Irish Golf Desk

Golf news and features

Irish Golf Desk - Irish Golf News
© Brian Keogh 2008
Site last published: 11/21/08

Valderrama is Valhalla for a day

Soren Kjeldsen
It was more like Valhalla than Valderrama as Scandinavian heroes Soren Kjeldsen and Robert Karlsson celebrated their moments of glory with sighs of relief rather than throaty roars.

While the diminutive Dane Kjeldsen avenged last season’s play-off defeat by clinching an impressive two-stroke victory in the weather-ravaged final edition of the Volvo Masters, Karlsson rounded off a season of incredible consistency when he became the first Swede to lift the coveted Harry Vardon Trophy. Read More...

Jiménez fuming as rain stops Volvo Masters

Miguel Angel Jimenez
Miguel Angel Jiménez was fuming at Valderrama yesterday and all without the benefit of his trademark Cuban cigar.

Less than four hours play were possible before torrential rain flooded greens and bunkers, forcing the suspension of the second round of the season-ending Volvo Masters with the ten leading players in the tournament yet to tee off.

After opening with a two-over par 73, Jiménez set off in the worst ravages of the rainstorm and by the time play was suspended just after three o’clock in the afternoon, his hopes of winning the tournament and the Order of Merit were dashed when he played the first four holes in seven over par to balloon to nine over for the tournament before he was put out of his misery by the claxon announcing the suspension of play.
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Harrington has one of those days

Robert Karlsson
The magic touch that has defined Padraig Harrington’s double Major winning season deserted him so utterly at windy Valderrama yesterday that the Dubliner will now require a feat of escapology worthy of Houdini if he is to lift the Harry Vardon Trophy for the second time.

On a day when the 57-man field averaged 73.65 strokes in the first round of the Volvo Masters, Harrington tellingly failed to make even one birdie for the first time this season, opening with a five-over par 76 that left him 11 strokes behind Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen and a lowly 43rd in a tournament where he must finish first or second to deny Sweden’s Robert Karlsson (73) the Order of Merit title.

It was Harrington’s worst effort since he carded a six-over par 77 in the third round of the US Open at Torrey Pines in June and while he was his usual, defiant self afterwards, his opening gambit has severely dented his chances of winning the money title for the second time in three years.
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Harrington remains focussed

Padraig Harrington
Padraig Harrington claims that he will not be greatly perturbed if he fails to apply the finishing touch to his incredible season by winning the Order of Merit for the second time at Valderrama this week, writes Brian Keogh at Valderrama.

But the truth is that the Dubliner would love to emulate the great Christy O’Connor Snr, winner of the Harry Vardon Trophy in 1961 and 1962, by raising that coveted piece of silverware for the second time in three years in the final edition of the Volvo Masters at the storied Spanish track on Sunday night. Read More...

Harrington seeks place in history books

IMG_0372
Money might be the barometer of success in the modern game but Padraig Harrington will be focussing on the history books rather than the size of his bank balance when he tees it up in the 21st and final edition of the Volvo Masters at Valderrama tomorrow. writes Brian Keogh.

Trailing leader Robert Karlsson by €297,425 in the race for the Harry Vardon Trophy with Lee Westwood and Miguel Angel Jimenez still in the running, Harrington wants to mark the end of an era on the European Tour by winning the season-ending finale amongst the cork oaks.

But as the Order of Merit and the Volvo Masters are replaced by the $10 million Race to Dubai, Harrington expressed his hope that the European Tour may yet find a way of honouring Seve Ballesteros’ contribution to making the tour what it is today.
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McIlroy stepping up at Valderrama

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy has taken some pretty big strides in his first full season on the European Tour and if things go to plan at Valderrama he will be stepping out in many of next year’s major events in a natty pair of black suede shoes.

