McIlroy One of Game's Best - Torrance

Rory McIlroy deserves to be rated among the best golfers in history after his stunning performances this year, according to Sam Torrance.

McIlroy bounced back from a troubled 2013 campaign with four victories this season, including two majors and a maiden World Golf Championship title during a sparking run of form over July and August.

He kick-started his year with a superb win in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, and he produced a dominant display to collect his first Open title at Royal Liverpool in mid-July.

The Northern Ireland ace made it three wins in three starts with further victories at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, and he capped a memorable year by helping Europe to their third straight Ryder Cup triumph.

Torrance was one of Paul McGinley's assistant captains at Gleneagles, and he was hugely impressed with what he saw of McIlroy at close range.

"Rory is as good as I've seen in a long, long time," said the 61-year-old Scot. "He's got everything. Butch Harmon did an analysis of his swing and every single pinpoint part was in a perfect position.

"I don't think Rory can get much better and I fancy him to win any tournament he plays in. Every 10 or 20 years someone like him comes along" 

Sam Torrance

"I don't think Rory can get much better and I fancy him to win any tournament he plays in. Every 10 or 20 years someone like him comes along.

"Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, these guys only come along every once in a while and Rory has now arrived and is here to stay."

McIlroy was close to unstoppable as he thrashed good friend Rickie Fowler 5&4 in Sunday's singles at the Ryder Cup, carding seven birdies and an eagle in a remarkable 14 holes.

"His start on the Sunday, 3-3-3-3-3, to go five up on one of the young American lions was extraordinary," added Torrance. "That's something Rory has got, the ability to turn it on. I watched him up close at Gleneagles and it was like something I've never seen before."

Torrance also admitted how "honoured" he was to be directly involved with Europe's Ryder Cup team for the first time since he captained the side to victory at The Belfry in 2002.

"It's been a long time, 12 years, since I was last in the team room and to be invited back was a huge honour," he said.

"The highlight for me was to be able to watch the way the players these days hit the golf ball. It's a game I'm unfamiliar with, the distance they hit it, the clubs they hit for their irons, and it's wonderful to watch.

"Everything about the European team was exceptional. The team effort, the way the players gelled, the way they looked after each other and the companionship in the team room."

Torrance also had nothing but praise for McGinley's leadership, adding: "He was as good a captain as there has ever been. Paul was meticulous in everything he did, it was a different style to anything I've ever seen.

"The team meetings every night, his involvement with the caddies, the people he got to come in and talk in the team room.

"He was positive, he was vocal, he spoke to everybody. His involvement with the caddies was special, he gave them a very high position that week, they had lunch with us in the team room all the time and it led to a great atmosphere," said Torrance.

"There was lots of banter and the atmosphere was really good from start to finish. His speeches at night, in the team meetings, were extraordinary, and for me it was just great to be a part of."

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Designer McGinley Opens North Course

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Paul McGinley was on hand to open his latest design project, the redeveloped North Course at the prestigious Quinta do Lago resort, part of The European Tour Properties portfolio.

The popular Irishman has redesigned the layout in close collaboration with renowned American architect Beau Welling. The €9.6m redevelopment is part of the €29m investment programme that has already been undertaken by Quinta do Lago since 2009, with a further €21m earmarked for improving its facilities over the next three years.

The redesign sees McGinley strengthen his association with a resort which he has often frequented over the past 20 years. In 2011, the Irishman opened his Paul McGinley Golf Academy, before launching a new state-of-the-art TaylorMade Fitting Centre last year.

McGinley said: “This has been a very exciting project to be involved in, and Beau and I are very proud of what we have created.

“I’ve been coming to Quinta do Lago with my family for many years now, and it keeps getting better and better. The new design will test golfers in many different ways, and I believe this is a great addition.”

The new layout has been built to the highest specifications, with the emphasis firmly on precision and strategy. Whilst many modern-day venues tend to focus on length, Welling and McGinley were keen to design a course where accuracy and course management are the key factors.

The renovation has also allowed Quinta do Lago to further reduce the impact on the environment by using recycled water and solar energy to maintain the course. The reduction of grassed areas will lessen the impact on the environment, and the new design will include the creation of some new animal and plant habitats.

Set amongst 2,000 acres of the picturesque Ria Formosa Natural Park, Quinta do Lago has become one of the most highly-regarded golf and residential developments in the Algarve since it opened in 1972.

Located just 15 minutes from Faro airport, the resort offers residents and guests an unparalleled location benefiting from a year-round temperate climate, a variety of lifestyle pursuits and a strong sense of community.

