No Cuts for Master Lowry

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Shane Lowry hopes to cap an impressive season by successfully defending his Portugal Masters crown this week.

The Clara man captured his second European Tour event at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course 12 months ago - his first as a professional - and has continued to impress this season with five top-ten finishes, including a share of third at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on his last appearance.

Lowry, who has not missed a cut since February, now wants to consolidate that consistency with another victory.

“Obviously said of his win last year. “It was three and a half years since I'd won the Irish Open, so it had been a while since I won anything. 

“I had quite a few good finishes, but to get that first win as a pro was great. I feel like I've kicked on a little bit this year. I feel like I've put myself in position more times than not to win this year and it's been good for me. 

“I probably should have won at the Dunhill (Links Championship). I gave myself a great chance. I'm playing quite well recently, so I'm coming here in good form and really looking forward to this week. 

“You obviously want to be in with a chance going into Sunday, and within two or three of the lead on the back nine on Sunday. All of a sudden if you can post a good nine holes you are the winner.

“I was the one leading going into the back nine on Sunday at the Dunhill and didn't really do it from there, but I gave myself a great chance. At Gleneagles I gave myself a good chance, I was in the third last group at the Dutch Open. I feel like I've been pushing to win tournaments this year, and I just learn from every week and one of these weeks when I give myself a chance, I'm sure I'll pull it off. 

“You need to learn how to win. You need to learn how to compete at the highest level. It's like a step up in the Majors; you need to learn how to play in the Majors.

“It's just all about building experience and going from there. You learn to be comfortable, when you see your name on the leaderboard on a Sunday afternoon, it's hard. It's hard to not get ahead of yourself and not think about winning. You just have to take it one shot at a time and keep it going from there.”

He added: “I love the place, love the course: it's hard not to think I think I have a chance of winning this week. But I need just to focus on one round ahead of me."

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Rory Returns in Shanghai

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Rory McIlroy is due back in action in China at the end of October, and will join the defending champion Peter Hanson of Sweden, Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter and at the Lake Malaren Golf Club in Shanghai.

The BMW Masters has undoubtedly taken on even greater significance this year, as the tournament opens The European Tour’s ‘Final Series’, which consists of four events and concludes with the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – the finale of The Race to Dubai.

“This development really increases the value of the BMW Masters,” said Simon Leach, The European Tour’s representative in Asia. “The tournament is the first event in the Final Series of The Race to Dubai. Only those who have played at least two of the three preceding events can qualify for the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai – and so challenge for The Race to Dubai title.”

Two stars who will do battle for the prestigious title in October are McIlroy and Westwood. 

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Shanghai,” said McIlroy, who narrowly lost out to winner Peter Hanson at Lake Malaren Golf Club last year. “I always try to do my best at every tournament, but the fact that the BMW Masters will open the Final Series in The Race to Dubai should give all of us an extra boost of motivation.” 

Westwood added: “The 2012 BMW Masters was an impressive tournament – the Chinese fans were very enthusiastic. I hope I can present them with a victory on the first stop of the Final Series in The Race to Dubai.”

Just as it did last year, the 2013 BMW Masters will spearhead BMW’s extensive commitment to golf in China. 

In close cooperation with the China Golf Association (CGA), 14 Chinese players will be given a ‘wildcard’ into the tournament. Among them will be the winners of the BMW Junior Open and the Chinese BMW Golf Cup International, who will be given the chance to compete against world-class players at the BMW Masters.

It will be McIlroy's first event since the announcement of the end of his agreement with the Dublin based management company, Horizon Sports.

Padraig Harrington. Shane Lowry and Paul McGinley are the other Irish entries

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Darren Clarke in Nanshan

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Darren Clarke expects a tough challenge from some of the Asia-Pacific's top players when he tee's off in the Nanshan China Masters starting Thursday.

After a close look at the Montgomerie Course at Nanshan International Golf Club in coastal Shandong province on Wednesday, the pair Clarke and Charl Schwartzel said it was playing longer and tighter than expected, adding conditions would suit local players familiar with the links-style layout.

The latest stop on the OneAsia circuit comes with a U.S. $1 million purse -- the richest men's tournament in the Asia-Pacific this week -- and players are jockeying for position on the money list as the year draws to a close.

Several of China's top players -- including veteran Zhang Lianwei -- have spent over a week at the course preparing for battle, and if the wind picks up it could blow in their favour.

