Jan 27 (Reuters) – Scores after thesecond round of the European PGA Tour AbuDhabi Championship at the par-72 course in AbuDhabi on Friday (cut set at 146): 137 Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 70 67 138 Gareth Maybin (Britain) 68 70 Matteo Manassero (Italy) 73 65 139 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (France) 68 71 Robert Rock (Britain) 69 70 Paul Lawrie (Britain) 70 69 Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 67 72 Rory McIlroy …
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Scores after the second round of the European PGA Tour Abu Dhabi Championship at the par-72 course in Abu Dhabi on Friday (cut set at 146): 137 Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 70 67 138 Gareth Maybin (Britain) 68 70
Scores after the second round of the European PGA Tour Abu Dhabi Championship at the par-72 course in Abu Dhabi on Friday (cut set at 146): 137 Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 70 67 138 Gareth Maybin (Britain) 68 70
Jan 27 (Reuters) – Scores after thesecond round of the European PGA Tour AbuDhabi Championship at the par-72 course in AbuDhabi on Friday (cut set at 146): 137 Thorbjorn Olesen (Denmark) 70 67 138 Gareth Maybin (Britain) 68 70 Matteo Manassero (Italy) 73 65 139 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (France) 68 71 Robert Rock (Britain) 69 70 Paul Lawrie (Britain) 70 69 Robert Karlsson (Sweden) 67 72 Rory McIlroy …
• McIlroy tied with David Horsey and Alvaro Quiros
• ‘I’ll have to play very well to pick up the trophy’
Rory McIlroy ended the first round of the Hong Kong Open in a three-way tie for the lead on six under par after David Horsey and Alvaro Quiros matched the 22-year-old’s opening 64.
McIlroy was among the first groups out at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling and collected six birdies without dropping a shot to set the early clubhouse mark during windy morning conditions. But Horsey responded with a similar effort in the afternoon, while Quiros chipped in at the 18th to end the day also on six under.
The trio head the former two-times winner Miguel Angel Jiménez by a stroke, with Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin and the Australian Darren Beck two back on four under.
Starting on the 10th, McIlroy picked up birdies at the 14th and 16th with mid-range putts to reach the turn in 33 before a sand wedge to inside three feet at the first brought another.
The 22-year-old moved to four under at the next and although his drive from the fifth tee found the bunker, a superb recovery allowed the Northern Irishman to knock in a short putt for his fifth birdie of the day before adding his sixth at the next.
“I think, first of all, the greens are a lot firmer and a lot faster than they usually are, which makes it tougher to get the ball closer to the hole, but the wind today was a big factor,” said McIlroy.
“It swirls in these trees, you can feel it one minute downwind and the next right to left so you just have to trust where the wind is coming from. I was able to do that today, I got a couple of gusts where the ball might have gone a few yards left or right from where I wanted to but all in all, I was able to handle the wind pretty well.”
After lamenting his failure to turn promising positions into more victories this season, McIlroy is keen to capitalise on a good start over the next three days.
“Just getting myself in the position is a start and there might be a couple of things I can do better to turn those top-fives into wins. I have felt this year that I’ve definitely let two or three tournaments slip away from me and that’s something I’m trying to work on so that doesn’t happen,” he said.
“As long as I get myself in these positions and start winning more regularly, it becomes a habit and hopefully I’ll do it more often. I think it’s a very encouraging sign that I’m getting these top-fives, top-threes regularly and hopefully all of a sudden I’ll get on a run and maybe win a few events in a short space of time. It’s just about consistency and putting yourself up on a Sunday week in and week out. All that experience has to help you in some way.
“There’s still a long way to go in this tournament, I’ve led a lot of tournaments from the first day and I’ve won a couple of them but I realise more than anyone else there’s a long way to go and over 54 holes, I’ll have to play very well to pick up the trophy.”
Horsey, meanwhile, quickly climbed the leaderboard with birdies at the first and third before adding two more at the ninth and 10th.
A crucial par save from the sand came at the next before a fine approach at the 12th moved the 26-year-old from Stockport to five under. He then finished in style as his second to the par-four 18th landed two feet from the pin and he tapped in for a 64.
“A very nice start – I wasn’t feeling great coming into the week but did some good work yesterday on the range and it’s a good start,” said Horsey. “I’ve been playing well for a while to be honest. Since the Dunhill I’ve been hitting the ball quite nicely but the scores haven’t been coming in so hopefully I can change that in these last two tournaments of the year.
