The Irish Golf Club Gazette

9/21/2014

Rory Foundation Hosts Irish Open

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Rory McIlroy has significantly increased his commitment to the Irish Open with the announcement that his charitable foundation, The Rory Foundation, will become the official tournament host from next year.

The 2015 Irish Open Hosted by The Rory Foundation will be held from May 28-31 in McIlroy’s native Northern Ireland at Royal County Down, a venue which is particularly close to the World Number One’s heart and one which witnessed his final appearance as an amateur, in the 2007 Walker Cup.

The Rory Foundation, which was set up at the start of last year to raise funds for children’s charities across the world, will also become the tournament’s official charity, with the beneficiaries to be chosen by the Foundation in conjunction with The European Tour.

As the tournament host, McIlroy is committed to enhancing an already world-class field by recruiting his fellow players from both The European and US PGA Tours, and the four-time Major Champion will also work closely alongside the Tour in developing the event’s commercial and sponsorship activities.

At the announcement, which was made on Sky Sports on Sunday evening, McIlroy said: “Since making my debut in 2005, the Irish Open has always been a special tournament to me. I am excited to be partnering with George O’Grady and The European Tour, especially for next year’s tournament at Royal County Down.”

One of the major beneficiaries of The Rory Foundation, the Cancer Fund for Children, is located just a few miles from Royal County Down, in Newcastle.

McIlroy added: “It’s a coincidence, but a nice one, allowing the Cancer Fund for Children to be introduced to other golfers who would be moved and engaged by what it does.”

Welcoming the announcement, O’Grady said: “Since I first met Rory when he was playing for Europe in the 2004 Junior Ryder Cup team in Detroit, I could sense he was not just a remarkably talented golfer, but also a remarkable young man.

“As the Chief Executive of The European Tour, it has been a true pleasure watching Rory’s transition from one of the world’s leading amateur golfers in 2007 to the Number One golfer in the world and a four-time Major Champion.

“The European Tour is thrilled that Rory and his Foundation would wish to partner with the Tour and become more closely involved in the development of the Irish Open. Today’s announcement further demonstrates Rory’s uniquely special qualities and his commitment not simply to his national Open, but also to The European Tour.”

Lowry Claims Share of Second in Wales

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Shane Lowry was never able to get on level terms with the leaders on the final day of the ISPS Handa Wales Open, carding two bogeys and one birdie in his first five holes to sign for a round of 70 at The Celtic Manor.

So it was Joost Luiten who breathed a sigh of relief after overcoming a poor start and nervous finish to claim his fourth European Tour title in Wales.

The Dutchman, who was fifth in the defence of his KLM Open title on home soil last week, saw his two shot overnight lead disappear when he bogeyed the first two holes of the final round at The Celtic Manor Resort.

But the 28 year old hit back with three birdies and one bogey on the back nine to card a closing 71 and finish 14 under par, one shot ahead of England's Tommy Fleetwood and Ireland's Shane Lowry.

Fleetwood had looked out of contention following a double bogey on the 13th, but then chipped in for a birdie on the 14th, holed from five feet for eagle on the next and also birdied the last three holes for a closing 67.

That left Luiten needing to par the last three holes to win and he looked to have done the hard part with a superb up and down from a greenside bunker on the 17th, only to hit an amazingly wild drive on the last.

It took several minutes for the ball to be found in dense rough but Luiten was able to hack it across the fairway and into more rough, from where he found the green with his approach and two-putted from long range.

"It was tough, it was hard work down the last," Luiten admitted. "I didn't have the start I wanted with two bogeys and I just tried to hang in there and wait for my chances and made some nice birdies at the end and a par down the last was luckily enough.

“There's always a lot of tension on the first hole – you try to settle down, try to make an easy par or birdie and then I left myself quite a tricky first putt and I just didn't read it well. I didn't give the right pace and you leave yourself an eight footer downhill left to right and that's one you can make or miss and I missed it today.

“You just try to settle down the first couple holes, and after that, I got back into my game. I started to hit greens, and I just didn't really make any putts in the middle part - luckily we made a couple at the back.”

Like Luiten, Fleetwood has also come into form late in the season, finishing fifth in both the D+D REAL Czech Masters and Omega European Masters recently.

The 23 year old, who won his maiden European Tour title at Gleneagles last year, said: "After the double bogey on 13 I definitely wasn't thinking about getting to 13 under, just try your best on the last few and see what you can get. I wanted to get back to level par or under par for the day. I thought that would have been a good effort.

"After a poor summer, I wanted to finish the season well. I've been playing well recently and the more you get up there, the better. This is how you learn. You can't practice this on the range when you're coming down the stretch in the top five and just the more you do it, the better it is."

Five players shared fourth place, Ryder Cup debutant Jamie Donaldson carding a 67 to finish alongside Nicolas Colsaerts, Eddie Pepperell, Marc Warren and Edoardo Molinari.

