Childs play for Father-to-be Thornton in Madeira
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

fired himself into at the Madeira Islands Open – BPI Portugal with a second- of 66, and then confirmed that he will see the out even if his wife goes into as expected this weekend.

With the impending birth of his first child doubtless on his mind, the Yorkshire-born star recorded only one bogey in his six-under par round and lies in third place at ten-under par, trailing England’s James Morrison by two shots.

Early birdies at one, three and five gave the perfect foundation on which to build his round and he capitalised on his good start with four further birdies.

After finding himself in contention to seal his first win the graduate admitted that even if he receives word that his wife has gone into labour he will not be heading .

“I won’t leave, no. We made that decision before I came here. It’s been nice spending the last few weeks together and now we’re approaching D-Day as such.

“There was a lot of debate over whether I’d come this week but because of the lack of opportunities in the last month I had to come and it.

“If I’d not come here and taken a couple of weeks off then all of a sudden you get a card but not taking the opportunities, I had to come.

“I keep checking my phone all the time. There’s no word yet.”

Michael Hoey was the only other Irishman who made it to the weekend despite good rounds from Gary Murphy and Gareth Shaw.

Hoey added a 68 to his opening 72 to leave himself inside the top 20 at four-under.

Looking to take advantage of some high-profile absences this week Hoey claimed seven birdies on Friday. Although he dropped shots with a double bogey at the fifth and a bogey at the 11th the Ulsterman has plenty to be pleased with going into the weekend.

Kilkenny’s Gary Murphy came within a stroke of making the level par cut but his round of 69 was just one shot short of what he needed.

Gareth Shaw signed for a one-under par 69 to miss the weekend by three, while Niall Kearney and Colm Moriarty are also heading home after scores of 80 and 77 respectively.

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McDowell happy with his lot
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

Graeme McDowell came within a whisker of shooting the lights out in the – then vowed not to shave until he wins.

After firing a two under 68 to keep the leaders in his sights, he’s got no plans to trim the five o’clock shadow he sported at yesterday.

Determined to defy his mother Marian, who hates his bearded , he said: “I’m not a big fan of shaving, just working on something new. I might not shave it until I win again, although my mother will be begging me to shave it off tonight, I know she will.”

As hit a one over 71, David Higgins a 73 and a nightmare 78, McDowell was pleased with an opening effort that could easily have been three shots better.

After birdies at the first, third and fifth gave him a share the championship lead on three under par, he bogeyed the sixth and eighth to crash down the leaderboard.

But he birdied the ninth from 40 feet to turn in 33 and then rammed a 25 footer for a two at the par-three 15th to get back to three under.

A double bogey at the 16th, where he shoved his six-iron into the burn that surrounds the , could have been a massive blow.

But he battled back to birdie on the long 17th and finish the day feeling positive about his chances.

Looking on the bright side, McDowell said: “The 16th was disappointing because I hit very few bad shots and paid a very heavy price for one there . But I really can’t complain, I hung in there well and putted lovely and gave myself lots of chances.”

Having led the Open after the first round in 2006 and again last year, he knows there’s no point in topping the leaderboard after day one and hopes to build on his solid start over the next three days.

He explained: “I guess there’s no point in leading the Open on Thursday. I’ve tried that, it doesn’t work. So I’m quite content to post my two-under, sit back and maybe creep up on them all this weekend.

“I know I’ve got the game to be there or thereabouts come Sunday. I’ve got to get the breaks, I’ve got to hit the shots at the right times and I’ve got to hole the putts but patience is the key really.”

Veteran Clarke, 40, had three birdies in his 71 but was frustrated by two bogeys and a double bogey six at the 10th where he three putted from the front of the green.

Complaining that he just can’t convert his good into solid scores, Clarke groaned: “I’m hitting shots in play that I’m not hitting in practice.

“I’m making mistakes and just can’t quite get any momentum going at the moment. It’s a bit of a fight or a battle to keep things going.

“I just can’t quite reproduce the shots that I am hitting in practice but, overall, one-over par is not a bad start, I could’ve been worse.”

Waterville star Higgins hit just six of 14 fairways and was disappointed with a three over par 73 that featured a double bogey six at the fourth as well as two birdies and three bogeys.

Before heading to the range to work on his driving, Higgins said: “I’m a bit disappointed. I said when I got here that you have to hit the fairways off the tee and I didn’t do that.”

McGrane salvaged something from a nightmare day when he birdied the last from 12 feet for an eight over 78.

After three putting twice, he said: “It’s links golf and it bites hard. And I was hitting good shots into bunkers and three putting everywhere. All the stuff that you just do not do in majors, I did it all today.

