The Irish Golf Club Gazette

5/11/2013

Garcia Out of the Woods

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The winner of the 1999 Irish Open at Druids Glen, Sergio Garcia, had one of those stretches where it felt like every putt was going to drop and he needed every one for a 7-under par 65 to match his best score on the TPC Sawgrass. In doing so he takes a one-shot lead over Tiger Woods at The Players Championship.

Garcia didn't miss a fairway and putted for birdie on every hole on the back nine and wasn't gaining any ground. That changed on the front nine when he made seven straight putts - five of them from about 15 feet or longer - to race by Woods and into the lead.

"When you start going like that, obviously it feels great," said Garcia, who was at 11-under 133. "Everything seems kind of clearer in your head. You seem to see the break. You seem to feel like everything is a little bit easier, a little bit smoother, and you hit the putt and it manages to go in.

"If it was easy, we would have plenty of those, but it's not," he said. "Enjoy them while you have them."

Woods looks like he's having a good time on the course that has vexed him more than any other on the PGA Tour, and he could be the greater threat on the weekend. Already a three-time winner this year on tour, Woods has rarely put himself in trouble and had his second straight 67.

Woods was at 134, his best 36-hole total by six shots at this tournament, including the year he won.

He tied for the lead with a 5-wood into 20 feet for eagle on the par-5 second hole, and then took the lead alone with a short birdie on the fourth. But it didn't last long. Garcia, playing in the group ahead of him, ran off five straight birdies, finishing that stretch with a 20-foot putt on No. 5 and a 25-footer on No. 6.

Woods and Garcia have played together on big stages -- Bethpage Black, Royal Liverpool -- with a big edge for Woods.

They first were linked when the Spaniard was 19 and gave Woods all he could handle at Medinah in the 1999 PGA Championship. They were paired in the final round of the 2002 U.S. Open and 2006 British Open, both won by Woods.

Asked about the possibility of playing with Woods on Saturday, Garcia said he wouldn't see it as anything but another round of golf.

"I don't have to measure myself against anybody," Garcia said. "I know what I want to try to do, and any given day I can shoot a round like this and any other day he can shoot a good round and beat me. Like we always say, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. So there are going to be good days and not so good days, so just got to enjoy the good ones as much as possible."

Woods again handled the par 5s and now has played them in 8-under for the week, including his eagle. What impressed him more was his overall game. He was asked if there was any part of his game that made him unhappy.

"No, I'm pretty pleased with where it's at right now," Woods replied.

The reporter looked at him, waiting for more. Woods looked back and finally added with a grin, "Did I answer that?"

With the tournament only halfway over, this is far more than a duel between Woods and Garcia.

The 18 players within five shots of the lead include three current major champions - Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Rory McIlroy - along with Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Steve Stricker, Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson.

Westwood chipped in from 100 feet for eagle on the 11th hole and was atop the leaderboard until making pars on his last eight holes. He had a 66 and was two shots behind, along withKevin Chappell (66) and Stenson, who had two eagles on the front nine in his round of 67.

Ryan Palmer, who learned Thursday night that one of his best friends died in a car accident in San Antonio, had two eagles in a round of 69 and was three shots behind. Defending champion Matt Kuchar birdied three of his last four holes for a 66 and was at 7-under 137, along with Scott, Mahan and Johnson.

McIlroy was coming off back-to-back bogeys when he chose to go for the green in two at the par-5 ninth - he had planned to lay up each day. He hit the trees and got into a mess, and McIlroy made his third straight bogey. He rallied on the back for a 72 and was in the group at 6-under 138.

"I've made the cut, which I'm delighted about," said McIlroy, who had missed the weekend his three previous times. "But I am in there with a chance."

Woods won The Players in 2001, highlighted by that 60-foot putt on the island green described by NBC Sports analyst Gary Koch as "better than most." But he has only seriously contended twice, and he has failed to crack the top 20 eight times in 15 appearances.

Woods is accentuating only the positive.

"Even though I haven't played well in the past, I've still won here," he said. "Actually, I've won here twice, technically."

He was referring to the U.S. Amateur in 1994, the first of his three straight titles.

"I haven't played my best here, but I've always felt that courses, even though it's been a while I've won on them, I've still won on them," Woods said. "I know how to get around this golf course. This course, more than most, really tests every facet of your game. You have to drive the ball well. You have to hit your irons in the correct spots, and if you don't hit your irons in the correct spots, you're going to have some really funky up-and-downs.

"It's trying to manage the ball in the correct spots, and I've done that the first two days."

Woods twice made bogey, both times missing the fairway to the right on No. 14 and No. 7. He finished with a 20-foot birdie putt.