"I'm very pleased," Donaldson said. "Celtic Manor is a tough golf course which doesn't quite suit my eye. It's been hard for me this week to keep focused and try and see the shots. If you take your foot off the pedal and there's a lot of trouble about.

"I'm happy the way I played over the last four or five weeks, building up to the Ryder Cup. I couldn't have asked for any more, really."

Team-mates Thomas Björn and Lee Westwood carded closing rounds of 74 and 76 respectively, Westwood having to birdie the 16th and 18th to avoid an even worse score.

"I needed to play some competitive golf and I've done that," said the 41 year old ahead of his ninth Ryder Cup. "I hit a few good shots (this week), not so good today, but I probably had one eye on next week. I don't think the concentration and the focus was there.

"The Ryder Cup is very special, I am looking forward to getting there tonight and preparing for Friday when it starts."

9/19/2014

Mediation On Horizon for McIlroy

Rory McIlroy has welcomed the court-ordered mediation between him and his former management company Horizon.

The world number one says attempts made in the past to resolve the issues out of court have been “knocked back”, but he is keen to end the legal dispute so he and Graeme McDowell can focus on their golf.

McDowell has been involved in the dispute with Horizon by McIlroy’s lawyers, who requested the Portrush golfer’s contractual details with the management company, and the four-time major winner is grateful for how his old friend has handled the awkward situation.

“We have tried over the past six months to get to that point of mediation and resolution and every time we have tried to engage it’s been knocked back,” McIlroy told The Times. “It’s great the judge has forced us into this mediation because it’s the best way to do it. The last thing we both need is a day in court.

“G-Mac has tried to stay out of it as much as he can - it’s none of his business, it’s nothing really to do with him. I know that it has placed him in a tough position but he’s done incredibly well in trying to be as impartial as possible.”

Before the mediation takes place, both McIlroy and McDowell will tee up for Europe in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles next week and it will be a welcome distraction for both players, whose relationship has become “strained” at times as a result of legal wrangling.

“At times it has been strained, of course, because he’s managed by people I used to be managed by, and if he’s with them then I don’t want to go over and start chatting,” McIlroy said. “But we’re still very close. We went out to dinner in Denver a couple of weeks ago. G-Mac’s in a great place in life - he’s just had his first baby - and we’re great, we really are.

“I will always be grateful to him for showing me the ropes when I came out on tour and I still feel I have a really good friendship with him, regardless of whatever else is going on.”

The pair have played together six times on Ryder Cup duty and 2014 captain Paul McGinley has said he would be “very surprised” if they don’t team up at some stage against the USA next week.

Lowry Tops Leaderboard in Wales

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Shane Lowry tops the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the ISPS Handa Wales Open after a flawless second round 65 at The Celtic Manor Resort, but admitted his position was something of a surprise.

The Clara man, who has recorded all three of his top-ten finishes this season on British soil, carded six unanswered birdies to move one ahead of first round leader Joost Luiten and big-hitting Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts on nine under par.

The 2012 winner Thongchai Jaidee and Italy’s former Ryder Cup star Edoardo Molinari are a shot further back on seven under, while one of Europe’s Team members for next week’s contest at Gleneagles, Jamie Donaldson, maintained his chances of becoming the first Welsh winner of his National Open with a second round 67 that left him five under.

The 27 year old Lowry’s four previous visits to the 2010 Ryder Cup venue had yielded only one made cut when he finished 39th four years ago, and after his round the two-time European Tour winner said: “I'm pretty happy. I've never, ever done well here before, so to be leading after two rounds is nice.

“There is still a long way to go in the tournament but I'm really looking forward to the weekend.

“I didn't drive it that good yesterday but still shot a decent score. I drove it a lot better today, drove it a lot straighter and gave myself a lot of chances and rolled in a few putts, so it was nice.

“I felt like coming over that I could give it a go this week. I was around tenth going into the back nine on Sunday last week, and similar the week before in Switzerland. If I can get myself in a good position come the back nine this weekend, again, hopefully I can give it a go.”

The 28 year old Luiten finished fourth in the 71° OPEN D'ITALIA Presented by DAMIANI and fifth in the defence of his KLM Open title last week and said: “I’m happy. It was tough today because the greens were very soft compared to yesterday with all the rain they had last night, and with the back pins, even seven irons spun back four or five yards, and it was tough to fly them all the way to the back.”

Colsaerts has not won since the Volvo World Match Play Championship in 2012 which secured his Ryder Cup place that year, but eagled the par five 18th for the second day running in his round of 68.

"It would mean a lot to win again after two years and struggling the first few months of the season," Colsaerts said. "Today I started very nicely but made two silly mistakes in the middle of the round and I almost lost it but it was nice to hole that putt on the last. It was about 35 feet with eight feet of break."