“I’m very pleased with the start but there’s a long way to go. The wind seemed to be gusting on the back nine so it was tricky to get the direction. I love this course, it’s suits me and I haven’t done as well as I should have the last couple of years so hopefully I can put that right this week.”
Quiros carded an eagle and four birdies in his 64 and the Spaniard was also pleased to defy the blustery conditions. “I played well, I gave myself a lot of good chances but didn’t holes putts. I think it was a fair score today. The wind was changing direction very easily. You have to be lucky to shoot low in these windy conditions. This is not my course, you have to hit draw, so I don’t think it is my style.
“Seeing Rory up there is not a surprise because he’s there every single week.”
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• Scot’s second-round 68 moves him one shot clear
• Will retain his European Tour card with a top-three finish
Scotland’s Steven O’Hara, playing to retain his European Tour card, leads the South African Open after a second-round 68 at Serengeti on Friday.
Without a win in 222 events, going back a decade, and down in 134th place on this season’s money list, the 31-year-old kept a bogey off his card to reach 11 under par at halfway.
The two-times winner Retief Goosen and his fellow South African Merrick Bremner are right on his heels, however, one shot behind on 10 under, and the five-times champion Ernie Els is not out of contention five behind, after a second successive 69.
Unless he finishes in the top five, to earn himself a place in next week’s Hong Kong Open, this is O’Hara’s last opportunity to stay on the European Tour, though he can do it in one go if he finishes in the top three on Sunday, as Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin – the player in 118th position on the Tour’s list – survived the cut with nothing to spare at two under.
O’Hara, joint overnight leader with South African Jbe Kruger, had three birdies in a back-nine 33, picked up another shot on the 382-yard second and then closed with seven successive pars.
Goosen, runner-up to Els last year in Durban, grabbed five birdies, including one on the 485-yard 18th for the second day running, but a bogey at the short fifth meant he matched O’Hara’s round.
Bremner also shot 68, coming back with six birdies after he had bogeyed the 225-yard 12th – his third – and double-bogeyed the next.
Last week’s Alfred Dunhill winner, Garth Mulroy, is only two back with the little-known South African qualifier Lyle Rowe, whose superb joint best-of-the-day 66 came from the depths of 1,388th on the world rankings – effectively joint last.
Rowe had a second-round 88 in the event last December, but this time eagled the eighth and had six birdies along with two bogeys.
O’Hara and Maybin are not the only ones involved in the scramble for Tour cards. Scotland’s former amateur star Lloyd Saltman, 136th in the standings, moved up to joint eighth, on seven under, with a 68, and the former Ryder Cup player Phillip Price (117th) is alongside Els in 14th place.
Oliver Wilson, a member of Europe’s side only three years ago and now 133rd, also reached six under, but found the hazard on the par-three ninth – his last hole – and ran up a costly double-bogey.
At least he has the Hong Kong tournament to come, as does Price’s fellow Welshman Stephen Dodd, who is likely to drop from his current 122nd spot after withdrawing with a hand injury.
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Leading Portugal Masters first round scores at the par-72 course at Vilamoura on Thursday: 64 James Kingston (South Africa) 65 Gareth Maybin (Britain)
• South African hits nine birdies in eight-under-par 64
• More than 30 players score five under or better
South Africa’s James Kingston was on top of the pile at eight under par as day one of the Portugal Masters saw 31 players achieve a score of five under or better.
It was a good day for British and Irish golf, which ended with 13 players, including Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington, within three strokes of the lead. Simon Khan, Gareth Maybin and Rhys Davies each claimed a share of second place at seven under.
Kingston led the field after a round of 64 which included nine birdies and a bogey. The South African picked up a shot on the 4th but it was a run of five birdies from the 8th which formed the backbone of his round. His back nine included six birdies, with the only blemish coming at the par-three 16th.
“It was a really nice round of golf,” said Kingston. “I played really steadily, gave myself so many chances and it was enjoyable. I put the ball in play most of the day, gave myself some really good approach shots into the greens and hit some really good pitch shots.”
There was little to indicate what was in store from an opening seven holes for which he was just one under. “I felt I could have done a little better earlier in the round, then all of a sudden I made one or two and my tail got in the air,” he said. “I hit some really good iron shots pretty close – five in a row which is nice.”
A round of 65 for Khan was enough for a share of second alongside Davies, Maybin, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark.
