Irish Golf News

Ernie Els during his six-putt nightmare on Thursday

Those of a cruel disposition call him the Big Difficult but anyone whose dealt with Ernie Els will attest to his status as the gentle giant of the game.

He dislikes the moniker The Big Easy with a passion because his silky smooth swing was dug out of the dirt of South Africa and not handed to him from above.

Even with four majors on his dining room table, the game has been cruel to the big man, whose six-putt from three feet for a nine on the first hole in the opening round made news worldwide and reduced a great player to ridicule.

The yips is a horrible affliction but Els showed he’s far bigger than those who taunt him. Not only did he remain on the course on Thursday and post an 80, he came back out to face his demons again yesterday and carded a one over par 73 that was all the more remarkable considering his start.

He didn’t quite six-putt but a three-putt double bogey, which included a three putt and a missed 18 incher, was not what his psyche required.

He also yipped a three foot birdie putt at the second but after bogeys at the fourth and seventh, he birdied the eighth, rolled in a three footer for a two at the 12th and a seven footer for birdie at the 13th and a seven footer for another at the 15th, where he crashed a stunning 234 yard second to 40 feet.

Had a bad day at the office? Don't worry. Ernie Els had a much worse one.#Masters LIVE: https://t.co/OkZY10tMcMpic.twitter.com/kaQqwhN6ox

— ByTheMins (@ByTheMins) April 7, 2016

He also made a four footer for par at the 16th and while he bogeyed the 17th, he holed a seven footer at the last for a par and a 73 the left him with his head held high.

After his six-putt on Thursday, a round that featured 39 putts, Els sounded like a man who had reached the end of his tether.

“I’m a little dead inside,” Els told reporters after trying in vain to explain the “unexplainable” on Thursday. 

Yesterday, he was far more serene if a little red-faced.

“After yesterday I felt quite embarrassed,” he said. “It was very weird going out onto the course, an almost surreal feeling. Out on the range I was getting some strange looks. People were looking at me like I didn’t have any pants on or something; like I’d robbed something and been caught. But to be fair they had good reason to look at me funny.

“When you play this game long enough you’re going to make a fool of yourself somewhere and unfortunately I did it on the biggest stage.

“It wasn’t too bad last night. The whole house was still in a bit of shock. I watched the NBA game between Miami and Chicago and slept ok.

“But this morning I felt really down when I got to the course. I felt kind of funny. But I tried something different when I obviously shouldn’t have done, and was almost back to my normal self by the end there.’

Asked what he took from the week, Els said: “Well, just an unbelievable test.  I don't think I've ever been tested like that ever before.  Kind of try to just play the golf course, try and get back into my routine, just do my routine, my normal routine, and kind of started playing okay.  So, it was a real great test to me.”

As for the dreaded yips, he said: “It could be anxiety, it could be a lot of stuff, so definitely not my normal self, especially the last two days.  

“It could be because I'm running out of time at this beautiful place and maybe putting a bit too much pressure on myself to putt like that.  So, we'll figure it out.”

Shane Lowry speaks to the media after his opening 68 at The Masters

Paul McGinley reckons that only Jordan Spieth was better than Shane Lowry — physically and mentally — in round one of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National 

As Rory McIlroy made late mental errors, the 29-year old world No 32 opened with a 68 to share second place with Danny Lee, two strokes behind defending champion Spieth.

And McGinley, who is a keen observer of strategy and mental strength, was hugely impressed by what he saw from Lowry on a day when the likes of Rickie Fowler (80) and Bubba Watson (75) lost the plot and Jason Day followed a five under par front nine with a five over par homeward run

"This course wears you out mentally," the 2014 European Ryder Cup captain said. "We saw Jason Day make big mistakes at the end. We saw Bubba Watson make mistakes on the back nine and we saw Rory make mistakes at the end. And it is because of the relentlessness of the golf course.

"You can't switch off. If you are not on it mentally for 18 holes, it can reach up and grab you like it did with those guys.

"You just have to be on it. Shane mentally, outside of Jordan, was probably the best player out there today. He led greens in regulation, he never seemed to get out of position. He was always in the fairway, always on the green and he did everything right.

"His iron shots were great too. Great shot into 16, great shot into 17, great shot into 18. Okay, he laid up on 15 but he was great. Mentally, he was great. Three more of those......."

“All this stuff about him carrying weight and not being fit is rubbish. He is fit and he is mentally fit.” — Paul McGinley on Shane Lowry's fitness

McGinley's voice trailed off but Lowry will not need to be reminded that he can't get ahead of himself. 

"You would probably say, of all the players in the afternoon session in terms of how they played, Shane  finished the strongest," McGinley added. 

pic.twitter.com/SasTmSbZIr

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 7, 2016

Lowry's strength and conditioning trainer Robbie Cannon and coach Neil Manchip and take pride in Lowry's focus and physical drive down the back nine.

"All this stuff about him carrying weight and not being fit is rubbish," McGinley said. "He is fit and he is mentally fit.

"Rickie Fowler, the course just wore him down. It got to him. That's why the Masters is so special."

As for McIlroy, who remained patient and picked off his birdies, then eagled the 13th only to finish erratically, McGinley is not too concerned.

He said: "Rory was doing great until 15. He shot 70. He is not out of it at four off the lead. But he needs to tighten things up, as we have been saying all year.  

"I think he should be buoyed by the fact that he is only four off the lead and shot two under par with some mistakes. Of course, he is disappointed but he's just four back."

Lowry is not getting head of himself or looking back on the WGC Bridgestone Invitational for confidence.

On dreams of a green jacket getting in the way, he said: "I mean, it's hard not to.  I'm sure I'm going to be sitting back tonight thinking at some stage about wearing a green jacket.  I'm only human.  I'm going to do that. 

"But I've just got to kind of give myself a slap in the face and get myself back into reality and try to get down to business and keep hitting good shots and see where that leaves me at the end of the week."

Shane Lowry showed his mental strength and his class when he fired a four under par 68 to fly the flag for Ireland in the Masters.

While the world regards Rory McIlroy to the leading candidate to become the first Irishman to don that famous green jacket, the loose limbed 29-year old from the midlands is cannot be ruled out after Thursday afternoon's imperious display.

As McIlroy lost focus near the end of a trying, windswept day, dropping shots at the 16th and 18th for a somewhat unsatisfactory 70, Lowry made five birdies in his first eight holes en route to a four under par effort that left him tied for second with Danny Lee on four under par, just two shots behind defending champion Jordan Spieth.

It could have been even better for Lowry, who led greens in regulation but missed five birdie chances inside 15 feet on the last five greens.

But after missing the cut by one stroke last year, the pride of Co Offaly was pleased to get off to a fast start in a major after what has been a slow start to his first season since winning the World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational in Akron last year.

Shane Lowry pours in a birdie putt in round one of the 2016 Masters

"It was a good day," Lowry said at the end of a day that saw eight Europeans finish in the top 12. "I hit a nice iron to the first, but it just ran off and I left myself like a 15‑footer for par (and holed it). That was kind of a nice way to start the day.  It’s almost nicer than chipping it stiff. 

"From there, I played great today.  Didn't miss many shots. Didn't miss my targets by much and managed to hole a few putts early doors.  

“Really feel like it could have been one or two better at the end, but, I'll take it." 

McIlroy was not quite as impressive but he showed plenty of patience as he made an eagle and four birdies in a two under par effort that could have been better but for bogeys at the fourth, 11th, 16th and 18th.

The three-putt at the 16th and the tired swing that led to a plugged approach to the last made the Holywood star angry as it gifted two shots to the impressive Spieth, whose 66 was one of two bogey free rounds alongside Danny Willett's 70.

Lowry's 68 featured one bogey but it was far more impressive than Willett's round and almost as good as Spieth's wonderful 66. 

