PGAEuropro Tour Walks to Mount Wolseley

The HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s second stop in Ireland this summer sees the Walk In My Shoes Open at Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in County Carlow, July 30-August 1, supporting the St. Patrick’s Mental Health Foundation and promoting positive mental health.

Some of Europe’s best young professionals will compete in the 54-hole event, which carries a €50,000 prize fund with a €12,500 cheque going to the winner.

The Christy O’Connor designed course at Mount Wolseley boasts rich surrounds, mature trees and playing surfaces unrivalled for their consistency and quality. The 54-hole event follows straight on from the tournament at Concra Wood in Castleblayney and will be filmed for a two hour highlights programme to be broadcast on Sky Sports. Spectator entry will be free throughout the week.

Director of BM Sports, Stephen Fee said “We are really proud to be bringing EuroPro Tour to Carlow this July which will see over 150 young golfers from all over Europe compete on Mount Wolseley’s Championship course. Having partnered with ‘Walk in My Shoes’ we feel the tour will help raise awareness of the pressures young sportspeople can be under, while also promoting the importance of positive mental health.”

Niall Kearney, Tournament Ambassador said “I am really looking forward to competing in ‘The Walk in My Shoes’ EuroPro tournament at Mount Wolseley at the end of this month. It promises to be an exciting week with lots of talented young golfers. It’s brilliant to be playing so close to home and supporting such great cause as Walk Tn My Shoes.”

Kate Moran, project manager for ‘Walk in My Shoes’, said “We are delighted to be a part of this fantastic event. What a great way to reach out to the sporting community. This is a very exciting step forward for ‘Walk in My Shoes’.

Daniel Godding, PGA EuroPro Tour Director of Operations said: “Mount Wolseley is a stunning course and we are delighted that the tour will be supporting the incredible work Walk In My Shoes does.

“Historically the PGA EuroPro Tour has always enjoyed great public support in Ireland and I am thrilled to give Irish golf fans another opportunity to see some of Europe’s best young pros compete on a top-class course in front of the Sky Sports cameras.”

Lisa Morrissey, Director at Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort said: "We are delighted to be hosting such a prestigious event here at Mount Wolseley and to have such calibre of golfers descending on County Carlow in July. Our championship golf course will challenge the professionals on every aspect of their game, so it will be a great tournament to watch."

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McGinley Withdraws from Vahalla

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Paul McGinley has been forced to withdraw from next week’s US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky due to injury.

The 47 year old Irishman has been battling a bout of bursitis in his left shoulder, an injury which forced him to miss the Alstom Open de France at the beginning of this month and one which he undertook a scan of during the following week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

“The scan showed that I really needed to rest my shoulder for a couple of months if I am to address the injury properly and so, because of that, I have regrettably had to withdraw from the US PGA Championship,” said McGinley, who was given an invitation to compete by the PGA of America.

“It’s a pity because I would have loved to have teed up at Valhalla but I assessed the situation over the past couple of weeks during my family holiday and I think this is the sensible decision.

“It’s not just during the week of the tournament itself that is the problem, it is the fact that the injury also hampers my normal preparation for events and you do not want to be going into any tournament – far less a Major Championship – not properly prepared.”

McGinley will still travel to Louisville to be part of the commentary team during the week for Sky Sports, and will also undertake a scheduled media centre interview – as part of the build-up to The Ryder Cup.

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McGrane Forces Play Off

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David Horsey sensationally forced and won a play-off with Damien McGrane to take the M2M Russian Open at Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club.

Horsey had been around the top of the leaderboard for much of the week and was in front when a double bogey at the 12th looked to have cost him victory.

It seemed even more costly when McGrane made three straight birdies from the 15th to move clear in the lead.

However, a bogey at the last, his only dropped shot on Sunday, combined with Horsey chipping in for eagle at the 17th gave the Englishman another chance.

Horsey duly made par on the 18th to end on 13 under and make the Irishman play the final hole again with him on a gloriously sunny afternoon.

Another par four was enough to give him a third European Tour triumph as McGrane was unable to recover from hitting his second shot into a bunker behind the green.

Horsey’s previous victories came in the 2010 BMW International Open and 2011 Trophée Hassan II, also winning the latter in a play-off, and he showed his mettle to deprive McGrane a second European Tour victory.

It was hard on McGrane, whose win at the 2008 Volvo China Open was one of 31 top ten finishes during over a decade on the Tour.

For Horsey, ranked 198th going into this tournament, it continues an impressive 2014 that has seen five top ten finishes from 16 events.

The 29 year old went round in level par on Sunday, responding to bogeys on the fifth and sixth with birdies on the seventh and eighth.

His double bogey on the 12th came after a wayward tee shot and he dropped another on the 14th before making a gain at the next and chipping in from the edge of the green on the 17th.

Horsey said: “I knew the chip on 17 had to go in. I knew by that point that I was three behind so I needed it to go in. This is a very special win.”