“I probably should have shot four over but to shoot eight over is certainly disappointing. I feel like I played better than that but such is life.”

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Northern Ireland Masters a non-runner
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

The economic crisis has scuppered ’s hopes of winning the Northern Ireland at Lough next year.

McIlroy was hoping to get the chance to grab a win at the spectacular County Fermanagh resort he represents at its touring professional.

But attempts by promoters International Sports Management to secure funding from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board appear to have failed.

ISM’s Chubby Chandler confirmed: “I’m afraid we’ve failed at the final hurdle and it’s unlikely now that we will pull it off.”

The British Masters moved from the Forest of Arden to The Belfry in 2006 but sponsors Quinn Direct pulled out due to the financial crisis and last year’s event was cancelled.

ISM hoped to revive the by rebranding it the with star player McIlroy taking on the likes of , Darren Clarke and on the Faldo Championship Course from September 16-19 – just two weeks before the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.

Around €3m in funding was required from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board but talks with Arlene Foster, the Northern Ireland minister for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, appear to have failed.

The news is a blow to McIlroy who believes that Lough Erne is good enough to stage a world class event.

Speaking at last week’s Volvo World Match Play in Spain, McIlroy said: “I don’t know the details of what is being discussed but I do know Lough Erne would be a fantastic venue for a European Tour event.”

Around 6,000 fans packed the resort last July to watch McIlroy beat Padraig in an exhibition dubbed “The Duel on the Lough.”

European Tour boss George O’Grady said in Spain last week that the matter was in the hands of ISM and he had no news of a tour event in Northern Ireland next year.

O’Grady said: “ISM are the promoters and I know there was a lot of discussion around the time of that exhibition match in the summer.

“But discussion and action are two different things and it is hard enough work keeping the 3 Irish going.”

Harrington raved about the facilities during his clash with McIlroy last July and took his sponsors Bank of Ireland there for a corporate day,

Harrington said: “Lough Erne has everything going for it. If a tournament was held here you would see a fantastically exciting event with plenty of birdies. It has got everything you could want for a tournament.”

McIlroy added: “Northern Ireland is crying out for a big golf tournament to come here. As Padraig said, the facilities and the golf course well exceed what you need to hold a tour event.

“Hopefully in the not too distant future a tour event will come here and if there is one here I know it will be a great success and the European Tour or whoever hosts it, will want to come back.”

It now appears that they will no have to wait a little longer.

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Woods lurking at Augusta
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

It was like the old joke about the wearing sunglasses because he didn’t want to be recognised. 

, wearing shades between shots to protect his eyes from the pollen, is perfectly placed to make a weekend charge for his fifth green and 15th major title after carding three birdies and a bogey in a second 70.

“When he walks into that locker room or dining area for the first time, it’s going to be like there’s a giant elephant in the room,” Stewart Cink said of Woods’ comeback.

At six under par, Woods is very much the elephant on the leaderboard, just two strokes adrift of leader Ian Poulter, who carded a second successive 68 to set the target at eight under par.

Tied with KJ Choi (71), and former US Amateur champion Ricky Barnes (70), Woods was asked how his performance stacked up against his expectations so far.

“Well, I want to be in , and put myself right there,” Woods said. “As of now, I’m two back, and we’ve got 36 more holes to go.

“On this golf course you can make up shots and you can lose shots.  That’s one of the beauties of it.  It should be an exciting weekend.”

England’s Lee Westwood proved the point by racing to 10 under par through 13 holes of his round – five under for the day – before a double bogey six at the viciously sloping 14th relegated him to eight under with four holes to .

Poulter was hoping that his Ryder Cup team mate would hang on to ensure an all English final two today. Either way, he was delighted to survive a tough day at a cool and breezy , where the green jackets hit the pins in the remotest corners of the greens.

Poulter rubs many people up the wrong way but you have to admire the sheer tenacity of the 34-year old Englishman who grabbed the clubhouse lead on eight under par thanks to a second successive 68.

“I’ll tell you what, five under par is a very impressive performance by Ian Poulter,” Padraig Harringtons said as he surveyed the leaderboard.

Poulter would bogey the last to shoot a four under par round but Harrington put his performance in perspective after a windy day on a terrifying course with pins cut just three and four yards from the edges of most greens.

“The pins are hanging off the edge and the tees are back,” Harrington said in admiration of Poulter’s performance. :I think they put in their toughest pins bar Sunday pins.” 

Poulter sold Mars bars when he became a humble assistant with a four handicap in 1994 but has since become a marketing genius as well as one of the best players in the world.

