McDowell Talks EurAsia

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"This is a lovely time of year, as I don't have to see the inside of a plane or stick my clubs in a flight bag for a few weeks.

With the PGA Tour based in Florida at the moment, I can feel the benefit of being based at Lake Nona, near Orlando. It's why so many European professionals, especially from Great Britain and Ireland, choose to live here.

Last week I could do all my preparations on the range at home before putting my clubs in the back of my car and driving to the Honda Classic in Palm Beach on the Wednesday morning. Sleeping in my own bed really helps keep the mind and body fresh.

The back of the range at Nona has been pretty busy of late. Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Peter Hansen and Henrik Stenson have all been there. In fact, it's been like a European Tour event.

I'm a bit different from the other guys because I like to play more rounds rather than spending every hour on the range. My dad's in town for a couple of months, so we are out most days playing a few holes together.

But most of the others spend more time on the range, so I'd be lying if I said there were loads of big money games going on.

I live just a drive and flop shot from the back corner of the range, which is set aside for touring pros. The facilities are great with a chipping green, wedge play area and putting green.

Me, Ian Poulter and a few of the others have carts decked out in European Ryder Cup colours, which we use when we go to practice. Fortunately there aren't too many American players based at Lake Nona - they'd probably throw up every time they see us!

It's not the type of environment where players would ever get bothered. I play with members on a regular basis but the practice area is a cool place where you can go and do your own thing.

We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to base ourselves in Florida. It has become home for me; I got married here and have settled down out here.

Portrush will always be home. But in many ways, travelling from there is difficult. It's an hour to Belfast airport and then you often have to connect through Heathrow.

That brings in problems such as losing golf clubs if a connection goes awry and you just can't get home on a Sunday night after a tournament. Throw in the added benefits of Florida's climate - and the facilities we have access to - and it becomes a no brainer.

This week, I will get in early for the WGC Cadillac Championship. I want to have a look at the Blue Monster course, see the design changes and factor in any new strategies I might need.

It's been the ideal start to the year, finishing seventh at Pebble Beach and then somehow claiming three comeback wins at the Match Play. I like that event, it simulates final-day pressure right from the word go.

It gave me the chance to tighten up all facets of my game; holing putts and making swings under pressure - so it was the perfect work out.

There's more matchplay on the horizon when I play for Europe against Asia in the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia at the end of March.

It's a shame the event is mired in controversy - with there also being the Royal Trophy, run by the Ballesteros family. I know Ivan Ballesteros has said that his uncle Seve wanted the Royal Trophy to be the one, in terms of a Europe versus Asia competition.

It's a touchy subject and a tough one to reconcile. The Asian market is very important to the European Tour.

I think one of the two matches has to stake its claim to be our equivalent of the Presidents Cup. It would be fantastic, in a non-Ryder Cup year, to have a really good strong Europe versus Asia match and I don't believe there is room for two of them.

It's a tough one, though. From my point of view, the EurAsia Cup sits very well. I didn't fancy either of the PGA Tour's Texas tournaments, one of which runs in late March and the other in early April. But at the same time, I wanted to make sure I played in the fortnight before the Masters.

So why not enjoy three days of team golf, keep my game sharp and spend some time with some of the European boys? I'll get to see Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley there and really get the juices flowing.

I hope it will be a pre-curser to September at Gleneagles and it will help me focus on what I'm trying to achieve this year.'

BBC

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Honda Play-off Loss for McIlroy

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Russell Henley came out on top in a four-way play-off to deprive Rory McIlroy of victory as the Honda Classic.

The pair, playing in the final group, both finished eight under alongside Ryan Palmer and Scotland's Russell Knox after a remarkable last hour at the Jack Nicklaus-designed PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

McIlroy had earned his place with a stunning approach to the last but faltered around the green when the hole was replayed for the play-off and it was Henley who prevailed with a birdie four.

McIlroy began the day 12-under-par, two clear of his playing partner, but both his birdies on the front nine were immediately cancelled out by bogeys.

He dropped another shot at the ninth to leave himself 11 under and it closed up further on the back nine.

McIlroy dropped another at the 12th and followed a double-bogey at 16 - where he hit out of a bunker into the water - with another bogey to fall out of the lead altogether.

Henley had pitched in at 14 for a second successive birdie but gave both strokes back at the next when he dunked his tee shot in the water.

Palmer bogeyed the last to fall to eight under and was joined by Knox, the Scot's double-bogey six at the 14th proving costly - but the pair were able to watch in hope while keeping loose for a possible play-off.