The 19-year-old from Holywood in Co Down has earned €666,835 so far this season and if he can clinch a top-three finish in the Volvo Masters, he will have done enough to don the flashy new range of spikes he has ordered for the 2009 campaign in the Open Championship, the US Open and two of golf’s lucrative World Golf Championship events.
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Shaw makes successful transition

Ulsterman Gareth Shaw firmly planted his foot on the first rung of the professional golfing ladder when he closed with a three-under par 69 to share fourth place in the Challenge of Ireland at Glasson Golf Hotel and Country Club near Athlone. Read More...

Local knowledge boosts Moriarty Challenge

A little knowledge might be a dangerous thing but it worked for local touring professional Colm Moriarty as he tamed a wicked west wind to card a two-under par 70 and lurk just one stroke off the pace in the €150,000 Challenge of Ireland at Glasson Golf Hotel and Country Club. Read More...

Harrington inspires McDermott at Glasson

He might be nearly 4,000 miles away in Akron, but Padraig Harrington’s presence was still clearly felt in the €150,000 Challenge of Ireland as Stackstown’s Michael McDermott opened with an impressive, eight-under par 64 to claim a one stroke lead at Glasson Golf Hotel and Country Club near Athlone. Read More...

Historic South triumph for Royal Dublin's Kearney

Looking more like the hero in a John Ford western than one of Ireland’s up-and-coming golf stars, Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney swaggered towards the stunning Lahinch sunset with a look of immense satisfaction on his young face. Read More...

Youth prevails at Lahinch

They old golfing adage that a man who can putt is a match for anyone rang true once more in the McNamara sponsored South of Ireland Championship at weather-lashed Lahinch. Read More...

Lowry survives joust with Fanagan

Just over a week after falling into an emotional embrace with his former Walker Cup partner Padraig Harrington at a post-Open Championship welcome home party, Milltown’s Jody Fanagan could only look on and smile as Ireland’s up-and-coming champion Shane Lowry sent him packing in the fourth round of the McNamara sponsored South of Ireland Championship at rain-sodden Lahinch. Read More...

Scare for Crowe in South opener

After kicking off his 40th consecutive appearance in the McNamara sponsored South of Ireland Championship with a 3 and 2 win, County Louth veteran Barry Reddan popped into Lahinch for a late peak at the scoreboard. Read More...

Harrington carves out Open advantage

By Brian Keogh

Padraig Harrington headed for Royal Birkdale feeling like a winner in more ways than one after he successfully retained the Labrokes.com Irish PGA title at The European Club. Read More...

Thoroughbred Harrington leads by six in Irish PGA

Eamonn Darcy compared him to a likely-looking thoroughbred pracing around the parade ring before a classic race.
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Links advantage for Harrington as Open looms

Padraig Harrington will be the envy of every serious pretender to his Open Championship crown when he begins his defence of the €70,000 Ladbrokes.com Irish PGA Championship at The European Club today. Read More...

Stroke of genius signals end for Smyth

Des Smyth stood dripping in the scorer’s hut at stormed-lashed Ballyliffin with a wry smile on his face and a look of sadness in his blue eyes. Read More...

Left-hander Charles beats his age at Ballyliffin

It could hardly be described a miraculous performance for a man who limits his liquid intake to water and wine. But even by his own high standards, Bob Charles’ level par 71 in the opening round of the Irish Seniors Open at wind-blown Ballyliffin was a truly vintage performance. Read More...

Smyth challenged on all fronts

Des Smyth admits that continuing his lucrative relationship with the US Champions Tour for a seventh season will even more challenging than the gusting northwest winds and squally showers that dogged him in his final practice round for the Irish Seniors Open on Ballyliffin’s spectacular Old Links yesterday. Read More...

Ballyliffin launches joint bid for the Irish Open

The stunning Old Links at Ballyliffin will host the Irish Seniors Open later this month but if the energetic membership that has turned the remote Donegal links into an internationally renowned golfing destination has its way, the club’s muscular Glashedy Links will stage The Irish Open as part of an innovative cross-border deal with Royal Portrush from 2011. Read More...