"It's actually tougher than I expected. The fairways are quite narrow and you've got to shape some shots," said Schwartzel, the 2011 U.S. Masters champion, who arrived late Tuesday after being part of the International Team that lost to the United States in the Presidents Cup at the weekend.

"I think if the wind comes up it will be a really tough test. Hopefully they'll cut the fairways down a little bit because they're fairly long. It'll help a little bit, because if you're hitting flyers out of the fairways, that's not nice."

Schwartzel, the world number 19, said he expected an easy transition from the mindset of playing team matchplay in Ohio last weekend to individual stroke play in Nanshan.

"It's tougher the other way around," the South African said. "We play a lot of stroke play and not much match play, so this way is a lot easier."

Northern Ireland's 2011 Open Champion, agreed the layout provided a stiff challenge.

"I think the course is very demanding. It's playing long because the fairways are soft and the greens have a lot of undulation in them.

"Off the back tees we're having to hit four irons, five irons, six irons … long to medium irons into the green to try and get to the flag. The greens are a little bit slow, but they're pure and I expect them to speed up by the weekend."

The pair of Major winners will not have it all their own way this week with all four of OneAsia's previous Order of Merit title winners in the field -- Scott Strange, Liang Wenchong, Andre Stolz and Kim Bi-o.

Kim won the inaugural Nanshan China Masters and Liang is the defending champion, although both editions were held on the nearby Danling Course, another jewel in the sprawling Nanshan International Golf Club's treasure chest which boasts an astonishing 279 holes in total.

Nanshan is also home to the China Golf Association's National Training Centre, which is grooming the next generation of stars -- including Guan Tianlang, who stunned the golf world by making the cut at the U.S. Masters in April at just 14.

Several young amateurs have earned slots in this week's field via qualifying, and Clarke said he was "very impressed" with the state-of-the-art facilities and the calibre of players being produced by China.

"The Chinese moving into golf en-masse has been a more recent development but with their proud history in the Olympics it looks like they've decided to try and win some medals in golf as well," he said.

"With the facility they have created there, I think the kids, the Chinese players of the future, will definitely be fighting for Olympic honours."

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Early Defence for Lowry

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Shane Lowry will begin his Portugal Masters defence alongside home hero Ricardo Santos and former Ryder Cup Captain José María Olazábal from the tenth tee at 8.20am on Thursday morning.

This will be the first in a run of marquee three balls to hit the 7,192 yard Oceânico Victoria Golf Course during round one, with two time runner up Francesco Molinari next to tee off.

The Italian has come within a whisker of this title on two occasions in consecutive years from 2009, and fresh off securing the winning point at last week’s Seve Trophy by Golf+ he will no doubt be brimming with confidence. Molinari will have fellow Continental Europe team members Nicolas Colsaerts and Joost Luiten for company at 8.30am, both of which showed great form at Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche en route to their team’s first victory in 13 years.

Next off, at 8.40am, will be an all British trio including Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles winner Tommy Fleetwood. He will play the first 36 holes alongside one of the men he beat in the play-off for that maiden title, Stephen Gallacher, as well as Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who won for the second time on Tour earlier in the year at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Former Champion Alvaro Quiros, who won this title in 2008, is next off alongside Thomas Aiken and David Lynn, while Alex Noren, Marcel Siem and Chris Wood are all out one group later at 9am.

After the excitement of the morning’s play, there will also be plenty for the galleries to follow in the afternoon half of the draw on day one.

Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley will begin his week from the first at 12.40pm alongside two players who will hope to be in the Irishman’s team come Gleneagles next September, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Danny Willett.

They will be swiftly followed by Omega European Masters winner Thomas Björn, former World Number One Martin Kaymer and BMW PGA Champion Matteo Manassero, all of which will be looking to add to their trophy haul in the Algarve.

The latest stroke play champion on The European Tour, David Howell, won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship a fortnight ago to end a seven year victory drought. He is off at 1pm alongside Paul Lawrie and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

While one group later is Ross Fisher, who three putted the 18th green to hand Shane Lowry the title 12 months ago. He will tee it up alongside last year’s 54 hole leader here, Bernd Wiesberger, and Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño. 

They will be followed by Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, 70° OPEN D'ITALIA LINDT winner Julien Quesne, and two time European Tour winner Pablo Larrazabal at 1.20pm.

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