Ryder Cup wild cards Stephen Gallacher and Lee Westwood experienced differing results but similar emotions.

While Gallacher headed home in relaxed mood despite seeing his preparations cut short by missing the halfway cut, Westwood was equally happy that a battling performance ensured he would have two more rounds to get his game into shape for Gleneagles.

"Yesterday was quite tough," Gallacher admitted after a round containing two birdies - both on par fives - and one bogey. "It was tough to get going and get my head around it but today was a lot better. I was maybe trying a wee bit too hard yesterday and still thinking about next week.

"I feel good, I'm physically and mentally good so I am really looking forward to next week. I'll get up the road this afternoon and relax this weekend and maybe play nine holes with Thomas (Björn) on Monday morning. I've done my preparation for it and I just want to get up there and get going."

Westwood had also not played competitively since bowing out of the FedEx Cup play-offs after the first event, but recovered from an opening 73 with a 69 which featured two crucial birdies in the last four holes.

"I needed a couple more rounds," Westwood said. "I was not particularly competitive yesterday, it was pretty scratchy, but today was more solid. A few iffy shots but it was nice to finish with two birdies in the last four holes to ensure being here for the weekend and two more competitive rounds.

"I have been working on my game and been in the gym quite a lot, but I'm not quite match fit. I had three weeks off and you lose your sharpness."

Team-mate Björn, who played alongside Gallacher, added a 69 to his opening 71 to lie two under par, with Donaldson’s 67 most impressive of the Gleneagles-bound quartet.

Where are they Now - Philip Walton

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The County Tipperary Golf Club at Dundrum House is a 150 acre golf course specifically designed to use the natural features of woodland, parkland and Multeen River where Philip Walton combined the natural elements to create a very challenging par 72 course.

At St. Helen’s Bay Golf Cub in Rosslare he designed a championship that overlooks one of Ireland's most beautiful beaches on the south east coast wherehe took the challenge of forging a stern golfing test from the mixture of parkland and links. The 17th and 18th holes enjoy a view of beach and sea which accompany the fairways all the way home.

Away from golf course design Walton also shares a common link with fellow Irishmen Paul McGinley, Eamon Darcy, Christy O’Connor Jnr and Graeme McDowell; Philip Walton will always be remembered for securing that all important point in the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York in 1995.

Playing Jay Haas of the USA in the penultimate singles Walton held his nerve to two putt the final green for a European win much to the delight of his team Captain, Bernard Gallacher, and team mates; Seve Ballesteros, Howard Clark, Mark James, Ian Woosnam, Constantino Rocca, David Gilford, Colin Montgomerie, Sir Nick Faldo and Per Ulrik Johansson.

Philip Walton grew up in Malahide and spent three years at Oklahoma University on a Scholarship.

In the Walker Cup Philip won three points out of four in 1981 and 1983 before turning professional that same year.

Walton has won the Irish PGA Championship four times and previous winners include Padraig Harrington [6]; Paul McGinley [4], Darren Clarke and Christy O’Connor Snr [10].

In 1995 Philip Walton, Ronan Rafferty and David Feherty won the Alfred Dunhill Cup, a team golf tournament which ran from 1985 to 2000 with three man teams representing each country and promoted as the "World Team Championship" hosted at St Andrews in Scotland.

On the European Tour Walton was a winner three times with victories at the Open de Catalonia, Peugeot Open de France and Murphy's English Open.

In 2004 he returned to The European Tour after losing his card in 1999, and enduring five unsuccessful visits to the Qualifying School Finals in the preceding years.

Walton qualified for The Open Championship in 2008 at Royal Birkdale.

In 2010 Walton played the 3 Irish Open in Killarney and finished 12th in the Irish PGA Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with PING and Failte Ireland.

He also hosts the annual Philip Walton Golf Classic at Dundrum House in July with another annual event at Malahide Golf Club every summer.

Philip Walton is a regular commentator on the game with a column for the 2010 Ryder Cup with the Evening Herald.

Once Walton turned 50 in 2012 he became eligible to play the European Senior Tour.

Victories

Peugeot Open de France (1990)

Murphy’s English Open (1995)

Catalonia Open (1995)

Team Events

Ryder Cup (1995)

World Cup (1995)

Alfred Dunhill Cup (1990)

Irish PGA

PGA Championship (1987)

PGA Championship (1989)

PGA Championship (1993)

PGA Championship (1995)

Amateur Career

Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship, (1981)

Spanish Open Amateur Championship (1981)

Amateur Team Events

Walker Cup (1981, 1983)

Eisenhower Trophy (1982)

Personal

Date of Birth 28/03/1962

Residence: Co. Meath, Ireland

Attachment: FORE Ireland

Turned Pro: 1983 (plus 1)

9/21/2014

Rory Foundation Hosts Irish Open

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