((((( IRISH GOLF )))))

Nothing big to report on recently . Rory still firing on 3 cylinders , with another Major in the offing .

One of my sons is friendly with Brook's caddie Ricky Elliot . They met up last week in Portrush , interesting to hear some of what transpired in the course of the last round of the USPGA . Koepka has a great team around him , add in his undoubted talent and you get a winning formula.

Was in St Andrews on Sunday , think there were 5 Irish girls/ women playing in the St Rule ( low amateurs) trophy .  Not sure where they finished , only found out the placings for the top 3 , none of them Irish . Standard very high , none of my mixed foursomes partners ever hit the ball like these girls , maybe that's why we have relatively little representation in the womens professional game so far .

Rory getting worse imho, can't putt, loves a double bogey and who knows what occurs upstairs. Still a huge talent off course..

Delighted to see Shane Lowry consolidating his place at the top table. Not sure if he can quite pull off a major but who knows what he might do in the familiar surroundings of R Portrush if he gets a decent start and keeps a level head ? Must be a good bet for the Ryder Cup too.
Also great to see Graham McDowell finally emerge from the doldrums.
If Rory can somehow pick up his mid-range putting and toughen up on the mental side  -he could be leading an Irish golfing renaissance for the next decade . Rory needs to develop the knack Tiger had of making  a 72 out of a 76 - rather than the opposite.
Paul Dunne can still progress with a little more experience and Seamus Power has produced enough good rounds to suggest he can be more than just a journeyman . Epic summer coming up for Irish golf whatever.

Rory beating up this pitch ans putt course @# Currently

What an epic day for Irish professional golf. Who could have scripted this ? -a runaway win for Rory -- a tied 2nd place for Shane and an important 8th for McDowell. (Hopefully RTE might be able to squeeze it in after the Junior Girls Badminton news.)
As I was saying -roll on the Irish golf renaissance.

Memorable day all around .  Well done lads !

US OPEN week with SHANE, RORY & GMAC from this island state ... JONNY RAMBO to win

Not the start SHANE wanted (+4) while our northern boys are cruising (T5, T9).

Rory McIlroy (68) – Bogeyed his opening hole but played the next 17 in 4-under despite not making a birdie on any of the three par 5s. Had to settle for just 9-of-14 fairways and 12 greens but short game was sharp.
“It's very, very soft out there. Very benign. I needed to get out there and shoot something in the 60s today, it's going to get harder as the week goes on so I'm happy with my work today. The greens are absolutely perfect. I don't see them deteriorating. It's hard to describe how different they are from nine years ago.” WINNER IN WAITING

Rory McIlroy opened with 68, a very good omen for the 2011 US Open champion.
Each of the previous three times Rory began a major championship with a round of 68 or better, he went on to win.

The 124th Amateur Championship in Portmarnock has reached the quarter finals stage.

Cameron Sisk, the 2018-19 Pac-12 freshman of the year at Arizona State, is lone American remaining. Plays Aussie David Micheluzzi.
Scotlands Euan Walker is set to clash with compatriot Sandy Scott.
James Sugrue (Mallow) & Ronan Mullarney (Galway) are the lone two Irish players still in the field (down to the last 8 now). They take on Netherlands Koen Kouwenaar and Englands Benjamin Jones respectively. 

The Champion typically receives exemptions to the Masters, US Open & The Open.....8.15am start in the morning....Best of Orish Luck.

https://www.randa.org/en/championships/theamateurchampionship/mp-results#/competition/2058825/matchplay/5

David Micheluzzi of Australia was the highest-ranked player coming into the tournament - he sits seventh on the World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Seamus POWER (66) and Padraig Harrington (68) opening rounds - Irish start well at the Travelers Championships

Catch

I'd like to know how far down the list Rory would come.

World top 20 Bogeys and double Bogeys.

Huge congratulations to James Sugrue of Mallow GC - The 2019 Amateur Champion at Portmarnock.

James will now play The Open at Portrush, the 2020 US Open and can expect an invitation to The Masters in the post.

UP CORK boy !!!!!

Great performance.  Interesting year ahead for him .

Top langer.