At the 18th, though, McIlroy produced a moment of magic to set up the chance of a fairytale winning eagle.

The 24-year-old's second shot carried the water and bunker in front of the green and stopped almost dead, 20 feet from the pin.

Henley responded by duffing his pitch on, leaving himself a 60-foot birdie putt which he lagged to within five.

McIlroy's eagle putt trickled just by on the right and after he tapped in, Henley also holed out to make the play-off and he kept his nerve to make birdie while his rivals fell away.

McIlroy said afterwards  “I didn't play well enough to deserve to win today. It's very disappointing. It was a perfect opportunity to win. No one was really coming at me.

“There’s a few positives to take, but obviously it’s going to be hard to get over because I had a great chance to win my first tournament of the season and I didn’t.

“It’s tough to take at the minute but I’ll sleep it off tonight and get back at it.”

Earlier, world number one Tiger Woods withdrew after 12 holes of his final round due to back pain.

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Irish Open Champ wins Tshwane

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Michael Hoey signed for a final round 68 on Sunday at Centurion to finish with a share of second place at the Tshwane Open in South Africa. An early eagle on the par five fourth helped Joey moved to within touching distance, along with a birdie from 30 feet at the 11th.

However a double bogey at the twelfth then undid that strong rally.

In the end Ross Fisher won the Tshwane Open at Centurion by three shots after a two-under-par final round 70.

Fisher started the day with a five-shot lead and although that was whittled away to just one after 11 holes. But he held his nerve to win by three from Hoey and South African Danie Van Tonder.

Fisher, whose last European Tour victory came at the 2010 Irish Open, sealed the win with an eagle three on 15 after Hoey had got to within a shot just after the turn.

It gave him a four-shot cushion at Copperleaf, the longest European circuit layout.

The 33-year-old Fisher had not won on the European Tour since the 2010 Irish Open in Killarney and, after tumbling out of the world's top 50 during his title drought, has now thrust himself into contention for the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles later this year.

Hoey moved to within touching distance with a birdie from 30 feet at the 11th, but a double bogey at the next stalled his progress.

Fisher's work was not done, however, as Van Tonder and Del Moral then made their moves and set up a potentially nervous finale, after the Englishman had dominated for the entire weekend at the 7,964-yard, Ernie Els-designed course.

Whittled down

As he stepped up to the 15th tee, Fisher's lead had been whittled down to two strokes by both Van Tonder and Del Moral.

Fisher had picked up just a single stroke for the round up until that point, but saved his best for when it counted as he reached the 15th green in two before holing a 30-foot eagle putt.

Careful pars at 16 and 17 ensured Fisher was able to walk up the 18th with victory assured and, while he finished with a bogey, a long-overdue win was secured for a player who has been as high as 17th in the world.

Victory leaves Fisher sitting 16th in the Ryder Cup standings and is set to lift him up to 52nd in the world rankings.

"I'm thrilled to get over the line," Fisher said. "It was a testing day with the weather conditions and playing with Mike he put up a great challenge for me.

"I set a target of trying to go out there and shoot in the 60s and almost managed to do it. I had a little mishap on the last but I'm just glad to be standing here talking to you as champion."

Fisher admitted his eagle on the 15th had helped to settle any potential nerves.

"It's been pretty good to me this week (the 15th hole)," he added. "There have been a couple of eagles, but that was a big putt there.

Coast in

"I know I was only a couple ahead. To hit a nice shot there and have a good look at three and to see it drop - I think I went four shots clear with only three to play I knew I could coast in.

"There was a little wobble on a few of those holes and I managed to make a couple of good par-saves of 16 and 17.

"It would have been nice to shoot 69 but unfortunately I missed one on the last. I'm not going to complain."

His long putt on 15 typified a good week with the shortest stick and, after struggling on the greens in the past - Fisher welcomed the change.

"That's been an Achilles for many, many years," he said. "For some reason this week I saw the lines in the greens and felt really comfortable on the greens all week.

I'd love to know how much footage I holed this week because it was quite a lot."

Kevin Phelan, the European Tour Rookie, finished T6 and collects a cheque for€44,750 for his efforts this week with a final round of 70.

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McIlroy Set for Sunday Drive

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Rory McIlroy will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Honda Classic following a 69 at PGA National on Saturday.

Whilst McIlroy extended his overnight advantage by a stroke, it could easily have been more as he experienced a rather frustrating day on the greens.

Despite carding four birdies against three bogeys to reach 12-under, the Northern Irishman grazed the cup from distance on more than one occasion, most notably following two excellent efforts at 17 and 18.

