Major Irish Exit at Carton House

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Rory McIlroy's struggles continued as he missed the cut at the Irish Open with Ireland's other recent major winners also exiting at Carton House.

World number two McIlroy's level-par 72 left him on two over with the cut mark at level par.

That left the 24-year-old 11 shots adrift of joint leaders England's Robert Rock and American Peter Uihlein.

Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington hit rounds of 74 to exit on one over with Darren Clarke (75) six over.

McIlroy's playing partner Shane Lowry battled back impressively on his back nine to finish with a 70 which left him as the leading Irishman only two behind the leaders.

Rock, beaten by then amateur Lowry in a play-off at the 2009 Irish Open, fired a 66 on Friday with recent Madeira Open winner Uihlein joining him at the head of the field on nine under after a 68.

Lowry was in a share of third place alongside a group which included last year's European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal (69) and overnight leader Oscar Floren who fired a 71.

McIlroy started with a birdie on Friday but gave one back at the third and was facing a battle to survive after going to the turn in 35.

But three bogeys in five holes from the par-three 12th ended any hopes McIlroy had of remaining in the tournament with a three-putt dropped shot on the 16th sealing his fate.

McIlroy, who confessed to feeling "a little lost" after his first round on Thursday, attempted to sound more positive following Friday's action.

"I felt I played a little bit better today," added the Northern Irishman, whose form has dipped this year after his decision to change clubs by signing a multi-million pound deal with Nike.

"When I missed a green, I didn't really get it up and down and I didn't hole many putts but I thought ball-striking wise, it was a little bit better.

"I just need to work on my game and keep doing the right things.

"If I can do that, it should turn around at some stage. Whether that is in a couple of weeks or further down the line (we will see)."

McIlroy won five times last year, including his second major title in the USPGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

2010 US Open champion McDowell was one shot on the wrong side of the cut line after a 74 which which included four bogeys.

The Portrush man bemoaned the "slow" pace of the greens but acknowledged that he is currently struggling with some swing issues.

"I'm a little off technically. I'm not quite on with my golf swing," he added.

After his round, McDowell was hoping that he would squeeze into the weekend action but he will remain at Carton House to get in some practice ahead of next week's French Open.

Three-time major winner Harrington blamed "poor wedge play" for his exit after a four-bogey 74 while 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke's frustrations continued with a second straight 75.

Galgorm touring professional Gareth Shaw is the second best-placed Irish player after a 68 left him on three under with Alan Dunbar (72), Simon Thornton (73) and club professional Damien Mooney (68) all a further shot back.

Mooney's 68 was helped by a hole-in-one at the seventh as he made an Irish Open cut for only the second time in 20 years of playing the event.

Michael Hoey, one off the lead after an opening 67, lost ground as a 76 dropped him back to one under.

Uihlein Solid as a Rock at Irish Open

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Peter Uihlein insisted a strong Kildare breeze was unlikely to cause problems after overcoming windy conditions at Carton House to share The Irish Open halfway lead with Robert Rock. 

The American, who won his first European Tour event at another blustery venue in the Madeira Islands Open last month, shot a 68 to reach nine under par then revealed he had played in stronger wins while at college.

“In college in Oklahoma it was quite windy all the time,” he said. “So I quite enjoy the wind and knew it was tough out there. It was gusting at times, and it was a good, solid day.

“The Irish fans live up to the reputation of being very knowledgeable and supportive, so it's been good. 

“I spent three and a half years in Oklahoma where we would play in a tornado. It was a good experience there, and I feel like in the wind, you don't have to be perfect, which is what I struggle with.

“I would try and be too perfect sometimes and in the wind, you just play golf, you hit shots and you just try and manoeuvre it a little bit. I feel like when it gets windy, you have almost a little more room, so I enjoy it.”

The 23 year old former US Amateur Champion is one of an increasing number of Americans crossing the Atlantic to ply their trade, and recently saw his housemate Brooks Koepka win three times this season on the Challenge Tour to gain "battlefield promotion" to The European Tour.

"I've had a very good support group with Chubby (Chandler, his manager) and my coach Butch Harmon and my dad (the chairman of top equipment company Acushnet)," Uihlein added.

