The Irish Golf Club Gazette

11/19/2012

Get on G-MAC's Bike for Charity

Golf fans can bid in a charity auction for a custom-painted motorbike signed by Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy.

The Northern Irish trio signed the Honda Fury bike at this year’s Irish Open, held at Royal Portrush Golf Club.

Designed by Co Antrim artist Iain Baldwin and donated by the Belfast Honda dealership, the motorbike is worth £10,000 without the value added by the artwork and signatures.

Mr Baldwin worked 16 hours a day for eight days to finish the artwork, before the trio of Major Champions signed the bike during the tournament week.

The online auction closes on November 29, with all proceeds going to CLIC Sargent, the designated charity of the Irish Open.

Mr Baldwin came up with the idea after a conversation with CLIC Sargent Patron and former boxer Barry McGuigan.

“I got speaking to Barry and that inspired me,” he said.

“Normally I would hand over cash for charity and support them that way, but as I started up my own business I decided to give up my time by custom painting the motorbike.”

Please visit the online auction here

11/18/2012

Rory Lightens 2013 Schedule

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Rory McIlroy has vowed to cut back his competitive schedule next year after the disappointment of missing the cut in his defense of the Hong Kong Open.

The world's top-ranked golfer four-putted the final green Friday to finish three shots off.

It marks the second time this year the 23-year old has had to sit out the weekend rounds in the defense of a tournament after also missing the cut in June's U.S. Open at San Francisco.

Before leaving Hong Kong for Dubai and the season-ending World Tour Championship, McIlroy said he's learnt a further lesson and will spend the coming weeks working out where he'll compete in 2013.

"Of course, you're going to miss cuts in your career, but it's not nice and it's a tough pill to swallow when you're the defending champion in a tournament," the Northern Irishman said.

"While there's a part of me that perhaps wished my year had ended as soon as I wrapped up the Race to Dubai, I now look back over the last couple of years wondering why did I stretch myself so much," he added. "I've probably played an extra couple of tournaments too much and I have learnt from the last few years, so that's why I'm cutting back my schedule even further from next year."

Counting next week's European Tour closing event, McIlroy will have played in 24 tournaments this season as well as the Ryder Cup and teeing up in two exhibition tournaments -- the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final and the recent showdown against Tiger Woods in the `Duel at Lake Jinsha'.

McIlroy arrived in Hong Kong sounding tired after wrapping up the European Tour Race to Dubai money title a week earlier with his third place finish at the Singapore Open.

And his well-being was reflected in his lethargic manner over the two days in Hong Kong.

"I'm not sure if the energy in trying to sew-up the Race to Dubai and competing in the FedExCup has taken more out of me than maybe I thought, because while I am feeling OK physically, mentally I feel really tired," he said.

"When you achieve something that you want to achieve so bad, like the Race to Dubai, there is a letdown considering there are still two events remaining."

McIlroy teed-up in 28 tournaments in his first full pro season in 2008, and then cut that by three a year later.

Last year, he competed in 22 regular European and PGA TOUR events, but also contested the Grand Slam of Golf, the World Cup, the Korean Open and joined three others competing over seven days on seven courses in the China Golf Challenge.

After combined European and PGA TOUR earnings this year of $9,618,210, McIlroy will bank another $1 million by just teeing up in Dubai -- the "bonus pool" first prize for capturing the Race to Dubai.

The leading 10 Race to Dubai finishers at the close of next week's $8 million tournament will share an additional purse of $3.75 million.

Jimenez Surpasses Des Smyth

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Miguel Angel Jimenez became the oldest European Tour winner on Sunday by shooting a 5-under 65 to capture his third Hong Kong Open title.

At 48 years and 318 days, the Spaniard surpassed the previous record set by Ireland's Des Smyth, who was 48 years and 34 days when he won the 2001 Madeira Islands Open.

"Winning now, and becoming the oldest winner on the tour at 48, my goodness. Twenty-four years I've been on the tour, I've been around a long time," Jimenez said. "But I still love it and that is fantastic, to love what you're doing, and enjoy yourself, keep fit, keep working myself a little bit and stretching a lot. And that's the main thing to do to keep the body to compete with the new guns."

Jimenez earned his 19th tour victory by making four straight birdies from the seventh hole in his third straight bogey-free round to finish with a 15-under total of 265 on the suburban Fanling course. He was one shot ahead of Fredrik Andersson Hed of Sweden, who closed with a bogey-free 64.

As always, the Malaga-based Jimenez celebrated his success with a glass of Rioja and a cigar -- and credited those habits with helping his longevity.