The Texan birdied the third, sixth and eighth to turn in 33, then made an impressive birdie at the 10th and two more at the 13th and 18th for another hot start to the Masters.

The round one pin positions

Lowry never gave himself a chance to learn Augusta National last year as he drove the ball poorly and missed the cut by one after rounds of 75 and 72. But he took advantage of a missed cut in Houston last week to formulate a good game plan.

A 54 hole practice run — 18 holes on Saturday followed by nine holes on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — gave him the knowledge he needed to set his targets. And he pulled it off in hugely impressive fashion.

Forced to hole a 12 footer for par at the first, he cruised to the turn in 31 like a runaway train as he combined lethal driving with his sublime short game skills.

He reeled off four birdies in a row from the second, getting up and down with his wedge at the second and third before following a 12 footer at the par-three fourth and a 17 footer at the tough fifth to go to four under par.

Confessing he’d love to win a Major, Lowry knows he has to be patient, adding: “It’s a big deal and it’s something that you want to do as a golfer. I couldn’t tell you what age I was when I started going, ‘I really want to win a major.’  Obviously I do. 

“There's not too many people who wouldn't want to win one. And it's nice seeing my name up there. But like I said, it's three rounds to go. It’s a long way to go yet, especially around this place.

“You're only ever a bad bounce away from a bit of a disaster, so you've just got to keep your head on.  

“You've just got to keep trying to hit good shots and hit towards your targets and hopefully make a few putts, and that's all I'm going to try and do."

Even tough he felt he was patient early on, McIlroy lost mental focus late in the day and was furious to bogey two of the last three holes.

Yes, he was  pleased with his second best opening round in the Masters but he knows he let a great chance to make a big statement.

Rory McIlroy leans left after leaking his approach into a bunker at the 18th. It plugged and he finished with a bogey

Rory said: “It was good. If someone had given me a 70 for the first day I probably would have taken it. The conditions were tough out there. They were tricky and it was tough to hole putts. 

"The par threes were tough but I played the par fives the way I wanted to. I was a little bit disappointed with the finish and the loose shot on 18.

"But I just need to go out there tomorrow and try and get those two shots back as quick as I can and then stick to my game plan which is to take advantage of the par fives.  If I can do that I won’t be too far away at the end of the week.

“It was one of my better starts at Augusta. I am in the top ten and as I said at the start of the week it’s important to make a good start. 

"It would have been nice to have been a couple of shots better but I think 70 in those conditions was pretty good. 

“I was a little angry coming off the 18th green but if I look back on it I hit some good shots, missed some opportunities and it could have been a bit better but I need to stay patient and realise that my score was good today and I am not too far behind the guys at the top of the leaderboard.”

Sharing a house with his father Brendan, his coach, a pal, his management, his fiancée Wendy and a personal chef, Lowry said he was in great form for his late tee time.

He said: "I felt great this morning.  Woke up, had some breakfast in the house.  I've got a bit of a crew over, so we just sat around and watched a bit of TV, watched a bit of golf and took it easy. Before I know it, or before I knew it, it was time to come to the course. 

A fist pump from Jordan Spieth after his birdie at the 18th. His 66 was his eighth sub par round in nine trips around Augusta National in the Masters — 71 70 70 72; 64 66 70 70; 66.

“I felt really relaxed, really comfortable, and I was really looking forward to getting out there all day.”

As for the wind, he laughed when asked the worst he’d ever experienced.

Beaming, he said: “I knew it was going to be tough. It was going to be tricky, but it’s not like I haven’t played in the wind before."

He added: "I hit some good shots.  I stroked the ball really solid today, which is what you need to do in the wind.  

"You know, I've always said, I like tough golf.  This is tough golf and it's going to be for the next three days.  So I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Darren Clarke faces a battle to make the cut after a 76 that had moments of brilliance but while Graeme McDowell bogeyed the last for a battling 72 to share 21st with the likes of Phil Mickelson and Jason Day on level par, he was also pleased with his start, specially after going two over after 10 holes.

"I was thinking here we go again," McDowell said. "I was two over stranding on the 11th tee and at that point I would have snapped your hand off for level par. 

“I was actually a little disappointed to bogey the last but generally my attitude has been good this week and I am just trying to have some fun and enjoy this golf course. 

"Where else would you want to be from a golfing point of view? I managed to hit some nice shots and made a few putts so it was pretty good.

“The lads are doing well. It was great to see Shane up there on the board early doors and that kind of spurned me on a little bit and as I said I made some decent putts after that and hit enough good shot to have me really up for getting back out there tomorrow.” 

Spieth stole the show with his early 66 but Irish eyes were all on Lowry and McIlroy in the afternoon as they led a strong European charge.

After turning in five under, Lowry missed a 10 footer for birdie at the 11th and bogeying the 12th after overshooting the green.

But a two putt par at the 13th following a rare, pushed drive into the pine trees, he steadied the ship coming home and gave himself a handful of five chances on the last five holes to go event lower.

McIlroy went out in the worst of the wind but after following a nerve-settling birdie at the second with a soft bogey at the fourth, he hit huge drives downwind and birdied the seventh and ninth to dip into the red.

A bogey at the 11th was only a wobble and as Jason Day went 6-6 with bogey at the 15th and a triple bogey six at the 16th, ending the day tied with McDowell after72, McIlroy eagled the 13th from 17 feet to move to three under and into the top four.

A two putt birdie at the 15th put McIlroy at four under but he tugged his tee shot long at the 16th and three putted from 63 feet, missing a six foot return putt.

He almost three putted the 17th too but then bunkered his approach to the 18th, plugging it in the right top and failing with a 25 footer for par.

Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell had no answer to golf's toughest questions and exited the 2016 Masters with their highest round scores ever.

But unlike Ian Woosnam, who stuck around after rounds of 82 and 81 to chat about what could be his last playing appearance at Augusta National, the Ulster pair were understandably in no mood to share their thoughts after days to forget

As Clarke posted an 84 before scurrying away, Graeme McDowell’s Augusta hoodoo continued with an 81 and a sixth mixed cut in nine appearances.

McDowell at least shared some thoughts on Twitter.

My love affair with Augusta continues..... Couple of bad driver swings and putting with the handbrake on caused a slow painful bleed today.

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) April 8, 2016

9 Masters later and continue to be bemused by this course. Love it and hate it at the same time. Will continue to work. Lots of golf ahead.

— Graeme McDowell (@Graeme_McDowell) April 8, 2016

McDowell tweeted: “My love affair with Augusta continues….. Couple of bad driver swings and putting with the handbrake on caused a slow painful bleed today.

"9 Masters later and continue to be bemused by this course. Love it and hate it at the same time. Will continue to work. Lots of golf ahead.”

In Clarke’s case, it could be his last Master as a player. And it almost certainly will be for Welshman Woosnam, who sees no alternative but to say goodbye forever after 28 appearances, exactly 25 years after his memorable win.

Woosnam is simply getting on in years and his bad back, coupled with the length of the hilly course, have made retirement inevitable. For the Irish pair, it was simply another bad week in Georgia.

Like McDowell, 47-year old Clarke left the scene with a face the colour of crushed raspberries. And it was little wonder.

He began the day on four over par but left on 16 over after a round that featured one birdie, five bogeys and four double bogeys

Having opened with a double bogey six, where he thinned his green-side bunker shot into the crowd, Clarke made his only birdie of the day at the par-five second when he hit a great third to three feet.

But it was an utter nightmare after that as he three putted the fifth and sixth to turn in 39 and then came home in 45 with bogeys at the 12th, 16th and 17th and doubles at the 11th and 13th (he found water on both) and the 14th where he three putted.

Clarke had four three-putts his round and as he was competing on the fifth and final year of a five year exemption for winning the Open in 2011, he may never get the chance to play the Masters again.

