Shane Lowry felt like he let a great chance slip in the Johnnie Walker Championship. Picture Stuart Adams www.golftourimages.com:Like the Terminator, Shane Lowry vows he’ll be back. In this case, it’s a 2014 Ryder Cup debut that’s got the Clara man fired up after he felt he’d blown a huge chance to win the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Shane Lowry had plenty to smile about at Gleneagles on Friday. Pictured early this week by Stuart Adams www.golftourimages.comShane Lowry cashed in his chips when he holed out for a closing birdie to win a wager with caddie Dermot Byrne that could be worth the price of the holiday he plans to take next week.
Michael Hoey marks a ball at Gleneagles. Picture Stuart Adams www.golftourimages.comThe race for places in Paul McGinley’s European Ryder Cup team begins in Wales next week and Ireland’s Michael Hoey, Gareth Maybin and Shane Lowry look ready to make a hot start to the campaign.
Rory McIlroy showed signs of a return to form in Akron and Oak Hill earlier this month. Photo: Anthony Powter) www.golffile.ieRory McIlroy won two play off events last year, finished 10th in the season-ending Tour Championship but lost out to Brandt Snedeker in the $10m FedEx Cup race.
Jose Maria Olazabal believes he would have failed as a captain if he let his 2003 Seve Trophy falling out with Padraig Harrington influence his thinking on wildcards.European Ryder Cup skipper José María Olazábal today dismissed as “b.s.” the idea that his 2003 Seve Trophy row with Padraig Harrington is colouring his wildcard thinking.
Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke during a question and answer session at the 2011 Irish Open in Killarney. Photo Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ieWhen I checked with bookmakers William Hill on Monday, Paul McGinley was still favourite for the European Ryder Cup captaincy at Gleneagles in 2014. Despite all the talk about Darren Clarke, he’s still there.
Peter Lawrie drives from the 11th tee on the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles. Picture Stuart Adams /www.golffile.ie Mark Foster and Ignacio Garrido have suffered their share of sporting heartache over the past eight years but it remains to be seen if Peter Lawrie can add to their woes in the final round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
The duo, winless since 2003, lead by three shots on 11 under par from a quintet of players that includes the Dubliner (71), Dane Thomas Bjorn (71), Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal (70), American Anthony Kang (69) and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger (68).
It’s not the kind of leaderboard that will send pulses racing but Lawrie won’t care if he can bridge the three shot gap and end his three-year wait for a second European Tour title.
Peter Lawrie drives at the 16th during the second round of the Johnnie Walker Championship, being played over the 2014 Ryder Cup Course, the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles. Picture Stuart Adams /www.golffile.ieHe went into the Irish Open with a putter he retrieved from his garage collection, hoping it might spark some better form on the greens.
Less than a month later, Peter Lawrie is rolling the ball beautifully again and just a stroke behind leader Ignacio Garrico at the halfway stage of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Peter Lawrie drives at the seventh during the first round of the Johnnie Walker Championship, being played over the 2014 Ryder Cup Course, the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles. Picture Stuart Adams /www.golffile.ie Peter Lawrie is making a habit of getting into the running early in European Tour events but it remains to be seen if he can stick around for 72 holes and grab his second European Tour win.
The Dubliner opened with a four under 68 in the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles’ PGA Centenary course to lie just two strokes behind pace-setter Mark Foster.
“I’ll try not to get ahead of myself,” said Lawrie, who led after the first round of last week’s Czech Open only to fade to tied 37th. “Last week was uncomfortable, coming from two weeks off. Shooting such a good score first round it would have been better to play into it. But you can’t pick and choose when you shoot a score.”
Paul McGinley misses his putt on the 16th green during the first round of The Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club. Photo Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie Paul McGinley has brushed aside the broomhandle as a solution to his putting woes. But Padraig Harrington has adopted a “never say never” attitude to the long putter.
Dubliner McGinley, 44, is determined to remain competitive as he bids to become the first Irishman to land the Ryder Cup captaincy in 2014.
But despite struggling badly on the greens recently, he has no plans to join the long putter revolution that’s taking the game by storm.
Set to continue his golfing fightback in this week’s Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, McGinley said: “I am very much a traditionalist and I’d have to say that at the end of the day I’m anti the long putter.
Gary Murphy and Jonny Caldwell failed to make the big move they needed to ease their card worries at Gleneagles.
As Peter Hedblom captured the Johnnie Walker Championships by a shot, Murphy closed with a 69 to finish tied 16th with Caldwell’s 73 relegating him to tied 31st.
Ranked 156th in the Race to Dubai starting the week, Murphy moved up just six places to 150th after earning a cheque for €21,861.
The top 115 at the end of the season retain their cards and as things stand, the Kilkenny man is €63,223 behind 115th ranked James Kingston.
Rookie Jonny Caldwell can save his European Tour card after a sensational six under 66 left him tied for second at the halfway stage in the Johnnie Walker Championships at Gleneagles.
Ranked 280th in the Race to Dubai, he knows that a win would give up a two year exemption while a second place finish would earn him enough to sneak closer to the top 115 who retain their cards.
“It’s been a long time coming but I have played pretty decent for the last couple of months and it is all starting to fall into place,” said the Ulsterman
Peter Lawrie has over half a million reasons to be happy with his season despite his sudden-death Dutch Open reverse.
The Dubliner, 35, had victory snatched from his grasp in the KLM Open when he faltered at the finish and Simon Dyson jumped in to take the title after a three-way play-off.
