Lawrie Still Leads Irish BMW Challenge

Peter Lawrie dropped shots on the fourteenth and fifteenth on Friday and repeated the same again on Saturday at the BMW PGA Championship to lose touch with his playing partner, Luke Donald, who waltzed through Wentworth in 69 strokes - to take the outright lead. 

Lawrie was left trailing Donald by four in the end and no doubt a disappointment for the Dubliner given it had been nip and tuck for most of early part of the round. It also let Justin Rose into second spot - on 9 under - which  now will see Lawrie paired the second last match with local resident, Ernie Els. 

Ten places behind though is David Higgins who will also be reflecting on his round of 74, which could prove even more costly on Sunday if he is unable to garner two birdies and seize a top ten finish on the West Course. That kind of result would guarantee a place at Celtic Manor next week for the Wales Open, a very good pay cheque and the start perhaps of a career revival – and an escape from the Irish PGA region to pastures new. 

Double bogeys though on the seventh and twelfth were where the major damage was done for the Waterville native.

Gareth Maybin ended Saturday with problems of similar kind having dropped eight shots on the day, with four birdies dotted through his card to limit overall score to 74 – and remain level; overall. 

Paul McGinley ended round 3 one over par in a three days where he has failed so far to match the sparkling 65 he carded in Korea at the Ballantine's last month. But there is always Sunday for such good news. 

Damien McGrane has got little out if Wentworth this weekend with a 75 on Saturday securing a 3 over in total, courtesy of four consecutive bogeys just before the turn. With  only one top ten finish so far this season, a second place at the Trophee Hassan, McGrane has yet to find the consistency that characterise his past two European Tour seasons. 

For Shane Lowry though the sense of the struggle was palpable carding a 79 on Saturday -  after making the turn in 41 strokes he then added a double bogeyed on the tenth. 

But all eyes are on Luke Donald who is on course to retain his BMW PGA Championship title - and return to World Number One - after defying testing conditions with a third round of 69 in front of record Saturday crowds 

More than 25,000 spectators flocked through the gates at Wentworth Club to witness the English Ryder Cup star showed his class with a joint-best round of the day in strong winds.

Needing only a top eight finish to take the World Number One spot back off Rory McIlroy, who opened the door by missing a second successive cut, the 34 year old is now 11 under par and two ahead of Justin Rose. 

Donald is trying to follow Sir Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie as the only players to make a successful defence of The European Tour's flagship event. Faldo did it in 1980 and 1981, while Montgomerie had three wins in a row from 1998 to 2000.

Overnight leader James Morrison endured a difficult day, however. Four clear after a sparkling second round 64, the World Number 236 signed for an 81 and will go into the closing 18 holes eight strokes off the lead. 

In contrast, Donald plotted his way around like the expert he now is, gathering birdies at the first two par fives and then going two clear at the 13th after Lawrie hit into the trees and bogeyed. 

Joint fourth are former Open Champion Paul Lawrie and South African trio Branden Grace, Richard Sterne and Ernie Els. 

Donald said: "The tougher the better for me. The good players that can be patient and deal with it are always going to rise to the top usually. 

"That was by far my best round of the three. The wind was swirling and I hit a lot of solid shots.

"There were a couple of loose ones coming down the stretch, but I'm very pleased with that finish - it was hugely important for me.

"Physically and mentally it was tough and it's going to be a grind tomorrow." 

Lawrie and Donald Battle on Course

Peter Lawrie reached three under par through twelve holes and for a moment claimed the outright lead of the round three of the BMW PGA Championship on Saturday, setting the pace at 12 under - edging ahead of World Number Two Luke Donald.

Donald also wasted little time claiming a share of the lead during the third round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club.

While overnight leader James Morrison struggled with a bogey at the first and a triple-bogey eight at the fourth, Donald birdied the latter to move to nine under par.

That took The Race to Dubai champion into a share of top spot with Scotland’s David Drysdale.

Morrison, who was off the green in four, duffed a chip then two-putted the long fourth, was back to eight under and faced a real test of character to try and remain in contention.

The former England Youth cricketer - he played with Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan - had gone round in a sparkling 64 on Friday to take charge of the European Tour's flagship event.

Donald, needing a top-eight finish to go back to World Number One after Rory McIlroy's second successive missed cut, was bunkered on the first, but saved par from 12 feet.

He was then on in two at the fourth and two-putted to move to nine under, while Drysdale, 291st on the Official World Golf Ranking and yet to win a European Tour event, made a 12 footer on the short second.

David Drysdale also found trouble either side of the turn , with a quadruple  bogey on the eighth  knocking him back down the field.

Course re-designer Ernie Els was moving into the picture, birdies at the fourth and sixth helping him to reach five under with four to play.

