The Irish Golf Club Gazette: St Andrews

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8/17/2015

McIlroy Happy With Comeback

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Rory McIlroy was pleased with his comeback at the US PGA Championship despite not being able to defend his title at Whistling Straits.

Coming into the tournament, the 26 year old had not played a competitive round since a closing 66 at the US Open Championship at Chambers Bay after suffering ankle ligament damage whilst playing football with friends in early July.

But he finished 17th in Wisconsin after rounds of 71-71-68-69 and is confident he will be back to his best soon.

"I feel like I did well," he said "Obviously coming back after the lay-off, not hitting a competitive shot in two months, shooting nine under was a decent effort.

"I didn't see 19 under winning this week. I thought something between ten and 15 but it just shows you how high the standard is these days.

"But first week, coming back, I thought I did pretty well."

He added: "The ankle is fine. We came up with a plan that after this week I could take a couple of weeks off just in case anything did happen or there were any setbacks.

"It feels fine, but I'm just going to take a couple of weeks off and not need a strap or anything to play. And then after that I've got another week off, so by the time I'm in the middle of September, there will be no issues and hopefully I can give it a good run in the FedEx Cup.

"I felt like I gave it a good run this week and the ankle is in good shape.

"Overnight the ankle did swell a bit, but once I got it moving and compressed it a bit, it was fine. It probably won't look like a normal ankle for two or three months, but there is no pain in it, which is the main thing."

The Northern Irishman began his round on Sunday with five pars but made a sensational up and down from the rough to make birdie on the sixth and followed that with another on the seventh.

Another gain was made on the tenth and, despite dropping a shot on the 13th, McIlroy picked up another on the 16th and feels his game will come back together as he plays more often.

"I just need to sharpen up," he said. "I feel like ball striking-wise, tee to green, it's there. And it's sort of been there all year. If anything, just around the greens (I've got to be) being more efficient, really. When I give myself opportunities inside, wedges in my hand, I've got to take advantage of those.

"And today is a prime example, it's my fourth day of competitive playing, getting those two balls up and down on 17 and 18, that's something just playing a bit more and just having experience with certain shots and certain lies.

"That all just comes with playing a bit more."

8/13/2015

McIlroy Gets The Shanks

Rory McIlroy will attempt to become just the second player in the modern era to successfully defend the US PGA Championship this week, but will do so armed with a healthy new perspective.

McIlroy feared he had broken his ankle while playing football with his friends on July 4, but a ruptured ligament was serious enough to prevent him defending the Open Championship at St Andrews and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron.

The 26-year-old thought he would be unable to bring himself to watch his rivals do battle for the Claret Jug, with Jordan Spieth narrowly failing to win the third leg of an unprecedented calendar grand slam before Zach Johnson eventually triumphed in a play-off.

However, McIlroy was surprised by his reaction to events at the Old Course as he battled to get fit enough to return to competition at Whistling Straits, where he finished a shot outside the play-off in 2010.

"I honestly thought it was going to be harder than it was. I thought I was going to miss it more than I did," said McIlroy, who will play alongside Spieth and Johnson in the first two rounds.

"But if anything, having to sit those tournaments out, especially the Open Championship going back to St Andrews, which is probably my favourite venue in the world, it gave me a huge sense of perspective.

"When you're playing week in, week out and you're thinking about winning these tournaments, you get so wrapped up in what you're doing and your own little life and your own little bubble; sometimes you forget there's a bigger, wider world out there.

"No matter whether you win a golf tournament or not, people are going to get up on Monday morning and go to work and do their daily things and honestly not a lot of people care.

"Obviously it means a lot to you and people involved in golf, but in the big scheme of things, it's not life or death.

"And that's something that I can bring in with me this week, knowing that, okay, it's a big deal, but no matter what happens this week, only a very small percentage of the population really care."

McIlroy insisted he would not give up playing football and revealed he was taking two-hour walks within two weeks of the injury occurring in his "fourth or fifth game in a 10-day period", but admitted he would need to take precautionary measures for the rest of his career.

"I thought I broke it because as soon as I went over on it I heard like a snap," the four-time major winner added.