Woosnam is welcome back every year as the 1991 champion but the 58-year old Welshman has decided to say goodbye after 25 years, simply unable to compete on a course than now measures 7,435 yards — 500 yards longer than when he shot 12 under par to win his line major.

The Welshman hit a wedge to the 18th that year, deliberately hitting his driver over the bunkers on the left to give himself a perfect angle.

This time he tried to go down the left side to open up the green on the 465-yard finishing hole but hit the trees and ricocheted into the toilets near the eighth tee.

Left with a 250 yard approach, he eventually got up and down from 83 yards for a closing par, adding an 81 to his opening 82 to miss the cut with ease on 19 over.

“The 18th was as well as I played this week,” Woosnam joked. “In the crapper! It’s just getting really tough. That’s my last go. I am not fit enough to play with my bad back. 

“Every time I play this course it just seizes on me, and can’t swing the club properly. I am in pain all the way round so it’s time to say bye-bye really.

“There’s not much they can do. I have ankylosing spondylitis and I can’t play with all the slopes here.  I was swinging it beautiful before I came here. I am always taking pain killers just to play golf but it’s just too tough here for me. 

“I said in the past that if started shooting in the 80s I would call it a day. I am in just in pain all the way round and you can’t expect to play well. 

“It’s time for me to sit back and watch. I’ll still keep coming to the tournament obviously. It’s a shame to finish off playing like that but you can only do your best. Never mind, I’ve still got a Green Jacket.

“I made par on 18 – that was a great way to finish. The drive wasn’t actually that bad because I have to hit it down the left side of the fairway to have a shot at the green. 

“I was trying to keep it tight to the left and just caught a tree and instead of bouncing right it bounces left. I had to hit a rescue club to get it up there but I suppose it was a pretty exciting way to finish in some ways!”

Woosnam can always say he won the Masters, but if McDowell is to say the same he will have to come up with yet another game plan to solve the mystery of Augusta National.

Having posted a fine 72 on Thursday, the 36-year old tried to keep his expectations in check but he was undone by a slow start and never recovered.

A slightly pulled drive at the second end up down in the stream and he made bogey there before dropping further shots at the fourth (bunker), fifth (three-putt) and sixth, where he overshot the green to a back right pin and his chip ran off the front.

The back nine was a tale of troubles as he drove into tree and bogeyed the 10th, the found water with his approach to the 11th and double bogeyed.

A birdie four at the 13th, where he holed a seven footer, gave him some respite. But he three putted the 14th for bogey and had to get up and down from 56 yards for par at the 15th after finding water with his approach.

Another three putt at the 17th left him eight over for the day and it was no surprise when he made another bogey at the 18th, signing for an 81 that was his worst score at Augusta by two shots. He shot a 79 on his debut in 2005.

It was another tough scoring day at the Georgia venue with Ian Poulter crashing to a  78 to slip back to three over

“It wasn’t as tough as yesterday,” Poulter said. “It’s just disappointing to be marginally off around this golf course because that just shows you how difficult this golf course really is. 

“Margins for error are really slim. You are always on edge on this golf course, especially when this wind is blowing. 

“You don’t have to do too much to find trouble. It’s tough but that’s why we love this golf course. 

“I walk off and shoot six over par but I still love this golf course because it has given me what I deserved today which is a right kick in the nuts."

It's slightly disappointing when this muppet @oliverbrown_tel puts people down about there appearance & is scruffiest journalist I've met.

— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) April 8, 2016

Poulter then took to twitter to complain about Oliver Brown's colour piece in the Daily Telegraph, which ran: 

With odd-coloured shoes setting off his eye-watering turquoise-and-lavender ensemble, Ian Poulter looked as if he had turned up for work as a wild berry Pop Tart. Either that or he had just lost a bet.

Say what you like about this swaggering harlequin – and many do – but he does not want for bullishness. He took to preparing for his 11th Masters by posting a picture of his newly-burnished trophy collection on Instagram, before telling the world about the repairs to his Ferrari F40.

Shane Lowry hits driver off the 10th tee in Wednesday's practice round. 

Shane Lowry and Phil Mickelson might be like chalk and cheese but the short game wizards love nothing better than a crack at attack at Augusta National.

For Lowry, this year’s Masters represents a second chance to make up for last year’s missed cut on his debut.

And he admits that while his flair and imagination are his key weapons as he tries to follow in the footsteps of the three time Masters champion they call Phil the Thrill, it’s being aggressive that makes him the player he is today.

Asked the most impressive player he’s ever teed it up against, Lowry immediately said: “Phil Mickelson. Definitely. 

“I played with him in China in the HSBC Champions and he was just so impressive. He could stand up and hit three clubs into any hole. And he went for everything.”

Lowry is another gung-ho, go-for-broke player who’s always played off the front foot.

And while he has to rein that in at Augusta’s most dangerous holes, he’s still going to play aggressively this week and that means taking his new Srixon driver out of the bag.

Great fun playing the par 3 today. Had a decent looking caddy on the bag today too

Rickie Fowler

We all know there are lies, damned lies and statistics but a chance meeting with Paul McGinley in the Press Building at the Masters had me scurrying for the PGA Tour numbers.

Who, we wondered, could win a windy Masters given that it's a given that Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth and many other are being tipped to win.

There are many talents required so the 2014 Ryder Cup winning captain ran through them. He has to be able to drive the ball long and straight (Total Driving), hit greens (GIR), hole putts like a demon (Strokes Gained Putting), get up and down when he misses greens in the wind (Scrambling) and simp;y know how to put a score together (Scoring average). 

Picking out the top 20 or so players in the World Rankings with PGA Tour statistics - sorry Danny Willett and Andy Sullivan — and the numbers show that on average, Rickie Fowler (average position across all categories 17.2) has a clear lead over everyone with Phil Mickelson (31.6), Adam Scott (32.6) and Kevin Kisner (34) his nearest rivals. Rory McIlroy (39.4) would be sixth on 2016 form in the US.

Add in a stiff west wind, fast greens and Masters experience and you can draw your own conclusions. Of course, if your Bubba Watson, no rules apply. Good luck with your bets.

Masters form — Breaking down the numbersPlayerSG PuttingTotal drivingGIRScramblingScoring avgAvg positionLouis Oosthuizen1244340208113105.6Shane Lowry7116141189104104.2Branden Grace164110181643197.4Graeme McDowell1546898333076.6Brooks Koepka4744571653669.8Sergio Garcia199485571665Patrick Reed151467734564.4Dustin Johnson1975751421164.4Bubba Watson144251111857.8Hideki Matsuyama151511461756.8Jordan Spieth1724164471052.4Henrik Stenson86561431551Brandt Snedeker2411168152548.6Jason Day36565693547.4Paul Casey5712101102342.4Rory McIlroy94323333539.4Justin Rose87133137434.4Kevin Kisner38926851234Adam Scott4235777232.6Phil Mickelson647986131.6Rickie Fowler2715239317.2

Bernhard Langer

Bernhard Langer doesn’t do slapdash. He doesn’t do the backhanded tap in. Even when you stop him as he’s about to slide his two-time Masters winning frame into the leather interior of a menacing looking Mercedes-Benz at 9 o’clock on a cool Augusta morning, the 58-year old fixes you with those steely blue eyes that dare you to waste his time. 

There’s no escaping that gaze now.

Why, we wondered, hasn't a European won a Masters jacket this century? What’s stopped a Justin Rose, a Henrik Stenson or even a Rory McIlroy from joining the club?

Langer, disappointingly, doesn’t have  clue. He can’t help us with that, he says. There are just so many good players from all over the world. 

One thing he was sure of was that it wasn’t Tiger’s fault. Woods, absent this year, won the last (or most recent) of his three Masters in 2004 and Phil hasn’t won every year either.

