The Irish Golf Club Gazette: June 2015

6/30/2015

Lowry Graced with PGA Card

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Shane Lowry and Branden Grace have accepted special temporary membership of the PGA Tour for the remainder of the 2015 season.

The European Tour regulars, along with Australian youngster Cameron Smith, secured the privilege courtesy of their high finishes in the US Open at Chambers Bay.

Irishman Lowry finished in a tie for ninth, five places behind South African Grace, who went into the final day in a tie for the lead but finished the tournament fourth after closing with a one-over 71.

They have all earned more non-member FedEx Cup points than the total of the player who finished 150th on the list in 2014.

England's Danny Willett and up and coming United States player Patrick Rodgers also secured invites in similar fashion earlier in the season.

They are now eligible for unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the Tour season as they attempt to earn 2015-16 cards through the non-member money list or non-member FedExCup points list.

Special temporary members are not eligible for the FedExCup play-offs, but they can become regular PGA Tour members by winning an official event during the season and would then have their FedExCup points counted and be eligible for post-season play.

6/29/2015

GMAC Defends Alstom Open

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The next venue to host a Ryder Cup on European soil will take centre stage this week, as seven of the stars from the last biennial contest compete in the Alstom Open de France at Le Golf National.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell will be joined by his Gleneagles team-mates Thomas Bjørn, Jamie Donaldson, Victor Dubuisson, Stephen Gallacher, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood for the 99th edition of the tournament, which is continental Europe’s oldest national Open.

McDowell is bidding for a hat-trick of victories, having first won the title by four strokes from Richard Sterne in 2013 before successfully defending it last year, when he finished a shot clear of American Kevin Stadler and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.

The Northern Irishman won all three of his matches at The 2014 Ryder Cup and his partner for two of those, Frenchman Dubuisson, will lead the home hopes over the Albatros course which will host the contest against the United States in 2018.

Dubuisson returns home following a top 20 finish in last week’s BMW International Open in Germany. He will be hoping to become the first Frenchman since Thomas Levet in 2011 to win his home Open.

Kaymer is also a former winner at Le Golf National, having defeated team-mate Westwood in a play-off in 2009, and he will be aiming to bounce back from missing the cut in the US Open and in Munich last week.

In addition to Dubuisson, there is a strong looking home challenge, which includes Gary Stal, already a winner on The 2015 Race to Dubai in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, and Alexander Levy, who won twice in 2014.

Le Golf National, on the outskirts of the French capital Paris, is a European Tour Destination and member venue of The European Tour Properties network

Sharvin Clinches Brabazon

Cormac Sharvin continued his season of consistency when he lifted the English men’s open stroke-play title for the Brabazon Trophy over the Hollinwell course at Nottingham at the weekend.

The 22-year-old star from Ardglass who has been prominent in stroke-play events in Scotland, Wales and Ireland this summer already became the first Irishman since Rory McIlroy in 2006 to hold aloft the famous Trophy.

Sharvin who had put himself in pole position with a stunning five under par 67 on Friday to take the lead finished with a solid 70 for a 72-hole aggregate of seven under par 281.

And that total gave him a one-stroke victory over fellow Irishman and Walker Cup player Gavin Moynihan, the Dubliner who plays out of The Island.

Sharvin carded four birdies on the outward half and just one on the homeward stretch but seven pars to finish were sufficient for him to edge home.

Moynihan posted a brilliant concluding 66 which included two bogeys in the last three holes. An eagle three on the long sixth hole was the highlight of Moynihan’s final round.

In what was an excellent tournament for the Irish contingent Jack Hume of Naas ended in joint third place with the English pair of Charlie Danielson and Paul Kinnea, all carding totals of 284 – four under par. Paul Dunne tied for ninth spot with Kevin Le Blanc and Dermot McElroy in 11th place.

These performances will almost certainly cement places for Sharvin, Moynihan and Hume in the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup side to face the Americans at Royal Lytham and St Annes in September.

“I have been pretty consistent all season apart from a hiccup at the Amateur and it is great to win this big one – a tournament every amateur international targets,” said Sharvin.

He will now hope to help Ireland win the Euro Team Championships for the first time since 2008 and then play a major role in the Home Internationals before heading to Lytham.