Speaking of earlier in his round, he added: “I had no idea how well Damien was playing because I wasn’t looking at boards all day. In hindsight that’s probably a mistake I’ll look to correct next time, but I was just trying to stick to my own game and stay focused on myself.

“I didn’t play that great today – it was a bit scrappy and I wasn’t holing the putts – but I managed to get the job done in the end.”

Horsey also said: “I’m relieved really – that’s the word that sums it up. It was quite similar to my last win, in Morocco, where I made a bit of a mess of a couple of holes on the back nine.

“I didn’t know where I was in the tournament until the 17th. I hit it through the back of the green there and then realised I was three behind and needed to do something drastic quite quickly.

“I managed to chip in there and was trying to make birdie at the last. I didn’t realise Damien had dropped one, but I managed to get up and down there and was fortunate to win the play-off as well.”

McGrane’s near flawless round of 66 featured birdies at the second, fourth, eighth and tenth ahead of his three in three on the closing holes.

A tricky putt on the last that slipped to the right of the hole opened the door for Horsey, who earned 166,660 euros for his success.

Scott Jamieson of Scotland was one shot behind on 12 under, ahead of England’s Sam Hutsby on 11 under and, one shot further back, Peter Whieteford, the joint overnight leader with Horsey.

McGrane said: “I played lovely all week so I’m very pleased with my week.

“I’m a little disappointed not to do better in the play-off there, but I’ve hit good shots all week and putted reasonably well.

“All in all I’m very positive and it’s good for me mentally as well. I can push on for the rest of the season with my card secure.

“There are a lot of good events before the end of the year and this has given me a lot of confidence going into them.”

 

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Rory Returns to Action at Firestone

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Rory McIlroy will lead the 33 European Tour Members to this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, where he will be looking to add a maiden WGC title to his three Major wins.

McIlroy's triumph at Royal Liverpool GC a fortnight ago completed the third leg of a career Grand Slam, and he will hope to continue his stunning form on the other side of the Atlantic after a week off celebrating his victory.

“I just want to think ahead and go forward and try to win as many tournaments and as many Majors as I can, because I feel like there's a lot more left in me,” said McIlroy, after becoming the third Northern Irishman to win The Open Championship following Fred Daly (1947) and Darren Clarke (2011).

“After my second Major at Kiawah I kicked on for another six months and played really well. I want be to be the guy who goes on and wins Majors regularly and wins tournaments.”

McIlroy will have to overcome a number of in-form European Tour players, including Spaniard Sergio Garcia, the man he beat into second place at The Open, and England’s Justin Rose, who won the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open the week before finishing tied 23rd at Hoylake.

World Number Three Henrik Stenson, who was tied second last year, will also be looking for another strong performance, as will those on the fringes of the automatic qualifying places for the 2014 European Ryder Cup team. With a US$9million on offer and only five tournaments left to qualify, players such as Stephen Gallacher, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Miguel Angel Jiménez could do with a strong showing to move up the World Points List.

Of the 33 European Tour Members, five are making their first appearance in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational - Victor Dubuisson, Brendon de Jonge, Estanislao Goya, Alexander Levy and Fabrizio Zanotti. The latter three are making their WGC debuts.

Defending champion Tiger Woods will continue his comeback from injury and will be looking to build on his colossal record in the event. He has won eight times from 14 appearances, and has twice won three years in a row – 1999, 2000 and 2001, and 2005, 2006 and 2007.

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Rafferty and Walton Make Cut

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Ronan Rafferty and Philip Walton made the halfway cut in the Seniors Open Championship at Royal Porthcawl ion Friday, trailing runaway leader, Bernhard Langer.

Langer added a 66 stroke card to his opening 65 for an 11 under par total of 131 to move seven clear of Chris Williams and Colin Montgomerie, who produced a stunning 66 for 138, carding eight birdies.

“I played very smart, very aggressive, then very smart and I was fortunate to some extent, but I have played very well the last two days,” Langer said afterwards.

“It wasn’t the kind of start I wanted today, but from that point on, I settled down and I played some really good golf.

Opportunities

“I missed a couple of opportunities earlier on, but then I started to play a little better as well and brought it home to the clubhouse with six-under-par from that point on, which I’m very pleased with overall.”

Rafferty, in his first year as a senior and only a part-time competitor golfer these days, posted a second round two over par 73 for a 36-hole total of 148-six over par, just one stroke inside the cut.

“I have not been playing much lately so my main aim was to make the cut, ” said Rafferty, who played at Porthcawl in the 1980 amateur championship and home internationals before turning professional and competing in the Coral Classic on the South Wales links.

Philip Walton, who threatened to challenge for the lead for a time on Thursday but finished with a one-over-par 72, just survived the cut following a 77 for 149.

Having started with a triple bogey seven and the 1995 Ryder cup winner never recovered although a birdie four at the last saved him from elimination.

“It was tough out there today but no excuses, I played badly,” said Walton.

Des Smyth was disappointed with 79 to go out of the tournament on 151 after starting with four straight bogeys.

Mark McNulty also missed out along with Denis O’Sullivan.

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