Arthurs gets his reward in East

Good things come to those who wait. And so it proved for Forrest Little’s Eoin Arthurs, who salved the wounds of umpteen disappointments with an impressive four-stroke victory in the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at County Louth. Read More...

Smyth looking for missing links

Des Smyth is hoping that a two-week links swing in Europe will re-ignite his spluttering Champions Tour career. Read More...

Career-changing breakthrough for Lawrie

Peter Lawrie has endured some dark times in the course of his 11-year professional career, but when day dawned on a sun-kissed Dublin bank holiday Monday, the modest 34-year old could relax in the bosom of his young family and savour the sweetest of all victories. Read More...

Woods cruises to title No 63

Tiger Woods reached another career milestone in Arizona last night that simply served to add an extra layer to the impenetrable aura of invincibility he has built up over the course of a 12-year career.
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Faldo tastes vintage Monty

When Colin Montgomerie blanked Nick Faldo during last year’s ill-fated Seve Trophy at The Heritage, even the most sanguine of optimists would have had a hard time envisioning that oddest of odd couples popping the champagne corks on the 18th green at Valhalla in celebration of another European Ryder Cup victory.
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Harrington beaten by Cink again

Padraig Harrington was sore after crashing out to Stewart Cink for the second year in a row in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at The Gallery Golf Club near Tucson. Read More...

Harrington too good for Kelly

Padraig Harrington has spent nearly as much time in bed as he has on the range this week but the showed few signs of fatigue as he crushed Jerry Kelly 4 and 3 with a combination of power and finesse at The Gallery Golf Club on the outskirts of Tucson.
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Kelly hoping to be a hero

Goaded by a fan to pick up a bobcat that slinked across his path on The Gallery Golf Club’s opening hole, Jerry Kelly took a pass.
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Harrington comes home third

Padraig Harrington saved the best for last, scorching home in four under under par for a closing three under par 68 to share third place behind Phil Mickelson in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera.
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Rookie Johnson impresses with start

American skipper Paul Azinger has changed the format for the opening session in this year’s Ryder Cup at Valhalla from fourball to foursomes in a move designed to give the United States a first morning lead for the first time in 18 years.
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Harrington starts well

He didn’t quite repeat the fireworks of last year’s 63 but Padraig Harrington was quietly pleased to brush away some of the winter cobwebs with an opening two-under par 69 in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera.
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Star power to shine in Tiger's absence

Star power has been turned on full wattage for the Northern Trust Open with 17 of the game’s top 20 players set to do battle over the fabled Riviera Country Club course in the heart of Hollywood fantasy land.
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Casey changes course

Changing horses in mid course doesn’t always give results but Ryder Cup star Paul Casey is relying on a change of jockey for some inspiration in this week’s Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
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Irish left in Tiger's wake

Graeme McDowell and Damien McGrane had to bow to the superiority of Tiger Woods in the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
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Tiger date for McGrane

It might look like one of the greatest mismatches in sport but when world No. 319 Damien McGrane stands on the first tee with No 1 Tiger Woods at the Emirates Club at one o’clock today, no-one who knows him has any doubt that the Kells native will be doing his own thing.
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Irish have a blast in the desert

Graeme McDowell and Gary Murphy emerged sand-blasted but happy after combining exfoliation with perspiration to remain on the coat-tails of Tiger Woods and surprise package Damien McGrane in the Dubai Desert Classic.
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No let up from in-form Woods

Tiger Woods carded his 12th consecutive sub-par round - a bogey free, seven under par 65 - to take a two-stroke lead over a posse of 11 players in the Dubai Desert Classic.
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Murphy and McDowell in the mix

Graeme McDowell and Gary Murphy finished in an 11-man log jam for second place after five under par 67s as six of Ireland's seven participants broke par on the opening day of the Dubai Desert Classic.
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Bjorn bows to Tiger's supremacy

Tiger Woods had warm words for Rory McIlroy in his pre-tournament comments at The Emirates Club but unlike Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn, the 13-time major champion did not express any desire to be transfigured into the shape of an 18-year-old from Holywood, County Down.
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Woods impressed with Dubai phenomenon

