Rory Seeks Heaven on Dubai Earth

It’s all to play for at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World although Rory McIlroy admits it’s a tough ask to pip Luke Donald to the Race to Dubai title.

Mclroy’s impressive victory in the UBS Hong Kong Open last weekend kept the Race alive and he has to win again on Sunday if he is to have any chance of catching the World Number One, and even then Donald will still achieve the historic double of winning the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic with a top nine finish.

But while the odds are stacked against him, McIlroy is determined to give it his best shot over the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“I’m excited,” said the World Number Two. “There's a lot to play for. I’ve still got a slim chance of trying to win The Race to Dubai, and so it's nice to just have that coming to the quick.

“I've got to win and Luke has to finish outside the top nine or ten, whatever it is. I'm really not counting on him to do that because he's only finished outside the top ten about twice this year. So it's going to be a tough ask but I'll give my best and it would be great to finish the year on a high.

“It's a golf course that I've had some success on the last couple of years with a third place and a fifth place. I just went out there this morning and the golf course looks fantastic. They have overseeded and it looks in the best shape ever.”

McIlroy’s bid may, however, be hampered by a virus he picked up recently and he went to see a doctor on arrival in the United Arab Emirates for the Dubai World Championship.

"I won't get the results back until later on this week," said the Northern Irishman. "I picked up a virus and my white blood cell count was very low, so the tests were to see if it's back up again."

It is hardly surprising. McIlroy has been virtually non-stop since late September and that has included three trips to the Far East and one to Bermuda.

"I'm not energy-wise where I want to be, but I took a day off yesterday and took it easy," he added.

"I'm going to play the pro-am today and practise and I'll probably take another day off tomorrow - maybe hit a few balls.

"I'll really try and conserve my energy and focus it all into the four tournament days.

"I'm not 100%, but I'm still able to go out and play 18 holes and try and give it my all.”

Higgins Makes it to Catalunya

David Higgins of Waterville and Limerick’s Cian McNamara produced sub-par last rounds in Spain on Monday to take a closer step to securing their European Tour cards for next year, with both playing at the Las Colinas course. 

Higgins fired a 68 and McNamara a 69 for total scores of 280 – four under par – and they finished in joint 16th spot to make it through to the final stage starting on Saturday.

However at the same course Royal Dublin’s former amateur international Niall Kearney, Aaron O’Callaghan and Brendan McCarroll all failed to make progress.

Northern Ireland’s US based Chris Devlin pulled was at El Valle and carded a four-under par 67 for a 281 aggregate for a share of 14th place, after a third-round 75 looked like it might cost him. In the end he took one of the 20 places on offer from that venue.

Mark Staunton of Castleknock missed out after a disappointing closing 73 but he may make the final if there are withdrawals. 

Former Shamrock Rovers Stephen Grant failed to build on some good work this week and joined the Asian Tour based Niall Turner on the wrong side of the cut. 

Colm Moriarty’s failure at La Manga was another disappointment for a player that has enjoyed moments of genius in recent years. But he could do no better than 290 and joint 38th place.

Neil O’Briain also lost out with a final round 76. 

Michael McGeady also missed out for another year.

The final stage starts on Saturday at PGA Catalunya in Girona with six rounds offering up only 30 European Tour cards.

But somewhere near Newcastle, in County Down, 2009 Q School qualifier Simon Thornton is no doubt enjoying some babysitting, thanking his lucky stars that his final tournament finish on the Challenge Tour last month spared him a dreaded return to Catalunya this December. A venue he has been for the past two years battling for his playing rights, with last year proving fruitless.

Indeed, on the European Tour both Damien McGrane and Gareth Maybin will no doubt be feeling the same relief.

Q School Stage Two at Halfway

Saturday saw plenty of good scoring as the Second Stage of Qualifying School continued at La Manga, El Valle, Costa Ballena and Las Colinas.

England’s Graeme A Clark continued his fine start to the Second Stage of Qualifying School at La Manga Club by following yesterday’s stunning seven under par 66 with a solid 69 to tie for the lead after today’s second round.

Clark made a perfect start in Cartagena with a birdie at the par four first hole and after making eight straight pars on the remainder of the front nine the Yorkshireman made further birdies at the tenth, 13th, 16th and 18th holes, with the only blemish coming in the form of a bogey at the par four 15th hole.

Italian Andrea Perrino was one shot of the pace after Friday’s round but today posted an excellent five under par 68 to join Clark in a tie for the lead at 11 under par in a round that featured seven birdies and two bogeys.