Garcia, for two hours, looked like he couldn't miss.

His streak began with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 second. He stuffed his tee shot into 6 feet on the third, and hit wedge to 8 feet on the fourth. He followed that with his two long birdie putts, made a putt just inside 15 feet for par on the seventh and ended his big run with the 40-footer on No. 8.

Garcia also is a past champion, winning a playoff in 2008.

"Fortunately for me, I've managed to play quite decent on this golf course," Garcia said. "So any good thing that you can get in your head, it's obviously positive and those kind of things always help. But it's a different year. We'll see if we can manage to do something similar."

5/10/2013

McIlroy Breaks Par at Players

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Rory McIlroy had never made the cut or even broken par at THE PLAYERS, but he figured it out by letting his iron play take over and never came seriously close to a bogey. He also didn't hit driver once on the front nine.

Along with Tiger Woods he enjoyed the best start ever Thursday in THE PLAYERS Championship. But it still wasn't enough to catch Roberto Castro, who had never played TPC Sawgrass and made a debut he won't soon forget.

Castro hit shots into tap-in range on the famed 17th and 18th holes on his way to a 9-under 63 in perfect scoring conditions in the morning. He tied the course record held by Fred Couples and Greg Norman, and it gave him a three-shot lead -- the largest 18-hole margin in 21 years at Sawgrass - over McIlroy and Zach Johnson.

"I hit it close a lot," said Castro, making it sound as easy as it looked.

Woods had to work a little harder in the afternoon, when a breeze arrived and the sun began to make the greens firm. Even so, he was on the cusp of his first bogey-free round in his 16 years at THE PLAYERS until his 8-iron from 200 yards went just over the green and he flubbed his chip. The bogey gave him a 67, which was the first time he has broken 70 in the opening round at Sawgrass.

"It was a day that I felt I had to shoot something in the 60s," Woods said. "Most of the guys were under par in the morning session."

Half of the players who played early broke par, a rarity at this tournament. So ended a first round filled with plenty of action -- a record-tying score by a player hardly anyone knows, McIlroy breaking par for the first time at Sawgrass, 15 balls in the water around the island-green 17th and 33 rounds in the 60s.

Padraig Harrington followed an eagle with a double bogey. Michael Thompson made a hole-in-one.

But it all started with Castro, a 27-year-old who felt like he couldn't miss. His record-tying score was posted as players were on the practice range getting ready to tee off in the afternoon, making it tough to stay patient on a course that demands it. Woods was nine shots behind before he hit his first shot.

"I've seen that a lot, but not at this golf course," he said.

He did well to get within four shots. Woods, Webb Simpson and Ryan Palmer at 67 had the lowest round among those who played late, and they now turn around and get the morning conditions -- hopeful they'll be the same -- on Friday.

McIlroy also played in the morning, in the same group as Masters champion Adam Scott (69) and Steve Stricker (67).

"When you hit the shots, it seems very simple," McIlroy said. "I had a lot of good shots out there, lot of iron shots that were 12, 15 feet away from the pin and I got myself a lot of looks for birdies. I adopted maybe more of a conservative strategy off the tee this year. But once you put your ball in the fairway that means you can be more aggressive into the greens. So it sort of balances itself out."

The Stadium Course has rarely looked so vulnerable with barely a trace of wind and some pins in bowls that allowed for good looks at birdie. Half the 72 players in the morning broke par.

But the punishment is never far away, as Scott Stallings discovered. He opened with five straight birdies to get everyone's attention, but after going out in 31, Stallings gave most of it back with a bogey, double bogey and a triple bogey on the 16th when he hit two balls into the water. He shot 40 on the back for a 71.

"It just goes to show about the golf course and really how volatile it is," Stallings said.

Castro hasn't discovered that yet. This was a day when everything went right.

He made three birdies early in his round on the back until making his tap-in birdies on the 17th and 18th. Then, he hit 3-iron into 3 feet on the par-5 second hole for an eagle and was 7 under through 11 holes. On the fourth, he hit his approach inside 2 feet for another birdie, and then he hit wedge to 18 inches on the sixth.

Castro had a birdie putt just outside 12 feet to break the course record, but missed it.

After his eagle on the second hole -- his 11th hole of the round -- Castro was reminded of a game he plays to try to birdie every other hole.

"When I eagled, I was like, `Oh, now I'm 7 (under) through 11, so that's keeping ahead of that 50 percent mark.' But this is a different golf course," he said. "The golf course is much harder than most of the other times I've kind of taken that attitude."