The Dubai skyline is bristling with more skyscrapers and cranes with every edition of the Dubai Desert Classic. But the dollar sums involved in transforming the emirate into a business and tourism hub are staggering even to Tiger Woods, who looks set to become the first billionaire sportsman.
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Westwood gets on McIlroy's case

Rory McIlroy’s global fame has reached such proportions that his name is on the lips of every golfing aficionado from Tipperary to Timbuktu. But anyone who had forgotten that the Holywood lad is still just 18, was quickly reminded of that fact by the mischievous Lee Westwood in Dubai yesterday.
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Els goes soft on schedule

Ernie Els has taken a longer winter break than normal this year and reduced his global travelling arrangements to remain as fresh as possible for the season's major examinations.
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Sabbatini facing probe

Conflicting reports explaining Rory Sabbatini?s premature and controversial withdrawal from the Target World Challenge will be met with a full postmortem by tournament host Tiger Woods that looks certain to exacerbate their already strained relationship.
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Harrington prepares for change

As Tiger Woods wrapped up the eighth win of a momentous season in the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club, echoes of Padraig Harrington’s epic Open Championship victory reverberated around the Hidden Valley.
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Woods on target for win

Tiger Woods looked was cruising towards his fourth Target World Challenge title from nine attempts after holding off a mid-round charge by Jim Furyk at Sherwood Country Club near Los Angeles.
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Harrington chases Woods

Padraig Harrington donned his scoring hat in the Target World Challenge to join the chasing bunch battling to keep pace with a rampant Tiger Woods at sun-splashed Sherwood Country Club.
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Harrington battles back

Battling the physical stress of dozens of post-Open commitments during his three-week break from the game, Padraig Harrington clawed his way back into contention after a sloppy start to the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club outside Los Angeles.
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McIroy tipped for Ryder Cup team

Ryder Cup veteran Colin Montgomerie is convinced that Rory McIlroy’s youthful enthusiasm and golfing fearlessness would be a huge asset to Europe’s bid to win a fourth successive Ryder Cup at Valhalla in Kentucky next September.
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Woods hails year to remember

Tiger Woods has been asked some odd questions in his time but nothing comes close to the x-rated ambushing he got in his pre-tournament press conference for the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in the well-heeled suburbs of Los Angeles.
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Woods says no to Dubai World Championship

Hopes of seeing Tiger Woods play the European Tour’s inaugural $10 million Dubai World Championship in 2009 took a nose-dive at a pre-tournament press conference by the world number one ahead of the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club near Los Angeles.
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Browne and Moriarty come up short

Lo and the west wind did blow and there was great rejoicing and great gnashing of teeth at the final judgement that is the sixth and final round of the European Tour Qualifying School finals at The San Roque Club.
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Q-School reaches climax

Athlone’s Colm Moriarty believes it will take something special but Dubliner Stephen Browne is not so sure that he will have to shoot the lights out to clinch his card in the final round of the nerve-shredding European Tour Qualifying School Finals at The San Roque Club. Read More...

Agony continues as Irish progress

The don’t call it “The Wailing Wall” for nothing but the giant leaderboard made pleasant reading for stablemates Colm Moriarty and Stephen Browne as they survived the 72 hole cut on the limit to continue their quest for a coveted European Tour card at The San Roque Club.
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Moriarty takes his lumps

Like a boxer recovering from two trips to the canvas in the opening round, Colm Moriarty picked himself up, dusted himself down and delivered a couple of haymakers to the golfing gods in the European Tour Qualifying School Finals at a blustery San Roque Club.
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Cavalry charge at Q School

It’s meant to be a torturously slow slog to finish inside the top 30, but the first round of the European Tour Qualifying School Finals looked more like a cavalry charge as 58 players in the 156-man field broke par at The San Roque Club.
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Q-School grind starts at San Roque