After shooting a stunning eight under par 65, Argentina’s Clodomiro Carranza propelled himself into sole possession of third place at ten under par, while one shot further back are Englishman Sam Matton and American Scott Pinckney.

Allan Versfield, joint leader with Clark after the first round, signed for a two over par 75 leaving the South African tied for tenth place at five under par.

Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren retains a narrow lead at the top at El Valle Golf Resort after adding a two under par 69 to yesterday’s course record of 63.

Lagergren, 20, is one shot clear of the field at the halfway point of the event and could have been even further ahead but for a string of three bogeys at the 14th, 15th and 16th holes. However, birdies at the second, seventh, ninth, 11th and 18th holes helped the Challenge Tour member to ten under par going into tomorrow’s third round.

Englishman David J Smith followed yesterday’s 65 with a three under par 68 to sit one shot off the lead in a round that included four back-to-back birdies from the 14th to the 17th, while his fellow countryman Daniel Brooks is a further shot back after posting an excellent second round 66.

At ten over par, James Maw hasn’t had much to smile about until the Englishman made a hole in one at the 202-yard par three sixth with an inch-perfect four iron.

Sam Hutsby produced a superb six under par 66 to lead by two shots after the second round at the Costa Ballena Ocean Club.

Hutsby, who narrowly missed out on a place at the Challenge Tour Grand Final after finishing 48th in the 2011 Challenge Tour rankings, carded six birdies, including four on the back nine, in what was a flawless round that took the Englishman to nine under par.

Hutsby’s fellow countryman Jason Levermore stormed into a share of second place at seven under par after signing for an excellent seven under par 65, along with Frenchman Xavier Poncelet who carded a five under par 67 to supplement yesterday’s 70, while one shot further back at the halfway stage in Jerez is another Englishman, Luke Goddard, who today shot a four under par 68. 

It was tough going for yesterday’s co-leaders, though, as former amateur World Number One carded a three over par 75 to slip to a tie for 27th place, while Pedro Oriol and Wade Ormsby both hit one under par 71s to sit four shots off the pace ahead of Sunday’s third round.

England’s Ben Barham stormed into a two shot lead at Las Colinas Golf and Country Club after shooting an immaculate five under par 66 in the second round.

Barham, a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour, carded birdies at the third, fifth, sixth, tenth and 16th holes in an unblemished bogey-free round to complete a pair of 66s over the first two days in Alicante.

The Netherlands’ Tim Sluiter shot a best of the day 65 to sit two shots behind Barham at the halfway stage in what was a fine round that included a superb eagle at the par five third hole and four birdies at the ninth, 13th, 16th and 18th holes.

Meanwhile, a further two shots back going into Sunday’s third round is South Korea’s Byeong-Hun An who today produced a five under par 66.

Over 300 players, across four venues in the south of Spain, are this week bidding for a place in the Final Stage of Qualifying School due to be held at PGA Catalunya, Spain, from December 10-15.

With the Second Stage being played alongside the penultimate event of The European Tour season in Hong Kong, the number of exempt places is set to be finalised on Sunday evening and the exact number of qualifying spots from Second Stage will be determined and published following this, however there will be a minimum of 16 spots available at each venue.

Magical McIlroy Wins in Hong Kong

Rory McIlroy set up a thrilling conclusion to The Race to Dubai with victory at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

The European Tour season will reach a dramatic climax at the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World, where World Number One Luke Donald and World Number Two McIlroy will battle to become European Number One.

The 22 year old Northern Irishman put Donald’s dream of becoming the first player to top the money list on both sides of the Atlantic firmly on hold with a remarkable display at Fanling, chipping in from a greenside bunker at the last to finish 12 under par.

There were five birdies and no bogeys in the US Open Championship winner’s closing 65 as he held off a string of challengers.

McIlroy finished two clear of France’s Grégory Havret, who was also round in 65, and now heads to the Earth Course needing a second consecutive victory and Donald to finish 

“I’ve wanted to win this tournament so badly since that play-off in 2008,” said McIlroy, who has now finished second, second, sixth and first in the last four years at Fanling. “I’ve had to wait a couple of years to get there but to get this trophy in my hands is very special.

“It meant a lot knowing that I had to go out there and play well to keep myself alive in The Race to Dubai, probably to keep second place in the World Rankings. To produce the sort of golf I did today was very pleasing. 

“I’ll always come back to the tournaments that I love and Hong Kong is one of those tournaments. I absolutely love it here and it will be great to come back next year and defend this title.”

European Tour School Stage 2

Ahead of the final stage of the Qualifying School process being held next week at PGA Catalunya in northern Spain, over 300 players are this week battling it out across four venues in the south of the country for a coveted place in the final field, a battle that began today.