The best early score was a 69 from Ian Poulter that took him to three under, while Lee Westwood had a 70 that included six birdies, but also a 30 foot putt for a triple-bogey seven on the 13th, where he twice left shots in a fairway bunker and had a penalty drop in between. 

Things did not get better for Morrison. He was bunkered on the short fifth and bogeyed, then had another eight - this time a quadruple bogey - after going in the water on the eighth.

From 12 under he had dropped to three under and from four clear had tumbled seven behind new leader Lawrie, who birdied the eighth and tenth to reach ten under.

The Dubliner led Donald by one and Rose by two, but Drysdale was twice in the lake at the eighth, also took eight and on five under was down to joint fifth.

Horizon All About Two Mac's

In January 2011 amidst much fanfare Srixon Sports announced that the 2010 US Open champion and Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell had signed a multi-year contract to endorse its brand worldwide. It came after the Northern Ireland golfer enjoyed a remarkable fourteen months in which he became the first European to win the US Open for 40 years and holed the key out to win the Ryder Cup for Europa at The Celtic Manor. At the Chevron World Challenge only weeks previous he had seen off Tiger Woods in his own backyard at Sherwood Country Club - in a play-off – to reach number seven in the World Rankings.

Such was the change for both players that on Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, it  was the first time the two played in the final pair at any tournament since. 

As part of the Horizon Sports management stable, led by Conor Ridge and Colin Morrissey, the company were quick to capitalise on the Portrush man's achievements as the switch to the Japanese company was reported to be worth €2.25m per annum. The contract required that McDowell play Srixon clubs and balls and the wedges of the company’s sister company, Cleveland. 

He did however retain Callaway FT-3 driver at the time. It was all party of an amazing run of wins that included not only the US Open and Ryder Cup but also the Wales Open and the Andalucia Masters – along with an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list. G-Mac also added his share of the European Tour’s Player of the Year award with Martin Kaymer; the Player of the Year award from both the Association of Golf Writers and the Irish Golf Writers Association and then RTE’s Sports Person of the Year. 

At The Masters in 2011 McDowell missed his third cut in four appearances, perhaps weighed down by the burden of his infamous win at Pebble Beach, and so may relish his fifth visit to Augusta National next week some what more. Even if his second place at Bay Hill was five shots adrift of Tiger it is the first sign that Horizon Sports first major signing is regaining some form and stepping out of the shadow of the company’s last signing, fellow Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy.

It was the Holywood golfing prodigy who took on the G-Mac mantle when he strode away with the US Open last summer at Congressional carding a record low score of 268, 16 under par – and a margin of eight shots, In doing so he became the youngest winner to boot. In a year which has seen McIlroy revise his views on playing the PGA Tour, change management company, end his long time relationship with Holly Sweeney and now in a relatively high profile life style with Danish tennis star, Caroline Wozniacki. 

The changes best summed up perhaps by the recent photos of Conor Ridge and McIlroy striding into The White House for a major dinner by President Barack Obama.

For the founder of Horizon Sports it has all happened in a period of just over five years, having founded the company in 2005 - after leaving another sports agency in Dublin - to set up on his own. 

Under his wing in those days were the Team Ireland Golf Trust’s bets hopes and included David Higgins, Stephen Browne, Justin Kehoe, Noel Fox, Stephen Browne, Michael Hoey and Colm Moriarty. All players eager to get that elusive foothold on the bottom rungs of the European Tour. It was Stephen Browne, who earned his card for 2005, who was the first to get the Ridge pitch and left Andrew “Chubby” Chandler's ISM Group and buying into the new Horizon plan that Irish golfers could be better served by a smaller company geared more towards his needs. 

When in 2007 Graeme McDowell became restless at ISM and called Ridge the real opportunity opened up and the chance to become a credible alternative if Horizon delivered.

"Graeme was the first big player to leave Chubby," Ridge says, "and that was a bit of a statement to make. He was in a transition and he'd heard about us. We'd got our name out there. It was a leap of faith on his part for sure. He was leaving one of the biggest companies to go with a small one. But I knew if we could get a big player and help him to be successful, then we were on track."

As has been with the Horizon Sports story McDowell then went on to have a greats first season clocking up his first win three years and then doing well enough to make his Ryder Cup debut at Valhalla in Kentucky. 

But then when English golfer Ross Fisher jumped ship from global giant IMG soon afterwards - and went on to win the 3 Irish Open in Killarney in 2010 – the momentum was moving the right way. In fact the previous year Horizon had also convinced the 2009 3 Irish Open winner, Amateur Shane Lowry to sign up, it seemed that Ridge and Morrissey were the only game in town. 

But signing Lowry was perhaps the easier part as the company's mission was always geared to helping Irish golfing talent. Which recently saw the addition of Paul Cutler when he joined the professional ranks.