"Obviously that was the ligament that snapped. I looked down and 30 seconds later it got the size of a tennis ball, basically because all the fluid came out of the joint capsule.

"When I got the scan that night it showed that I totally ruptured one ligament and I had a grade two (tear) in the other. If that had been a total rupture then that would have required surgery.

"It was always going to be a six-eight week injury. Then it just depends on the individual. As injuries go, it could have been worse.

"The ligament that I ruptured, I don't have that any more. So I've only got two ligaments on the outside of my ankle instead of three. It's just about trying to strengthen the ankle and maintain as much integrity in it as possible. But it's really not anything to be concerned about in the long term."

Since the US PGA became a stroke play event in 1958, only Tiger Woods in 1999-2000 and 2006-2007 has won back-to-back titles.

But McIlroy will aim to convert his superb tournament record - since 2009 he is a collective 34 under par, 17 shots better than anyone else - into a third title in four years following wins at Kiawah Island in 2012 and Valhalla last year.

"I think more than anything else the golf courses that we have played in this tournament have been set up in such a way that it suits my type of game and it really rewards good driving," McIlroy added.

"I think it's usually a fair test of golf, somewhere within 10 to 15 under par usually wins. It's not like it prevents the guys from making birdies, but it still penalises you if you don't hit good shots.

"My expectation levels are the same. I've been practising for over three weeks, getting my game ready, getting my game sharp. I feel like I'm playing well. I don't see any reason why I can't bring the sort of form that I've shown in practice rounds and on the range to the tee on Thursday afternoon."

8/07/2015

McIlroy Whistling on Saturday

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Rory McIlroy has scheduled a practice round for Saturday at Whistling Straits, site of next week’s US PGA, a reliable source told Reuters on Monday.

The world No1 has not played since rupturing the anterior ligament in his left ankle early last month, an injury that prevented him from defending his Open title at St Andrews.

McIlroy’s manager, Sean O’Flaherty, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

News that the four-times major champion plans to play on the Wisconsin course this weekend is the first indication that he may defend his title at the US PGA, which starts on Thursday week.

McIlroy, 26, won last year’s event by one stroke at Valhalla in Kentucky. He has ruled himself out of this week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron, Ohio.

An employee at Whistling Straits told Reuters he was not allowed to comment on scheduled practice rounds by players before the championship.

Some medical experts said the injury suffered by McIlroy normally takes about 12 weeks to heal.

7/23/2015

Dunne Plans Professional Move

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Irish amateur Paul Dunne will turn professional later this year after hitting the headlines at the 144th Open.

Dunne began the fourth round at St Andrews in the final pairing and was looking to become the first amateur to have his name engraved on the Claret Jug since Bobby Jones in 1930.

But a six-over-par 78 saw him drop down the field into a tie for 30th, nine shots adrift of eventual play-off winner Zach Johnson of the United States.

Now the University of Alabama graduate has announced his intention to join the paid ranks following the conclusion of the Walker Cup at Royal Lytham & St Annes in September.

"Certainly once the Walker Cup is over, whether he's selected or not, he's certainly going to have a go at turning professional," Dunne's father Colum told RTE.

Graeme McDowell, the 2012 US Open winner who, like Dunne is a University of Alabama alumnus, believes the 22-year-old has what it takes to succeed at the top level.

He said: "I played with him early in the week and he hit the ball very well with a technically-correct swing. Listening to a few of his press conferences he seems like a wise-old owl for someone his age.

"He seems like a really cool character. I liked his comments about being surprised to be leading an Open Championship but not surprised about the numbers he shot. He has that Jordan Spieth maturity to him a little bit."

The Ryder Cup star believes had Dunne maintained his progress and finished strongly in the final round he should have turned pro immediately.

"If he had a good finish I don't know what he would have needed to have waited for the Walker Cup for," McDowell added.

"The Walker Cup is one of the fondest memories of my career but it means nothing as soon as you press the professional button.

"He needs starts and has an opportunity between now and the end of the season to perhaps get his European Tour card and those extra five weeks could be beneficial to him. It is a tough call and I'm not the guy to advise him."

Dunne was one of five amateurs to make the cut at St Andrews and there was intense competition for the Silver Medal, won by American Jordan Niebrugge.