Off to LAHINCH next week on the 'WILD ATLANTIC WAY' for the Oirish OPEN.....
...and another meeting with Mr Klondyke and Mrs Dell https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=563666104163257

https://lahinch.ie/
https://www.lahinchgolf.com/

A TRULY GREAT (Goat) TRACK, in the southwest of Ireland, with towering sand dunes the height of the nearby Cliffs of Moher - An 1894 Old Tom Morris original, with an 1927 Dr Alister MacKenzie re-design, and a 1999 Martin Hawtree restoration of the MacKenzie ethos (+ new par3's 8th & 11th).

LETS HOPE IT'S WINDY, Surf's up and those blind shots fool 'em !

Look no further than Spain's OWGR #11 Jonny Rahmbo to do the business again
+
Tommy Fleetwood England
Louis Oosthuizen South Africa
Matty Wallace England
Ireland's own Shane Lowry
Ian Poulter England
Eddie Pepperell England
Rafa Cabrera Bello Spain
Tricky Ricky Hatton England
Li Hao Tong My fav Chinaman
Lucas Bjerregaard Denmark
Justin Harding My fav South African
Kiradech Aphibarnrat The burly Thai
Abraham Ancer Tops of the 4 USA players
Thorbjorn Olesen Denmark
Watch for Schwab & Smith in good form, while Scotland's Russell Knox defends, with POD (2nd in 'The SOUTH' twice), GMAC ('SOUTH' winner 2000), Willet & Sir LEE about on Thurs/Fri at least.
CM iyc

http://www.haversham.com/bakers-blog/7-things-to-see-at-lahinch/#.XRi1yndFx9A

Very emotional evening in store for Mr Nate Lashley.

What a remarkable story..

Nate Lashley36.68€38.00€1,355.86

POD's lead didn't last long.....SPECTACULAR DAY on the links here in LeHINCH

ONLY 66 players made the cut at -1 or better, with Ireland's Paul Dunners and Paul McBride just missing out.

Brilliant 3rd round from young Robin Dawson today .  Could finish top Irish , he must have been a big price to win that . Keep her lit !

Outrageous round going for ROBERT ROCK

Catch Me ifyoucan • July 7, 2019 12:03 PM BST
The atmosphere here in LeHINCH is overwhelming
...Crowds drinking on the streets - some guy said it reminded him of PUCK FAIR - only more Goats ! (acting the maggot).

Great tournament .  Think we should make Jon an honorary Irishman .  He is good for the tourist industry too , even knows the right hangout up North .  Wonder where he is spending the next week ?  He is not in Scotland as far as I know.

Yes , it went well and got a big name winner. Only let down was the front line Irish crew -most of whom got set up for a run at the top ten at least and then went AWOL. Padraig we know blows steaming hot or freezing cold but I thought Lowry and Power would  put up a better show.
...maybe they're saving it for Portrush .

A lot of the top pros are staying in Doonbeg and Adare. Oosty was in Ballyb this morn

All roads lead to the Ramore and Harbour bar next wk

Rambo’s reserved his table live on TV on Sunday

Fionn Mc will be happy (and busy)

Remember “On My Own” ?

ALL set Kelly ?

Stay clear of our lot, wind up Thurs, Rory  out before it starts, Rahm and Schauffle my 2, Be lucky

Yes Catch Me , pretty well organised so far . Have season tickets etc .   Was up there Sunday and Monday , not today Tuesday , had to come home for a funeral. No broadband in the house we have , will miss out on the betting etc , although I have been active on the win market for the last few months .  Huge variations so far , Tiger was 9/1 at one stage , Johnson was 12/1 , Rahm 13/1 , .Best for me is Scott , on him at 75/1 , next best is Rahm .  The weather may play a part , had a few quid on Shane today at 100 , course winner North of Ireland as an amateur .

Well organised operation on the course , 6000 working on course apparently .  80 plus on one hole our club is marshalling , 2 shifts , OK if its dry , but if the wind blows it will wreck some players chance .

Up tomorrow early , although there is rain forecast .

Are you going ?

Just going now .

Good viewing/punting .  Best of luck .