“McIlroy? His game should be perfect,” Langer agrees. “He hits it far and he hits it high; short game is pretty good. So he can do it. He should be in contention and hopefully win it. Sooner or later…”

The more he starts thinking about why a European hasn’t won since José María Olazábal in 1999, the more he scratches his head. The door of the Merc is open but he hangs around a while longer.

“It is a strange thing,” he says. “But that’s golf. You have 100 guys and only one is going to win. You have got to be on top of your game that week.”

And there’s the thing. You’ve got to be on top of your game and have the courage of your convictions to take on the iconic holes, the shots so laden with memories of good and bad things that it’s a wonder any of the players can take the club away.

Paul McGinley sees taking on Augusta like a game of poker, where winning or losing depends on knowing “when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em." 

McIlroy has slowly built up his own game plan for the course, finally slaying the par-fives in 14 under last year.

But still has eight double bogeys and three triple bogeys on his resumé in seven appearances and as Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee pointed out this week, that’s a no-no if you want one of those green jackets.

“Since 1997 only Phil Mickelson in 2004, Trevor Immelman in 2008 and Jordan Spieth last year have recorded a score higher than bogey on the way to victory,” Chamblee writes.

McIlroy had just one double bogey last year en route to a career best fourth place finish behind Spieth — at the ninth on Friday in what has become a traditional, Masters-wrecking stretch of 40 blows or more. He’s had one every year since he limped home on 43 on Sunday in 2011, when he lost a four-stroke lead.

There’s no question that the 26- year old from Holywood is bubbling under this year and rounding into form at just the right time. 

He had given Chris Wood a clinic on Monday, long before closing out a 3 and 2 win over the Englishman with what felt, literally, like an earth-shaking hole-in-one at the 16th.

He’s already a one-name golfing icon wherever he goes. Mention of “Rory” around Augusta is as natural as talk of “Jack”, or “Seve” or “Tiger.” 

All he’s lacking is the performance and whether or not it happens this year, Langer is certain what he has to do.

“What did I do well when I won here?… Everything.”

Sure, you have to know when to “hold ‘em and fold ‘em.”  But as Langer knows, winning is sometimes about cold-heartedly, ruthlessly murdering the opposition with a telling blow at the right time.

“No-go pins? When it’s back left on 11,” Langer says. “But even there you can go for it, if you are swinging well. That’s what I am saying. If you are swinging really well you actually do go for everything. And that’s the key.

“You could say 16 back right. But if you miss it right you are going to make bogey anyway. There are a bunch of pins like that. 

“When you are on top of your game, you can do it. But when you are not on top of your game, you’d better not try too often.”

Is McIlroy on top of his game? His performances so far this season would suggest that he’s not quite there yet. 

A hole in one on Monday was a nice way to start his week but with 53 of the top 55 in the world gathered on a  course that the players say is already set to play harder than ever, the field is deep.

“You just don’t know,” says two-time winner Ben Crenshaw.

Yes, McIlroy is up there with Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Adam Scott, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler as one of the Big Six fancied to win. 

But there’s also Dustin Johnson, Stenson, the reigning Open champion and former Masters champion Zach Johnson, the 2013 runner up Louis Oosthuizen, 2011 winner Charl Schwartzel or the fearless Danny Willett. 

There’s Hideki Matsuyama (fifth last year) and Justin Rose (second), the always dangerous Patrick Reed or power merchants who can putt like angels, such as Brooks Koepka, Paul Casey or Jimmy Walker; or driving and short game specialists like Shane Lowry.

McIlroy may just have to go out and take it and prove that he really does have the short game and putting nous to get the job done. 

As Langer says, when you’re swinging well, you can go for it.

Carpe diem.

Graeme McDowell putts for eagle on the 13th at Augusta National

Graeme McDowell is on the verge of doing something really “big” in game but if those who fancy a Masters flutter on the pride of Portrush should save their cash for another day.

It’s not that the 36-year old does not believe he can’t win the green jacket but as he faces his ninth battle with Augusta National with the scar tissue of previous battles still tender, he’s not getting his hopes up.

Having made just three cuts after eight previous trips down Magnolia Lane, he said: “I still love it. I’m just here with a smile on my face this week, just having some fun. 

“I’ve got Hilton Head and San Antonio coming up after this one and this is probably the least of my three chances. But I’m okay with that; I’m accepting of that. I’m just playing here with an open mind this week.”

Paul McGinley has studied McDowell’s statistics and fancies him to pull off a big win soon.

“Graeme is trending, if you’re to look at the stats, as well as anybody in world golf at the moment,” McGinley said.

“He is a player who relies very much on his driving being accurate in order for him to play well. At the moment he’s very near the top in driving accuracy so it’s no coincidence that he’s playing well.”

McDowell agrees with McGinley but he’s not having his jacket measurement taken just yet, not if he doesn’t drive it arrow straight and putt like God.

“I think quietly within our camp we see big things on the horizon,” he said under the giant, 150-year old oak tree on the lawn beyond the clubhouse. 

“We like where we're going and we like the way our stats are trending. We like the things that we're seeing, very much so.”

There’s just one big but and that’s the golf course that stretches out below him.

McDowell loves the verdant paradise but he always lives in fear of what the green jackets will do to make life hell for the players. 

Looking up at sunny skies with a cool breeze blowing through the trees, he said: “When they’ve got weather like this, they seem to be able to control the golf course and it can be whatever they want it to be. 

“I think it’s an amazing place from the point of view of what you can do with an unlimited golf course maintenance budget, the things they subtly do. 

“Allegedly they replace two of the greens every year, which is amazing. No other golf course in the world does that. They can settle each week with pin positions. It’s a very smart venue.”

McDowell has to be even smarter and he must find fairways to be able to attack pins and then rely on his chipping and putting to score.

“I don’t think I’ve putted my best game here at Augusta, so I’m just focusing on speed, just spending more time on and around the greens,” he said of his form on Augusta’s greens.

“Rather than becoming obsessed by the intricacies of getting from tee to green, I'm being more obsessed about in and around the greens. That's kind of my focus.”

Lowering expectations also helps and McDowell has no ego problem with Augusta.

“I think I’ve learned not to get too pent up about this one,” he said with a wry grin. “It’s a tough golf course for me and I’m going to have to really chip-putt well to compete here.

“I think being okay with that is just part of the experience of my ninth Masters I suppose.

“The fact I know it’s not a perfect set-up for me means I’ll require a good attitude to get around here this week. We’ll see. 

“I love being here. It’s such a special place and it is an unrequited love thing. I do love this golf course very, very much.”

Lack of length is a factor for McDowell around a course that plays into the hands of the bigger hitters but it is around the greens where he’s tied himself up in knots,

He vividly recalls his debut alongside two time winner Ben Crenshaw in 2005, where he shot rounds of 79 and 70 to miss the cut by just one

“I putted like a 15-handicap amateur golfer and he putted like, well, Ben Crenshaw,” McDowell said with a smile.

“I three-putted three of my first five greens, or something like that. So you’re always in awe of the place.”

Having too much respect for the course is not always a good thing and McDowell knows he’s going to have to attack when he gets a chance.

He said: “You can’t go out there and play away from every flag. You have got to do a lot of things well here, you have got to do that every week, but this golf course, if you are driving it well and your iron play is on you are going to hit it into portions of the greens to give yourself opportunities. 

"If one of those two first parts is slightly off, this golf course will expose you and that’s when it becomes difficult. There is no doubt when you are in position you have got to be aggressive to certain pins.”

NCAA and US Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau

Graeme McDowell believes the new generation of young guns is set to dominate the game.

While the big three of Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy are the men to beat, the Ulsterman is tipping a new crop of 20 somethings to take over soon.

Looking at Masters race, G-Mac said: “I think that's the game of golf in general right now. It's wide open. An amateur winning this week wouldn't surprise you. For me that’s the theme of the game right now. 

“If the amateur Bryson DeChambeau was on the leaderboard at the week-end it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. It's the way the game of golf is now. 

