Irish Golf News

Darren Clarke putting in Abu Dhabi last week. The putter is now deceased. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Darren Clarke has pulled out of the Qatar Masters because of injury and may have to wait until the Masters to make  his 500th European Tour appearance.

The event got underway today but a pulled muscle has prevented him taking his place in the field.

The 45-year-old, who has lost more than three stone in weight in an attempt to recapture the form that saw him win the Open Championship in 2011, was due to play alongside Qatar defending champion Chris Wood and Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez in the first two rounds in his 500th event on the circuit since 1991.

As the European Tour live blog reported: "...his ceremonial ice bucket, to mark the occasion, has itself been put on ice."

Sweden's Jens Dantorp - who earned his card through the qualifying school last year - has replaced Clarke, who has failed to record a top-10 finish on the Tour since winning at Royal St George's two-and-a-half years ago.

Clarke, currently ranked 277th in the world, has rejoined the PGA Tour on the back of his five-year exemption for winning at Sandwich nearly three years ago.

He is scheduled to reappear in the Northern Trust Open at  Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles from February 13-16 and may not make  his 500th European Tour appearance until the Masters.

The Dungannon man finished 24th in the limited field Volvo Golf Champions two weeks ago before poor putting led to a disappointing 52nd place finish in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last week.

According to reports, he was so disappointed with the performance of his putter that it ended up in two pieces in a bin following his closing 73.

Darren Clarke's provisional schedule

13 - 16 February Northern Trust Open: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California, USA

20 - 23 March Arnold Palmer Invitational: Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge, Orlando, Florida, USA

03 - 06 April Shell Houston Open: Redstone GC Tournament Course, Humble, Texas, USA

10 - 13 April MASTERS TOURNAMENT: Augusta National, Georgia, USA

01 - 04 May Wells Fargo Championship: Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

8 - 11 May THE PLAYERS Championship: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA

22 - 25 May BMW PGA Championship: Wentworth Club, Surrey, England

12 - 15 June US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, NC, USA

19 - 22 June Irish Open, Fota Island Resort

3 - 6 July Alstom Open De France: Le Golf National, Paris, France

10 - 13 July Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open: Royal Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland

17 - 20 July THE 143RD OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: Royal Liverpool GC, Hoylake, England

7 - 10 August PGA Championship: Valhalla GC, Louisville, Kentucky

Pádraig Harrington tees off at the second in the second round in Abu Dhabi. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Pádraig Harrington might have been seething about the lip-out that led to his first missed cut of the year in Abu Dubai. But it was a power leak that gave him most cause for concern in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

While he holed nothing of consequence on the greens all week, he reported that he generally holed out well from inside six feet in his second start of the 2014 season More concerning for him, at least in the short term, was his lack of speed and distance.

As Rory McIlroy (and his relatively new driver-ball combo) powered to the top the drive distance statistics with an average of 308.1 yards, Harrington was back at 288.1 yards with as a result of being forced to hit more fairway woods or because of a lack of his usual ball and clubhead speed.

Reflecting on the problem in his weekly review, Harrington wrote on his blog: "The other thing about my [first] round that was very annoying was that my good shots were not going as far as they should.  All my shots, from drives to irons were short.  I found this the week before also but just thought that it was early season timing issues. 

"After the round I spent a lot of time working with Pete to get to the bottom of where my speed had gone.  I ended up hitting a lot of balls trying different things, from my happy Gilmore to regular swings.  

"We established that I need to get more through the ball, it definitely helped when I got it right.  I was a lot happier to have got to the bottom of the problem as now I can work on it and correct it." 

 He hit so many balls trying to get it right that he admitted that fatigue may have been a factor in his Friday performance

"While you never like to miss cuts in the end it wasn't a bad thing as I got to spend two days with Pete and Dave working on my speed and swing," he wrong. "We got a lot of work done which I wouldn't have got done had I played the weekend.  Not that I would have chosen to miss the cut but the work I got done was a good second.  