Couples shot his 63 in 1992 in the third round. Norman opened with a 63 in 1994 when he went on to shatter the tournament record at 24-under 264. Along with joining them in the record book, Castro matched the record set by Billy Ray Brown in 1992 with his three-shot lead after one round.

Castro is not well known even in golf circles. His mother grew up in Peru and moved to America as a teenager along with her sister, Jenny Lidback, who played the LPGA Tour. Castro also has a industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech.

Woods wasn't pleased with how he struck the ball, only with where he missed it. Despite missing six greens, he was left with straightforward shots to save par. The only blemish came at the end, when his 56-degree wedge came up heavy into the grain and failed to reach the putting surface.

5/09/2013

Lowry Ready for Portugal Return

Shane Lowry has already made a big name for himself this year by knocking out Rory McIlroy in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in the United States, but the Irishman admits he hopes to steal the headlines again when he defends the €2 million Portugal Masters in October.

The 25 year old captured his first European Tour victory as a professional at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, in Vilamoura, finishing one shot clear of Englishman Ross Fisher following a thrilling final round battle.

In doing so, Lowry became only the second player after Spaniard Pablo Martin to win as both an amateur and a professional on The European Tour, having claimed his maiden title in memorable fashion in the 2009 Irish Open before joining the paid ranks.

Lowry’s victory in Portugal, which was followed by a fifth place finish in the lucrative BMW Masters in China, helped him to 29th place on The 2013 Race to Dubai, representing steady progress after ending the 2010 season in 62nd position and the 2011 campaign in 41st place.

He will return to Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, from October 10-13, hoping to become the first player to successfully defend the Portugal Masters title in the tournament’s seven year history. And he is sure to be cheered on by the huge continent of Irish tourists who traditionally descend on the Algarve at that time of year to swell the already large Irish ex-pat community around Vilamoura.

Lowry is the touring professional at Carton House, and while he will enjoy home comforts when the Co. Kildare venue hosts this year’s Irish Open, he is also looking forward to returning to Oceânico Victoria Golf Course, which is one of his favourite destinations on The European Tour and one at which he feels equally at home.

“The hotel is lovely and right beside the golf course and we are only five or ten minutes from the marina in Vilamoura, and there are nice bars and restaurants there,” he said. “It is probably one of the most enjoyable tournaments on Tour.

“There are a lot of Irish people around there. Playing that back nine on the Sunday, it felt like was a lot of support behind me. I’m sure there might even be a bit more support there this year. When you go back and defend you’ve always got some fond memories, so I’m really looking forward to going back.”

“I won the Irish Open as an amateur and it was another three and a half years before I won again. So it was a long time and my win in Portugal actually felt better than winning the Irish Open.”

Lowry overturned Austrian Bernd Wiesberger’s four stroke overnight lead to win the title last October and, unlike his victory in Ireland which earned him nothing due to his amateur status, he picked up a cheque for £375,000. An eagle two on the 11th hole of the final round was the key shot from Lowry, who looked set for a play-off until Fisher – his stablemate at Horizon Sports Management – three-putted the last for a bogey.

That meant Lowry’s closing round of 66 for a 14 under par total of 270 was enough for victory, as he succeeded Englishman Tom Lewis as champion and joining a roll of honour that also includes Steve Webster (2007), Alvaro Quiros (2008), Lee Westwood (2009) and Richard Green (2010).

“The 11th hole was the key shot, holing a seven iron from 138 yards, and that gave me the momentum to go on and win. That was the moment I felt I could win the tournament and I kicked on from there.

“I was quite nervous playing the last few holes, but that gave me the belief. I had nearly holed a six iron on the tenth as well, so I felt like I was playing well, and I was thrilled to get the win.”

The Portugal Masters has become a highly popular destination for The European Tour’s professionals and autumn sun-seekers for the past six years. Past champions have been Steve Webster, Alvaro Quiros, Lee Westwood, Richard Green, Tom Lewis and Lowry.

GMAC Plans Ireland World Cup

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Graeme McDowell insists the debate over which country to represent at the Olympics will not stop him from playing in the World Cup.

McDowell and fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy have represented Ireland in the last two stagings of the biennial event, which this year is reportedly set to be staged at Royal Melbourne in November.

"I think it's Rule 41 but I still have a choice. They can't take it away from me," McIlroy said last week.

"If you change country or don't play for that country for three years you still have a choice. I've not played for anyone since the World Cup in 2011, the Olympics would be five years so I still have a choice."

McIlroy in particular has come under pressure to decide whether to represent Great Britain or Ireland when golf returns to the Olympics in 2016, with the possibility being raised that an IOC rule will take the decision out of his hands.

