McIlroy Slips to Number 4

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Rory McIlroy continues his slide down the world rankings after Adam Scottleapfrogged the 24-year-old following his success in The Barclays which sees the Northern Irishman slip to number four.

McIlroy was world number one this time last year but he has suffered a dramatic dip in form since returning in January, a loss of form he doesn't blame on his new Nike equipment.

Masters champion Adam Scott is up to a career-high second.

Scott carded a final round of 66 at Liberty National to finish one shot ahead of a group of four players, including world number one Tiger Woods and US Open champion Justin Rose.

On the European Tour, Tommy Fleetwood's play-off win over Stephen Gallacher and Ricardo Gonzalez in the Johnnie Walker Championship lifted the 22-year-old Englishman from 277th to 162nd in the standings.

Latest leading positions and points average:

1 Tiger Woods (USA) 14.38 

2 Adam Scott (Aus) 9.43

3 Phil Mickelson (USA) 8.62

4 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 8.17

5 Justin Rose (Eng) 7.87

6 Matt Kuchar(USA) 6.58

7 Brandt Snedeker (USA) 6.32

8 Jason Dufner (USA) 5.99

9 Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 5.82

10 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 5.76

11 Luke Donald (Eng) 5.08, 12 Keegan Bradley (USA) 5.05, 13 Lee Westwood (Eng) 4.92, 14 Steve Stricker (USA) 4.92, 15 Jim Furyk (USA) 4.69, 16 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 4.52, 17 Ian Poulter (Eng) 4.51, 18 Jason Day (Aus) 4.48, 19 Ernie Els (Rsa) 4.43, 20 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 4.36.

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McIlroy Cards Liberty 65

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Rory McIlroy finished up his delayed round at Liberty National early with a birdie at the 18th for a second round of 65 at The Barclays.

On six under par, the Northern Irishman is well in contention ahead of the remaining two rounds in New Jersey.

Poor light forced a premature end to yesterday’s play with McIlroy, having already carded seven birdies and two bogeys through 17 holes, comfortably in the mix after building solidly on an opening round of 71.

After taking a three at the par-four 18th this morning, he will resume this afternoon well positioned to attack the lead held byMatt Kuchar.

The American also had to finish his second round this morning and carded consecutive birdies at 16 and 17 before a dropped shot at the last saw him sign for a 65 also. On 11 under, he holds a two-shot lead over Webb Simpson and Gary Woodland, who were tied for the clubhouse lead at nine under last night.

“I’ve been playing some good golf,” Kuchar on the PGA website last night.

Woodland birdied on four of the last five holes propelling him to a 64 and a share of the lead alongside Simpson, who carded a 66 and acknowledged he needed to enjoy his lead while it lasted.

“A lot of guys are playing good golf and my guess is at the end of two rounds I won’t be leading because there are a lot of birdie holes,” he said.

Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley were two shots further back after rounds of 64 and 63 respectively.

Tiger Woods cancelled out three early birdies with three bogeys yesterday to sit on five under par.

Graeme McDowell missed the cut after rounds of 71 and 72 - finishing one shot off the mark.

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McIlroy Bounces Back at Barclays

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Rory McIlroy's opening round of level par 71 at the FedEx Cup play-offs was every bit as explosive, unpredictable and sometimes spectacular as the electrical storms which twice interrupted play at The Barclays in Jersey City.

Showing the same fighting spirit which propelled him into the top-10 at the recent US PGA, McIlroy bounced straight back from ugly double-bogey sixes with a birdie and then an astonishing eagle at Liberty National.

Graeme McDowell joined the Holywood star on the same score, after a less erratic round. The two compatriots sat seven shots behind the early club house lead of Kevin Stadler, who was one ahead of Ryan Palmer and Henrik Stenson. Though wayward from tee to green, Tiger Woods scrambled brilliantly for a bogey-free 67.

All season, McIlroy has been blighted by grievous errors on the golf course, but the difference at Oak Hill, and again yesterday, was his blunt refusal to let them get him down. However, yet a third double-bogey when he hit his tee shot out of bounds at the ninth, his final hole, cast a dark pall over his day's work.