"Looking back I'd say the work I did on Thursday evening didn't help me in terms of performing on Friday, I hit a lot of balls, so I would have been a little tired."

His next trip comes in less than a fortnight, when he heads to the US for a three-week stint, starting at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix.

Padraig Harrington's early season schedule

Jan 30 - Feb 2 Waste Management Phoenix Open, Scottsdale, AZ
Feb 6 - 9 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links, CA
Feb 13 - 16 Northern Trust Open, Riviera CC, Los Angeles, CA
Feb 27 - Mar 2 The Honda Classic, PGA National (Champion) Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Mar 13 - 16 Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort - Copperhead, Palm Harbor, FL.

"Hopefully four if I can manage to get myself back into the top 50 in the world by the end of the AT&T," Harrington added. "I'll spend the week working on what I was doing with Pete and hopefully it will be ingrained by the time I get to Phoenix."

Adam Scott during the second round of the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield. Picture Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Adam Scott likes to surf but he could end up in Rory McIlroy's wake when he returns after a six-week break at next month's Honda Classic.

The Masters champion went to Hawaii to tee it up in the first two PGA Tour events of the yea, finishing sixth in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and eighth in last week's Sony Open.

He's decided it's time to recharge his batteries but his comeback event opposite a revitalised McIlroy at PGA National Resort & Spa from February 24-March 2 promises to be compulsory viewing, even if he is a bit rusty.

While he intends to continue playing golf with his friends, either in Australia or at his Bahamas base, over the next month and a half, he's likely to come up against a far stronger McIlroy than the one that sensationally walked off the course in Palm Beach Gardens after completing just 26 holes last year. 

What happened next has been well-chronicled but as McIlroy showed Scott by snatching the Australian Open from under his nose on the 72nd hole last year (not to mention last week's runner up finish in Abu Dhabi), he's over his 2013 troubles and likely to be a formidable rival for golf's top honours this term.

The majors and especially Scott's green jacket are at the top of the Ulsterman's hitlist with the reward for the man who can pull off the biggest wins likely to be the coveted world No 1 spot currently held by Tiger Woods, who appears likely to play Honda Classic for the third straight year.

As McIlroy prepares to take on Woods in the 25th anniversary edition of the Dubai Desert Classic next week, Scott is thinking about how he is going to build on a breakthrough 2013 season that career highlight moment at Augusta National last April.

Adam Scott, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are likely to meet again at next month's Honda Classic. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

As he told the Associated Press at the Sony Open, the euphoria of achieving a lifelong dream evaporated quickly in the heat of formalities and his rapid return to the Tour the following week in Hilton Head.

"That moment of sheer joy is very short. It didn't carry on for days and days. It's numbed by formalities and all those other things. You've got to enjoy getting there as much as what happened. It was only a few hours, and then Hilton Head started, and there's another tournament. It's incredible that a lifelong dream can be achieved, and it's so short."

As Pádraig Harrington has said many times, it's important to celebrate all victories as they come along some infrequently. But Scott's "problem" is that faced by all first time major winners - the encore.

"I don't know how anything could surpass last year, but it will be a lot of fun to try," he said. "Maybe winning the Slam, all four in a career. Hopefully, it's not all downhill."

There are many similarities between Scott and McIlroy in terms of their swings and their high octane, spectacular ball-striking and they way they came back from major disasters - McIlroy in the 2011 Master, Scott in the 2012 Open at Lytham.

The difference is that Scott is nine years McIlroy's senior and while the Ulsterman won his first major, the 2011 US Open, in what was only his tenth attempt as a professional, Scott's Masters win came in his 48th attempt.

Both used those "failures" as springboards to their future major successes in terms of confidence. 

Barring accidents, new local boy McIlroy should be in top form come Honda Classic week alongside longtime resident Woods. Whether Scott will be ready to give them a game remains to be seen but it will certainly whet the appetite for the Masters, which takes place just six weeks later. 