“You've got young, strong, fearless professional golfers running around and it doesn't matter if you're, twenty or 40, it's an amazing game and I think we're going to see that trend going forward.”

Amateur invitees

• Bard, Derek United States
• Chaplet, Paul Costa Rica
• DeChambeau, Bryson United States
• Jin, Cheng China
• Langasque, Romain France
• Schmitz, Sammy United States

Rory McIlroy believes the time is right to end his Masters hoodoo before the pressure becomes unbearable.

The Ulsterman has yet to win the tournament he needs to complete the career Grand Slam and while he knows the course is perfect for his game, he admits the longer he goes without winning it, the tougher it will get

Asked if he felt he would win the Masters sooner rather than later, McIlroy said: “Yeah, definitely.  I feel like I'm a good enough player.  I feel like I’ve got everything I need to become a Masters champion.  

"But I think each and every year that passes that I don't, it will become increasingly more difficult.  So there’s no time like the present to get it done.”

The world No 1 sounded miffed that he was handed the final tee time on the first day but he’s hoping he will get to call the shots in the game again by separating himself from the likes of Jordan Spieth and Jason Day by completing the career Grand Slam.

On course to joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen by winning all four majors, McIlroy said: “To be only one of six people to do it, I feel like I've set myself apart from definitely the guys that are playing here this week.  

"Obviously Phil has a chance to do that when he goes to the U.S. Open, as well. 

“It’s something that I'd obviously be very proud of and something that I feel would set me apart.  

But there’s a lot of golf to be played before that and a lot of talking to be done and a lot of bad bounces and good bounces and lip‑outs and everything.  

“ I feel like I’ve got everything I need to become a Masters champion. But I think each and every year that passes that I don’t, it will become increasingly more difficult. So there’s no time like the present to get it done.” — Rory McIlroy before the 2016 Masters

“So we’ll see what happens over the next few days."

As for skipping the Par-Three Contest and the danger of having to wait nore than 24 hours for his first round tee time tomorrow, he said: “I guess it’s more of a superstition thing than anything else.  In 2011, I didn’t play the Par 3 and that was my best chance to win the Masters.  

"It's more like I've had great times at the Par 3 tournament and had fun.  It’s a great day.

"This year, I just wanted to change it up a little bit and maybe just get away from the spotlight a little bit.  It doesn’t mean that I'm not going to play it again.

”I'll play the front nine tomorrow around noon, try to get off the golf course by 3:00 and try to rest up and take it easy.

“I know that’s 24 hours until my tee time, but I have many different ways to pass my time."

Smiling he added: “We are working on another jigsaw puzzle and we brought Monopoly to the house that we’re renting, so there’s a lot of really fun stuff going on.”

Shane Lowry insists he needs to loosen up and stop trying to be Mr Perfect in his bid for Masters glory.

Missing the cut in Houston last week meant the Clara ace got to play 27 holes at Augusta in peace and quiet over the weekend, spending his 29th birthday at the course on Saturday.

The silence amongst the pines helped him realise that he’s at his best when he’s not overthinking and simply playing the natural, imaginative game he’s played since he was 12.

Looking for a big week to kick start a season he admits “hasn’t been great” so far, Lowry looked out over the world’s most famous course and said:  “I need to just go and do my own thing. 

“I’ve played great the last two days and I think I need start playing golf like that; with a bit more freedom. 

“When I am playing practice rounds, my caddie Dermo calls the number and I just hit it straight away. 

“When it comes to the tournament, I just get a bit more tentative. I need to loosen up and free up a little bit and play a bit that way.”

Lowry’s putter has been ice cold this year but he’s hoping that his return to an old model and addition of a new Srixon driver to his arsenal of weapons (he'd been playing a trusty Taylormade model for six years until breaking it recently) will pay dividends on a course where his driving let him down last year.

With so much pressure to be perfect on the world’s most perfect course, Lowry knows that it’s simply impossible to demand that kind of precision and vowed to play his natural game instead and hope that his focus and intensity will fill the gap between what suits him and what's required.

He said: “When I am at home and playing on my own, I have my pencil bag  and I throw it down and barely get a yardage and I normally play good. 

“I just need to get somewhere in between trying too hard to get it perfect and not trying hard enough.

“When I get an easy shot, I almost get complacent sometimes. But when every shot is difficult, I almost switch on a little bit more.

“If you look back to the US Open at Chambers Bay last year where I finished in the top 10, every shot needed 100 percent attention and you needed to hit to a target as opposed to a flag.

“So I think that’s what this golf course is a little bit about and I will try to do something similar to what I did there last year. 

“You are hitting it to a spot as opposed to hitting it to a flag. At the first hole, there is a square in the middle of the green that you want to hit it into for every flag. That’s the way it is.”

While missing the cut in the Shell Houston Open was not good for his bank balance, he believes it could be a blessing in disguise as it gave him the chance to play Augusta on Saturday and Sunday.

He said: “It was my birthday on Saturday and we came down to play here. We basically had the course to ourselves. It might pay off in the long run.

“One of the main reasons I was a bit annoyed with missing the cut last year was that it cost me two rounds on the course as much as anything else. 

“So the more you play this golf course, the more you get to know it and the more comfortable you become. The last two days I have definitely felt more comfortable.”

Breaking the driver he’s used since 2010 just three weeks ago was a blow but Lowry’s worked hard with Srixon to find a new one and reckons he’s pulled it off even if it cost him the cut in Houston.

He joked: “I spent three days hitting drivers last week — l felt like [Padraig] Harrington— and I think it just messed up my rhythm a little bit. But the driver I got is really good.

“Me and the driver have had a few days and a few shots to get to know each other and I drove it really well the last few days, long and straight and I can turn it over right to left when I want. It's pretty good.”

All he needs now is for his putter to warm up and he’s praying a trusty old friend will pay dividends and kick start his season.

He said: “The season is not going great to be honest. But I just have to be patient and keep going. 

"Last year was a bit slow and it ended up being a great year. There’s a long way to go yet.”

Annabel Wilson

Annabel Wilson shot an impressive 79 to win the weather reduced Ladies Scratch Cup at Royal County Down.

The 36 hole competition was reduced to 18 just after lunch due to torrential downpours resulting in Annabel adding another piece of silverware to her collection.

International team mate Olivia Mehaffey was close on her heels carding an 81 with Kare nDelaney third after an 82.

Full Results

79 Wilson, Annabel        

81 Mehaffey, Olivia        

82 Delaney, Karen          

84 Dunne, Maria              

85 Doyle, Meadhbh       

85 McElroy, Sheena       

85 McSherry, Niamh      

85 Smith, Deirdre            

86 Burke, Helena             

87 Walsh, Lauren             

88 Dwyer, Kate

89 Coffey, Louise            

89 Cummins, Maeve      

89 McCaw, Laura             

90 Harrison, Sophie        

90 Lanigan, Kate              

91 Shannon, Valerie       

92 Calvert, Clare              

92 McGonagle, Clare     

92 Mulcahy, Ailish           

93 McCaw, Anita             

93 O'Hart, Katie

94 Corcoran, Elisa            

94 McMillen, Tess           

94 Temple Lang, Leah    

95 Barry, Orla    

95 McClurg, Olivia           

95 McNeice, Becky         

95 McVicker, Anna         

97 Coulter, Beth              

97 Morwood, Anna        

98 Forbes, Emma            

99 Henderson, Marilyn 

99 Keenan, Katie             

100 McAuliffe, Margaret              

102 Desmond, Azmina  

102 Rodgers, Ellen          

103 Bowe, Lavinia           

103 Thorne, Emma         

104 McCartan, Ailish      

106 Brennan, Ciara         

106 Hassett, Valerie       

107 O'Herlihy, Siobhan  

110 Fogarty, Honoria     

111 Maguire, Ruth          

112 Thornbury, Bethany              

115 Cahill, Carmel            

NR Harpur, Annie            

NR Moorhead, Rebekah       

Jamie Lovemark

PGA Tour — Jim Herman and Jamie Lovemark share the lead in the Shell Houston Open where a win for either would secure a Masters debut next week.