"Those guys have been around the game a long, long time. If they say this is the right route, then I'm going to listen to them.

"And I look at a guy like Adam Scott, somebody I've always looked up to, and he came over to Europe and started off his career.

"Rory did the same thing, start in Europe before heading to the States. There have been a lot of guys who have done it and had great success. It's just different me being an American and doing it."

While Uihlein has now made ten consecutive cuts, Rock had missed six of his last nine and admits his form has not been where it should be.

The Englishman saw off Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last year, and returned to that sort of form with four birdies and eagle at the long fourth in his 66 – thanks to some recent putting lessons.

“I've been putting a little bit better lately so to start the day with even a five foot putt for a birdie was nice, and I drove it well for the rest of the round really,” said Rock, who claimed the winner’s cheque in this event four years ago after losing a play-off to then amateur Shane Lowry.

“I was frustrated in Munich; played really quite well for three days but putted awfully and I played on Saturday with Richard McEvoy and he had a little suggestion but also gave me Jonathan Yarwood's number, and he kindly sent me an e mail, a V1 e mail golf lesson and told me really a few things to change in the setup.

“I sent him a video back about quarter six Sunday morning and shot seven under. Unfortunately it didn't work at The Open qualifying quite so well on Monday, but it's been better. I'm feeling quite awkward doing it, so on some putts I'm hitting average putts because I'm confusing myself a little bit but on the whole it's been good. 

“I didn't have my arms and putter shaft set at the right angle or in line and I was holding a little too far up the putter to achieve that. So I tried to align all that, and if you see me over the weekend during the round, that's what I'm going to do, and if it's not in line, I might miss. 

“I think I had 26 [putts today] which is as good as I've done in a long while. I've had 26 putts over the past few weeks but generally all tap ins so didn't really count. I've been failing to set the ball on line for a long time, and that did it. 

“I played well in Dubai at the start of the year but before that it seems to go back a good while.

“A few off course things that distracted from practice and then that kind of spirals into your game later down the line and you realise, yeah, should have put the time in that you should have done and have to put more time in to correct that and that takes a while for it to work.”

Rock added that he would rather not be facing another local favourite down the closing straight on Sunday.

“I'll never forget that day, playing with Shane,” he continued. “That was really, really tough.

“I did feel like I had some people on my side in Abu Dhabi - I don't even think there was one [in Ireland].”

Overnight leader Oscar Floren was in a tie for third, the Swede signing for a 71 to sit alongside Lowry, former Ryder Cup Captain José María Olazábal, Dutchman Joost Luiten and Portugal’s Ricardo Santos on seven under.

Olazábal completed a 69 and insists he has not given up hope of winning tournaments again.

"The captaincy took a lot out of me, I could not dedicate as much time to my game, but now it's over I can spend time on the range working on my game," he said.

"I have never lost hope, that's why I spend hours and hours on the range.

"Health-wise I have had problems but at the moment I cannot complain.

"It's going to be hard for me to remember the last time I won a tournament, but the main goal is to keep improving my game to get myself in positions like this."

While Lowry was proudly flying the Irish flag near the top of the leaderboard, all four of the Emerald Isle’s recent Major winners made an early exit.

World Number Two Rory McIlroy finished two over, Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington missed out by a shot on one over and Darren Clarke ended the second round six over.

“It's that type of golf course,” said Lowry. “It's easy to go out there and shoot 75. 

Birdies Raise Irish Open Cash

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A glut of birdies and eagles at Carton House in the first round of the Irish Open helped raise over €15,000 from the Irish Open Birdie Pledge after the first round action in County Kildare.

The Tour Players Foundation (TPF), the Mallaghan Family – the venue owners - and a private donor, have joined forced to give €10 per birdie, €20 per eagle and €50 per albatross during the four tournament rounds. And with 493 birdies and seven eagles being recorded in a superb opening day at Carton House, a total of €15,210 was raised for the charity.

As a result of the Birdie Pledge and an initiative on Wednesday, in which the professionals in the Pro-Am donaterd their playing fees to RESPECT Ireland, almost €30,000 has so far been raised for the charity, which supports people of all ages with intellectual disabilities in the Dublin area.