That would change if McIlroy did join McDowell in Melbourne this winter, the latter saying: "The dilemma Rory and I face is a very unique one.

"Regarding the World Cup of Golf this year for example, that if we played we'd then be compelled to play for Ireland in the Olympic Games; is that rule going to stand?

"I had an informal conversation with Rory last night about are we going to play the World Cup together, I need my partner in crime in Melbourne. I would love to do that and the Olympics will not enter my head with regards to making the decision of whether I'm going to play the World Cup.

"If it forces me into playing for Ireland at the Olympics so be it. Regardless of whether Rory plays I want to play and I would like him to be there as well."

McIlroy has previously said he might simply not play in Rio to avoid upsetting people with his decision, and added last week: "The more it's talked about it's just going to get blown up. I would rather not talk about it until the time I have to decide what to do."

Sawgrass Dye Cast for McIlroy

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Rory McIlroy keeps showing signs that his game his emerging from an early season slump and the next event up is The Players Championship, a tournament that hasn't been kind to him in his three previous trips.

He has missed the cut every time, never posting a score better than 72.

"The first year I came here, I was in Vegas the week before. That didn't help," McIlroy said with a boyish smile. "The second year was my 21st birthday. That didn't help."

And last year?

"I don't have an excuse," he said.

Upon leaving last year, he said his career was young and he would have another 20 years, hopefully, playing this tournament. And if didn't get the hang of it by then, something would be wrong.

He's still learning, though a few holes in his practice round Wednesday also showed he was picking up some of the nuances.

McIlroy was perplexed while playing the sixth hole Wednesday. He hit two shots off the tee, one in the fairway and one in the rough, about the same distance. He hit an iron with the ball in the fairway, pin-high about 15 feet left of the flag. He used the same club from the rough and watched it sail over the green. That's the trouble with this rough. It's not very high, and the ball can jump out of there.

As he played the par-5 ninth, caddie J.P. Fitzgerald reminded him that it's best to lay up on the hole. McIlroy smashed his tee shot and his caddie told him, "You have 266 (yards) to the front. Perfect 5-iron." McIlroy followed his instructions, hit the shot and then threw down another ball and asked for the 3-wood.

He missed to the right of the green, shrugged and said, "Just wanted to get it out of my system."

In discussing the course, McIlroy is coming to the same conclusion. It's OK to be aggressive, as long as he picks the right spots.

"I think you've got to find a balance around here of being conservative, but also you have to take on things, as well," he said. "There is no point in not hitting the driver anywhere around here because you're not going to make enough birdies to contend, but you don't want to be hitting driver everywhere either because you're going to find trouble. So you have to find a balance.

"There are a few holes out here that you can take advantage of, and you have to because there are so many difficult holes out here that you sort of play for par and if you make birdie, it's a bonus."

NBC Sports analyst Johnny Miller said players have to "tippy-toe" their way around the golf course.

Adam Scott, meanwhile, has virtually disappeared since holing that 12-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole to become the first Australian to win the Masters. He was in New York for a couple of days and then headed to the Bahamas, where he has a home.

He usually takes a few weeks off after a major to decompress. This time, he waited an extra week before picking up a club. It felt that good.

"I've had a really nice break since the Masters, which I had planned anyway," Scott said Wednesday. "But it was even better because I was floating around on the clouds the last three weeks. It's been an overwhelming time for me."

Once he finally put a club back in his hands, the swing felt as pure as that final round at Augusta. He was eager to compete again, and The Players Championship is enough to get any pro's attention.

It features the strongest and deepest field in golf all year, on a Stadium Course that had can be challenging, frustrating, punishing and rarely dull. Scott won The Players in 2004 after hitting 5-iron into the water on the 18th and making a 10-foot bogey putt to win by a shot.

"It's a nice week for me to come back to Sawgrass and The Players, because I've had such a great run here over the years," Scott said. "I'm excited about playing this week. I hopefully can take my head out of the clouds and come back down to earth and play some good golf."

Woods and Phil Mickelson, the best two players of their generation, each have one win at the home of the PGA Tour. The list of winners ranges from power players such as Greg Norman and Davis Love III to pea shooters in the mold of Fred Funk and Tim Clark.

McIlroy and Graeme McDowell last won in America on courses designed by Pete Dye: McIlroy at the PGA Championship (Kiawah Island) and BMW Championship (Crooked Stick); McDowell at Hilton Head a couple of weeks ago.

"I think Pete Dye designed a certain type of golf course," McDowell said. "He likes to penalize the player in his own kind of unique way, and this golf course certainly has its dangers. But it's certainly scorable at the same time.