RAHMBO’s dining on a juicy steak in the Ramore this evening

Weather’s put me off going up the motorway

Mediterranean like up here all morning CMIYC

Off to practice for the SOUTH

Lowry bar a fall ?

Koepka might be the bet without .

wd Kelly.

Not sure if Steve Palmer has broken his extended losing run?

RA,
wd on what ???

...note the time of Kelly's post - Sunday morning at 10.45 - when LOWRY was 1.63 to back (and 4 shots in front)...and Brooks was 4th btw

Granted he's often a shocking after-timer but he may have flagged a €1 ne/w touch earlier last week?

As expected...


THE RYDER CUP IS COMING TO IRELAND!... Sept 2026


Adare Manor in the southwest of Ireland (Limerick) will be confirmed as the venue for the 2026 Ryder Cup today, following an agreement between the European Tour and the Irish Government.

Hurry up with the Adare Bypass & Cork/Tralee/Limerick motorways

Lads , been away in Kerry since Monday after the Open , no computer facilities .

I posted re Lowry on Wednesday before a ball was struck in earnest .  Why Lowry?  He knows the course , beat a friend of ours in the final of the North , can play in bad weather and is a brilliant up and downer .  Plus in practice he was doing the right things .  Example : on Monday in practice with Gmac and James Sugrue at the 13th green he dropped 3 balls in the left hand bunker and played 3 consecutive shots to within 2 feet of the notional pin ( towards the front pin position they would probably use on the Sunday) .  Guess where he finished on Sunday ! And repeated the dose with the ball that mattered , Fleetwood was over the green , as were most, and had a 4 . Gmac played 2 out of the same bunker in practice  ( on the course where he learned his golf ) and left them 12 feet and 25 feet from the hole .

In practice one of our senior Ryder Cuppers was "arsing around" in my view , finished nowhere .  Rory was hitting everything left according to people we know who operate exclusively and professionally on the practice area , Tiger was not impressing people there either .  Tiger drifted from 18 to 30 in the 4 days leading up to the start , there was a reason for that . Soon as I saw him in practice on Monday I put a line through him .

Phil apparently arrived on Sunday , had a look at the course and said " I cant win here" .

The coach of one of the younger guys on the European tour was at our barbecue on the Wednesday night , talked up in particular one of his charges , some of the lads backed him at 175 , laid him back when he was one of the 8 on the main leaderboard . Faded on the Sunday , as did a lot of others , most cant handle bad weather .  Too young and inexperienced at Open level , but impressed me for the future . Not posting his name though , will keep it up my sleeve.

Someone castigated me a while ago doubting that I backed Kjeldsen at a big price when he won in RCD in 2015 ( Irish Open ) . Backed off though when offered a decent bet by me to teach him a lesson . Kjeldsen also was practicing properly there , unlike one of his practice partners ( holding quite a few majors) who did not impress .  If you have eyes and ears you can learn a lot , mainly about attitudes .  Jack was right when he said that 90% of those competing in Majors cant win .  Finding the 10% is the trick , and they are not always the front runners in the betting .   

I wouldn't sneer at £1 e/w a 100/1 winner , my  bet was £5 win only though , purely for interest as my main activity is trading and I had a  very good book on the Open , betting for about 5 months pre event starting .  Rahm was my best winner as I laid him decently at 13/1 and backed him at 20 to 25 . Touched 4 in running too , bonkers price in an Open with 3 days to go and unpredictable weather .

I said to the lads after Shane had won , "if they kept playing another 2 rounds Koepka would win the Open" .  Most agreed with me , he impressed me hugely and he has a great team around him .  And he listens to that team and trusts them . Did not wait long to put down another marker , missed that all , away in windy Kerry . Drove through Adare from Kerry around 5 o clock today ( Monday ), no traffic going my way , strung out back to the end of the motorway going the other way into Adare though , could not figure that out .  Locals ( not Adare natives probably) looking forward to a by pass Ryder Cup or not .  Have not been in there since JP got involved , but reports from others give it a big thumbs up , best thing ever to happen I was told , although if its over 300 euros to play there( as reported ) most people wont sample it .

Good to see Shane with the Clara jug at the hurling , sadly for Offaly they don't look like getting into that scenario either in football or hurling where they once were more than competitive . Wonder will he have to go through "customs" with it and face tariffs on it defending his title  if Gussie Fink Nottle gets away with a no deal Brexit ?