Darren Clarke is looking forward to returning to the US Tour., he tells Scotland on Sunday. He's also inclined to believe that a US Ryder Cup win at Gleneagles might not be a bad thing. Picture © Volvo in Golf

In theory, Darren Clarke could still qualify for September's Ryder Cup. If he hasn't given up all hope, it's not quite clear from his Scotland on Sunday interview. What is clear is that while the world No 272 would like to see another European victory, he understands that "it might not be the worst thing for the event if the Americans did win."

Given the deterioration in their relationship even before their fraught battle for the captaincy, it also appears abundantly clear that barring a sensational turnaround in form, Clarke will not be one of Paul McGinley's wildcards or even an assistant at Gleneagles in September. 

But as the 2011 Open champion told John Huggan, he's already turned down an NBC commentary box gig for Gleneagles, describing it as “not my thing.” Perhaps our next sighting of Clarke at a Ryder Cup will come if he happens to land the 2016 captaincy for Hazeltine. Or perhaps we've seen the end of him at that level.

Either way, the Scotland on Sunday interview covers a range of topics, such as his opposition to the recent changes in equipment technology which have allowed inferior ball-strikers to prosper - "I’d still like to see us all playing with persimmon woods and blade irons, but that battle has long been lost" - to his decision to return to the PGA Tour and his love of America and Americans.

As for his views on the Ryder Cup, you get the impression that he believes that Europe's luck might be running out after winning five of the last six and seven of the last nine matches. 

“I think the Ryder Cup will be very tight, as it has tended to be recently,” he continues. “There’s a long way to go, but it already looks like the European team might have a few new – and old – faces. Victor Dubuisson, Jamie Donaldson and Joost Luitten all have a good chance to make it. Plus, Thomas Bjorn and Henrik Stenson are almost there already.

“What is the same at this stage – as it always is – is that the European team looks a bit unsettled and the American team looks strong. But it doesn’t matter. At the end of September, the matches will be close. I would like to see another European victory but I can see the argument that it might not be the worst thing for the event if the Americans did win. They are due a break. In the last two cups the Europeans have had the good bounces at just the right moments. But, sooner or later, the Americans will get a wee bit of luck when they need it.”

As for his own game, he tells Huggan why, as a stickler for tradition, he's shunned the belly putter - "It took me long enough to put a hybrid in my bag, never mind a long putter” - and that his lack of patience continues to cost him.

Clarke might have lost three stones but he remains a heavyweight for many and, as he says himself when talking about his game, his own worst enemy.

Shannon's Jason O'Donnell drew first blood in the opening Mid West Alliance outing of 2014 at Dromoland Castle.

He claimed the 0-3 category prize in the first round of the competition when he came back from a three-putt bogey at the par-five 11th to cover his last seven holes in four under par and win with a sensational score of 40 points gross.

That was good enough to edge out former South of Ireland champion and Monkstown professional Cian McNamara and Dromoland's Nicky Duggan (39 pts) by a single point.

In the 4-9 handicap category (stableford nett), former Clare senior hurling star Alan Neville played through the pain barrier to finish up a runaway winner with 47 points.

A nine-handicapper from Dromoland with two senior championship medals to his credit, Neville pulled a hip muscle after only four holes but kept going to win by four points from Limerick five-handicapper Dermott Gallagher, who had 43 points.

Brian Lenihan and Dromoland's David Casey (9) were third with 41 points while the nearest to the pin winners were Galway's Ronan Mullarney (7th), Brian Lenihan (13th) and Shannon's Jason O'Donnell (17th).

The most birdies category was won by Galway's Patrick Small with seven. 

Seamus McInerney reported: "Despite the terrible storms that have battered County Clare in recent weeks, the course was remarkably solid underfoot and the greens were rolling nicely." 

The second round of the Mid West Alliance takes place at Dromoland Castle next Sunday, January 26.