"When you see three amateurs within three or four shots of the lead it says how good they are," said McDowell.

"It is a belief and acceptance level of competing at the top level as a youngster - 19, 20, 21 years old. There is a readiness that is there what wasn't there when I was turning pro.

"I am probably a bad example as I had never been to a professional tournament until I played in one (as a professional).

"Tiger Woods and subsequently Rory McIlroy and Jordan have raised the bar to say you don't have to be a late 20s- early 30s mature veteran to be able to compete in the top tournaments - the WGCs (World Golf Championships), majors - you can do it right this second."

7/19/2015

Harrington Makes Sunday Move

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Padraig Harrington's lowest round in a Major shot him into contention for another Claret Jug, and he believes his experience could be a significant factor on the final day at St Andrews.

The Irishman carded a seven under par 65 to leap to ten under and create a realistic chance of capturing his fourth Major as the tournament heads for Monday finish.

His previous best single-round score was back-to-back 66s on the weekend to win the 2008 US PGA, having also made that score at The Open way back in 2001 at Lytham.

Harrington's first win on a major Tour in seven years came at March's Honda Classic, which also needed an extra day, but it is his memories of getting the job done on the final day of a Major that he will be looking to use on Monday.

"I always wanted to shoot 65 on the Sunday of an Open - obviously there's another round to go tomorrow," he joked.

"I'll be certainly telling myself that I know what I'm doing and I've done it before and I'll be using it to help myself for sure, having done it twice before.

"Clearly things were going well for me today but I didn't want to look up (to the scoreboard) and see somebody getting away and be disappointed.

"When things are going well you might as well just keep your head down and keep going.

"There's no point in looking around and getting distracted. I didn't look until I finished off on 18."

The 144th Open Championship over the Old Course is shaping up to be one of the closest in a long time with the top of the leaderboard tightly packed.

In a week that produces mixed feelings for Harrington - a decade ago his father died and he pulled out of the event at St Andrews, while last year his coach Bob Torrance passed away – the 44 year old insists he will not be wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

"I'm not going to try to get emotionally involved in any shape or form," he added.

7/18/2015

Paul Not Dunne Yet

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Paul Dunne says he hopes to take the increasing attention in his stride after making the cut at the Open Championship for the first time with another excellent 69 at St Andrews.

The 22-year-old amateur from Greystones ensured involvement over the weekend at St Andrews by matching his first-round 69 on the second day to move to six under par for the tournament.

Dunne, who came through final qualifying at Woburn for a second year in succession, said: "It'll be a new experience, I'm not 100% sure how I'll handle it.

"Hopefully I'll just take it like second nature - but you never know. Obviously the forecast is for high winds tomorrow, so the course is going to play really tough."

Dunne's only blemish came when he missed a short par putt on the 16th but he made amends by making a birdie on the last.

He will now go into the final two days' play with a strong chance of winning the Silver Medal for the leading amateur.

Dunne said: "Obviously that would be brilliant. It would be nice to get the Silver Medal in my last year as an amateur. It would be something I would remember forever.

"But there's a lot of golf and a lot of bad weather to play in before that. I'm not going to think about it, I'm just going to see what the weather is like when I arrive here, put a new number in my head and go about business tomorrow."

Asked what numbers he had targeted from the first two days, Dunne said he had been hoping for a 68 and then, after seeing Friday's forecast, a 72.

"I thought if I could just get anything in under par it would be a really good score, so I was delighted to shoot 69."

Weather Helps Harrington

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Padraig Harrington felt he got lucky with Friday's downpour at The Open Championship, as he gave himself the chance of a third Claret Jug and grabbed some extra sleep.

The two-time Open Champion was due to tee off at 7.38am in his second round at St Andrews but high winds and a heavy deluge led to a suspension of more than three hours.

When play did resume, Harrington took advantage of the improved conditions to shoot four birdies in a round of 69 that lifted him to three under par overall.

He was still some way off the lead, but Harrington felt he gave himself a chance he might not have had had he played in the worst of the weather. And after getting up at 5am to prepare, the break in play also gave him the chance to go back to bed.

