GMAC Cancels Quail Hunt

Graeme McDowell has pulled out of this week's PGA Tour Wells Fargo event at Quail Hollow.

The 2010 US Open champion said that he felt "under the weather" at last week's Zurich Classic.

"Very much wanted to play Quail Hollow but didn't want to go there undercooked. Practice and rest for me this week," McDowell said on Twitter.

Rory McIlroy will be in action at the Quail Hollow event where he claimed his first PGA Tour win in 2010.

“It was a two-horse race for 40th”Rory McIlroy after finishing level with Tiger Woods in this year's Masters

He will defend his US Open title in six weeks' time and is expecting the Olympic Club course in San Francisco to be a tougher test than last year's Congressional venue.

The Northern Irishman knocked four shots off the US Open championship record as he shot 16 under par last year.

"The thing that made the scoring low was the fact they got so much rain before," said McIlroy.

"Last year was a bit of an exception. I'm expecting something around level par isn't going to be too far away."

That was the score with which Lee Janzen won the title the last time Olympic staged the event in 1998 - and Jack Fleck and Ben Hogan tied on seven over par back in 1955.

Pebble Beach was firm when Graeme McDowell won two years ago, with McIlroy missing the cut on that occasion.

"At that point I was not playing so well," the 22-year-old added. "I was not in control of my ball."

The recent Masters was billed as McIlroy versus Tiger Woods in some quarters, but it did not turn out like that.

"It was a two-horse race for 40th," joked McIlroy, remembering that they finished level.

Nobody has made a successful defence of the US Open since Curtis Strange in 1989.

McIlroy Faces Olympic Challenge

Rory McIlroy is expecting a far stiffer test when he defends the US Open in six weeks' time - but not because he knocked four shots off the championship record last year.

The weather is likely to dictate that the Olympic Club in San Francisco will be fast and fiery for the second major of the season.

McIlroy was 16-under-par and eight clear of the rest at Congressional near Washington, and said: "The thing that made the scoring low was the fact they got so much rain before.

"Last year was a bit of an exception. I'm expecting something around level par isn't going to be too far away."

That was the score with which Lee Janzen won the title the last time Olympic staged the event in 1998 - and Jack Fleck and Ben Hogan tied on seven over par back in 1955.

Improved

Pebble Beach was firm when Graeme McDowell won two years ago, with McIlroy missing the cut on that occasion.

"At that point I was not playing so well," the 22-year-old added. "I was not in control of my ball."

The recent Masters was billed as McIlroy versus Tiger Woods in some quarters, but it did not turn out like that.

"It was a two-horse race for 40th," he said, remembering that they finished level.

"Hopefully we both play a bit better at Olympic. It would be great to get into contention and if he's there as well."

Nobody has made a successful defence of the title since Curtis Strange in 1989.

Clarke Targets BMW PGA

Darren Clarke is eyeing victory at the BMW PGA Championship - 20 years after he first appeared at the tournament.

The reigning Open champion admits he would love to add the title at the European Tour's flagship event to his CV.

Clarke, who first appeared at Wentworth back in 1992, finishing 54th, said: "I think if you ask any player on the European Tour to pick one event outside the Majors that they'd want to win one day it would be the BMW PGA Championship and I am no exception.

"Obviously to do it on the 20th anniversary of my first playing in the tournament would be extra sweet but I'm under no illusions about the task in hand because the field is always one of the strongest of the entire year.

"I can't really believe it is 20 years since I played for the first time - time really does fly by when you are having fun. If I'm being honest though, I can't really remember much about my debut in 1992 but what I do remember was thinking that if I'd qualified to play at Wentworth, I really must have arrived on the European Tour."

Clarke has finished runner-up at Wentworth on two occasions - 1997 and 2000 - and he feels that shows that going one better remains a possibility.

The Northern Irishman added: "I have come close a couple of times and it is a course I feel I can compete on.

"I've always liked the golf course and it has always been demanding, but it is a really tough challenge nowadays after the changes Ernie (Els) made to it.

"In the past, on the odd occasion, you used to see people finish perhaps birdie, eagle, eagle to suddenly burst into contention, but with the changes that is a lot harder to do nowadays. It is a much tougher test than it used to be."

This year's tournament takes place from May 24-27.

Defending champion and world number one Luke Donald will appear, as will Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood.

Donald Returns to Number One

Luke Donald regained top spot in the world rankings from Rory McIlroy after finishing third in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

The Englishman needed a top-seven finish to move back to the head of the standings and a final-round 67 saw him finish third, two shots adrift.

American Jason Dufner beat Ernie Els in a play-off for his first PGA Tour title after they finished tied on 19 under.

Masters champion Bubba Watson carded 70 to end tied 18th at 11 under.

The world number one spot has changed hands nine times in the last 18 months, with Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer also holding the position.

With Donald absent this week, McIlroy can regain top spot in the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.

“All in all, pretty good week. All this different media attention tires you out. It's something you got to get used to”Masters champion Bubba Watson

"It's been going back and forth a little bit. Rory's turn next week. It was a little bit of a motivation to try to play well today," said Donald on Sunday.

Dufner took a two-shot lead into the fourth round but his two-under 70 was not enough to hold off Els's 67.