Herman, 38, shot a  five under 67 as 28 year old Lovemark posted a 70 to leave them tied on 11-under par, just one stroke ahead of Sweden's Henrik Stenson (66), Dustin Johnson (70) and Russell Hensley (68).

World No. 2 Jordan Spieth and No. 5 Rickie Fowler, remained in contention at six under and seven under after 70s. Scores

Seamus 11 back in BrasilWeb.com Tour — Seamus Power is tied for 36th heading into the final round of the Brasil Champions presented by Embrase in Sao Paolo.The West Waterford player is on eight under par and 11 shots behind Andrew Svoboda of the US, who added another 65 to previous rounds of 64 and 65 to lead by one stroke from Bhavik Patel (62 67 66) on 19 under par. ScoresZhang still buzzing in Azalea Invitational

Azalea Invitational — John Greene might have missed the cut but he will bask in the reflected glory if teen sensation Andy Zhang goes on to feed off the luck of the Irish and lift the prestigious Azalea Invitational today.

As he carded a third round 78 to finish on 11 over par at the Country Club of Charleston, missing the 54-hole but by just four shots, the Portmarnock and Carlow stalwart will have been tempted to delay his departure to cheer his young Chinese pal to victory.

Having played alongside Greene for two day, Beijing native Zhang was left to his own devices on Saturday and shot a third successive 67 to lead by three strokes from Patrick Christovich on 12 under par.

While Cole Hammer, who also had the experience of playing alongside 2010 South of Ireland winner Greene over the first two days, slipped back to tied 23rd after a 73, Zhang's remains inspired.

Scores

As the 2010 South of Ireland champion, Greene will be looking to see if Rory McIlroy can win his own green jacket as he joins 1990 South of Ireland winner Darren Clarke and 2000 winner Graeme McDowell in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National.

There’s no such thing as a sure thing in golf and while Paul McGinley believes that the stars will align and that Rory McIlroy will soon put together a performance for the ages, there is no guarantee that it will happen in the Masters.

Magnolia Lane became a boulevard of broken Masters dreams for the likes of Greg Norman,  Tom Weiskopf, Davis Love III and Ernie Els.

"It seemed like one of the tournaments that I would win easily,'' Love told ESPN recently as he reflected on the green jackets that got away, especially 1995, when Ben Crenshaw won his second.

Norman’s pain is still palpable 20 years after Nick Faldo tore out his soul in the Cathedral of Pines, which McGinley describes as being like a big sound stage, tailor-made by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts for golfing drama.

As Padraig Harrington has pointed out, there’s not just everyone else’s bagged to deal with but your personal baggage—the voices inside your own head — the build up of disappointments.

“One of the things you're facing when you play The Masters is you face history,” said McGinley, who will be at Augusta National doing what he does well these days, analysing the event for Sky Sports.

“You're dealing with the mysteriousness, the history, all of the stories regarding The Masters. You're dealing with your own private history of being a little boy back in Ireland looking at The Masters in awe and hoping one day that you'll eventually get there, and you get there and all that history descends upon you while you're playing.

“When you get in contention obviously you're dealing with the expectations of trying to win a Major championship and trying to win one of the most prestigious Majors, which is obviously The Masters.

“So they're the kind of things that you have to deal with if you want to be a Major champion and you want to be the star that you hope to be, they're the challenges that you have to face down.”

The sounds of Augusta are almost more overpowering than the sights, especially on Sunday.

“The noise reverberates among the trees, bounces down off the hill and off the trees and kind of has this ripple effect,” McGinley says. “There are sell-out crowds obviously every day and even from the first shot being hit to the last shot being hit, the greens are surrounded and the crowds are huge. And that makes a tremendous atmosphere, and that's what makes The Masters so special.”

McIlroy heard those roars in 2011 when he opened with a 65 and led by four going into the final round only to see the pack eat up his lead quickly and take his dream away.

The youngster pressed and made mistakes, shooting an 80 that he swears was the round that helped him go on and win that year’s US Open and three more majors since.

Now 26, he’s surprised that the Masters is the major he needs to make up the set and complete the Grand Slam. But he’s also pleased as it’s the one that’s best suited to his game.

Nobody doubts he has the game to win not one but multiple green jackets but as Els and Love point out, it’s going to require patience.

"The attention isn't going to go away,” Els told ESPN’s Bob Harig. “He should just kind of roll with it. He should go with it, know it's going to come, find a way to deal with it. What Jordan [Spieth did winning in 2015] is incredible. He got it done early, early out of the way.''

McIlroy has several demons to deal with at Augusta National apart from the memories of 2011 and that drive the ricocheted left into the cabins at the 11th.

He’s never birdied the first in 26 attempts and his average score is over par at holes such as the 4th (3.03), 5th (4.11), 6th (3.07), 7th (4.23),10th (4.42),11th (4.23), 12th (3.15), 14th (4.03) and 16th (3.07).

On the plus side, he’s under par on the other eight holes — the par-five 2nd (4.65), the short par four 3rd (3.84), the par-five 8th (4.80), the tricky 9th (3.80), the par five 13th (4.61) and 15th (4.57), and most importantly in a tight finish, the 17th (3.86) and 18th (3.71).

“There’s no such thing as a foregone conclusion in golf and we all know how difficult the game is, and a lot of things that we expected to happen in golf didn’t happen.” — Paul McGinley

In other words, you never quite know what you will get from McIlroy at Augusta — he’s shot everything from 65 to 80 — but McGinley is convinced that not only is he a better putter than we give him credit for, he is also a lot more patient and mature than in years past.

And that’s key to dealing with a course that gives you easy birdies and eagles and takes away with tough par threes and ferocious par-fours, depending on the set up.

“In the words of the old song, 'You've got to know when to hold them, you've got to know when to fold them' and what they're talking about there in terms of Amen Corner,” McGinley says of a stretch of holes that hasn’t been particularly kind to McIlroy. 

“You look at 10, you look at 11, you look at 12 and they're three difficult holes and that's when you've got to hold them.

“If you can get through those three holes with three pars you're then facing 13, a comfortably on in two par 5 for everybody in the field where a lot of eagles will be made, you've got the 14th with the green design, you can feed the ball back off the back slopes and maybe make another birdie there too. 

“Then again you've got an eagle chance on 15 and maybe an eagle chance on 16, if the pin is on the left hand side, and obviously 15 being a par 5. So that's a chance on those four holes. If you can hold them on 10, 11 and 12 with three pars, you've got a great chance on 13, 14, 15, 16 to really gain some momentum.”

McGinley knows McIlroy well and understands that the Ulsterman reacts best when he’s being doubted or his back is against the wall.

While he has yet to hit top form in all four rounds this year, the former Ryder Cup skipper believes it’s only a matter of time. 

He also sees McIlroy as a player who is emotionally better prepared than the 21-year old of 2011 to listen to his caddie J.P. Fitzgerald and play Augusta National the way it should be played.

“I think he's very much more mature as a golfer than he was back then, he's a lot more experienced obviously with those Major wins and big titles around the world,” McGinley says. “He's in a much better place mentally and physically than he would have been back there.

“If he's going to win this Masters, which of course he's well capable of and he's started to trend towards in terms of his form, he knows he's got to be on it for four days and play the golf he's well capable of, and putt to the standard we saw in Doral.

“There's no such thing as a foregone conclusion in golf and we all know how difficult the game is, and a lot of things that we expected to happen in golf didn't happen.

“Everybody's got strength and weaknesses and he's blessed with some incredible talent in terms of hitting the golf ball, hitting it prodigious distances.

