McGinley 65 Still Not Enough

 

Paul McGinley put together a spectacular run of birdies to move to within a shot of the lead during the third round of the Ballantine’s Championship. The former Ryder Cup hero, who won the last of his four European Tour titles back in 2005, started with five birdies in his first six holes at Blackstone Golf Club.

He added another again at the 12th, and then at the 18th to sign for a third round 65 and 7 under for the tournament.

But it was Bernd Wiesberger who again took complete control after a second consecutive 65  at the Blackstone Golf Club. One clear of 2010 champion Marcus Fraser overnight, Wiesberger matched his own course record to reach 14 under par.

“I think that's what we call a great day at the office,” the Austrian said afterwards. “It was fun out there. It was nice conditions again like yesterday, and really nice set up for the course. I enjoyed myself out there, made a lot of putts and that was the key to another perfect day.” 

A 15 footer for birdie at the fourth and a five foot putt at the sixth kept him ahead on the front nine, and he forged clear with a spectacular inward 31.

The 26 year old barely missed a putt after the turn, holing a 12 footer for birdie at the tenth, converting from ten feet for another gain at the 12th, then preventing a first dropped shot in 36 holes by saving par from 15 feet at the 13th.

That was followed by a brilliant downhill 20 footer for birdie at the 14th, and Wiesberger displayed his all-round talents with a tee shot to two feet at the 16th and a chip to within a foot at the last.“Out there on the greens I really felt like I saw the lines perfectly today and I putted the ball nicely,” added Wiesberger, who won twice on The Challenge Tour in 2010 and was a runner-up twice on The European Tour last year. 

“It feels like I'm getting into position more often, and played well when I was in those positions in the last half of the year last year. It was a good preparation the last two years, and I hope it pays off tomorrow.”

Australian Fraser played some fine golf in his 69, but in contrast to his playing partner struggled to get the putter going and now has five shots to make up in the final round.

Chile’s Felipe Aguilar (68) and England’s Oliver Fisher (67) share third on eight under, with Ryder Cup veterans Miguel Angel Jiménez and Paul McGinley a shot further back.

But they will all need something special to catch Wiesberger and Fraser certainly feels it will be difficult to stop the runaway leader claiming his first European Tour title.

“I felt really comfortable out there, hit a lot of good shots inside 20 feet, and just couldn't get anything going,” said the 33 year old.

“I hit putts where I was wanting to hit them, but they just weren't taking the break. 

“I felt like I was playing chase out there most of the day and trying to keep up. Bernd is playing great - so much game and definitely a star of The European Tour to come. He's obviously a great player now but he's got big things in front of him, that's for sure. 

“It reflects the way he's playing. He played great here and gives himself a chance on every hole and he's a great putter, as well. 

“If I was a betting man, I would put the house on him. He's just played so well and looks very comfortable.”

Shane Lowry signed for a third round 70 and share of 29th place on 2 under par.

Gareth Maybin was one strike further back with an improved 67 on day three.

Damien McGrane was 2 over par overall after Saturday's round of 73.

Clarke Misses out in Incheon

Darren Clarke carded a level par second round on Friday, after an opening round of 77, and just misses the cut by one stroke at the Ballantine's Championship. The tough weather conditions at the Blackstone Golf club on the opening day left him battling at five over par total to earn a weekend stay.

Gareth Maybin on the other hand just made the mark after a second round 75 left him on +4 overall - and one stroke to the good.

Damien McGrane, Shane Lowry and Paul McGinley are alllevel for the torunament at close of play on Friday. 

But it is Bernd Wiesberger who leads and believes he is mentally ready to win his first European Tour title after taking full advantage of benign morning conditions to lead at the halfway stage.

The 26 year old Austrian carded a brilliant seven under par 65, and having opened with a respectable level par 72 on a blustery first day, leads by one from Australian Marcus Fraser.

Wiesberger was twice a runner-up in his rookie season last year, and having been beaten in a five-man play-off at Gleneagles by Thomas Björn feels he has gained some crucial experience to help him over the weekend.

“Last year I've always kind of hung in there,” he said. “So I feel comfortable up there. It's different for you if you go in the last day as the leader, but we'll see how it goes. 

“We'll see how tomorrow goes, and I'll just take it easy and hope that I have a nice day tomorrow.”