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McGinley Named Golfer of the Month

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Paul McGinley has been named the Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month for September for his inspirational leadership of Europe’s emphatic 16½ - 11½ success against the United States in The 2014 Ryder Cup at The Gleneagles Hotel, in Scotland.

McGinley, who receives an engraved alms dish and a Jeroboam of Moët & Chandon champagne, earned high praise from his 12 team members, with Rory McIlroy, winner of four Major Championships and currently Number One in the 2014 Race to Dubai, declaring: “Paul left no stone unturned. He was just fantastic, absolutely immense from start to finish”.

The 47 year old Irishman, who holed the winning putt in The 2002 Ryder Cup, maintained an unbeaten record in the biennial competition having also been a playing member of the winning team in 2004 and 2006, and a vice captain in the 2010 and 2012 triumphs.

McGinley said: ““I feel like there are 12 winners of the Golfer of the Month Award rather than me, but I’m delighted to accept this award on behalf of those 12 players who represented Europe so magnificently in The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. I’m very honoured and humbled to have been their Ryder Cup captain.”

The European Tour Golfer of the Month Panel, comprising members of the Association of Golf Writers as well as commentators from television and radio, focused their attention on winning and exceptional performances on The European Tour International Schedule, and also considered outstanding performances by all European Tour Members worldwide.

Jamie Donaldson, who became the first Welshman to claim the winning point in The Ryder Cup and the first rookie to win three points since Justin Rose in 2008, finished tied fourth in the ISPS Handa Wales Open and tied seventh in the Omega European Masters, and in addition England’s Paul Casey (KLM Open), American David Lipsky (Omega European Masters) and Dutchman Joost Luiten (ISPS Handa Wales Open) were all winners on The European Tour International Schedule.

Derek Lawrenson, Golf Correspondent of the Daily Mail and Chairman of the Association of Golf Writers, said: “How good to see Paul Casey and Joost Luiten return to the winners’ circle in September. Here are two men who will surely come in for serious consideration for Europe’s next Ryder Cup team, while congratulations to David Lipsky for his fairytale success.

“But this was a month dominated by The Ryder Cup and it is only right the award should go to Captain Paul McGinley on behalf of the victorious European team, while also recognising the Irishman’s magnificent contribution to the 16½ - 11½ success. McGinley got his deserved reward for an 18 month stint where he performed the role with admirable diligence and immense patience and craft.”

James Haddock, Golf Reporter for Sky Sports News, said: “The style of Paul McGinley’s captaincy and his meticulous preparation and attention to detail have heralded a new era of how to do the job of leading the European team in The Ryder Cup. He got the best out of his players both physically and mentally. He led them into matches with a forensic approach that has now set the bar for all who follow him. It may not be a performance with clubs in his hands, but this was one of the most sparkling displays in Paul McGinley’s career.”

Iain Carter, BBC Golf Correspondent, said: “My vote goes to Paul McGinley. Quite simply he elevated the role of captain to a new level with his meticulous preparation to inspire Europe to a commanding and memorable victory.”

Spain’s Miguel Ângel Jiménez (December), Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher (January), France’s Victor Dubuisson (February), Welshman Jamie Donaldson (March), France’s Alexander Levy (April), Germany’s Martin Kaymer (June) and Northern Irishman McIlroy (May, July and August) have also won The Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Month awards this year. Sweden’s Henrik Stenson won the DP World Championship, Dubai in 2013 to secure the Number One spot in The 2013 Race to Dubai, following which he was voted The 2013 Race to Dubai European Tour Golfer of the Year.

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Rory Fires 64 on Old Course

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Rory McIlroy shot a 64 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews on Saturday on the Old Course to finish 12 under alongside French duo Alexander Levy (68) and Raphael Jacquelin (69).

McIlroy found himself nine shots off the lead after struggling to an opening 73 at Carnoustie, one of the three courses used for the pro-am event.

But the four-time major winner bounced back with a 67 at Kingsbarns on Friday and carried on where he left off at St Andrews, a course he "hated" on his debut in 2005 but which is now a favourite and the place where he will defend the Open Championship next July.

McIlroy, who was an approximate eight under par in beating Rickie Fowler 5&4 in the singles in Europe's Ryder Cup victory last week, birdied five holes in a row from the third and also picked up a shot on the ninth to be out in 30 and move into the lead.

That lead did not last long as Wilson chipped in for an eagle on the fifth and also birdied the sixth, but McIlroy responded with birdies on the 11th, 12th and 14th before dropping his only shot of the day on the 16th, where he needed two attempts to play out sideways from a fairway bunker.

"I got off to a really fast start and was trying to keep it going, and I sort of did through the turn, but the last four holes weren't really what I wanted," said McIlroy, who has finished second twice, third and eighth in five appearances in this event.