Maybin will aim over the weekend to continue the increasingly impressive form of Northern Irish golfers. “Obviously there’s a boom at the minute especially with Michael [Hoey] getting a great win at the Dunhill,” he said. “Someone tells me it’s the Guinness but it’s a good crop of players and they’re shining at the minute.”
Germany’s Martin Kaymer has the chance to steal a march in the Race to Dubai standings with the four players above him – Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel and Lee Westwood – taking the week off. He was well positioned after day one on five under, in a tie for 16th alongside Montgomerie and Harrington, among others.
On a day of low scoring, the defending champion, Richard Green, managed a disappointing round of 71.
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Oct 13 (Reuters) – Leading Portugal Masters first round scores at the par-72 course at Vilamoura on Thursday: 64 James Kingston (South Africa) 65 Gareth Maybin (Britain)
• 22-year-old Englishman eight under par
• Kim bi-o and Ignacio Garrido also in front of the chasing pack
Chris Wood fired a first-round 63 to take an early share of the lead at the Singapore Masters.
After play was delayed for four hours in the morning because of thunderstorms, Wood carded six birdies and an eagle in his eight-under-par effort to join his playing partner Kim bi-o and Ignacio Garrido at the head of the field.
Playing the Tanjon course at Sentosa Golf Club, Wood made a blistering start by reeling off three consecutive birdies before adding an eagle at the sixth to make the turn in 31.
Three more birdies in a row from the 11th saw him quickly move to eight under par and top the leaderboard. Kim, meanwhile, played the front nine in 33 but five birdies on the way back helped the Korean draw level with Wood.
Garrido was eight under after 11 holes when play was suspended because of the fading light. Six birdies on the opening nine holes were followed up with back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11.
Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama and Rikard Karlberg of Sweden are both seven under, with Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin and the American Anthony Kang a further shot back.
Europe’s Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell has made a storming start to his opening round and after eight holes is one of 16 players on five under par. Phil Mickelson is a further shot back, along with the young Italian Matteo Manassero.
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Northern Ireland golfers Graeme McDowell and Gareth Maybin share a four-shot lead going into the final round of the Andalucia Masters.
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland shot a 74 Sunday to win the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama. He finished at 3-under, two shots ahead of Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin, who shot a 76 to finish in a tie for second place with Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen (69) and Ireland’s Damien McGrane (72).
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland shot a closing 2-over-par 74 to win the Andalucia Masters at Valderrama and complete his third victory of 2010. The Northern Irishman finished two shots ahead of compatriot Gareth Maybin, whose final round of 76 left him in a share of second with Ireland’s Damien McGrane (72) and Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen (69).
• Northern Irishman holds nerve in wind to reach ranking high
• Top 10 to comprise six Europeans and four Americans
Europe’s Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell will break into the top 10 in tomorrow’s world golf rankings after winning the Andalucia Valderrama Masters today.
McDowell was three over par for the day in trying weather conditions to finish three under overall, two ahead of a chasing pack of three.
The Northern Irishman Gareth Maybin, the unfortunate Damien McGrane of Ireland and the Dane Soren Kjeldsen were the only other men to finish under par for the tournament, each closing one under.
McGrane, in particular, will feel aggrieved after losing his composure on the final three holes, during which he dropped four shots. McDowell’s win not only made new inroads into Martin Kaymer’s sizeable Race to Dubai lead but also books his place as world No10 – becoming the sixth European in that group alongside four Americans.
He started the final round as joint leader with his compatriot Maybin on six under but both men lost strokes early on to open the way for McGrane, Maybin bogeying his first three holes on his way to a five-over round of 76.
McGrane, playing in the group ahead of McDowell and Maybin, started on two under and gradually chipped away to five under to be in the lead on the 16th tee. But with a second tour win in his sights and heavy wind affecting all the players, he made a mess of the hole and surrendered the initiative.
McGrane sent his tee-shot into the rough on the right and then took on an overly ambitious shot that backfired before narrowly avoiding going out of bounds. In the end he needed four shots to reach the green and two putts for a double-bogey six.
McDowell bogeyed the third and eighth before pulling a shot back on the par-four ninth. The US Open champion dropped a further shot in taking four strokes on the 12th but a steady return of pars in the increasingly difficult conditions were enough to ease him into a two-shot lead. The 31-year-old bogeyed the 18th but by then he was already assured of his seventh career win.
José María Olazábal – who is expected to take over the Ryder Cup captaincy, fitness permitting – was one of only three players to sign for a sub-par round today, with his one-under 70 enough to earn him a share of 10th. Kjeldsen and Joost Luiten each shot two under for the day.
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