It's golf's ultimate last chance saloon - a six-round, 108-hole shoot out around the Old and New Courses at The San Roque Club near Sotogrande with the jackpot a minimum of 30 golden tickets to the European Tour circus.
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Rose plays down Harrington clash

Justin Rose insists that the cork oaks of Valderrama will be a bigger rival than Pádraig Harrington when he arrives in Spain for next week’s Volvo Masters and what promises to be a nerve-jangling battle for the European Order of Merit title.
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Clarke ends European season on low

As the massive hitting Argentinian Daniel Vancsik took control of the Portugal Masters with a superb second round 66, Darren Clarke was already packing his bags and taking stock of the worst season of his 17-year European Tour career.
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European Open to return to K Club

Less than a week after the Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) pulled the plug on its sponsorship of the European Open, it has emerged that The K Club’s Palmer Course is the favourite to host the event for the 14th and final time next July.
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Lawrie lapped as Kaymer hits 61

The European Tour stands still for no man these days and while Peter Lawrie was pleased with his five-under par 67, the Dubliner was somewhat dismayed to find himself six shots behind Germany’s Martin Kaymer after the first round of the Portugal Masters at Victoria Clube de Golfe in Vilamoura.
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Rose struggling ahead of Portugal date

The main event is injured Justin Rose’s bid for a top-two finish that would allow him to leapfrog Ernie Els and Pádraig Harrington and go straight to the top of the European Tour Order of Merit.
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Browne eyes repeat in Kazakhstan

Stephen Browne has promised to repeat his party piece of 2005 and sing Danny Boy in the shadow of Almaty's Tien Shen mountains if he wins the E 330,000 Kazakhstan Open for the second time at Nurtau Gofl Club on Sunday.
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McIlroy to say hello to pro ranks

Rory McIlroy will say ‘Hello' to the world of professional golf at a news conference at The Belfry today.
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Irish duo not hopeful of Seve Trophy call up

Barring a phone call from Nick Faldo today, Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley have resigned themselves to watching next week’s Seve Trophy from the comfort of home.
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Ireland finds World Cup pairing

Ireland has finally found two golfers willing to qualify for November’s Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China.
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McGinley driven to distraction

Paul McGinley had a woeful day with the driver to fall a dispiriting 16 strokes off the lead in the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Gut Larchenhof near Cologne.
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World Cup mystery tour

Ireland's bid to find two players to tee it up in November's Omega Mission Hills World Cup is becoming a magical mystery tour. Read More...

Rude awakening for McGinley

Paul McGinley got a rude awakening on his return to European Tour action after a month’s holiday as playing partner Lee Westwood blasted his way to an amazing, 11-under par 61 in the first round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship at Gut Larchenhof in Cologne.
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Montgomerie waxes lyrical

Colin Montgomerie has been accused of many things in his 20-year European Tour career - but he could never be called dull.
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Ireland struggling to find World Cup team

Less than 12 months after staging the Ryder Cup, Ireland is struggling to find two golfers willing to battle for a place in November’s US$5 million (€3.6 million) Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China.
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Big guns set for Interpro showdown

Big guns Leinster and Ulster will face each other on the final day of the Golfsure Interprovincial Matches at County Louth. But unlike other years, the match between Connacht and Munster will have equal importance as all four provinces tee it up with one victory each and their title aspirations intact.
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Unforgettable win for Carlsson

Whatever he goes on to achieve in the game, Sweden’s Magnus A Carlsson will never forget his maiden European Challenge Tour win at the Glasson Golf Hotel and Country Club the banks of Lough Ree.
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Kehoe finds self-belief

They might be worlds apart in terms of their standing in the game, but Justin Kehoe insists that Pádraig Harrington’s Open Championship has given him renewed belief in his ability to make it on tour.
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Lorenzo-Vera storms clear

A villain one day, a hero the next. Or vice-versa.

The arbitrary nature of professional golf was revealed in all its glory at Glasson Golf Hotel and Country Club near Athlone as 22-year-old Frenchman Michael Lorenzo-Vera carded 10 birdies and a bogey in a nine-under par, course record 63 to lead the Challenge of Ireland by a stroke.
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Rocca wins Irish Seniors

He came, he saw, he conquered. And then he smiled from ear to ear.