“He's blessed with the ability to very much front foot golf in terms of lots of birdies, lots of aggression, bringing a golf course to its knees. He's got that ability to go into another gear that not a lot of guys have.

“I personally don’t buy into the idea that putting is a weakness for Rory” — Paul McGinley

“There's other things that he's maybe not as blessed with and maybe putting is one of those. But you could say the same about every other player. Jordan Spieth is blessed in some ways with the putter but not blessed with the talent that Rory would have off the tee or the explosiveness that Rory is able to show in terms of bringing a golf course to its knees.

“So I would expect that at one stage it's all going to collide and we're going to see a big Rory success.

“Going back to your first question about where he is now and where he was a couple of years ago, it’s that maturity that he has. I think he’s got a great guy on his shoulder in terms of J.P.”

There has been much talk of McIlroy’s putting this year since he changed to the left below right grip for Doral. But McGinley is not overly concerned with a player he’s always seen as a good but streaky putter. 

“I personally don’t believe or buy into the idea that putting is a weakness for Rory,” he says. “I think it is accentuated with Rory because he hits more greens and has more opportunities for birdies than most and it looks like he is missing more putts than he actually is. His percentages are pretty good and that brings its own challenges.” 

Left-handers like Bubba Watson, who hit a controlled fade, can do well. But so do righties who can hit the draw and McIlroy fits the bill. 

Whether he can do it this year is in the lap of the golfing gods but there’s no doubt he has the ability.

Shane Lowry

Paul McGinley believes that Shane Lowry must not get ahead of himself and learn to deal with high expectations if he’s to become a Major force and a Ryder Cup star.

The Dubliner is impressed with the way the pride of Clara has moved on from his 2009 Irish Open win as an amateur to become a World Golf Championship winner and a contender for major titles with Top 10 finishes in the Open in 2014 and the US Open last year.

But with all of Clara and Esker Hills cheering him on, as well as every other ordinary golfer in Ireland, McGinley knows that the world No 32 finds dealing with expectations to be a challenge.

“Everybody now will have a great interest in how Shane does,” McGinley said. “He certainly plays the modern game in so far as he hits the ball a long way which you need to do and he chips and putts incredibly well and on top of all that.

“With that big win that he had in the world event at the end of last summer, he is now very much established on the world stage. He is a legitimate contender and a legitimate guy that we can row in behind and look forward to watching him compete.” 

McGinley knows that a guy who can see off major winners Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk and Justin Rose at Firestone has the mental strength to win any event.

But he also fears that Lowry, who celebrates his 29th birthday today (Saturday) has a habit of getting distracted by expectations and can take his eye off the ball.

McGinley said: “The thing for Shane is not to get distracted with what could be or might be and just stay in the present and stay very much focused on every individual week, the Ryder Cup will come to him and major wins will come to him and other big tournament wins will come to him once he stays focused on what he is doing and focused and very much in the present, which is what he did at Firestone

“Shane is going to have to find a way of dealing with expectations he is going to become the player that he wants to be.” — Paul McGinley

“It is difficult and when you are trying to be a top player in the world like Shane is there are doing to be a lot of challenges along the way, there are going to be a lot of bumps on the road and you have got to learn how to deal with those and one of those is the idea of expectation.

“By his own admission he felt the expectation on his shoulders last year after his big win, even after his big performance going into the Open Championship he really felt that he was going to perform well and thought he had too much expectation on his shoulders so he will have learnt from that and dealing with expectation is one of those things that Shane is going to have to find a way of dealing with if he is going to become the player that he wants to be.”

Lowry missed the cut by one on his debut at Augusta National last year but McGinley does not believe that was down to being overawed by the occasion.

“I don’t think there is any tournament in the world that would be overawing for him,” he said. “He has got through that stage of playing in tournaments for the first time and knowing what he is coming back to, he has established himself on the world stage.

“Obviously he hasn’t played Ryder Cup yet, a lot of us think and hope that he is going to make the team this year, if he does he will be a great addition to the team but he knows himself that he has got to perform well over the season.”

The Masters is the perfect opportunity for Lowry to step up to the plate.

Sky Sports is showing all four Majors - including the Open for the first time - and the Ryder Cup during 2016, starting at the Masters 7-10 April

Jordan Spieth 

Pádraig Harrington kissed the Masters goodbye when he found water five times and missed the cut after a disappointing 78 in the Shell Houston Open.

As a desperate-sounding Jordan Spieth shot 73 and insisted that he simply “has to get better” on the greens before his Masters defence next week, Harrington had one of his worst days of the year to miss the cut comfortably on seven over par.

The 44-year old Dubliner needed a win at the Golf Club of Houston qualify to tee it up at Augusta National for the 16th time but will instead watch on TV at home for the second time in three years.

With Harrington on his settee, there will be just four Irishmen in the field for the first major of the year with Shane Lowry set to arrive in Georgia ahead of Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy after a one over 73 also saw him miss the cut in Texas.

While Harrington struggled badly from tee to green, carding two birdies, three bogeys, a double bogey seven and a triple bogey eight in his six over 78, Lowry mixed three birdies with four bogeys for a forgettable 73.

The Offaly star, who turns 29 today, was hoping to go to Georgia with a decent finish under his belt. But instead he had an average week on the greens, adding a 73 to his opening 72 to finish well outside the projected two under par cut mark on one over par.

An opening bogey at the 10th, where he pushed his tee shot into trouble and had to take a penalty drop, did little to help his cause. 

And while he birdied the 13th from 36 feet and got up and down from 84 yards for another birdie at the 15th, he played the remaining 12 holes in two over par.

After bogeys at the 16th and sixth left him one over for the tournament and needing a hat-trick of birdies to finish, he made a two from eight feet at the par-three seventh but failed to birdie the par-five eighth and then three-putted the ninth from 63 feet for a bogey four.

Harrington had an even more disappointing day that wasn’t made easier by 90-minute rain delay early in proceedings.

 

After opening with a 73, the Dubliner needed to break 70 to make the cut but found water twice as he ran up a triple bogey eight at the 566 yard fourth, then found more water to bogey the sixth.

His troubles mounted at the par-five when he put another two shots in the lake there en route to a double bogey seven.

Out in 42, he came home in level par 36 but not without  finding water twice more.

If Harrington was frustrated, so too was world No 1 Spieth, who added a 73 to his opening 67 to trail clubhouse leader Charley Hoffman by six shots on four under par.

While he had just 27 putts, he lost strokes to the field on the greens, aggressively three-putting the third from 20 feet for the second of four bogeys.

"I've got to putt better," Spieth said.  I'm losing a couple strokes back to the field on putting and normally we're gaining strokes. Inside 10 feet I got to be solid and confident. I can't get into a rhythm. I'm stepping off putts.

"That's a tough feeling, you know, kind of bleeds into the rest of your game, too, because you feel like you got to be more aggressive. So, it really comes down to the putter for me. I have to get better before next week. I got to get more comfortable, find a set-up position that I feel like is going to produce the correct start lines."

Asked about his form for the Masters, Spieth added: "It's tough to say. It's so early. We still have what, five days or so, so I've got a couple more competitive rounds and then a few more practice days."

Hoffman was “very happy” to add a 70 to his opening 64 to lead by one stroke on 10 under par in the clubhouse from Jamie Lovemark (68).

Chez Reavie was at eight under after a 70, tied with Dustin Johnson who was one under for the day and facing a nine footer for birdie on the 18th when play was suspended due to darkness.

Rickie Fowler was on five under after rounds of 69 and 70 with Henrik Stenson was tied with Spieth on four under after a 71. 

Sao Paolo Golf Club

Web.com Tour — Seamus Power made two twos and five threes in a second rounds 66 in the Brasil Champions presented by Embrase.

The West Waterford star's five under par round catapulted him 33 places up the leaderboard at Sao Paolo Golf Club to tied 21st on seven under par.