"But any time you shoot a score like that around St Andrews, you have to be happy. I got myself into contention going into tomorrow and my dad (his amateur partner) and I are going to get to play St Andrews on his 55th birthday tomorrow which will be a huge treat for both of us.

"Shooting a 59 never really crossed my mind. What did cross my mind was wanting to beat my previous best score round here of 63 (in the first round of the 2010 Open)."

Oliver Wilson will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews.

Wilson, who has finished runner-up nine times on the European Tour but lost his card in 2012, carded a third round of 65 at St Andrews to finish 15 under par.

Wilson is ranked 792nd in the world and a lowly 102nd on the Challenge Tour rankings, but a win on Sunday would be worth almost £500,000 and a two-year exemption on the European Tour.

"I'll be nervous," admitted Wilson, who played on the 2008 Ryder Cup team. "It's a big day for me. Last year I got off to a great start here and kind of fizzled out.

"But the way I played the last two days, I left so many putts out there and I'm still at the top. So that gives me a lot of belief, but tomorrow will be a very different day. But that's what we play golf for, to get in those situations and test yourself. I am looking forward to it.

"I've had the belief for a while, I've just needed a little bit of adrenaline to be honest. I've been flat all year for various reasons and to get the opportunity to come here and play is very nice and I guess I come to a tournament like this with a bit more dynamism."

McIlroy admitted to feeling "a little flat" on Thursday following his Ryder Cup heroics at Gleneagles, where he used a new driver but waited until this week to also switch his irons.

"I thought there might have been a bit of too much hoopla to put them in last week, along with the new driver, so I delayed those for a week," McIlroy added.

Fleetwood matched McIlroy's outward half of 30 and made it six birdies in a row on the 10th as he continued the excellent form which has produced three top-five finishes in his last five events.

"You didn't see any scores like that when we were waiting in the clubhouse to get out there when it was just so cold and damp and windy," Fleetwood said. "I just got on a really good spell in the middle of the round and I kept it going. My putting was just on fire really.

"They are courses that I love and I always like coming to Scotland. I'm always going to look forward to this event. It's never a guarantee that you're going to play well but it just so happens that I've had two good years in the last three.

"It's nice to put another good round in and be competing again on a Sunday here, especially around the Old Course. It's just brilliant."

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Lowry and Harrington Share Second

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Shane Lowry signed for a seond round 70 on a difficult second day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Friday, adding to his opening 66 at Kingsbarns to finish eight under par in the pro-am event, one shot ahead of Scotland's Chris Doak, whose 67 at Kingsbarns was one of the best scores in wet and windy conditions.

A birdie on his final hole ensured Lowry edged ahead of the pack on a crowded leaderboard, with Padraig Harrington, Oliver Wilson and Raphaël Jacquelin all seven under par alongside Doak.

Stephen Gallacher, who made his Ryder Cup debut last week at Gleneagles, had also been seven under before a double bogey on the seventh at Kingsbarns, where European team-mates Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Victor Dubuisson were also in action.

McIlroy, partnered by his father Gerry and keen to make the cut in the team event so Gerry could play St Andrews on Sunday on his 55th birthday, started the day nine shots off the pace and dropped back to two over par with a bogey on the 14th.

However, the World Number One responded in style with a superb fairway-wood approach to the par five 16th and rolled in the eagle putt from 15 feet before making birdies on the 17th, first and third.

The 25 year old then drove the green on the short par four sixth to set up another birdie and move to four under par, just four behind Lowry and with a potential two more rounds at St Andrews to come.

McIlroy carded an opening 63 over the Old Course in the 2010 Open and has also finished second twice, third and eighth in five appearances in this event.

Raphaël Jacquelin finished with consecutive birdies to snatch the halfway lead at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The Frenchman, a four-time European Tour winner, carded a second round 70 at Kingsbarns to lie nine under par in the pro-am event also played over Carnoustie and The Old Course at St Andrews.

That was one ahead of Irish pair Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry and England’s overnight leader Oliver Wilson.

Wind and rain made scoring more difficult on Friday but Jacquelin birdied his final two holes to move into pole position for a fifth European Tour title.

“I’m pretty happy, especially the way I finished,” said Jacquelin, whose last title came at last year’s Open de España after a record-equalling nine-hole sudden-death play-off.

“I birdied 17 and 18, so it was good before having dinner and going to rest. 

“I didn't play that well, and not as well as yesterday, but it was not that easy, a bit of wind, a bit of rain, a bit of cold as well. 

“I feel good - it's a long weekend, a lot of golf to play, so the game of golf it's not that easy.”

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