After starting on the back nine and turning in 33, Wiesberger holed a 20 footer for birdie at the second, knocked in a 25 foot uphill putt at the fifth, and struck his approach to five feet at the sixth.

That took him into a share of the lead, and the two-time Challenge Tour winner finished by holing a downhill chip from the rough at the ninth to complete a blemish-free second round.

Fraser, who won this title on Jeju Island in 2010, signed for a 67 that left the 33 year old one ahead of Swede Oskar Floren.

“Today I couldn't really do anything wrong really,” added Wiesberger. “It felt like everything was going in the right direction. 

“I’m just trying to hit a lot of greens and try and hit on the right spots, which is important here. It's a tricky golf course when you hit into the wrong places.” 

Fraser started on the back nine and turned in 32 after four birdies, the last of which came when he chipped to within a foot from a greenside bunker at the par five 18th.

He then added further gains at the first and second, the latter after an approach to five feet, but bogeyed both par threes on the front nine and only a birdie at the fifth kept him in solo second.

“Obviously yesterday was very windy, pretty tricky for everybody,” said the two-time European Tour winner. 

“And then today was completely different. We basically had no wind for most of the day and then it kicked up a little bit over the last maybe five, six holes. But overall, I’m very happy and very pleased with the way it's going at the moment.” 

Asked what it was about the Ballantine’s Championship that brought the best out of him Fraser joked: “It's obviously just the alcohol – I can't really survive without it! 

“It's obviously one of our premiere events now on The European Tour, and Ballantine's have been such a great sponsor and product. It’s just a great week and somewhere I love coming back.”

Floren was level par for his round and the tournament with five holes to play, but followed birdies at the 14th, 16th and 17th with an eagle three at the 18th.

“I hit a terrible, terrible tee shot on 14 but got a break with it and hit a good shot in and knocked in the birdie,” he said. “From there on, I hit only good shots.”

Spanish Ryder Cup star Miguel Angel Jiménez, England’s Anthony Wall and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar share fourth on four under, with none of the afternoon starters able to break into the top six in much windier conditions.

Philip Ready for Pula Waltz

Philip Walton is best remembered as the man who sealed victory for Bernard Gallacher’s European team at The 1995 Ryder Cup, and the Irishman is hoping to rekindle that competitive spirit when he makes his Senior Tour debut at the Mallorca Open Senior next month.

Walton, a three time winner on The European Tour, turned 50 in March and, after seven years away from competitive golf on the continent, is primed for a return to action in the Senior Tour’s first tournament of the season at Pula Golf Club.

The Dubliner has been working tirelessly on his game and fitness over the last few months and his excitement for his Senior Tour debut is palpable.

“I’ve been a long time out of it really,” said Walton. “I just can’t wait to get going now. I’m really looking forward to it.

“It’s a second chance for me and that’s the way I’m looking at it, so I want to make the most of it. I played on the Irish PGA and Pro-Am circuit for a few years and did quite well, but I had got used to the traveling lifestyle of The European Tour and I’ve missed it.”

One thing Walton is particularly looking forward to is reuniting with all the friends he made during his 22 year career on The European Tour, with former Ryder Cup team-mates Mark James, Costantino Rocca, Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam all Senior Tour regulars.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing a lot of the lads again,” he said. “It’s crazy that I haven’t seen any of them in so long, but I’m good friends with Stephen McAllister and Eamonn Darcy and a few more of the lads so it’ll be great to be back in their company week by week.

“I know it’ll be a little bit more relaxed than before, but there are some top class players out there on the Senior Tour with the likes of Peter Fowler, Barry Lane, Andrew Oldcorn – there are so many of them - so I know it won’t be easy.

“But hopefully some of the lads will be scared of me now, being one of the new fellows out there, and they know I was a tough nut back in my day. I suppose they’re all tough nuts really though, so it’s just case of cracking them.”

Mallorca is the first stop for Walton and having played there a number of times during his professional career, he knows what to expect.

Expectations of immediate personal success are being kept in check for the time being, but he feels that if he starts the season well, he could be in with a chance of beating players such as McAllister, Malcolm Mackenzie, Miguel Angel Martin and Philip Golding in what is sure to be a closely fought race for the 2012 Rookie of the Year award.