Super post there Kelly.
Delighted Shane made it to the top table. Rory continues to be an enigma though . Yes he's having an excellent year for wins and high finishes but he's also shown an alarming brittleness in pressure situations that i wouldn't expect from a seasoned pro who has accomplished so much. That 79 at R Portrush was a grotesque incomprehensible happening and against Koepka last week he missed an early 4ft putt and seems to have crumbled away to mediocrity -being the only player in the top 15 or so to come in over par. It was like an action replay of the head to head with Patrick Reed in 2018 Masters -he missed a 4/5 ft putt at the 2nd and disappeared from the scene. Shane had no problem coping with the pressure at the Open -and the bogey at the 1st on Sunday didn't faze him at all.
Do you have any view/theory on McIlroy's apparent fragility and tendency to flop when he should be able to at least contend in a manner befitting his world no.3 ranking. It's not that I expect him to win everything .I wouldn't mind him losing to Koepka if ,say,he finished 2 or 3 under par but got outscored. To lose like he did was most deflating for his followers.
I wonder would a change of caddie be worth a try.

Lots of chat up at Portrush regarding the outcome of the Open , including some fairly informed comment re Rory . None of our lot fancied his chances given the prospect of wind . Not going to post specific comment on Rory  on here  , just general comments . Rory should be blowing away some of his opponents given the potential game he has , but seems to have forgotten how to do that .

Some of the most informed comments I heard came from caddie contact , particularly those with local connections . On Thursday morning (just a.m.I think)  I was standing looking at the main scoreboard and David McNeilly came over to speak to me , we go back a long way when he was Sir Nick's caddie in Portmarnock ( Carrolls ). He also caddied for Padraig and Nick Price to name but two Major winners never mind Sir Nick's exploits , albeit after he left Nick . After talking with me and my brother as he was walking away I realised he was out that afternoon in the Tiger 3 ball .  Wished him luck , didn't do Matt Wallace much good , and apparently there was dialogue between them that day . Will find out about that some time later .

Let nothing detract from Shane Lowry's win though , it was brilliant golf and under big pressure from Tommy initially , but Tommy has a tendency to throw in an average round every 1 in 4 , a bit like Rory . Hopefully Shane gets another win soon , there is nothing like the winning habit . He looked fitter last week , TV of course does not slim you down , some of the golfers in the Open looked a lot slimmer than I thought , and some were tiny, tall does not necessarily mean long off the tee . Woosie used to prove that , saw him playing alongside Greg Norman and outdriving Greg regularly . 

Harry Diamond learnt his golf at our club , played Senior Cup for us , Rory wanted him to turn pro .  Rory's best mate .  Very good putter too. Switched to another club though , better practice facilities there .  Then he picked up Rory's bag . But your best mate is not going to rip into you if you need it . Ricky and Brooks had an interesting conversation for instance when Brooks had 4 bogeys in a row in the USPGA  with Dustin tucked in behind , blowing most of a 7 stroke overnight lead. Ricky is friendly with one of my sons , and paths crossed when Ricky was scouting out the course about a month before the Open . Koepka has a brilliant team around him , and he follows their advice .  So far it is working very well .  Best in the world at present , and he is a big strong fairly young guy , with a great back up team . The body language post USPGA involving Brooks and his entourage / family / caddie was enlightening .   Here to stay I think .

One of the leading fancies for the Open took time to visit Adare Manor just before the Open , leaving Portrush.  Not what I would do , no matter how attractive the invite .

Adam Scott was a huge disappointment , he had been on hand for a good time before the Open , played poorly . Slight enigma.

RORY McIlroy has just been voted the 2018-19 Player of the Year by his peers.

This is the third time he has received the Jack Nicklaus Award.

The Players Championship
Canadian Open Champion
Tour Championship
FedEx Cup Champion

PGA TOUR members who played at least 15 official FedEx Cup events during the 2018-19 season were eligible to vote. The balloting process ended on Sept. 6.

((((THE IRISH OPEN)))) .....28th-31st MAY 2020.