Leaderboard

He's six shots behind leaders Bhavik Patel (62 67) and Andrew Svoboda (64 65) who lead by one on 13 under par from Dane Sebastian Cappelen  (64  66) and Matt Atkins (63 67).

Khang, Cole and a merry old soul

John Greene blasts onto the 12th green in the 2010 South of Ireland final at Lahinch.

Azalea Invitational — Andy Zhang and Cole Hammer fired a pair of four under 67s to outshine John "Lantern" Greene in the Azalea Invitational in Charleston.The veteran former South of Ireland champion, 30, appeared to inspire the teenage sensations at the Country Club of Charleston.LeaderboardZhang's second successive 67 catapulted him into a share of the lead with Patrick Christovich on eight under par 134, one ahead of Kyle Nathan (72 63) and Ryan Celano (68 67).Hammer, 16, move up to tied 16th after his 67 as Greene slipped back to 83rd on nine over with a 78.The Carlow native still showed fleeting glimpses of the play that brought him glory at Lahinch nearly six years ago, signing off on each nine with a birdie.

Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little/NUIM) receiving the Munster Youths trophy from John Moloughney, Chariman Munster Golf and Carl Toal, Captain Monkstown Golf Club. Picture: Niall O'Shea

Forrest Little and Maynooth University talent Jack McDonnell was declared the winner of the weather-shortened Munster Youths Amateur Open.

The 47 golfers who made the cut played for an hour or so before torrential rain flooded the greens at Monkstown Golf Club.

Play was abandoned and 36-hole leader McDonnell declared the winner on three under 139 after rounds of 66 and 73.

MUNSTER YOUTHS AMATEUR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Monkstown GCPrize Winners:

1. Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little/NUIM)
2. Hugh O’Hare (Fortwilliam)
3. James Sugrue (Mallow)
4. Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick)
5. Craig Bolger (Carlow)

Nett

1.  Jason Conway (Donegal)
2.  Eric Rumley (Kinsale)

Under 18

• John Murphy (Kinsale)

Final

139 Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little.) 66 73

142 Hugh O'Hare (Fortwilliam Golf Club) 71 71 , James Sugrue (Mallow Golf Club) 71 71

144 Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick Golf Club) 73 71 , Craig Bolger (Carlow Golf Club) 68 76

145 Alastair McQuillian (Cushendall Golf Club) 74 71 , Cathal Butler (Kinsale) 74 71 , Luke Donnelly (Kilkenny Golf Club) 73 72 , Jason Conway (Donegal Golf Club) 72 73 , Hugh Foley (The Royal Dublin) 71 74 , Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint Golf Club) 70 75

146 Karl McCormack (Portarlington Golf Club) 75 71 , Cathal Nolan (Galway Golf Club) 74 72 , John Murphy (Kinsale) 74 72 , Alec Myles (Newlands) 72 74 , Eric Rumley (Kinsale) 70 76

147 Devin Morley (Oughterard Golf Club) 76 71 , Ben Graham (Scrabo Golf Club) 75 72 , Max Thallon (Bangor Golf Club) 74 73 , Peter Kerr (Royal Portrush Golf Club) 71 76 , Jack Hearn (Tramore Golf Club) 71 76

148 Stefan Greenberg (Tandragee Golf Club) 79 69 , Jack Walsh (Castle) 73 75

149 Jack Madden (Dungannon Golf Club) 76 73 , Adam McSweeney (Douglas) 76 73 , Jack Blake (Island) 75 74 , Simon Irwin (Holywood Golf Club) 75 74 , Alan Riordan (Muskerry Golf Club) 74 75 , Michael McGurk (Warrenpoint Golf Club) 73 76

150 Jake Whelan (Newlands) 77 73 , Brian O'Connell (Bandon Golf Club) 77 73 , Andrew Mulhall (Waterford Castle Golf Club) 76 74 , Andrew Hickey (Ballyhaunis Golf Club) 75 75 , Sean Walsh (Carton House Golf Club) 75 75 , Peter Cummins (Lurgan Golf Club) 75 75 , Charlie Dawson (Tramore Golf Club) 74 76 , Peter McKeever (Castle) 72 78

151 Darragh Herlihy (West Waterford Golf Club) 77 74 , Paul Tobin (Cork Golf Club) 76 75 , Liam Grehan (Mullingar Golf Club) 73 78 , Greg O'Mahony (Fota Island Golf Club) 72 79

152 Jamie Dunne (Borris Golf Club) 80 72 , James McVicker (Knock) 77 75 , Darragh O'Connor (Fota Island Golf Club) 76 76 , Oisin Fleming (Dun Laoghaire Golf Club) 76 76, Mark Healy (Kinsale) 74 78 , John McCarthy (Stackstown Golf Club) 74 78

Seamus Power, pictured in Louisiana earlier this month, speaks to the Web.com Tour

Web.com Tour — Seamus Power is tied for 58th after an opening 69 in the Brasil Champions presented by Embrase.

The West Waterford golfer is looking for the perfect 30th birthday present on Sunday but after mixing one bogey with three birdies in a two under round at Sao Paolo Golf Club he's seven shots adrift of American Bhavik Patel.

Seamus Power on a visit home to West Waterford Golf Club to celebrate his graduation to the Web.com Tour for 2015

Californian Patel, 25, made 11 birdies in a nine under 62 to lead by one stroke from Argentina's Julian Etulain and compatriot Matt Atkinr with Tavis Bertoni, Oscar Fraustro, Andrew Svoboda, São Paulo native Lucas Lee, Sebastian Cappelen and Ryan Yip two shots back.

“I just zoned out,” said Patel, who didn’t realise he recorded 11 birdies on his scorecard. “It was working, so I didn’t even think about it.”

Power is 80th in the Web.com Tour money list 

Embed from Getty Images

ANA Inspiration —  Amateur Leona Maguire shot a three over 75 and Stephanie Meadow a 76 in the opening round of the ANA Inspiration — the first LPGA major of the year — at Rancho Mirage n California.

As Japan's Ai Miyazato and Spain's Azahara Munoz shot five under 67s to lead by one stroke from Catriona Matthew, Japan's Shiho Oyama and South Africa's Lee Ann Pace (68s), the two Irish contenders have work to do to make the cut in  88th and tied 96th position respectively.

Maguire got off to a great par-birdie start from the 10th but bogeyed the 12th and 13th to turn on one over.

One of seven amateurs in the field, two dropped shots on her back nine meant she finished the day on three over while Irish American Hannah O’Sullivan  shot a steady 72, and English player Bronte Law  posted a 73.

A similar story for Meadow who had six bogeys and two birdies in a 76.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Jordanstown native as she is focusing on the positives and ready for a better second round:

Lots of positives from today even tho score didn't show it ! #keepgrinding #process #nevergiveuponyourdreams #anainspiration #hairinface

A photo posted by Stephanie Meadow (@stephmeadow20) on Mar 31, 2016 at 5:58pm PDT

Tee 1: 07:44 (PDT) – 15:44 (GMT)

• Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell/Duke)
• Danielle Kang (Oak Park, CA)

Tee 10: 14:01(PDT) - 22:01 (GMT)

• Stephanie Meadow (Jordanstown)
• Tiffany Joh ( San Diego, CA)

Hammer keeps pace with Greene

Azalea Invitational - Young tyro Cole Hammer was not totally overawed but still found himself going shot for shot with Irish veteran John Greene in the Azalea Invitational in Charleston.

The 16 year old former US Open participant, shot a two over par 73 to end the day tied 41st with the former South of Ireland champion and Carlow hero.

The other member of the threeball, China's Andy Zhang, went about his business oblivious to the fuss, blasting a four under 67.

Scores

Zhang, the youngest ever US Open participant at age 14 in 12, is tied for third at the Country Club of Charleston, one stroke behind Patrick Christovich and William Buhl, who shot 66s.