Swedish Challenge Tour Member Joakim Lagergren holds a one shot lead at the El Valle Golf Resort, Murcia, after posting a stunning eight under par first-round 63.

Lagergren, who finished 86th in the 2011 Challenge Tour Order of Merit, carded a flawless bogey-free round that included four birdies on the front nine – at the first, third, seventh and eighth holes – before matching this par total on the back nine after eagling the 296-yard par four 11th and holing birdies at the 12th and 16th holes.

The Swede, who recently turned 20, made it to the final stage last December only to finish 59th and went on this year to complete his first full season on the Challenge Tour after turning professional last year.

The Netherlands’ Floris De Vries, who finished fourth in the 2010 Challenge Tour rankings, has played his first full year on The European Tour this year is one shot back from Lagergren after shooting an excellent seven under par 64.

De Vries, currently 169th in the 2011 Race to Dubai, carded six birdies on the back nine to come home in a superb 29 shots.

Meanwhile, three players are tied for third place in the early standings, with Welshman Mark Laskey, England’s David J Smith, and Scottish amateur James White a further shot back after signing for six under par 65s.

South Africa’s Allan Versfield and England’s Graeme A Clark are tied for the early lead at La Manga Club, Alicante, after both men shot superb seven under par rounds of 66 in the opening day’s play.

Versfield, currently 18th in the Order of Merit on his native Sunshine Tour, posted an unblemished score that included five birdies – at the fourth, ninth, 13th, 16th and 17th holes – plus a fine eagle at the testing 587-yard par five sixth hole.

Meanwhile, Clark, who hails from Doncaster in England, equalled the South African’s efforts after shooting an impressive eight birdies and one bogey over the South Course at La Manga today. The Englishman made it to this stage in last year’s Qualifying School only to miss out on a trip to PGA Catalunya after eventually finishing 59th at the penultimate hurdle.

It was a day for good scoring in Cartagena, with Wales’ Seon E Bebb and Challenge Tour Member Italian Andrea Perrino just one off the pace after both carding six under par rounds of 67, while five other players sit just one shot further back after the first round exchanges.

Former amateur World Number One, American Peter Uihlein, is in a three-way tie for the lead at four under par after the opening day’s exchanges at the Costa Ballena Ocean Club in Jerez.

Uihlein, the 2010 US Amateur Champion, started steadily with seven pars before making birdie at the par five eighth and again at the tenth, 12th, 13th and 17th holes, with the only blemish coming in the form of a bogey at the long par three 14th.

Spaniard Pedro Oriol, who won the 24th card at the 2010 Qualifying School Final Stage, also shot a steady 68 to join Uihlein at the top after the first round, as did Australian Wade Ormsby who afterwards revealed that the windy weather had played its part in a testing day in Jerez.

Scotland’s Jack Doherty, the Netherlands’ Taco Remkes and England’s Sam Hutsby all posted three under par 69s, with eleven players a further shot back at two under par.

At the Las Colinas Golf and Country Club, Denmark’s Andreas Hartø is one of five players tied for the early lead at five under par after the first round.

Hartø, a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour in 2010, bounced back from a bogey at the par five third hole to card six birdies – at the fourth, sixth, 11th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes – to secure an opening salvo of 66.

His compatriot Morten Orum Madsen also signed for the same score in a round that featured a fine eagle on the par five 18th hole, while South Africa’s Le Roux Ferreira, Finland’s Antii Ahokas and England’s Benn Barham also equalled the Danes’ scores to make a strong start to their quests for a place in next week’s final stage.

However, six men lurk one shot further back at the close of Friday’s play, including Frenchman Christophe Brazillier and Scotland’s Elliot Saltman, after posting four under par 67s.

Over 300 players, across four venues in the south of Spain, are this week bidding for a place in the Final Stage of Qualifying School due to be held at PGA Catalunya, Spain, from December 10-15, however Qualifying School Director Mike Stewart earlier made an announcement as regards to the eventual amount of spots available in the field for the final.

Stewart said: “With the Second Stage of the Qualifying School being played against the penultimate event on the European Tour (the UBS Hong Kong Open) and the various anomalies and uncertainty that this has created, the entry deadline for the Qualifying School Final has been extended to 17.00 (UK time) on Sunday 4th December.

“The number of exempt places will therefore be finalised on Sunday evening and the exact number of qualifying spots from Second Stage will be determined and published following this.

“Nevertheless we can confirm at this point that there will be a minimum of 16 spots available at each venue.”