Just over two years ago he was derided in the press and laughed at by some of his colleagues when was quoted saying: “Don’t get me wrong, I really respect every professional golfer, but I know I haven’t played to my full potential and when that happens, it will be just me and Tiger.”

That’s now a real possibility.

Victory over Paul Casey in the WGC – Accenture Match Play Championship in February saw him leap to a career high of fifth in the world. It also added to his already bullet-proof confidence and he he is now just one major win away from becoming world No 2. 

Asked if he felt vindicated, he said: “Sure, if I win this week, I’ll probably go No. 2, which would be lovely.  (Laughter) So I guess it’s a work in progress.  I’m working towards that.  (Laughter) So, we’ll see.” 

Labelled a preening peacock at times, his colourful dress sense is not to everyone’s taste but when asked what colour outfit might match a green jacket, he showed that he has a keen sense of humour.

“Absolutely anything,” he said to general amusement. “To be playing Augusta was in my dreams, and to be sitting at the top of the leaderboards was in my dreams, as well.  So hopefully we can have a good weekend and be in a similar situation come Sunday night.”

Fred Couples is bidding to become the oldest winner of the since a 46 year old Jack Nicklaus triumphed in 1986.

But the 50 year old overnight leader was suffering from a bad back yesterday and faltered, three putting the 16th and 17th and then overshooting the 18th to finish with a confidence sapping hat-trick of bogeys and a 75 that left him five strokes adrift of Poulter on three under par.

“Yesterday was a great day,” said the 1992 champion. “Today was not too good, 75 is a very mediocre score. But I’m done. 

“For a while I felt like I could go from first to last. But I kind of loosened it up and got it around. The (second) on nine really killed me – a downhill lie, and those don’t feel good on regular days. Today that kind of threw me for a loop.

“As soon as I get home and lay down I’ll be all right. But right now I’m tired and pissed off to be honest with you.”

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Harrington regaining his confidence
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

champion Padraig insisted he must be more aggressive if he is to win a third Claret Jug on the trot.

took a giant step forward when he carded a one under 69 that showed he is close to his best.

But he’s still searching for confidence in his and knows he has to make his own luck and grab the championship by the scruff of the neck if he is to win major No 4.

After carding two birdies and just one bogey in a tentative display, he said: “I spoke with and the plan was to get better day by day in terms of confidence and belief.

“I certainly struck the well and if I trust it a little bit more, it looks pretty good. I changed a few things on the range on Monday and I felt like I had it in my swing today.

“I am just making sure I focus on my target and try and trust it. I just need to be more confident and maybe take on a few more pins.

“I got up and down when I needed to get up and down and there while I wasn’t shooting the lights out it gives me hope for the next two days.

“If I play the golf from here on in, hopefully I will be there with nine holes to play and we all know that anything can happen in those situations.”

The key to Harrington’s came on the second and third, where he saved brilliant pars that gave him the confidence to chisel out a solid opening .

Left of the green with his approach to the second, he faced a terrifying chip up a steep slope but played it to perfection to save his four.

It was a similar story at the tough third, where he pushed his drive into the rough but hit a glorious hybrid pin high and wriggled in the par putt from six feet to keep his round going.

Short with a 25 foot birdie chance at the par-three fourth, he birdied the fifth from 12 feet and then got up and down brilliantly for par from greenside sand the par-five seventh after bunkering his shot.

He continued the Houdini stuff at the tough eighth, where he again got up and down for his par from the bank right of the green before playing solid golf on the back nine with 10 successive two putts after conservative iron shots.

His only mistake came at the tough 16th where he pulled his approach into the rough and failed with a 20 footer for par.

And while he was disappointed to leave an eagle chance short at the 17th and another birdie opportunity short on the last he believes he is slowly recovering his confidence after a morale-shattering run of eight missed cuts from 15 starts this year.

Pointing to the second and third as key, he said: “The second would have been a perfect example. I pulled my second shot straight down the pin and I am watching it and it trickles off the green.

“I would have taken five or six there a couple of weeks ago but I was committed to my chip, got it to four feet and holed the putt.

“You make your own luck in this game at times and definitely that was a case of me salvaging a really good par. I am sure plenty of guys missed down there today and not many you have got up and down.”

A 69 left Harrington in the top third of the field and well within striking distance of the leaders.

Happy with his score, he said: “I would have taken the score before I went out that’s for sure. Any time you shoot in the 60s in a major tournament you can’t be too displeased.

“I hit the ball well but I played with a certain amount of trepidation and I wasn’t the most confident after the last couple of weeks.