Asked about the torrential rain that flooded parts of the course, the Irishman said: "I was standing in it when it was happening - we were on the range warming up when the storm came in.

"At no stage did I not think I was going to tee off - this is The Open Championship.

"Considering the weather we played in in 2002 at Muirfield, we were going to go play, but unfortunately the town of St Andrews drains on to the first fairway, so we really couldn't go.

"We were happy about that. I snuck into one of the tour vans and slept for an hour and a half or so.

"It was a nice break on our behalf, and then when we got playing, our front nine played straight downwind. It was a good break for us."

Harrington won The Open at Carnoustie in 2007 and at Birkdale the following year but, after also claiming the US PGA Championship in 2008, did not taste victory on a major world Tour again until claiming the Honda Classic in March.

That relatively recent success gives Harrington hope that he can put himself into the picture this weekend, although he accepts he may need another helping hand from the weather.

The 43 year old said: "I've won two of them already, so it's not going to be life-changing or anything like that, but it would be nice to get into contention coming down the stretch and perform.

"We'll see what happens but, no matter what, I'm going to need a big weekend. I'm way behind. If I was leading the tournament I'd want beautiful conditions but I want everything thrown at us to give me a chance to catch up."

7/12/2015

McIlroy Seeks Tiger Pointers

Rory McIlroy has "picked the brains" of Tiger Woods over the ankle injury which has prevented him defending his Open title.

McIlroy suffered a ruptured ankle ligament while playing football with friends last Saturday and told Woods about it the same day, although the world No 1 waited until Monday to release the news on Instagram.

"He sent me a photo the day he did it," Woods told ESPN.com after practising at the Old Course on Saturday. "We talked about it for a little bit.

"He said, 'You've been through a lot of injuries over the years.' So he picked my brain a little bit. We had a good talk. He's doing the right thing, taking care of his body first before he gets back out here.

"No doubt he's frustrated that he's not going to be able to play in the Open Championship, especially here at St Andrews, and how well he's been playing of late, and this golf course really does set up well for him.

"That's the way it goes. We all get injured at one point in time. Sometimes it's through the sport or sometimes it's through fun activities. You just never know."

Woods arrived in Scotland on Saturday morning and admitted he was surprised by the condition of the course where he won the 2000 Open by eight shots and the 2005 Open by five.

"I was shocked," Woods added. "I had seen photos of it a month ago. It was bone dry. It looked like it was going to be one of those dust bowls again; hard, fast, like the years I've played St Andrews. It's changed. They got big rain and a lot of sun.

Former world No 1 Woods is currently ranked 226th after a nightmare season which has featured career-worst scores on the PGA Tour and in the US Open and a best finish of tied 17th in the Masters.

However, the 14-time major winner did card three sub-par rounds to finish joint 32nd in the Greenbrier Classic in his last start, including a bogey-free closing 67.

"I feel good," the 39-year-old added: "Sunday at Greenbrier is probably the best I hit it in two years. That was fun. It sounds crazy when I told everyone at Greenbrier that I felt close, after the scores I shot at the Memorial (85) and the US Open (80).

"I put it together at Greenbrier and hit it really good. [Instructor] Chris [Como] told me it was the first time I led the field in proximity to the hole with my iron game."

7/09/2015

Rory Will be Gutted - GMAC

Rory McIlroy will be "gutted" to miss out on the defence of his Open title next week, according to Ryder Cup team-mate Graeme McDowell.

McIlroy revealed on Monday that he had suffered a "total rupture" of the anterior talofibular ligament in his left ankle while playing football with friends at the weekend.

The 26-year-old pulled out of this week's Scottish Open at Gullane as a result and, although he initially did not rule himself out of competing at St Andrews, the four-time major winner has now revealed he is taking a "long-term view" of the injury and will remain on the sidelines to continue his rehabilitation.

The clash between McIlroy and Masters and US Open champion Jordan Spieth in the 144th Open had been eagerly anticipated and McDowell said: "It's hugely disappointing, especially with him and Jordan and everything that's going on. It was looking a really exciting Open for all involved.