...moved to a new date in May next year to avoid a clash with a high-profile tournament in the US.

The venue is still be confirmed (Mount Juliet and The Island both thought to be under consideration).

Traditionally been held two weeks before The OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP in July, but in 2020 that would have clashed with the WGC St Jude Classic in Memphis.
The French Open will now be held from July 2nd-5th instead.
The changes were confirmed as the European Tour released its full schedule for 2020, which features 46 Race to Dubai events in 29 different countries.
The programme has been planned around the Olympics in Tokyo from July 30th-August 3rd and the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits from September 25th-27th.

*Olympics in Tokyo - Fri, Jul 24, 2020 – Sun, Aug 9, 2020

1368 views

Padraig and Shane one outside the cut line atm in ITALIAN OPEN

Harrington, Lowry & Dunners all miss the (level par) cut, along with big names like Poulter, Li, Kaymer, Sullivan, Casey & Italy's 'Major' golfer Francesco Molinari.

BIG DAY for Gavin Moynihan in Paris tomorrow

Moynihan, the Dub who 'plays bitta golf', #162nd on the Race to Dubai is now up to 140th after a Tour career best of a share of 5th place - he's heading to the annual birdie fest, the Portugal Masters in the Algarve - the final event, a top-three finish would lift him inside the cut-off mark of 117th for full 2020 Tour membership.

08:00    Min Woo Lee Bradley Dredge Bernd Ritthammer    9/5    21/10    43/19
08:20    Haydn Porteous Niklas Lemke Jack Singh Brar    13/8    28/15    9/4
08:30    Jamie Donaldson Justin Walters Clement Sordet    11/8    11/5    13/5
08:40    Guido Migliozzi Stephen Gallacher Adrian Otaegui    6/4    2/1    23/10
08:50    Lee Slattery Oliver Fisher Gonzalo F-Castano    28/17    19/10    2/1
08:50    Matthew Southgate Renato Paratore Soren Kjeldsen    6/4    2/1    12/5
09:00    Matt Wallace Tom Lewis Lee Westwood    13/10    21/10    13/5
09:10    Jeunghun Wang Alvaro Quiros Paul Dunne    13/8    28/15    12/5
09:20    Callum Shinkwin Jeff Winther Robert Rock    6/4    2/1    12/5
09:30    Hugo Leon Ashley Chesters Darren Fichardt    6/4    28/15    5/2

12:30    Joakim Lagergren Nino Bertasio Gavin Moynihan    6/4    2/1    13/5
12.40   Michael Hoey
12:40    Pablo Larrazabal Tapio Pulkkanen Kristoffer Reitan    7/4    7/4    11/5
12:50    Jordan Smith George Coetzee Shubhankar Sharma    6/4    9/5    13/5
13:00    Lucas Bjerregaard Ross Fisher Chris Wood    11/8    2/1    14/5
13:10    Andy Sullivan Joachim B Hansen Brandon Stone    9/5    12/5    11/4
13:20    Martin Kaymer Eddie Pepperell Ryan Fox    13/8    19/10    5/2
13:30    Mikko Korhonen Padraig Harrington Lorenzo Gagli    13/10    2/1    16/5

Catch Me ifyoucan • October 3, 2019 5:18 PM BST
((((THE IRISH OPEN)))) .....28th-31st MAY 2020.

Rory has confirmed that the Irish Open will be his only European Tour event in 2020 ahead of the 149th OPEN. He also confirmed his 2020 golfing intentions, citing overseas travel issues ahead of a year set to feature three WGC events, the Olympics and Ryder Cup.....so, Hawaii in January and “that gives me a solid sort of six months in the US where I’m not having to travel a bunch and I think that helped how I performed last season.”

T13: Shane Lowry, -8, $181,837.50 in the ZOZO Championship in Japan.....now off to Shanghai, CHINA.....declaring his closing two rounds in Japan to be the best he’s struck the ball since capturing The OPEN..... 45/1ew ¼ Sky 5plc , 40's PP 1/5th 7plc.

Kilkenny's MARK POWER (2nd seed on the Wake Forest Men's Golf team) becomes the first freshman from the men's side to win the East Lake Cup Individual Title.
His uncle Brendan McDaid - PGA golf coach at Carr Golf Centre Spawell, Dublin - must be delighted !