6/23/2015

Darren Made in Denmark

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Darren Clarke has confirmed he will play in the 2015 Made in Denmark, the tournament which made such a successful debut on The European Tour International Schedule last summer.

Nearly 75,000 spectators flocked to Himmerland Golf and Spa Resort over the four days last year, creating an electric atmosphere which Clarke is keen to experience this time around.

“I’ve heard so much about the tournament from all my friends who were there,” said the 46 year old, who won The Open Championship in 2011. “The crowds are supposed to be absolutely sensational and I’m really looking forward to playing there this year.

“Thomas Bjørn is one of my best and oldest friends on Tour and he has spoken so highly of the Made in Denmark. We’ve played so much golf together so I trust him when he says it’s a fantastic tournament.

“With him playing there and another home favourite in Thorbjørn Olesen, I’m sure it will be another huge and successful event.”

Tournament promoter Flemming Astrup said: “We are very happy to have Darren Clarke in our field this year. He is a great golfer and always a pleasure to watch on a golf course. So our many fans really have something to look forward to.”

6/22/2015

Spieth Heads Towards Top Spot

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Jordan Spieth has closed the gap on world No 1 Rory McIlroy to less than two average ranking points after his US Open win.

The 21-year-old American’s second major triumph of the season lifted his average to 11.06 ranking points per event, up from 9.28.

Northern Irishman McIlroy dropped from 12.92 to 12.77 after finishing in a share of ninth place at Chambers Bay on Sunday.

American Dustin Johnson jumped four places to third in the list after his agonising near miss in the US Open, when he three-putted the last hole to finish one shot behind Spieth.

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, who shared second place with Johnson, returns to the top 20 in 16th.

England's Justin Rose is up one place to fourth, while Australia's Jason Day, who played on at Chambers Bay after collapsing from vertigo to finish alongside McIlroy on level par, rises from 10th to eighth.

Australian Cameron Smith is the big mover up the list from 167th to 89th after finishing in a share of fourth place.

Former world No 1 Tiger Woods has tumbled a further 10 places to 205th after his miserable run continued as he missed the cut at the US Open after firing an 80 and a 76 in the opening two rounds.

Latest leading positions and points average:

1 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 12.77

2 Jordan Spieth (USA) 11.05

3 Dustin Johnson (USA) 6.97

4 Justin Rose (Eng) 6.65

5 Bubba Watson (USA) 6.64

6 Jim Furyk (USA) 6.61

7 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 6.44

8 Jason Day (Aus) 5.90

9 Sergio Garcia (Esp) 5.84

10 Rickie Fowler (USA) 5.70

11 Adam Scott (Aus) 5.38

12 Jimmy Walker (USA) 5.17

13 JB Holmes (USA) 4.78

14 Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 4.52

15 Patrick Reed (USA) 4.29

16 Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 4.10

17 Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.08

18 Chris Kirk (USA) 4.02

19 Billy Horschel (USA) 3.96

20 Phil Mickelson (USA) 3.87

McIlroy's Moving Sunday

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Rory McIlroy was left to reflect on what might have been after producing a storming finish to the 115th US Open at Chambers Bay.

McIlroy began the final day eight shots off the lead, but he carved his way through the field as he finally managed to convert the birdie chances that had gone begging over the first 54 holes.

The world No 1 got going with a 20-foot putt for birdie at the second, but he really heated up around the turn as he backed up his sublime long-game with a much-improved performance on the greens.

McIlroy picked up four birdies in six hole before sending the galleries wild with a thrilling 50-foot curling putt for another gain at the 13th, lifting him to six under on the day and two under for the tournament.

But he missed another opportunity from eight feet at the next which took the wind out of his sails, and he failed to get up and down at the 15th after his tee shot rolled off the left-front portion of the green.

The 2011 champion then missed from three feet for par at 17, and a closing five capped a valiant 66 which saw him finish on level par for the week.

"I really thought after holing a long putt on 13, with 16 and 18 coming in, if I could birdie those two holes and get to four under par I had a great chance with the way the greens are getting out there," McIlroy said. "It would have been a number for the guys to really think about.

"When I look back, the last few holes have not been kind to me this week and that's where I will rue some missed opportunities. I feel like it's one that got away. I feel like I've never hit the ball as well in a major championship."

The performance was a solid comeback from back-to-back missed cuts at the BMW PGA Championship and the Irish Open, and he can now look forward to the remainder of the season with confidence restored.