Both missed birdie putts within eight feet on the par-five 18th on the first play-off hole, but Dufner holed a short birdie putt and Els missed one from the fringe on the 18th for a second time to hand the 35-year-old a first title in 164 starts on the PGA Tour.

Dufner lost play-offs last year to Mark Wilson in the Phoenix Open and Keegan Bradley in the US PGA Championship for two of his three career runner-up finishes.

"To get the monkey off of my back, it's a great feeling," said Dufner, who is getting married next weekend.

Three-time major winner Els last won on the PGA Tour in the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

"It was a nice little charge I made and, you know, nice to catch the leader," said the South African. "I had a chance to win the tournament with a six-footer and missed it, but I made quite a few putts on the back nine to keep myself in it."

Defending champion Watson, playing for the first time since his Masters win over Easter weekend, entered the final round eight shots off the lead and was unable to mount a charge after bogeys on his first two holes.

"All in all, pretty good week being tired, coming back for the first time after winning the Masters, all this different media attention," Watson said.

"It's something you got to get used to. It wears on you, tires you out. Somehow I finished - I'm in the top 20. A lot of guys wished they did that."

Wiesberger Impressive Maiden Winner

A master class from Bernd Wiesberger brought the first European Tour title at the Ballantine’s Championship for the Austrian as he cruised to a five shot victory.

Five clear overnight after consecutive course-record rounds of 65, the 26 year old was coolness personified as he compiled a closing round of 68.

Twice a runner-up on The European Tour last season, there was never any danger of Wiesberger missing out this time as he played his final 59 holes without dropping a shot at Blackstone Golf Club.

Paul McGinley finished nine shots adrift of the winner after a final two under par round of 70, leaving the Dubliner securing a four way share of 7th p[lace with Ross Fisher, Felipe Aguilar and Alexander Noren.

A good weeks' work having also equalled the course record on Saturday.

Australian Marcus Fraser was first to try and challenge Wiesberger, trimming his advantage to four with a 30 foot birdie putt at the third.

But Wiesberger, a runner-up in Scotland and South Africa last season, responded with a pitch to six feet at the long fifth for a first gain of the day after opening with four consecutive pars.

Four further pars saw Wiesberger turn in 35 and still five clear, and he clocked up five further pars as Richie Ramsay came charging from the pack.

The Scot hit his tee shot to five feet at the 16th for his sixth birdie of the day to close the gap to three, but that was as close as anyone got to Wiesberger.

The two-time Challenge Tour winner responded with a glorious pitch at the par five 15th to eight feet, holed a 20 footer at the 16th and drained a 15 foot birdie putt at the last for good measure to finish with an 18 under par total.

“I just tried to enjoy it and I had the three best rounds of my life,” said Wiesberger. “I tried not to make bogeys and I did that pretty well, it was awesome. 

“My game plan was to hit as many greens as possible and try to make putts, and they dropped in the end.

“I didn’t get nervous, I had three or four shots. There was a pretty shaky moment at 12 but I made a great chip and a putt for par, but I just tried to enjoy it the last three or four holes in.

“I fly home tonight, I’m pretty sure I’ll have a shot of Ballantine’s in the Emirates lounge. I'm going to bring back a couple of bottles of Ballantine's so they will be opened, I'm sure."

Ramsay birdied the last to finish second on 13 under after a 65, two ahead of Fraser and France’s first-round leader Victor Dubuisson.

“I'm really, really pleased with the round, it's been fantastic,” said former South African Open Champion Ramsay. “You never want to lose - being a golfer, we always want to be the one that wins - but Bernd has played fantastically well out there. 

“Obviously the fact that he's a really nice guy - I played with him a few times on The Challenge Tour - and he's a top-class guy. If you're going to get beat by somebody, it might as well be Bernd because he's a good guy.

“Ballantine's has done a fantastic event here. The sponsorship has been brilliant, the tournament has been run fantastically well, and it's great to come here and obviously there's a lot of people out here today which makes it good to hit some nice shots.

“All in all it's been a great week and I felt that it had been coming and it's nice to just put a number on the board.” 

Fraser, who won this event on Jeju Island in 2010, played some beautiful golf from tee to green but, as in his third round, struggled to get his putter going as he signed for a 70.

“I think I made just six birdies for the weekend,” said the 33 year old. “It’s frustrating - I had a lot of chances yesterday and a few chances today but didn't take them. 

“I think I played the par fives in one under for the weekend. I’m going to finish seven shots behind, and with the par fives, that's the majority of it right there. To finish third in a European Tour event is never a bad thing, but it’s still frustrating.

“I said to Bernd: ‘get used to that because you're going to do that quite a bit’. He's as impressive a golfer as I've ever seen. 

“If he keeps working on the right things and doing what he's doing, he's obviously got a great support team around him and he can go onto do whatever he wants. 

“A guy that size and hits it that far and still putts unbelievably, you don't see that too often. He's got massive things ahead of him and I wish him all the best. He's an absolute gentleman on the course, it was great fun being out there and watching it.” 

Shane Lowry finished  in a tie for 32nd place on four under par overall, after signing for a 70 on Sunday.

Gareth Maybin was one under par ending the weekend on 2 under.

Damien McGrane struggled again on the last day finishing with a two over par 74 for a +3 finish overall.

Paul M