The East Lake Cup is a collegiate competition featuring top-performing teams from the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships. The East Lake Cup takes place at historic East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, and air live on Golf Channel from October 28 - 30, 2019.
Modelled after the NCAA Golf Championships, the format for the East Lake Cup consists of an opening round of stroke play to crown an individual male and female champion and determine seeding for the following two days of match play competition.

Many individual winners have gone on to have successful careers on the PGA Tour, including 1961 champion Jack Nicklaus, 1967 champion Hale Irwin, 1996 champion Tiger Woods, and three-time champions Ben Crenshaw ('71,'72 & '73) and Phil Mickelson ('89, '90 & '92). Curtis Strange 1974 and Jay Haas 1975 - both represented Wake Forest when winning the Individual Title. MARK joins elite company !

Thomas Pieters, Max Homa, Bryson DeChambeau, Aaron Wise & Matthew Wolff (2019) are just some of the recent winners.

An impressive birdie on 18 to shoot 5-under-par and claim the East Lake Cup individual title, by 2 shots from Vick, on a tough day on the course. https://twitter.com/i/status/1188934458017230849

Viktor Hovland 2018 and Scottie Scheffler 2016 are the most recent / best known Individual Medallist at the East Lake Cup.

The 2016 the East Lake Cup tournament added a day of stroke play to the competition.

***are just some of the recent winners*** of The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships.

MOUNT JULIET it is then.....Proud Host of The 2020 DDF Irish Open.

...on the Jack Nicklaus Signature Designed Course.
...hosted three Irish Open Tournaments, in 1993 Faldo, 1994 Langer and 1995 Torrance and a Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf match between Tom Watson and Fred Couples in 1997.
...played host to golfing legends Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Pádraig Harrington for the WGC American Express Golf Championship in September 2002 and 2004.
...first opened in 1991 it's home to the Paul McGinley Golf Academy.

A great start to collegiate golf as Ireland's LAUREN WALSH secured the East Lake Cup title for Wake Forest Women's Golf Team - winning the East Lake Cup, 4-1, over Auburn in Wednesday's final.

Walsh, who Kim Lewellen (Wake Forest coach) calls a “very professional” freshman, had a team-high three top-10s and followed a hard-fought tie against Arizona star freshman Vivian Hou on Tuesday by earning the deciding point in the final with a 3-and-1 victory over Auburn’s best player Julie McCarthy.
Coincidentally, Walsh and McCarthy (two years older) come from the same club, the Island Club in Dublin, and share the same coach, Shane O’Grady. “She’s always been one of the players who I looked up to,” Walsh said of McCarthy.
This time, though, she beat her international teammate, following Migliaccio’s 1-up win over Megan Schofill and Liu’s 5-and-4 rout of Kaleigh Telfer. Kuehn chipped in with a 3-and-2 victory over Mychael O’Berry in the anchor match. The only person who didn’t win Wednesday, Knecht, took the individual title on Monday..... Two Irish Ladies with a future.

RORY wins in a playoff at the WGC-HSBC Champions!
The reigning FedEx Cup champ claims his first victory of the season and 4th of the 2019 calendar year.
He’s already thinking ahead....DUBAI in a few weeks

Delighted to see Rory on the winners podium again. He's had a phenomenal year for consistency and statistical brilliance but of course it's always the wins that count for most. Can't wait to see him at Augusta if he continues in this rich vein of form.

Watching his schedule more carefully from now on will help him (he’ll play when and where HE wants)

Good win for Rory , though made it hard for himself by means of a bad drive at the 18th in normal time , resulting in par on an easy birdie hole .  Made up for it in the playoff , hitting the best drive of the week ( by anybody) on the same 18th , resulting in an easy birdie which gave him the win .  Shauffele though was under the weather with flu symptoms  , fair play to him for hanging in there .

Mount Juliet a worthy course for the 2020 Irish Open , which has rightfully regained  recognition as one of the front line European events . Needs to have top courses , show casing our unbelievable array of world class venues , Mount Juliet belongs up there as one of our top inland courses . Greens top class , presumably that will continue .