Eight years after he last tasted victory at the Christy O’Connor Jnr designed Galway Bay in the 1999 West of Ireland Classic, Costantino Rocca clinched a two-stroke win in the AIB Irish Seniors Open.
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Torrance blast for Faldo

Medical reports are nothing strange in the post round chat on the European Seniors Tour and while Eamonn Darcy was delighted to remain in the hunt despite a painful back injury, journalistic eyebrows suffered some strain as Scotland’s Sam Torrance gave Ryder Cup skipper Nick Faldo some surprising food for thought.
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Irish drought to continue

Ireland has been waiting nine years for a home winner of the AIB Irish Seniors Open but Wicklow’s Eamonn Darcy can’t see the famine ending on a muscular PGA National Ireland course measuring almost 7,000 yards.
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West joy for Joe Lyons

Good things come to those who wait. And so it proved for Joe Lyons, the quiet spoken 34-year-old from Banagher in Co Offaly, as he putted his way to a one hole victory over Portstewart’s Paul Cutler in the final of the Radisson-SAS West of Ireland Championship at Rosses Point. Read More...

McIlroy kisses West hat-trick goodbye

The king is dead. Long live the king.

As Rory McIlroy’s bid for a hat-trick of titles ended in tears and frustration in the Radisson - SAS West of Ireland Championship, Strandhill schoolboy Tommy McGowan appeared on the scene as their heir apparent to the throne.
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McIlroy into last 16 at Rosses Point

Rory McIlroy stood head and shoulders above the rest at Rosses Point yesterday but the 17-year-old Holywood star still wasn’t happy with his game despite cruising into the last 16 of the Radisson-SAS West of Ireland Championship.
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Course record 64 for Grant in West

The last time Stephen Grant played under a clear azure sky, the former Shamrock Rovers and Sunderland striker tweaked his pelvis to such a degree that he has been in pain ever since.
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Woods and Harrington auto-critical

The truth is brutal but Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington were united by an honest appraisal of their performances in the WGC - CA Championship at Doral's Blue Monster in Miami.
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Garcia lacks the class of peerless Woods

The gulf in class between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia grew even wider during the WGC - CA Championship in Miami, where the world number one appeared certain to cruise to an incredible 13th individual World Golf Championship victory from just 24 starts at Doral’s Blue Monster last night. Read More...

Woods' putting back to best

Obituaries for Tiger Woods’ putting stroke were being hastily binned last night as the world number one stormed through the field to grab the halfway lead in the $8 million WGC-CA Championship at the Doral Resort in Miami.
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Europeans cope best at Doral

Americans might dominate the world golf rankings but it was the internationals who coped best with testing conditions on Doral’s Blue Monster as Sweden’s Henrik Stenson and Australian Robert Allenby shared the first round lead in the WGC - CA Championship in Miami last night. Read More...

Woods plays second fiddle

Tiger Woods doesn't often play second fiddle but even the maestro bowed to a man he considers to be "the most dominant athlete on the planet" when he took on Doral's Blue Monster in his final practice round for today's $8 million WGC - CA Championship in Miami.
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US base for Harrington

Being prepared, according to Cervantes, is half the victory. And if Padraig Harrington is going to win his tilt at the windmills of the major championships, the addition of an American base to his battleplan can only be a good thing. Read More...

Here come the young guns

Seven years after Darren Clarke became the first European to win a World Golf Championship event, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson announced the arrival of a new generation of stars with a hard-fought 2 and 1 win over Geoff Ogilvy in the Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain’s Gallery Golf Club in Tucson. Read More...

Low key final in Tucson

The parochial nature of American sport emerged as clearly as the desert air at the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship once Tiger Woods was sent packing by Nick O’Hern in Friday’s third round. Read More...

