The Irish Golf Club Gazette: 04/07/15

4/07/2015

It's McIlroy Mickelson and Moore

Rory McIlroy has been paired with three-time champion Phil Mickelson and Ryan Moore for the first two rounds of the Masters.

The world number one will be seeking to become just the sixth player complete a Major grand slam this week at Augusta and will get the bid underway at 10.41am (3.41pm Irish time) on Thursday.

Darren Clarke will be the first Irish golfer in action when he tees off at 1.29pm Irish time along with 2000 winner Vijay Singh and 25 year-old American Russell Henley.

Shane Lowry will tee off with American pair Chris Kirk & Mark O'Meara, while Graeme McDowell will have Matt Kuchar and Brooks Koepka for company when he lines up at the first tee at 6.04pm Irish time on Thursday.

Padraig Harrington is paired with Thomas Bjorn and Ryan Palmer in Group 26 and tees off at 12.42pm (5.42pm Irish time)

Tiger Woods, seeking a 15th major, faces a lengthy wait before he can begin his bid for a fifth Masters title when the year's first major championship gets under way on Thursday. He will play the first 36 holes at Augusta National with fellow American Jimmy Walker and Wales's Jamie Donaldson.

With 98 players in the field, Charley Hoffman and Brian Harman make up the first group out in the tournament proper at 7:45am, with Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer again acting as honorary starters five minutes earlier.

The legendary trio hitting tee shots on the par-four first before retiring to the clubhouse.

Defending champion Bubba Watson is paired with Justin Rose and Gunn Yang.

Selected tee-off times and pairings for Thursday's first round and Friday's second round

8.29am (1.29pm Irish time) Darren Clarke, Vijay Singh, Russell Henley

10.41am (3.41pm Irish time) Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy, Ryan Moore

12.31pm (5.51pm Irish time) Shane Lowry, Chris Kirk and Mark O'Meara

12.42pm (5.42pm Irish time) Padraig Harrington, Thomas Bjorn, Ryan Palmer

1.04pm (6.04pm Irish time) Graeme McDowell, Matt Kuchar, Brooks Koepka

1.48pm (6:48pm Irish time) Tiger Woods, Jamie Donaldson, Jimmy Walker

Faldo Feels McIlroy Retains Focus

Photo @AP

Sir Nick Faldo feels the return of Tiger Woods to this year’s Masters will not distract Rory McIlroy from his Grand Slam target.

World No 1 McIlroy requires an Augusta win to complete victories in all four majors, a feat which has been achieved by just five players in the Masters era.

One of the names in that particular hall of fame is Tiger Woods, who has dropped out of the top 100 in the rankings this year and shot a career-worst 82 in his second and most recent event of 2015.

Woods, though, will seek to revitalise his career at the Masters this week, a decision which has attracted a large amount of media coverage.

But Faldo is confident McIlroy’s focus will be firmly on the tournament.

“Everyone knows that he (Woods) is just coming back just to play well,” Faldo, who won the Masters in 1989, 1990 and 1996, told Sky Sports. “It is amazing that someone who had total domination is now in a position where he just wants that.

“Rory has been on this mission ever since the PGA (Championship) last year. He’s spoken about it in interviews that he wants the Masters to complete the Grand Slam.

“So, no, I think he will have prepared well and will be on countdown to the first tee on Thursday now.”

Faldo was both an inspiration and a direct coaching mentor for McIlroy as a youngster and the two shared many fairways during the latter’s formative years.

The master feels the missing ingredient in his apprentice’s game then – and one which has now been discovered – was the ‘X factor’.

“I’ve known Rory since he was 12 and I spent some time with him then; he had the swing and everything but he didn’t have the X factor,” he said.

“I played a practice round with him at Carnoustie in the pouring rain and I was wimping out and he produced a wonderful swing in full waterproofs. I thought, ‘this guy’s good’.

“He is phenomenal. To win four majors at his age, 25, is incredible.”