The Irish Golf Club Gazette: 10/14/13

10/14/2013

Harrington Defends Grand Slam

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Masters Champion Adam Scott, U.S. Open Champion Justin Rose, PGA Champion Jason Dufner and defending PGA Grand Slam of Golf Champion Padraig Harrington form the elite foursome who will compete in the 31st PGA Grand Slam of Golf, Oct. 14-16, at Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda.

Scott, Rose and Dufner will make their first appearance in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, while Harrington is making is fourth visit to the Island. Harrington won last year's event and finished runner-up in 2007 and '08.

Harrington, whose one-stroke triumph in 2012 made him just the second European-born winner in event history, replaces Open Champion Phil Mickelson, who will be unable to compete due to an end-of-season scheduling conflict.

The defending champion of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf receives the initial invitation if a current major champion is unable to compete; then the Major Champions Points list -- which charts the performance throughout the year of active major champions -- is used to complete the field.

Established in 1979, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf has grown from an 18-hole, single-day charity event to a 36-hole annual showdown that matches professional golf's best against each other for a $1.35 million purse. TNT will televise the PGA Grand Slam of Golf to 88 million U.S. households, and it is seen in more than 100 countries.

Commercial Court for Rory

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Rory McIlroy has begun a legal action against his former agent, Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management.

The details of the case were not outlined at Dublin High Court on Monday, but it is understood to involve a multi-million euro dispute over fees.

It is believed the golfer views the fees charged by Horizon - said to be 7.5m euros (£6.4m) over an 18 month period - as excessive. The company is set to counter claim.

Horizon is reported to believe it has achieved exceptional results for the golfer, who was not in court.

It is understood the Northern Ireland sports star is trying to recover 7m euros (£5.9m) through the court action. The fee period under dispute coincided with McIlroy's sponsorship deal with Nike, said to be worth in the region of $100m (£63m).

The 24-year-old golfer was unveiled as Nike's brand ambassador in January this year, making him one of the highest paid sports stars in the world.

At Monday's High Court hearing, the case was fast-tracked to Dublin's Commercial Court, the big business division of the High Court.

A provisional trial date has been set for October 2014.

Last Race for Lawrie and Higgins

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It will be last chance saloon this week at the ISPS Handa Perth International - for Peter Lawrie and David Higgins - and a number of players who will be fighting for European Tour survival in the final regular tournament of the 2013 season.

The Tour heads down under to Lake Karrinyup Country Club before the inaugural Final Series, so it will be the last opportunity for those outside or on the bubble of 110th place in The Race to Dubai to secure their playing rights for 2014.

Only the top 110 players are assured of a full exemption for next year, so for Englishman Richard Bland, currently 109th, a good performance in Australia is crucial. A tied 26th place finish in last week’s Portugal Masters, where he shot a six under par 65 in the final round, helped his cause, and he is high on confidence as he looks to guarantee a sixth consecutive season on The European Tour.

“The last round in Portugal helped massively,” said the 40 year old, who kept his card last season by finishing in the last exempt spot. “At least I’m going there playing well. I played the last 45 holes without dropping a shot, which in the current situation is something to be very proud of.

“It’s a great course and I absolutely loved it when we played there last year. It’s a shame it’s so far away, but needs must. There were a few guys below the 110 mark who did well last week, but Sunday’s round maybe made things a little more difficult for them and a bit easier for me.

“I’ve still got a job to do in Perth, but with the way I’m playing there’s no reason why I can’t do it.

“This year has been tough. I don’t think I’ve played a week all year without an injury. I’m having an operation on my right knee at the end of the season and I had a double stress fracture in my pelvis early in the year. Since I turned 40 my body is giving up!”

Bland will be joined by many of the players in and around the magic number of 110 with James Kingston (111th), Peter Lawrie (114th) and David Higgins (115th) hoping to do enough to finish the week in the position that Bland is currently occupying.

Others such as Joel Sjöholm (150th), James Morrison (138th) and Oliver Fisher (122nd) have more to do, but with a prize fund of US$2million there is all to play for.

Further up The Race to Dubai, a number of players are heading to Perth aiming to break into the top 60, which is the cut-off for qualification for the lucrative season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

Danny Willett is in 70th place and Ross Fisher 65th, while Justin Walters will have a strong end to the season in mind after a runner-up finish in Portugal elevated him from 126th to 71st, just a fortnight after the death of his mother.

McGeady Wins Irish PGA

Michael McGeady secured the Cassidy Golf 103rd €30,000 PGA Irish Championship at Roganstown on Sunday in a tight finish with Damian Mooney and Cian McNamara.

McGeady posted rounds of 66, 72, 70 and 67 for a nine-under-par winning 275, one stroke ahead of Mooney and McNamara, after the leadership changed hands a few times during the day.

As well as the silverware, the winner also collected the top prize of €3,500 while Mooney and McNamara earned €2,125 each and Mooney moves up to second in the 2013 end-of-season Order of Merit with €26,217 points, less than 90 behind winner John Kelly, who withdrew from the championship because of family commitments.

“Winning the Irish Championship is a fantastic boost heading for the Europro finals,” enthused the 35-year-old as his victory began to sink in.

“It would be a great double to add my Challenge Tour card to my Irish Championship title.

“This win is amazing for me as I have struggled recently. It is only my second time to play in the Irish Championship, maybe the third, but that is all. It is really a great boost to my game.”

McGeady posted rounds of 66, 72, 70 and 67 for a nine-under-par winning 275, one stroke ahead of Mooney and McNamara, after the leadership changed hands a few times during the day.

Mark Staunton and Michael McDermott led overnight at six-under with McGeady, Mooney and McNamara a stroke behind but it didn’t take long for the leaderboard to change, once the final round began.

Staunton had a horror front nine as he began with a double-bogey and made only one par to the turn. He had four bogeys and three birdies to drop to four-under for the tournament and he could never get back into the pack, finishing tied fifth. The best McDermott could do was level par for the day to finish in fourth place.

Mooney raced to the turn in two-under with a hat-trick of birdies, 4-4-2, from the fourth hole and he eagled the long 10th to move top of the leaderboard at nine-under-par.

McNamara was creeping up, as well, helped by an eagle at the fourth and birdies at the first and 10th to be one shot behind Mooney, along with McGeady who had pencilled in birdie fours at the fourth, fifth and 10th holes.

An unfortunate three-stab on the 15th green cost Mooney the outright lead as he went back to eight-under. McGeady, who bogeyed the 12th from sand, rolled in an uphill 12-footer for birdie on 14 to draw level and when McNamara, who had bogeyed 11, sank a birdie putt on 16 it was a three-way tie heading to the tape.

It was then that McGeady’s resolve shone as he had the scent of victory in his nostrils. He rolled in a steel-nerved five-footer for par at 17and snatched victory from Mooney and McNamara on the home green with birdie four.

“I birdied all the long holes and didn’t have a five on my card. At the last, I fired a sand wedge at the flag from 76 yards and the ball settled five feet below the hole. I was delighted to see the putt dropping – it was an amazing way to win the championship,” smiled a delighted McGeady, who headed off to Derry to see his folks before flying from Belfast this morning.

Brian McElhinney, finished tied 12th at Roganstown, which just secured him enough points to claim third place on the Order of Merit – four ahead of Staunton – and a place in next month’s Titleist PGA Play-Offs.

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