Rose draws first blood in Tucson

England’s Justin Rose drew first blood in the third round of the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship with an ultimately facile victory over Charles Howell in chilly conditions at The Gallery Golf Club in Tucson. Read More...

Poulter feeds off adrenaline in Tucson

Adrenaline junkie Ian Poulter showed the kind of fight that made him a Ryder Cup player when he ended Welshman Bradley Dredge’s hopes of causing another upset in the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship at The Gallery Golf Club outside Tucson. Read More...

Early errors cost Harrington

Padraig Harrington mounted a dramatic late comeback beforecrashing out of the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship to US Ryder Cup star Stewart Cink at Dove Mountain in Arizona. Read More...

Harrington goes down fighting in Tucson

Padraig Harrington’s hopes of winning his first world title evaporated in the desert sun of Arizona when he lost by one hole to Stewart Cink in the second round of the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship at The Gallery Golf Club. Read More...

Tucson provides spaghetti western feast

With a spaghetti western style backdrop of desert and cacti, there was more than a hint of the good, the bad and the ugly on the opening day of the WGC - Accenture Match Play Championship at The Gallery Golf Club. Read More...

Westwood a major obstacle for Padraig

Padraig Harrington faces a six foot, 205 pound banana skin in the formidable shape of Ryder Cup team mate Lee Westwood at The Gallery Golf Club near Tucson today. Read More...

Banana skins await in the desert

The last time Tiger Woods lost at matchplay in Tucson, he was dusted by a Dubliner caller Maury Beasley in the 1992 AJGA Rolex Championship. Read More...

No love lost between blood brothers

Blood in the sand. Carnage amongst the cacti. Call it what you will, but the first round draw for tomorrow’s WGC - Accenture World Match Play Championship at The Gallery in Arizona contains enough explosive material to match combined sartorial sparkle of Darren Clarke and Sergio Garcia. Read More...

Topsy-turvy finish for Harrington

Padraig Harrington had a topsy-turvy finish to his season as Tiger Woods clinched a four-stroke victory in the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in California. Read More...

Thrilling comeback for Harrington in LA

Padraig Harrington mounted a thrilling comeback in the Target World Challenge last night with a best of the day, five-under-par 67 at sun-splashed Sherwood Country Club. Read More...

Rocha and Rodiles win marathon Q-School

Spain's Carlos Rodiles and Brazilian Alexandre Rocha shared top spot as a marathon European Tour Qualifying School finals sloshed to a conclusion at rain-sodden San Roque. Read More...

Higgins resigned to Challenge Tour in 2007

Waterville's David Higgins has all but resigned himself to playing most of his golf on the Challenge Tour next season after carding a four over par 76 in the fifth round of the European Tour Qualifying School at San Roque. Read More...

Walton vows to make Q-School return

Echoing Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘The Terminator’, Philip Walton surveyed the wreckage of his tour card dream and vowed: “I’ll be back.”

The 44-year-old Dubliner’s his eighth visit to the European Tour Qualifying School finals ended in bitter disappointment at San Roque when he posted a two over par 74 on the Old Course to miss the four round cut by a single shot.
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Walton emerges from shadows

Dubliner Philip Walton emerged from the shadows at the European Tour Qualifying School finals at San Roque yesterday when he carded a three-under par, third round 69 to boost his chances of winning back is card.

The hero of the 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill catapulted himself 35 spots up the leaderboard to a share of 58th place on two over par, leaving him just three shots adrift Waterville's David Higgins, who is just inside the vital top 30 and ties on one under par after a third round 73. Read More...

Mixed bag for Irish at Q-School

There was a mixed bag from Irish hopefuls David Higgins and Philip Walton as the European Tour Qualifying School finals continued to produce its share of heart-warming comeback stories at San Roque.

While Higgins did his chances of retaining his card no harm by moving up to joint 21st thanks to a two-under-par 70, Walton’s hopes dwindled with a 73 that leaves him tied for 93rd place on five-over-par and 15 shots behind leader Carlos Rodiles of Spain. Read More...