Abu Dhabi runner-up finishers Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson chat at the prize-giving ceremony. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Rory McIlroy ultimately paid the price for Saturday's careless drop and that two-shot penalty when he finished tied for second with Phil Mickelson in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

He ended up a shot behind winner Pablo Larrazábal at The National Course, carding a four under 68 to Mickelson's 69 as the Barcelona man shot a 67 to win on 14 under par.

It was McIlroy's third runner-up finish in Abu Dhabi and the 14th of a professional career that now spans 164 official events.

His next outing comes in the Dubai Desert Classic in a fortnight, when he will get the chance to square up against world No 1 Tiger Woods in what is sure to be billed as a battle of the titans.

There is no doubt that McIlroy is the man on the rise in the game as Woods' powers wane and he battles to end that five-year drought in the majors.

But a quick crunch of the numbers between McIlroy, Woods and Mickelson shows that whole the Holywood star is light years behind the current world No 1 at the same stage of his career when it comes to wins, especially in the majors, he's got a better record than Mickelson.

 

How Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson stacked up after their first 164 officials starts 164 pro startsWinsSecondsThirds4th - 10thMissed cuts Tiger44 (26.82%)
8/24 majors (33.33%)13
1/24 in majors12
2/24 majors40
5/24 majors1 (0.60%)
0/24 majors (0%) Rory10 (6.09%)
2/20 majors (10%)14
0/20 in majors13
3/20 majors38
8/20 majors27 (16.46%)
4/20 majors (20%) Phil12 (7.31%)
0/22 majors (0%)6
0/22 in majors6
2/22 in majors28
6/22 in majors37 (22.56%)
4/22 majors (18.18%)

While McIlroy has won 10 of his first 164 events (6.09%) and two of his first 20 majors (10%), Woods won 44 of his first 164 tournaments (26.82%) and no fewer than eight of 24 majors for an uncanny strike rate of 33.33%.

Woods and McIlroy had a similar number runner-up, third and 4th-to-10th place finishes during those first 164 events. But while the current world No 1 missed just one cut in that time (and none in the majors), McIlroy has missed 16.46% of his weekends approximately and had the last two rounds off in 20% of his majors.

It's almost unfair to compare anyone to Woods but if we assume that McIlroy will keep up this pace for the next few years, he could amass 10 majors and more than 50 wins by the time he is 38.

Mickelson won a PGA Tour event as an amateur but he did not turn professional until he was 22 and while he's a prolific winner with 52 PGA Tour wins alone, it took him 43 tries as a professional to get the first of his five major wins.

McIlroy triumphed in just his 10th major as a professional but has been just marginally more consistent than Mickelson in terms of missing cuts.

It's little wonder that Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley said at last year's Irish Open that the Holywood star might be better off comparing himself to Mickelson than Woods rather than beating himself up looking for metronomic consistency.

Harrington still believes he is a genuine contender to match Jack Nicklaus' major record of 18, especially if he wins another major (or two) over the next few seasons.

As he told Iain Carter on BBC Five Live in Durban recently:

"Time is on his side. He started winning majors at 22, so that gives him a good bit of time. Rory has won two in the last three years. That's a good stat. If he wins more in the next three years, then that really becomes some stat."

Naturally, the Ulsterman was disappointed to come up short in Abu Dhabi. But given the state of his game, there is no reason to believe he can't challenge for at least one major win this season.

"I’m standing here and I feel I should be 15 under par for the tournament and the winner, not 13 under par and the runner-up, but that’s the way it goes I suppose,” he said, clearly still bristling over the two-stroke penalty he received for failing to take full relief from a spectator walkway on Saturday. 

"I played the least shots of anyone here this week so I suppose I can count that as a moral victory. But I’ve very happy with the week as a whole. I came in here telling everyone I was happy with my game and I think I’ve proved that by doing a lot of good work. So it’s fair to say I’m really excited about the rest of the season now.”

AP shot via Golf.com of a gracious Rory McIlroy congratulating Abu Dhabi winner Pablo Larrazabal as Phil Mickelson looks on.

McIlroy did also make the point that he didn't want to "take anything away" from Larrazábal's victory.