With something in the region of 1600 birdies expected over the four rounds of the championship, around €50,000 is expected to be generated for RESPECT Ireland.

David Park, Charity Executive of The European Tour, said: “Despite the challenging conditions, it was great to see such a large number of birdies made by the players and fantastic that that the good scoring has generated over €15,000 already.

“With an improved weather forcecast over the next few days, we are confident that we can reach our target of raising around €50,000 for such a worthwhile cause.”

In addition to the on course activities, spectators are also making a huge contribution with €1 per Official Programme and Drawsheet sold also being donated to RESPECT Ireland.

RESPECT for Lawrie and Maybin

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Peter Lawrie and Gareth Maybin treated five service users of the RESPECT Ireland – the Official Charity of the Irish Open – to a clinic on the practice range at Carton House today.

The youngsters, all from the Dublin area, were given a ‘hands-on’ lesson in the basics of the game – and responded excitedly to the tuition from local lad Lawrie, a RESPECT Ambassador, and Northern Ireland’s Maybin.

Sr Zoe Killeen and Liam Walsh from RESPECT also enjoyed the chance to pick up some tips from the two golfers, who were equally delighted with the response.

“It was a pleasure to see Peter and Gareth giving so much pleasure to the youngsters” said Sr Zoe. “We are so proud to be the Official Charity of the Irish Open, and to see some of our service users inter-acting so well with the golfers gives us all a huge amount of pleasure.

Oscar Floren Leads Irish Open

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Oscar Floren shot his best round of the season to claim the lead after day one of The Irish Open at Carton House.

The Swede, yet to finish better than 25th in a European Tour event this season, notched four birdies and an eagle in his six under par 66.

That was one ahead of 2009 winner and home favourite Shane Lowry, France’s Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Dutchman Joost Luiten, Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey and recent Madeira Islands Open winner Peter Uihlein.

Lowry, who was still an amateur when he won at Baltray in 2009, was playing alongside WGC-World Number Two Rory McIlroy - whom he beat in the first round of the Accenture Match Play in February - while the third member of the group, the in-form Thomas Björn, carded a 68 that was matched by the likes of Paul Casey and former Ryder Cup Captain Jose Maria Olazábal.

Floren was delighted that some changes in his game were starting to pay dividends.

“I played great today,” said the 29 year old, who had to go back to Qualifying School to retain his card over the winter.

“It was nice to get off good start today. I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, and eventually a few putts are going to drop.

“Mentally I’ve changed a bit and put in the work, doing the smart things every day. After March/April I changed things and it’s been paying off. I’ve been in form the last few weeks, I finished well in Germany but I played well in St Omer and Austria the first two rounds as well.”

Lowry has the benefits of home advantage this week as he owns a house on the course, but revealed: "Family are banned from the house until Sunday afternoon.

"I always hang out with Graeme Storm and Oliver Fisher and when the tournament was announced I said they could stay with me. I'm trying to keep my routine as normal as possible this week.

"It would seem like there should be more pressure on me this week, but I'm looking at it as an advantage. I play this course week-in, week-out and know it like the back of my hand.

"I went to Baltray just happy to be there and would have been happy going home with four rounds under my belt, but obviously I came away with a lot more than that. This week and 2009 is like chalk and cheese. You can say I'm coming here trying to win the tournament but I'm trying not to talk too much about it."

Casey was ranked third in the world in 2009 but is currently 169th after struggling with form and fitness, most notably in 2012 after breaking his collarbone while snowboarding.

However, he qualified for the recent US Open with a second round of 64 at Walton Heath and after finishing 45th was inspired by seeing Justin Rose go on to lift the trophy at Merion.

"That's what I want to be doing," Casey said. "I can see the hard work Justin has put in and his steady progress up the world rankings. I know I have been working extremely hard the last few months and I feel I can play that kind of golf.

"Qualifying for the US Open made me realise how precious they (Major Championships) are. I think I am ready and want to win one. Watching Justin winning was fantastic, it motivates me and motivates me in the right way. I don't get upset by it.

"I want to emulate what those guys are doing so it forces me to work a little bit harder, a little bit smarter and I know deep down that my best golf is still ahead of me."