Great memories of previous events there , first place I saw Tiger in person ( 2002 ) . Hopefully some of the USA players will come , although May is in the Major season window which is always a problem .  Weather should be good around  28th May , and plenty of light .

Hope to travel down , love venue and surrounds .

Congrats to Cormac Sharvin on securing his European Tour card... the Northern Irishman finish T35th at the Challenge Tour Grand Final today - enough to see him finish 11th in the Road to Mallorca rankings - and to secure his European Tour card for next season.

First day back at Q School for DUNNERS

Ulsterman & Clandeboye golfer JONNY CALDWELL has earned a European Tour card for 2020 after a sensational performance (a final round 67 for a 13-under-par total) saw him finish tied-17th & importantly inside the T25 at Qualifying School at Lumine Golf Club in Tarragona, Spain.
This is the second time the 35-year-old Co Down man has come through Q-School to earn his card having also done so back in 2008. The Bangor man plied his trade on the third tier EuroPro Tour this season, where he finished seventh in the Order of Merit. Caldwell will join Cormac Sharvin on the tour after the Ardglass man finished 11th on the Challenge Tour.

The 2007 GB&I Walker Cup player (played with wee Rory, and Shane) and represented Ireland in the World Amateur Team Championship for the 2008 Eisenhower Trophy with Shane Lowry (A golfer named Rickie Fowler had the best 72-hole aggregate that year btw).
His delighted sponsors are Woodgate Aviation, who provide a Business Aviation Gateway to Northern Ireland - Air Ambulance, Private Jet Management, Charter, Maintenance & FBO/VIP Handling and also Wirefox, a Property & Investment Company based in Northern Ireland.


The 2019 European Tour Qualifying School was contested over 252 holes in three stages across 14 different venues. A record number of 1,063 entrants bid for one of the coveted European Tour cards, surpassing the previous record of 1,026 from 2017. The Final was played over the last six days (with a four-round cut) and saw 158 competitors compete across six gruelling rounds (108-holes) for just 25 cards.
Q-School was won by Denmark’s Benjamin POKE, who finished at 25-under-par, while other notable names such as Gregory Havret (2nd at 19 under-par), Alejandro Canizares and SSP Chawrasia also made the Top 25.
Dublin's Gavin Moynihan and Niall Kearney both missed out but will receive higher exemptions for next season's Challenge Tour because they made the 4-round cut on Monday. Kearney has earned a full Challenge Tour card. Ballymoney's Michael Hoey and Irishman Robin Dawson also gained their second-tier cards despite missing the Q-School cut, but they will receive lower exemptions as a result.

*Walker Cup (played with wee Rory) and Eisenhower Trophy (with Shane Lowry)

2007 Caldwell/McIlroy won 2&1 Horschel/Fowler btw

The RACE to DUBAI is over as Jon RAHM crosses the Winning Line as champion.
Ireland’s SHANE LOWRY picks up a 600k bonus for 4th with Rory 6th in the season long race.

GMAC is confirmed as 'the host' with the most for the DDF Irish OPEN in 2020 Mt Juliet and 2021 in Portstewart.

THE reigning OPEN CHAMPION Shane Lowry has committed to play in the Saudi International Tournament at the end of January next year..... good timing on the press release.

Brooks Koepka, DJ, Paddy Reed, Michelson, Stenson, Tony Finau & 'Slasher' Garcia are also down to play at the King Abdullah Economic City and Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
Major Champions receive major appearance fees no doubt.
The tournament is expected to be followed by a Ladies European Tour golf tournament in March 2020 in Saudi Arabia, as announced last month by Saudi Golf Federation. LISA may have put in a good word during her incursion.

SHANE off to a nice start for the season in HONG KONG.... T20 at 1 under..... JAZZ the man

69 66 68 64 for Shane.... Superb Sunday for 2nd place in HK.....behind Wade ‘King Kong’ Ormsby

Great to see Shane emerge from hibernation with his swing in good shape. If Shane and Rory maintain last year's from or anything close it could be a super year for Irish golf -and we also have a star-studded field lined up for the McManus Pro-Am in Adare Manor in July .

