9/16/2014

Captain McGinley's Jacobs Moment

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Paul McGinley admits he has a sense of pride at seeing his European team as favourites for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles later this month.

Europe, and formerly Great Britain & Ireland, were America's whipping boys for nearly 50 years from the 1930s, but the tables have turned since the mid-1980s with five wins from the last six events, including the memorable success at Medinah two years ago.

That sees McGinley's side as the favourites to win on Scottish soil, and he has no fears that his players will be able to deal with that tag, albeit remaining wary of the effect it could have on their 'wounded' opponents.

"As much as we are favourites, we're proud of it and embrace it, we're under no illusions the task ahead of us is strong and we're going to have to play very well if we are going to win the Ryder Cup." 

"I had lunch with John Jacobs, forefather of the European Tour, last month and there was tears in his eyes when he talks about how far we, and the European Tour, have come in Ryder Cups in terms of going into matches now as favourites.

"The strength we have in the European Tour is something we should be proud of. We have the No 1 player in the world, the most exciting prospect in the game in Rory McIlroy.

"Martin Kaymer won the US Open, Justin Rose last year and on and on and on in terms of performances - all something we should be proud of.

"We shouldn't be ashamed of it, but at the same time we'll be very aware it could galvanise America and it probably will.

"They are very much a wounded animal after the last Ryder Cup and the manner of the defeat, and Tom Watson will be reminding them of that and I think they will be very formidable.

"As much as we are favourites, we're proud of it and embrace it, we're under no illusions the task ahead of us is strong and we're going to have to play very well if we are going to win the Ryder Cup.

"But it (being favourite) is not something we are going to worry about - we're embracing it and enjoying it that we have come so far to be favourites going in against the might of the Americans."


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9/15/2014

McIlroy Finishes Second in Atlanta

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Rory McIlroy finished in share of second place in the season finale Tour Championship in Atlanta on Sunday with Billy Horschel securing a £7million payday at East Lake in Atlanta.

 The American's closing 68 gave him a three-shot victory in the PGA Tour's season-ending tournament and with it the first prize of £880,000, the overall FedEx Cup title and an incredible £6.2million bonus.

McIlroy's hopes went up in smoke due to a terrible run sparked by a double bogey at the sixth after he drove into water.

The world No 1 bogeyed 9, 10 and 11 to drop right away before rallying with birdies at 15, 16 and 17.

McIlroy blamed his double-bogey on the sixth on a tired swing, adding on Sky Sports 4: "I was making bad swings at the wrong time and getting punished for them.

"When Billy was making bogey on 10 I thought I had a decent chance and then I three-putt there for the second day in a row and I felt like any chance I had to win the golf tournament went."

Asked about his season overall, McIlroy added: "To win two majors, my first WGC event and give it a real good run in these FedEx events, I'm really proud of myself the way I hung in there and dug deep the last few weeks.

 "When I look back on the year as a whole it's been my best year to date so I can't complain."

Jim Furyk was tied for the lead with three to play but faltered at the finish and shared second place with McIlroy.

On a dramatic final day, the key moment came at the 16th hole when Horschel looked set to fall back into a tie with Furyk before sinking a 31 foot putt for par.

When Furyk bogeyed 17 after a poor approach, Horschel had breathing space and a three-putt at the last from the veteran American meant Horschel, who also won last week's BMW Championship, teed off at the last with a three-shot lead.

Horschel closed out victory in style with a lovely tee-shot into the heart of the green and two-putted to land his monster payout with a winning score of 11-under. 

Chris Kirk, Justin Rose and Jason Day tied for fourth.

Rose twice got within two shots of the lead on the back nine but bogeyed the 13th and 17th at crucial moments on his way to a closing 69.

Things seemed to be going McIlroy's way when he hit a wild drive on the fourth but had a clear shot to the green and ended up holing from 18 feet for birdie.

Horschel followed McIlroy in from 11 feet to remain tied for the lead before edging ahead on the next, where he holed from 18 feet as McIlroy had to settle for par.

Perhaps the decisive moment arrived on the treacherous par-three sixth, where Horschel hit a superb three iron into the heart of the green and then saw McIlroy, attempting to hit two clubs less, pull his tee shot into the water surrounding the green.

From the drop zone McIlroy pitched to 12 feet and two-putted for a double-bogey five and the four-time major winner found more trouble on the ninth, the 25-year-old's wild drive finishing up against a fence separating the par-five from the practice ground.