“I hit a lot of nice shots where I was aiming in the muddle of the green but I didn’t have the confidence to chase the pins and was settling for trying to hole from 25 or 30 feet for most of the day.”

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Harrington does his homework
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

’s first port of call on his arrival at was a driving range session with coach . The Dubliner, fresh from his sixth Irish PGA win on Saturday, was seen hard at work on his takeaway with the venerable Scottish coach.

Harrington is bidding to become the first player since Peter Thomson in 1954-56 to win the Open three years in succession. Yet he confessed before leaving Ireland that his preparations have not been ideal as he fights to forget his swing thoughts and let his flow freely.

The media centre at the Open is as good as ever this year but the view from the patio at the back of the restaurant is simply stunning. 

Going out there for my first espresso of the week I looked up to see Ailsa Craig shimmering beyond the first fairway, where Nick Faldo was going through his paces in a practice . Faldo – Sir Nick to his friends – will it up in the first two rounds with Soren Kjeldsen and Brian Gay. 

Padraig Harrington drew Geoff Ogilvy and Jim Furyk while Paul McGinley has been paired with John Daly and Carl Pettersen. is with Anthony Kim for the second major in a row and South African Retief Goosen while has three time major winner Vijay Singh and Bubba Watson. 

drew Jeremy Kavanagh and Daniel Gaunt with Damien McGrane set go out with Matt Kuchar and Tm Stewart. is joined by Azuma Yano and Luke Donald. 

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Higgins rekindles love for the links
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

David Higgins hasn’t made the cut in a tour event since he looked around a packed chipping green in Denmark last year and thought: “What the hell am I doing here.”

He was so disillusioned with his game and life on the that he decided to go to to rediscover his love for the game.

Now, ten months, later he’s qualified for the Open and finds himself alongside Tiger Woods and his old sparring partner in the biggest tournament in the world.

He’s fallen in love with the game again and dreams that he might go down the stretch with on Sunday in what would be one of the great golfing stories off all time.

Daring to think big, Higgins looked across the golden fescues of the links at and beamed: “Why else would I come over here? Hopefully on Sunday there will be a big crowd and you have to be ready for it and comfortable in that atmosphere.

“That’s why we’re here. That is why we keep practising and going to Q-Schools and all sorts of stuff. It is for days like this.”

Now 37, Higgins’s claim to fame is that he beat Harrington in the finals of the Irish Close and South of Ireland championships in 1994.

Since then their careers have gone in opposite directions with Harrington winning three majors a millions of dollars around the same time that Higgins contracted a liver infection that eventually cost him his place on tour.

He came back last year but lost his appetite for the game and decided to step back for a while to reassess his goals.

Recalling the moment when it all became too much, he explained: “I was on a practice range in Denmark and the green was no bigger than half a tennis court and there were about 50 young fellas around it, chipping balls.

“I’m not saying I’m better than these guys or anything but I don’t know what they were doing and I just said to myself, ‘I’m not enjoying this’ and decided to take a step back.

“I suppose it’s because I’d had a few years on the Tour and then to go back to that sort of thing, I dunno, my game wasn’t good and I wasn’t happy in myself.”

How things have changed in the space of a year.

Already at the top of the Irish Region Order of Merit, he earned his place in the Open by coming through 36-hole qualifying at Glasgow Gailes last Tuesday after an agonising five-and-a-half hour wait to see if he had clinched one of four places in the greatest tournament of all.

Now that he’s here, he’s determined to take full advantage of his chance and make a mockery of odds of 1,000-1.

He said: “I’m on cloud nine now. It is like a dream come true for me. I grew up playing courses like this and something you always want to do is play in the Open, so it’s fantastic.

“Just going home last year and deciding where I was going and what I was doing, has helped me.

“Golf is my life, Jeeez, but you have to be happy doing it and I wasn’t. So I I looked at it, I analysed it and I decided that golf is not what I have to do, it’s what I want to do, so I’m going to keep on with it.

“Now I’m back playing this week in the Open and nobody expects me to do well. I haven’t played any tour events this year. I’ve nothing to lose and I know my game is good enough to do well in it, so I’m on a winner no matter what happens.”

Familiarity with links terrain will be vital for Higgins, whose father Liam is the club professional at magnificent Waterville.

Links golf is in the genes and he’ll be using those feelings to put himself in the mix in just his second Open appearance since he missed the cut at Carnoustie two years ago.

He said: “I guess you have chats with yourself and try and pretend you are going around Waterville. I am used to playing courses like this.

“If you drive it well, there is nothing to it. It is like playing holes in Ballybunion, or holes in Waterville. It is something we would all be used to, coming from Ireland.