"There is maybe olive oil in my joints, and drinking the nice Rioja wine and those things keeps me fit and flexible," he said. "Well, the most important thing (is), I do what I like to do in my life, and golf has given me all of this pleasure."

Jimenez earned $333,330 for the win, while Andersson Hed secured a place in next week's season-ending DP World Tour Championship with his second-place finish.

Australia's Marcus Fraser also shot a 64 to finish third on 12 under for his sixth top-10 placing of the season.

Italy's Matteo Manassero (68) shared fourth place with Ireland's Peter Lawrie (66) and Scotland's Stephen Gallacher (65).

New Zealand's Michael Campbell, who was tied with Jimenez for the third-round lead and looking to end a seven-year winless drought, double bogeyed the last in a score of 72 to drop to eighth place.

Welshman Rhys Davies (70) also had a disappointing day as his tie for 51st place means he will lose his tour card for next season after slipping outside of the top-119 who will retain automatic membership.

Davies arrived in Hong Kong lying 119th, but dropped to 120th -- missing out on retaining his tour card by just $133 on the money list. The European Tour also confirmed that John Daly will be facing a fine after throwing a club on the second day of the event.

Daly hurled his putter into the trees at the 11th green ahead of missing the cut after being continually bothered by fans using mobile phones and cameras.

Tournament director Mickael Ericsson said the tour will take those disturbances into account, but that Daly will still be fined.

"Yes, the circumstances regarding crowd manners and behavior will be considered, but when it all boils down there is still no excuse for throwing his putter," Ericsson said.

11/16/2012

Peter Lawrie Seals Dubai Place

Peter Lawrie started the week clutching the final ticket to the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, and now the Dubliner appears on course to end it with his berth booked for the season finale after signing for his second successive round of 68 at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

Lawrie came into this week’s US$2million tournament a mere €14,997 ahead of his nearest Race to Dubai rival, Englishman David Howell, but has consolidated his position in the top 60 of the Rankings with a polished performance at Hong Kong Golf Club.

The former Open de España champion suffered an early wobble on Friday morning, bogeying the fourth hole, but subsequently made light of the stiff breeze with restorative birdies at the seventh and eighth.

Lawrie eagled the par five 13th on the opening day, and he again showed his liking for the hole with a birdie on day two to move to four under par and within sight of the leaders – and indeed a trip to Dubai.

He said: “I came into the week in 60th position, which could be fortunate or unfortunate, depending on what way you look at it. I’ve been moving down the Rankings all the time over the last five weeks, after not getting into tournaments. So it’s quite difficult to get that out of your head this week.

“As I said to a few people at home, I have to try to play mind games with myself this week and try to get past it. I was in a similar position last year and managed to make Dubai, so hopefully we can get there again.

“I attempted to work out what I would need to guarantee my place when I got here on Monday, but I ripped it up straightaway and said to myself: “Don’t even go there, Peter”. Apart from anything, it’s complicated by the fact that South Africa finishes after us. So you could be on the plane to Dubai thinking you’ve made it, and all of a sudden you find out you haven’t. But we’ll just work away and see where it takes us.”

In many ways Lawrie’s predicament is a nice one is a nice one in contrast to the battle to claim a coveted place on The 2013 European Tour International Schedule, which is altogether more intense.

Hong Kong Cut for McIlroy

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World number one and defending champion Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Hong Kong Open on Friday after suffering a nightmare with his putter.

The 23-year-old Northern Irishman knew he had to shoot low in the second round after opening with a three-over-par 73 at the Hong Kong Golf Club on Thursday.

Starting from the 11th tee, he did just that producing four early birdies to get under par and within four shots of the lead.

However, at the par five third hole, his 11th of the day, he put his approach shot into a greenside bunker and after missing out on a good birdie opportunity, his charge up the leaderboard came to a halt.

A putt to save par at the fourth hole lipped out, at the seventh he misjudged the speed of the green and three putted and another shot was dropped on the following green when he put his first putt six foot past the hole and failed to hole the return.

He was on the projected three-over-par cutline as he played the tenth, his final hole of the day.

But he missed a birdie chance and went on to four-putt the hole for a double bogey to cap a frustrating two-over 72 round and a 145 total.

"The wheels came at that par five, it was a huge momentum breaker," McIlroy, who sealed the European Tour's money list last week with a third-place finish in Singapore told reporters.

"I had a great start getting it to four-under and in a position from which I might have even won the tournament but then it all went on the slide.

"Now I am going to work on few things with my putter before playing in Dubai next week," said the U.S. PGA champion.

In the group that finished after McIlroy, Anders Hansen from Denmark shot a six-under-par 64 to move into the early second round lead at seven-under.