After weighing up his slim options, McIlroy told caddie JP Fitzgerald: "I'm just going to blast it, see where it goes", and proceeded to try to hit his second shot over a group of trees just a few yards in front of him.

The ball inevitably made contact but rebounded out towards the fairway, but having laid up with his third shot, McIlroy missed the green with his approach and in the end did well to get up and down for a bogey six.

Horschel looked to have given McIlroy a glimmer of hope when he found thick rough off the tee to bogey the 10th, only for McIlroy to then three-putt from 20 feet and also bogey the 11th to effectively end his chances.

Despite winning the final two FedEx Cup play-off events, Horschel will not be heading to the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in two weeks' time having only struck his golden patch of form after skipper Tom Watson had already announced his wildcard picks.

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9/14/2014

Rory within Reach of Richest Prize

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Rory McIlroy remains within reach of another PGA title and $10million ahead of the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles after three rounds of the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Standing in his way will be home favourite Billy Horschel who carded a third straight round in the 60s, 69 on Saturday, in a titanic battle for the richest prize in golf.

McIlroy, already the 2014 Open Championship winner and US PGA champion, and Horschel were among the five players who arrived at East Lake knowing a victory would also secure the overall FedEx Cup title and the duo remained in control of their own destiny on nine under par.

They were two clear of 2010 FedEx winner Jim Furyk (67) and three of England's Justin Rose, who shot a second straight 66, Australian Jason Day (70) and American Rickie Fowler (67).

Horschel began the day with a two-shot lead over McIlroy after consecutive rounds of 66, but the Northern Irishman joined him at the top with a cool three-under-par 67.

McIlroy spectacularly eagled the par-five 15th to join Horschel in a tie for the lead after Furyk, whose last win on tour was in this event in 2010 to secure the FedEx Cup title, led in the clubhouse on seven-under thanks to a final birdie on the 16th.

The world No 1 had surprisingly not birdied either of the par fives in the first two rounds, but made amends by following his birdie on the ninth with an eagle on the 15th by holing from 25 feet.

Horschel, who won the BMW Championship last week, has vowed to stay and complete the tournament even if his wife goes into premature labour and he boosted his chances of a win with a birdie from six feet on the eighth before both players two-putted the par-five ninth to maintain the three-shot gap.

That gap looked certain to be back to two shots when Horschel failed to get up and down from right of the 10th green, but McIlroy missed from three feet for par and had to hole from further away to avoid one of the two four-putts he suffered last week.

McIlroy had surprisingly not birdied either of the par fives in the first two rounds, but made amends by following his birdie on the ninth on Saturday with an eagle on the 15th by holing from 25 feet.

"I hadn't really played the par fives well all week and it was a big putt for me," McIlroy added after his 67. "That was a big turning point which got me tied for the lead. It was pretty scrappy coming in but I managed to salvage the pars (on 17 and 18). I feel like my short game really saved me today."

Horschel had reached 11 under par following birdies on the second, eighth and ninth, but bogeys on the 10th and 13th in a round of 69 allowed several more players back into contention, with England's Justin Rose, American Rickie Fowler and Australian Jason Day all three off the lead on six under.

Rose was two over par after an opening 72 but carded back-to-back rounds of 66 and said: "This is all I could have asked for after the first round. I said I needed to shoot two rounds in the mid-60s to give myself a chance on Sunday and that's what I have done."

Fowler has finished in the top five in all four majors this year but still has just one PGA Tour win to his name.

The 25-year-old said: "It would be awesome (to get a win). We're in a good position. It would have been nice to have been a bit closer with a couple more putts going in towards the end of the day, but maybe we're saving those until tomorrow."

Third Round Leaderboard:
Rory McIlroy (NI) -9
Billy Horschel (USA) -9
Jim Furyk (USA) -7
Justin Rose (ENG) -6
Jason Day (AUS) -6
Rickie Fowler (USA) -6


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9/13/2014

Horschel Leads and Rory Looms

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Rory McIlroy's second-round 65 left him two behind halfway leader Billy Horschel at the Tour Championship.

The World No 1 McIlroy overcame a bizarre incident when his tee shot at the 14th bounced into a spectator's pocket and went on to produce a birdie-birdie finish on a steamy day at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

The Northern Irishman's five-under effort was the best of the day and moved him through the field into a share of second place alongside Australia's Jason Day (67) and American Chris Kirk (68) at six-under overall.

Horschel, who won last week's BMW Championship, remains out in front at eight under after a second straight round of 66.