“If the wind blows I feel I would have an advantage over a lot of guys.”

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McDowell laments short game
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

Green might dominate the landscape at National but it ’t a good omen as Ireland’s trio of hopefuls crashed out of the 74th Masters in bitterly disappointing fashion.

With Padraig Harrington heading on five over par after rounds of 74 and 75 and two shots worse after a 74-77 return, Irish eyes were focussed on Ulsterman Graeme .

The Portrush native had fought back brilliantly from a nightmare start to post a opening 75 but after a brilliant two under par front nine left him one stroke inside the projected cut mark, he limped home in four over par 40 for a 74 that left him alongside Harrington on five over par.

“Obviously I am disappointed. I made four doubles in two days, three of them from nowhere and you just can’t do that this golf course,” McDowell said. “I actually played quite well but 10 was inexcusable – I had a good chance to get up and down for a four there and made six and then 15 I laid it up but you are so scared of putting it the water that you go to the back of the green and take another four to get down from there for another double.

“I am frustrated because I played well enough today to make that cut and my is there or thereabouts but my short really let me down this week. This golf course is a brutal test and the pins are a lot more treacherous today and if you get in the wrong side in this place it will bite you hard. I walk away learning more and more about this place every year things away from this week.

“My short game needs to improve if I want to go up a gear. It doesn’t get me out of trouble when it should and I am throwing shots away around the greens. I look at the top of the leaderboard and Ian Poulter and know that my to green game is as good as his but his short game is way better and that is why he is leading the tournament.”

After a bogey at the first, McDowell fought back in typically tenacious fashion by holing 10 footers for birdies at the third and fifth before chipping in for another birdie from the back of the par-five eighth.

He strode purposefully to the 10th tee, high fiveing a caddie acquaintance as he passed the scorers hut on the way. But two and a half hours later he would stand in the same spot a disappointed man.

He double bogeyed the 10th to slip to three over for the tournament, birdied the par-five 13th with a crisp pitch to six feet and then crashed and burned with a bogey at the 14th and that painful seven at the 15th 

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Irish up for the Challenge in Italy
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

Simon produced hot finish in Rome to remain on for next week’s Grand Final.

The overnight leader birdied three of his last four holes to post a three under 69 and trail rankings leader and favourite by a in the €150,000 at Olgiata.

Molinari, who has already won twice on Tour this season, added a flawless 65 to his opening 66 to move one shot clear of Thornton, Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts and Welshman Rhys Davies on 11 under par.

Players are jostling for 45 places in next week’s season-ending, €300,00 Grand Final at San Domenico Golf near Bari.

Thornton is 64th in the rankings but he knows that a top-five finish in Rome will be good enough to book his ticket to the final event.

Clandeboye’s Jonny Caldwell (118th), who must win to have a chance of qualifying  for Bari, shot a 70 to trail Molinari by six shots on five under.

Glasson’s Colm Moriarty’s may need at least a share of eighth place to haul himself into the top 45 from 55th in the rankings.

And he is just three shots outside the top 10 after carding a one under par 71 to share 18th with 175th ranked Michael McGeady (69) on four under.

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Harrington back at Turnberry
Sunday, May 20th, 2012 | Author:

Missing the cut in France had an upside. By the of these pictures it would appear that Padraig Harrington has made a second reconnaissance trip to , seven weeks after seeing the course for the first time.

No he will have picked up some important information before he goes for a hat-trick of Irish PGA wins at The European Club in Co Wicklow on Wednesday.

Harrington won the Irish PGA in a play-off in 2007 and then claimed his first major in a play-off at the following week. Last season, he won the Irish PGA by four strokes and retained the Open by the same margin at Royal Birkdale eight days later.

The superstitious will be keeping an eye on scores from Brittas Bay as the Dubliner prepares to win the Claret Jug three years on the spin.

“I know was the last man to do it and it is just rare that people win three in a row,” Harrington said during his May visit. “But I think I am in with a great chance of doing it. I feel like my will be ready and that’s all I can ask for. Going and winning it is, I won’t say secondary because that is the primary goal to win it. But the one that is in my control is to be ready for it and I do believe things are on for the Open when it comes around. If I it up in the Open and I feel like I have done what I needed to do and got my game ready for the Open, I can ask no more of myself.”

Considering his recent form, few will be betting on him. But his Lazarus like major wins – Carnoustie (72nd hole disaster), Birkdale (wrist injury) and Oakland Hills (hitting it sideways in the second ) – prove that he can overcome almost anything and win. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No.

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