accomplished," McIlroy said after his best finish of the year.

"I'm very happy that I'm going into next week with my game in good shape and my confidence level pretty high."

Overnight leader Horschel managed a one-under par 71 to finish three shots back at 277 along with Charley Hoffman (69) and Jim Furyk (69).

Padraig Harrington finished with a final round 70 to secure share of tenth place.

Shane Lowry was five places further adrift after his round of 70 on Sunday.

4/07/2013

McIlroy Holds Texas Hopes

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Roy McIlroy started the round three of the Valero Texas Open on Saturday three strokes off the lead and began brightly with birdies at the first and third.

However, he gave one back at the next and the momentum was lost with successive dropped shots at the 10th and 11th in a round in which he was erratic from the tee.

But he remained in touch with the leaders with two birdies in the next three holes and sits alongside Texan duo Ryan Palmer (68) and Bob Estes (69).

Billy Horschel retained his two-shot lead going into the final round in San Antonio.

The in-form Floridian recorded five birdies to go with three bogeys as he added a round 70 to his earlier pair of 68s.

The 26-year-old looked solid for the entire third round and is in a good position to go one better than last week, when he tied for second in Houston.

Jim Furyk shot a 69 to join Charley Hoffman (70) on eight under par to be two back, while there was a further two-shot break back to a group of three players.

The Northern Irishman started the round three off the lead and began brightly with birdies at the first and third.

However, he gave one back at the next and the momentum was lost with successive dropped shots at the 10th and 11th in a round in which he was erratic from the tee.

But he remained in touch with the leaders with two birdies in the next three holes and sits alongside Texan duo Ryan Palmer (68) and Bob Estes (69).

Padraig Harrington joins Martin Laird a further stroke behind after rounds of 70.

Shane Lowry signed for a 72 and is 2 under overall.

4/04/2013

Harrington in Texas Scramble

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Padraig Harrington opened with a 4-under par 68 and took the early lead at the Texas Open on Thursday.

The former British Open and PGA Championship winner overcame the chilly early morning temperatures and steady wind to go as low as 5 under before finishing with a bogey on No. 18.

The day started promisingly enough for Rory McIlroy, who made two birdies in his first eight holes, reaching the par-5 14th in two before two-putting and getting up-and-down from just off the green at the short par-4 17th.

But he iss still trying to find his ryhthm and some consistency.

Case in point: McIlroy bogeyed his next three holes, hitting in the water on the 18th and making a mess of his short irons on Nos. 1 and 2.

The former No. 1 player in the world recovered, though, with birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 before stumbling again, this time on the par-4 ninth, where he missed the green left then failed to get up-and-down to save par.

In his 10 rounds on the PGA TOUR this season, McIlroy has broken 70 just twice.

Rory McIlroy, who entered the tournament last week as a final opportunity to prep for next week's Masters, opened with an even-par 72. He was tied for 23rd with the morning rounds ongoing.

The former world No. 1 was 2 under early in his round, which began on No. 10 on the difficult 7,435-yard layout.

However, McIlroy found the water on the par-5 18th when his approach came up short - beginning a stretch of three straight bogeys.##

4/03/2013

McIlroy Tees-Up in Texas Open

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Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter have defended their decisions to add the Valero Texas Open to their schedules.

The Ryder Cup team-mates were expected to take a week off before heading to Augusta for the Masters but have decided to tee-up in San Antonio on the advice of their caddies.

McIlroy is still some distance short of his best as he continues to come to terms with new equipment, but he feels a week of competition will stand him in good stead for Augusta.

"JP (Fitzgerald) was the one that mentioned it to me," McIlroy said last week. "He said, 'If you just play a few more rounds, I think you're going to be ready.'

"I didn't really think about it too much and sat down, had some lunch, started to think about it and I texted him and said, 'I don't think this is a bad idea.' Probably took me an hour or two to sort of think about it and decide."

McIlroy has played only 12 full competitive rounds this year, and he joked: "There's not any worry of burnout.

"It's just about playing a bit more competitive golf and getting a little sharper. I think the more rounds I play, the better it will be for me going into Augusta."

Poulter has played just three strokeplay events this season, but he and bagman Terry Mundy feel the tight layout at TPC San Antonio will suit his accurate style of play.

"I've never played the week prior to the Masters before, but I've only played three events so far this year so it feels like a perfect fit."

But the weight of history is against McIlroy and Poulter as Sandy Lyle (1988) and Phil Mickelson (2006) remain the only two players to win the Masters having also won the previous week.