He finished the day two clear of nearest challenger Russell Henley (68) who came to life on the back nine with three birdies and an eagle.

Scotland's Russell Knox also posted a 68 to move into third on his own at nine-under, while Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas shot a fine 66 to claim sole possession of fourth at eight-under.

England's Luke Donald (68) is part of a four-man group at seven-under alongside American duo Keegan Bradley and Ryan Palmer and Stuart Appleby of Australia.

Meanwhile, world No 1 Tiger Woods produced the joint-best round of the day with a 65 to move through the field and into a tie for 17th at five-under.

But Woods remains seven back of McIlroy despite his excellent efforts and looks to have left himself too much to do in Sunday's final round.

McIlroy made a fine start with birdies at one and three on 'moving day', but hit the turn at level-par for his round after back-to-back bogeys at the sixth and then the par-three seventh.

A wonderful approach at 12 yielded another birdie, but he would give that gain back following a short missed putt for par at 14, before stroking in his final birdie of the day at 16.

For his part, Henley looked set for a day of frustration as he followed a bogey at the second with nine straight pars, missing several presentable birdie opportunities.

But his luck changed at 12 as he found the cup from 12 feet for birdie and he then conjured an incredible eagle at 14 as he holed his second from the fairway.

Although he would bogey the next, he then rattled in a huge birdie putt from the fringe at the par-three 17th to keep on McIlroy's coat tails and will partner the two-time major champion in the final group on Sunday.

Tshwane Chance for Hoey

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Michael Hoey carded a 69 on day three of the Tshwane Open in South Africa and heads into the final round in the last pairing with leader Ross Fisher.

Fisher shot a five-under-par third round 67 to move into a five-shot lead at Centurion. Leading by a shot on Friday, Fisher overcame a bogey at the first to surge clear of Hoey.

Yorkshireman Simon Dyson and Spaniard Carlos Del Moral are a shot further back in a share of third after both got round the Copperleaf lay-out in 71, with Ireland's Kevin Phelan in a seven-strong group another stroke adrift.

Fisher got off to a shaky start, but birdied the second and third - both thanks to putts of around 25 feet - before scrambling a par on the fourth after finding a bunker off the tee.

The 33-year-old former Ryder Cup player found more sand on the par-three fifth and missed from four feet for par, but hit back in superb fashion with an approach to the sixth which finished just inches from the hole.

A carbon copy of that shot on the next gave the world number 82 another birdie and he holed from 12 feet on the ninth as well to reach the turn in 33.

Two more excellent iron shots on the 13th and 16th gave Fisher further birdies and put him in pole position for a fifth European Tour title, his last coming in the Irish Open in 2010.

"I didn't get off to the best of starts on the first but then found my range on the second and third and that really got me settled in," Fisher said.

"I hit it very close on six and seven after dropping one on five, so that was a nice bounce back and it felt like I played a lot better on the back nine. I missed a couple of make-able ones but I am not going to be sat here too unhappy with 67 in those conditions.

"Three rounds down, one to go. Five shots is a nice lead but a lead is never too big. I expect guys behind me to shoot good scores, so if I want to win I need to shoot something in the 60s, keep playing aggressive golf and making as many birdies as I can."

Fisher reached a career-high 17th in the world in 2009 after finishing fifth in the US Open and winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship, but is currently ranked 82nd after failing to keep his card on the PGA Tour in 2013.

Banter

"Last year for me was quite a change in lifestyle," Fisher said. "I enjoyed it but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Europe. I missed the camaraderie and the banter you get on the driving range, you don't quite get that in America, it's a lot more serious.

"The primary goal is to get back into the top 50, I feel like I belong there.

I've been there before, struggled the last couple of years to get back in there, but I feel like I am playing as good as I ever have been and similar to when I was contending in majors and got myself into the 2010 Ryder Cup team.

"If I were to go out there tomorrow and shoot a good score and win, it would be a massive confidence booster and a big step in the right direction."

Hoey had carded seven birdies in a row during his second round of 65, one off the European Tour record, but was unable to repeat such heroics on Saturday.

The five-time European Tour winner carded six birdies and three bogeys in his 69 and will partner Fisher in the final group on Sunday.

Dyson had looked set to join Hoey on 13 under but bogeyed the last after a poor approach and had to settle for a 71 that was matched by playing partner Del Moral, winner of the tour qualifying school last November.

Kevin Phelan fired a 68 to remain in 5th place with Shane Lowry six places further adrift.