Lest it be all a fairy tale, the reality of sports management is that it can also leave some  carnage along the way and not all the hopes of reaching the top are fulfilled by all. 

With the taste of the big time following McDowell’s US Open title it was not long before Conor Ridge signed another star, and did so last October when Rory McIlory slipped out of the grasp of Stuart Cage and Chandler. The number 3 in the world at thae time did so in a year when ISM were managing the world Number Lee Westwood, The Masters Champion Charl Schwarztel, fellow South African Louis Ouisthuizen 2010 Open Championship winner, and the 2011 winner, Darren Clarke. It all seemed to the place to be. 

But not for McIlroy who has since become world number one.

For the start of the 2011 season Horizon streamlined their management interests releasing number of promising Team Ireland Trust players that had field to make the breakthrough, and the group included long time client Colm Moriarty, Walker Cup player Gareth Shaw, Jonathan Caldwell and three time European Challenge Tour winner David Higgins. The 2009 Brabazon Trophy winner Niall Kearney was also part of the downsizing, as the management company extends its horizon’s to a more global stage – where much of the newer action is in Asia.

Along with the always lucrative PGA Tour. In the wake of this changed focus the likes of Shane Lowry, Gareth Maybin and Michel Hoey had undoubtedly off the slipstream as the Two-Mac’s took up more of the prime time - and made more and more money.

For Lowry the year has all been all about recovering from injury and there are some signs that the golf is staring to fire once again lying in 98th place already in the 2012 European Tour Race to Dubai. For Gareth Maybin a flight of form in 2011 - that almost threatened to take his tour card - seems to have passed with only two missed cuts in six outing so far this season. 

However for Shandon Park Golf Club’s very own, Michael Hoey, the season shows bright promise following his win at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco. So much so that it offered a glimpse of a possible Ryder Cup Place on the horizon for the Belfastman.

But the signs that the boutique nature of Horizon Sports may have changed came when Hoey announced - following his win in Morocco – that he was leaving the Conor Ridge founded management company. 

"But with Rory now on board and playing more in the States, their management has changed and altered," Hoey said at the time "He’s going to require more attention and focus than me and I understand that. “

"As it is, Bev [Hoey’s wife] looks after all my personal finance matters so she will continue to do that aspect of my golf. So I have been thinking about it for some time and it’s not as though I am dropping Conor without any notice. 

Another talent on the Horizon books, Gareth Maybin, has also moved on and joined Tyrone Howe at Sportology.

First published April 6th 2012

Winning Hoey Talks Irish Open

Michael Hoey, Northern Ireland’s latest champion on The European Tour, has urged golf fans to take advantage of this final week of the discounted ticket offer for the Irish Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club from June 28 to July 1.

The 33 year old from Ballymoney claimed his fourth European Tour title yesterday when a 17 under par total of 271 at Golf du Palais Royal in the Moroccan city of Agadir helped him to a three shot victory in the Trophée Hassan II.

The former British Amateur champion – who captured the Madeira Islands Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last season – acknowledged that this latest success for a golfer from Northern Ireland, adding to the recent Major Championship triumphs of Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, can further increase the crowds already expected to witness the Irish Open’s first playing north of the border since 1953.

“The Irish Open is one of the biggest tournaments of the year and if we can get the same kinds of crowds as we had in Killarney it will be amazing,” said Hoey. “I’ve certainly had far too many ticket requests to cope with already and I’ve had to start turning people down – so my advice to them would be to get online and get their discounted tickets this week.

“Killarney last year was an unbelievable atmosphere with over 80,000 people there and I think there will be crowds like that at Portrush. You can feel the excitement for the event building back home and if we get those kinds of crowds then it will make the Irish Open feel like a Major.

“For me the Irish Open has always been like The Open, and now that it’s coming to Portrush it will be every bit as important at The Open this year. It’s an amazing course and with Rory, Graeme, Darren and myself there it will be a special week for Northern Ireland. 

“I keep getting asked why Northern Ireland has produced so many good players in recent times, it’s difficult to say exactly but I suppose there are a number of factors. The Golfing Union of Ireland does a great job; we have all had good levels of support and I think that the conditions you have to play in in Northern Ireland makes you have to be a better player. When you play tough courses in tough conditions you have to become even better to succeed. But obviously there is talent in there too!”

Tickets to see Northern Ireland’s galaxy of stars alongside the cream of European Tour golfing talent are available at a discounted rate until Saturday March 31. Among the offers available is an Adult Season ticket at £60 instead of the gate price of £80, a Concession Season ticket at £40 (instead of £60), an Adult Any One Day ticket at £25 (instead of £35) and an entrance ticket for the Pro-Am tournament on Wednesday June 27 for £5 (instead of £10).