One under after holing from five feet for birdie at the par-five 13th, McIlroy made a hash of 15, where he pulled his tee shot left into the waste area, found the front left bunker in two and then hit his next through the green on the way to an ugly six.

Still, he rebounded with a sweet birdie six at 16.

McIlroy responded to his double-bogey at five, where he hit his approach into water tight to the left of the green, by holing from 29 feet for a fabulous eagle at the long sixth.

Those storms led to two long stoppages as the early starters, including McIlroy, Woods and McDowell played their first round.

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Clarke Decides on Celtic Manor

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Darren Clarke is among the late entries for the ISPS Handa Wales Open at Celtic Manor next week. 

Clarke, who won his first Major Championship at Royal St George’s in 2011, tees up in Wales alongside a host of other Ryder Cup stars including Miguel Angel Jiménez, Francesco Molinari, Ross Fisher and José Maria Olazabal. 

The popular Northern Irishman was a vice-captain to Colin Montgomerie in Europe’s thrilling Ryder Cup victory at Celtic Manor in 2010 after making five appearances in the contest as a player. The first man after Tiger Woods to win two World Golf Championship events, Clarke has claimed 14 European Tour titles in all, and was also a vice-captain to José María Olazábal in The 2012 Ryder Cup.

Other European Tour champions entered for the ISPS Handa Wales Open from August 29-September 1 include Denmark’s Thomas Björn and Thorbjørn Olesen, Spanish quartet Alvaro Quiros, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Pablo Larrazábal, Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and Englishmen Chris Wood, David Howell and Simon Dyson. 

Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee defends the ISPS Handa Wales Open title he won in testing conditions last year to claim his first victory on European soil. Also part of a truly international field are Finland’s Mikko Ilonen, Australian Brett Rumford, Austrian Bernd Weisberger, Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin, Dutchman Joost Luiten, American Peter Uihlein and South Africa’s Darren Fichardt. 

The tournament marks the start of the points race for qualification for The 2014 Ryder Cup at The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, and European Captain Paul McGinley, himself a former champion at Celtic Manor, will be keeping a close eye on all the hopefuls teeing off their campaigns. 

Celtic Manor Resort Chief Executive Dylan Matthews said: “It’s always a real pleasure to welcome back so many star players of The European Tour. 

“The ISPS Handa Wales Open has grown into one of the premier events on The European Tour International Schedule and is also a highlight of the Welsh sporting summer. 

“This tournament is a fantastic opportunity for golf fans to see some of the world’s best players up close and enjoy a great value family day out.” 

With a prize fund of £1.8m, the ISPS Handa Wales Open is now in its 14th consecutive year at Celtic Manor.

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Gleneagle Eye for McGinley

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Paul McGinley will be keeping a close eye on both the course and the players who perform well on it this week, as the European Tour visits Gleneagles for the last time before next year's Ryder Cup.

European captain McGinley will play in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles this week, with his two opening rounds alongside Shane Lowry and Danny Willett - who will both be keen to make an impression.

McGinley has an unenviable task in some ways as he tries to follow the amazing events of both Celtic Manor and Medinah and retain Europe's stranglehold on the tournament.

Part of the process for McGinley is studying how to set the course up, as home captain, and also on how certain players play on the track, so it will be a big week for him in Scotland as he will have plenty of information to collect.

McGinley will play the PGA Centenary course himself this week, but will also have a close eye on who performs well on the lay-out as he picks up clues for his possible wild card selections - plenty of whom may just have a quite word with the skipper.

Course form

"I'll be more impressed with how they (players) play than what they say," said McGinley. "But of course I'll be watching.

"I'm a great believer in horses for course and I'm a great believer in history around a gold course and it's no coincidence that some guys play well on a certain golf course and better than others.

"Of course I'll be watching everybody that plays well, like I will have done in terms of who has played well here over the last nine or ten years that we've played here when it comes to making the three picks next year."

McGinley has taken a good few decent looks at the course, but playing it will give him a better appreciation of how he would like it to be set-up ahead of the Ryder Cup.

"I think it's a good learning curve for me to have another round around here," he added.

"The course is improving all the time - the sub air system is in now in the greens so they are starting to get a little bit firmer than they were in the past, so it's a great chance for me to get an idea of course set-up."

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