“I’ve played Pula Golf Club a few times down the years and I know it can get really tough if the wind picks up,” he said. “There are a lot of elevated greens so that’ll make it tough in windy conditions. I haven’t had great results there to be honest, but this time out it will hopefully be a bit more relaxed and I’m looking forward to it.“It is hard to say how I’ll fare. I’ll just see how I go at the start. I think if I play well in the first couple of months, a couple of top 20 or top ten finishes to start, then I’ll have a good season, but it will probably take a few weeks. I just hope I can find that gritty competitive spirit that I had before.”

McGinley in Early Ballantines Mix

Paul McGinley battled the cold and gusting winds that greeted yesterday's early starters at the Ballantines Championship in Korea where self-belief was essential firing through swirling breezes and marked elevations to tiny target areas on Blackstone's rolling greens.


McGinley (45) signed for a one-under-par 71, which left him three off the lead in a tie for seventh with, among others, pre-tournament favourite Adam Scott.


Though tired after a day's toil on undulating hillside terrain, McGinley revealed that he had "absolutely no problem" with the chronic knee injuries that have hampered him so badly in recent years.

"I shortened my schedule a little at the start of this season and I've definitely reaped the benefit. I'm really with my knee," he said. "The biggest challenge now is not physical, it's mental -- trusting it and getting onto my left side (in the swing)."

McGinley is even looking forward with optimism to the summer.

"I've only played four events this year. From Wentworth on, I'll play a full schedule, the tournaments I normally play. Hopefully, I'll be nice and fresh this year," added McGinley, who had three birdies and just two bogeys on a day in which potential disaster lurked around every dog-leg.

Scott had to recover from a double-bogey six at dawn after hitting a stiff-limbed approach into the greenside hazard at 10, and Victor Dubuisson (22) needed to sink 18-foot putts for bogey at one and par at two before going on to post the stunning 68 which gave him the first-round lead.

Gareth Maybin played the front nine brilliantly in three-under, but stumbled on the way home to a level-par 72 which still edged him into the top 20.

Damien McGrane opened with a 73, Shane Lowry shot 74 and Darren Clarke returned from his honeymoon with a ring-rusty 77.

Dyson Defends Irish Open Title

Simon Dyson will bid to become the first player for 15 years to successfully defend the Irish Open when the €2million event takes place at Royal Portrush Golf Club from June 28-July 1.

Successive rounds of 67 over the weekend at last year’s Irish Open earned Dyson his sixth European Tour title, and the Englishman has now set his sights on following in the illustrious footsteps of Colin Montgomerie, who took the coveted title in 1996 and 1997.

Dyson dropped just three shots over the four rounds at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club in a display he labelled his “best of the year”, and the 34 year old is now hopeful those cherished memories will act as the catalyst for a successful title defence when the Irish Open returns to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1947.

He said: “My main memories from last year were coming down the stretch on the final day, starting with my nine iron tee shot into the par three tenth. That got everything rolling really. My four iron into the 11th to 12 feet was probably one of the best shots I hit all season, and the whole back nine was probably the best golf I played all year.

“I hit lots of fairways and greens, gave myself loads of chances and never got into any real trouble. To play that well and not win the tournament would’ve been heart breaking, so the sense of relief when I got over the line was overwhelming.

“The Irish Open is a tournament you want your name associated with, so I felt very lucky to add mine to the list of former champions. The crowds were absolutely fantastic – they were five deep on both sides of the fairway coming down the last hole, which made for a very special atmosphere. I’m lucky enough to have won a few times on The European Tour, but that final round was definitely one of the highlights of my career.”

Having only played Royal Portrush during an amateur career which included a victorious appearance at the 1999 Walker Cup, Dyson’s first-hand knowledge of the stunning 6,843 yards, par 72 layout in County Antrim falls some way short of the host nation’s quartet of Major Champions, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy. 

But having received glowing reports from the reigning Open Champion Clarke and the 2010 US Open Champion McDowell, Dyson is relishing the prospect of making his first professional outing at Royal Portrush, where he will attempt to join some of the game’s greats – including Seve Ballesteros, Sir Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam – in the exclusive club of players who have retained the Irish Open title.

He said: “I played Portrush in the Home Internationals for England, but I can’t remember too much of the place. However I’ve been chatting with Graeme and Darren, and they both say it’s a fantastic course, so I’m really looking forward to defending my title there. I’ve never managed to defend a title before in my career, so the Irish Open wouldn’t be a bad place to start.”