Along with Horschel, Kirk, Bubba Watson and Hunter Mahan, McIlroy knows victory on Sunday would also secure the overall FedEx Cup title - and with it a bonus of $10 million.

And with Mahan languishing 14 shots off the lead and Watson eight adrift, the battle for the richest prize in golf looks to be down to three players.

McIlroy insists the title means more to him than the money, the 25-year-old keen to end a brilliant season on a high note after four victories, including two major titles in the Open and US PGA Championship.

The four-time major winner holed from 11 feet for his first birdie of the day on the second but bogeyed the fourth for the second day in succession after his drive plugged in the face of a fairway bunker.

McIlroy had been frustrated by taking one step forward and one step back on Thursday, but this time took two steps forward with birdies from close range on the sixth and seventh, although another birdie chance did go begging on the par-five ninth.

He never threatened to hole birdie putts on the 10th or 11th, but very nearly holed his approach to the 12th, his ball clattering into the pin.

Fortunately for McIlroy it finished just eight feet away and he holed the putt, before his round took a bizarre turn on the 14th, where his wayward drive clipped a tree and somehow dropped straight into a spectator's shorts pocket.

"I got really lucky," McIlroy told Sky Sports. "It ricocheted off a tree and went straight into his pocket somehow. That ball could have went anywhere and luckily I was able to take a drop and hit it on the green and make par.

"The guy probably deserved more than just the handshake that I gave him."

For the second day running McIlroy birdied the 17th and then put the icing on the cake by holing from 25 feet on the last, adding: "To finish like that with two birdies puts me in a great position going into the weekend."

Justin Rose carded five birdies and one bogey in a round of 66 to move to two under par overall, one ahead of Ryder Cup team-mate Sergio Garcia, who bogeyed the last for a 71.

Germany's Martin Kaymer complained of fatigue in his "marathon" effort of playing six tournaments in the last seven weeks, the US Open champion recording a 69 to lie two over par.


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9/12/2014

Woosnam Bemused by McGinley Five


Ian Woosnam is bemused by European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley’s decision to opt for five vice-captains instead of the usual four and believes it could be a sign of weakness.

McGinley raised a few eyebrows last week when he drafted in 2012 captain José María Olazábal, Padraig Harrington and Miguel Ángel Jimenez to join Sam Torrance and Des Smyth as his deputies for the biennial team event at Gleneagles later this month.

2006 Ryder Cup captain Woosnam said: “I honestly thought he was going to go for four vice-captains. It took me a little bit by surprise when he went for five. I guess he’s trying to get a little bit of advice from everybody but sometimes you can get too much. At the end of the day he’s the one who has got to make the decisions.

“Is it a sign of weakness having that many? It does seem a lot. Maybe he’s trying to get as much experience as he possibly can. He might need a bigger team room, he might as well have 12 vice-captains, one for each player.”

McGinley’s playing record, he has won four times on the European Tour, pales in comparison to United States counterpart Tom Watson who is one of golf’s true greats having collected eight major victories including five British Opens.

However, Woosnam, who was captain when Europe pummelled the US in 2006, believes that the 47-year-old Irishman has got what it takes to deliver Ryder Cup glory.

“Paul may have only won four tournaments but I think he’s going to be well respected by his players. He’s very professional,” said the 56-year-old Welshman. “If you put it in football terms, you don’t always have to be the best player to be the best captain. Not at all.”

McGinley will have four of the world’s top five players in his 12-strong team in Scotland – Rory McIlroy, Sergio García, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose – but Woosnam said no-one should underestimate a US side led by Watson.

“The American team is very well balanced and with Tom running that team, he’s not going to take any nonsense,” he explained. “If Tom Watson talks, you listen – if you don’t there must be something wrong with you.

“He doesn’t like losing, he’s got a great mind, he’s a very intelligent guy and he’ll be working it all out. This is not going to be the walkover everyone thinks it’s going to be.

“Tom’s going to have more authority in that team room. He’s going to say: ‘I’m the captain and you’ve got to do what I say.’ All the players will have respect for him as captain. He’s going to demand respect.“

On his fellow countryman Jamie Donaldson, who will be making his debut in the event, Woosnam said: “It’s fantastic to have another Welshman in the team. Jamie’s got a great putting stroke, he’s got a lot of bottle and I think he’s going to be a tremendous addition.

“He could play with anyone in the team and I can’t see any faults in his game really. I played with him three or four years ago in an event in Barbados. I didn’t see him as a potential Ryder Cup player back then but he’s come on in leaps and bounds and is now a really solid player.”


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