Gee MAC, you left some big guns in your wake.....Graeme McDowell won the Saudi International, his eleventh career European Tour title. It was the first European Tour victory for G-Mac in nearly six years, his previous being the 2014 French Open. McDowell’s short game spurred him to the win – he ranked 2nd in the field for the week in scrambling and 5th in strokes gained putting.

"I want my kids to see me out there. No more pulling up YouTube videos." - and as he tells his kids - “I always tell my kids we live in a nice house because daddy can putt, that’s about the heart of it, really,” he said. “The putter’s been a little ice cold the last sort of two rounds but I got it heated back up on the back nine today and I’m going to have to putt well to have a chance tomorrow.”

Dustin Johnson finished runner-up in Saudi Arabia, his best result since last year’s PGA Championship. DJ was the only player in the field to shoot in the 60s all four rounds.
Phil Mickelson tied for third, his best finish worldwide since winning last year’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Lefty had not finished better than 18th in any of his prior 22 starts around the globe. He will defend that Pebble Beach title this week – a tournament he has won five times in his career.

https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/features/the-game/things-you-didnt-know-about...

Catch Me ifyoucan • June 22, 2019 6:29 PM BST Huge congratulations to James Sugrue of Mallow GC - The 2019 Amateur Champion at Portmarnock.
James will now play The Open at Portrush, the 2020 US Open and can expect an invitation to The Masters in the post. UP CORK boy !!!!!

But before all that, it's (((((THE GEORGIA CUP)))))

Georgia Tech player, Matt Kuchar won the 1997 United States Amateur Championship and in the Spring of 1998 a new tradition was born, The Georgia Cup hosted at The Golf Club of Georgia.  The Georgia Cup an 18-hole charity match between the reigning United States Amateur Champion and British Amateur Champion.  Matt Kuchar defeated Craig Watson in 1998 to win the first Georgia Cup match. This tradition continues today with a reception following play before the Amateurs head to Augusta to compete in the Masters Tournament.

The 23rd Annual Georgia Cup Match Sunday, March 29, 2020 - will feature a head to head match between another Georgia Tech player, Andy Ogletree (US Amateur Champion) and yar man from 'Malla' JAMES SUGRUE (The British Amateur Champion). The Golf Club of Georgia looks forward to hosting these two elite champions before they make their way to Augusta and compete in the Masters.  The match will take place on the Lakeside Course with tee off scheduled for 6pm (Orish time).

Past Match Results.....
1998 Matt Kuchar (U.S.) def. Craig Watson (British)
1999 Sergio Garcia (British) def. Hank Kuehne (U.S.)
2000 David Gossett (U.S.) def. Graeme Storm (British)
2001 Mikko Ilonen (British) def. Jeff Quinney (U.S.)
2002 Michael Hoey (British) def. Bubba Dickerson (U.S.)
2003 Ricky Barnes (U.S.) def. Alejandro Larrazabal (British)
2004 Gary Wolstenholme (British) def. Nick Flanagan (U.S.)
2005 Ryan Moore (U.S.) def. Stuart Wilson (British)
2006 Brian McElhinney (wee Donegal lad) (British) def. Edoardo Molinari (U.S.)
2007 Richie Ramsay (U.S.) def. Julien Guerrier (British)
2008 Colt Knost (U.S.) def. Drew Weaver (British)
2009 Danny Lee (U.S.) def. Reinier Saxton (British)
2010 Matteo Manassero (British) def. Byeong-Hun An (U.S.)
2011 Peter Uihlein (U.S.) def. Jin Jeong (British)
2012 Bryden Macpherson (British) def. Kelly Kraft (U.S.)
2013 Alan Dunbar (Rathmore/Portrush)(British) def. Steven Fox (U.S.)
2014 Garrick Porteous (British) def. Matt Fitzpatrick (U.S.)
2015 Gunn Yang (U.S.) def. Bradley Neil (British)
2016 Romain Langasque (British) def. Bryson DeChambeau (U.S.)
2017 Scott Gregory (British) def. Curtis Luck (U.S.)
2018 Harry Ellis (British) def. Doc Redman (U.S.)
2019 Jovan Rebula (British) def. Viktor Hovland (U.S.)