"I was reading between the lines as to what the description of his injury was. I wasn't expecting him to play in the Open, so I'm not surprised he's pulled out. But it's a massive blow for the tournament, he's the world's number one player. We hope for a speedy recovery.

"No one would love to stop Jordan in his tracks next week more than Rory. With the fun rivalry going on and everything, he's going to be gutted. I saw the golf course last Saturday and I believed that Rory was rightly a favourite. I thought he'd get it done round there."

Former US Open champion Justin Rose added: "I would have been surprised if he was there given the initial diagnosis but it's a big shame for him and the tournament."

7/07/2015

Open and Out for McIlroy

Rory McIlroy has ruptured a ligament in his ankle while playing football with friends at the weekend.

The World Number One golfer from Holywood took to social media to share a picture of himself in crutches with his foot in a cast boot.

He said:" Total rupture of left ATFL (ankle ligament) and associated joint capsule damage in a soccer kickabout with friends on Saturday. Continuing to asses extent of injury and treatment plan day by day. Rehab already started.

"Working hard to get back as soon as I can."

McIlroy has not ruled himself out of next week's Open Championship at St Andrews, a spokesman for the golfer said.

The Northern Ireland golfer is due to take part next week in the the 144th Open where he is set to defend his title.

Rory McIlroy was at his brilliant best when The Open returned to Royal Liverpool in 2014.

The Co Down man led from start to finish, becoming only the third player in the history of the sport to win three Major Championships by the age of 25 after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Former Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance was taken by surprise by the news as he arrived at Wimbledon to watch the day's action there.

"That's the first I've heard of it but I'm in complete shock: that's a big blow to (the Open) if he misses it," Torrance told Press Association Sport.

"That's obviously bad news and I'd just wish him all the best and hope he can make a quick recovery."

Paul McGinley, McIlroy's captain at last year's Ryder Cup, heard the news as he visited Wimbledon on Monday and expressed his disappointment at the prospect of McIlroy not featuring at the 'home of golf'.

McGinley said: "I'm sure he'll be very disappointed. I'd like to find out a little bit more because sometimes these injuries can settle down very quickly. But it'll be a blow not just for Rory but a blow for the game as a whole.

"He's performed very well in the two majors so far this year. I know Jordan has taken all the plaudits in terms of winning but two top-10 finishes for Rory in the majors is a pretty good effort.

"I know St Andrews is a golf course he really loves and a golf course that really suits his game. It's a shame, a shame for the tournament and a shame for Rory if that's the case."

Recovery from injuries such as the one reported by McIlroy can take weeks or, in the worst cases, months and even require surgery. McIlroy has as yet given no details on the anticipated timescale for his recovery.

Should he be sidelined and be out of action for more than a month, he could be unable to defend his title at the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, which begins on August 13.

McIlroy has been only on the fringes of challenging at this year's majors, both won by Jordan Spieth. At the Masters in April he finished four strokes back while he finished tied ninth, five shots off the pace, at last month's US Open at Chambers Bay despite a final-round 66.

Much has been made of a potential rivalry with 21-year-old Spieth, who has risen to number two in the rankings, but the injury could prevent any head-to-head meetings in the remaining two majors of the summer.

9/25/2013

Clarke Keeps Believing

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Darren Clarke is pleased to be once again teeing it up in this week's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

The pro-am event is a one-off on the European Tour and pitches professionals chasing a potentially big payday with some high-profile celebrities and other amateurs of all standards.

The professionals react differently to the unique atmosphere but Clarke is looking forward to the challenge.

"Some of the amateurs take it seriously, some are here to have a little fun," he told Sky Sports. "But they've been well briefed and the majority of them have all played before.

"It probably relaxes you a little bit more, you try to help your amateur as well. Some of them get a little bit overawed with the situation but generally they're good fun and they know what to do and when to pick up.

"The course (at St Andrews) gets better and better. I think I was 15 when I first came and didn't know what to make of it. The more you come back and play it the more you understand it.

"We grew up playing some of the best links courses in the world and I play and practice at my home course, Royal Portrush.

"I'm working hard and unfortunately my scoring is just not there at the minute. One of these weeks it will start turning and I'll start playing the way I can.

"I've just got to keep working and keep believing."

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