"Of course I take a lot of positives out of this," he added. "The long game is really in good shape. I was really dialled in all week and confident with that. And if I can just get the putting a little bit better and roll a few more in and get a little bit of confidence with that going, I see nothing but positive signs for the next few months."

McIlroy will now have a week off before teeing up in the Scottish Open at Gullane, and he will defend his Open Championship crown at St Andrews the following week.

"I'll go probably to St Andrews the weekend before the Scottish Open or even the Monday, Tuesday of the Scottish Open and play a couple of practice rounds," he said.

Some If's and Putts for Lowry

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Shane Lowry admitted the 115th US Open Championship had been a bittersweet experience, as he left Chambers Bay proud at having achieved his joint highest finish in a Major, but feeling he might have come away with the trophy.

A closing round of 71 meant Lowry finished in a tie for ninth place alongside fellow Irishman Rory McIlroy and Australian Jason Day on level par but, with a better performance on Chambers Bay’s notoriously testing greens, he may have been challenging Jordan Spieth for the title.

Lowry mixed two birdies with four bogeys in an eventful back nine in which, by his own admission, nerves got the better of him at times.

But he grew in composure as the round progressed, making gains at the tenth, 12th and 16th holes and making – yet spurning – countless other opportunities.

A closing bogey left a somewhat sour taste in Lowry’s mouth, but the two-time European Tour champion still left Seattle with experience and positives aplenty.

He said: “I feel like I played the golf today to really have a chance to win at the end, but I missed a couple of short putts for par that you can’t be doing on days like this. I just didn’t do enough on the greens this week – if I’d holed a few more putts, I would’ve had a chance coming down the stretch.

“Even then, I was thinking if I could birdie 17 and 18 and get to three under, I’d have a chance. In the end it wasn’t to be, but it was still a good week for me and I’m probably back inside the top 50 in the world. That was a good coming into the week, so I’m pleased to have achieved that.

“It was a long day today, and I’ll learn from it. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole week, to be honest. I loved the golf course, and I loved how tough it played. Tough courses tend to suit me and bring the best out of me. Overall, I’m pretty pleased with how I played. When you walk away from a Major Championship and you feel like you played the golf to win, you’ve got to be happy with yourself.”

6/21/2015

Lowry Positive in Chambers

Shane Lowry is Europe's best chance of a fifth US Open victory in the last six years after benefiting from a positive attitude at Chambers Bay.

The course and conditions have come in for a large amount of criticism, with Masters champion Jordan Spieth calling the 18th "dumb" and "unbelievably stupid" when played as a par four and Henrik Stenson comparing the greens to "putting on broccoli."

USGA executive director Mike Davis said players would need 10 practice rounds to get to grips with the course, which only opened in 2007 - but 36 holes of practice were enough for Lowry to finish his third round on one under par, three off the lead shared by Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Branden Grace.

"I said to my caddie coming up the last, it's probably one of the most enjoyable days I've had at a golf course in a while," Lowry said after a second consecutive 70 which featured three birdies and three bogeys.

"Being in contention in a tournament like this, what more do you want? It's great. I'm excited about tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. It's tough. It's very tough. But I think it's playable. I think it's been getting a lot of stick.

"The greens are not the best surfaces, but if you hit a good putt nine times out of 10 it goes in. Sometimes you hit a good putt and it misses. That's the thing a lot of players are focusing on.

"It's tough to hit greens but at the end of the day it's a US Open. If you missed the green at Pinehurst last year you couldn't chip. I think that was a little more unfair than this is."

Asked if such an attitude was vital, the 28-year-old added: "Yeah, I said it about three or four months ago. A couple of guys came up and played here and then I saw a few comments on Twitter from a few people. Talking about the golf course before you get here is not necessarily the right thing to do.

"You want to get here and see it and see how it plays. When I got here on Monday I thought, yeah, it's a bit funky, like the first (hole) if you miss it left.

"But the more you play it, the more it grows on you and that's what I felt. And that was one of the reasons I think I'm in the position I'm in today. It would obviously mean everything (to win). I'm going to go out there and give it a hundred per cent tomorrow and what happens will happen.

"I think if I played the way I played today I should have a chance coming down the last few holes."

6/30/2015

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