The Spaniard started the final round three shots behind leader Craig Lee, but as the Scot faded, he seized the initiative. Reaching the turn in 32, further birdies at the 11th and 13th saw him hit the front and when he two putted the final hole for his sixth birdie of the round, it set a target neither of his two illustrious pursuers could match. 

Mickelson, the reigning Open Champion, battled hard and produced his usual brand of golfing fireworks as he strove to close the gap. But the 43 year old Californian’s challenge was undone at the 13th where a double hit, while attempting to extricate himself right handed from a bush, saw him run up a triple bogey seven.
 
“It never crossed my mind that I would double hit it,” said the American, who gamely fought to make up the lost ground with birdies on the 14th, 16th and 18th holes. “But I enjoy challenging myself to hit some shots. Sometimes they come off, and sometimes they don’t. This week I had a little bit of both.”

Asked when asked he had last double-hit a shot, Mickelson said: "I can't remember, but I know I have, because I have done a lot of crazy @#$%."

Summing up what it's like to be Phil when congratulated by an American scribe on another "quintessential show", the left hander came up with a quote that might help McIlroy deal with the slings and arrows of the pro game as he goes forward.

He said: "We're all along for the ride. We're up, we're down, we see where it goes."

Rory McIlroy was upset after being penalised two strokes. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Rory McIlroy was understandably upset to throw away two strokes but to say that Rule 25-1 is "stupid" is plainly wide of the mark.

“There are a lot of stupid rules in golf,” McIlroy said after an incident that could cost him the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, “and this is one of them.”

Picture via The National © Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

In case you missed it, McIlroy was informed by his playing partner's caddie - David Renwick - of his possible infringement on the second hole as they walked off the 18th green. 

European Tour Chief Referee John Paramor summed it all up:

"Rory’s ball came to rest in a marked gallery crosswalk to the left of the second fairway from which relief is available under the rules, as if it’s a piece of ground under repair. He found what he thought to be his nearest point of relief where the ball was outside and when he dropped the ball within a club’s length, when he actually stood to the ball, his left foot was standing on or just over the line demarking the area of ground under repair which is treated as part of the ground under repair. Therefore he has not taken full relief and he is in breach of the Rule 25/1, the penalty for which is two strokes."

"It’s disappointing because I didn’t gain any advantage by my foot being on a bit of white paint,” said McIlroy, who fell three shots off the lead and into a tie for fourth place.

Yes, it's disappointing and frustrating for the talented Holywood man, who was reportedly fuming long after the penalty had been applied. 

This is how you take "full relief"under Rule 25-1  via Randa.org

“I am going to go hit the gym so hard, for about an hour, and try to run myself into the ground,” he is quoted as saying in The National.

One can understand why some might call the infraction excessively nit-picking. But there's a reason why you are required to take full relief under this rule.

Without this requirement, it would be possible to continually seek free relief from the interference and therefore re-drop the ball until you get the most favourable lie.

McIlroy knows this as well as anyone, as he revealed in his post round comments.

"The thing is, if I had realised or if I had known that my foot was on the line, I would have said, 'hold on a minute here, I need to take full relief. It's a bad lie anyway, drop it again I might get a better one'."

Rory McIlroy talks to Sky Sports about his  two shot penalty in Abu Dhabi. "It's disappointing, I don't think I gained any sort of advantage by my foot being on a bit of white paint."

Rory McIlroy was furious to be slapped with a two-stroke penalty for not taking full relief from a spectator walkway in the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

"Foot fault," wrote the fiancé of tennis star Caroline Wozniacki on Twitter, though he was far from a happy camper afterwards.

Instead of going into the final round just a stroke behind leader Craig Lee, he will start tied for fourth place and three adrift on nine under after his 68 turned into a 70 when playing partner Ricardo Gonzalez's veteran caddie Dave Renwick informed him on the 18th that he may have played from the wrong place on the second hole.

"I hit my second shot on the second hole onto the spectator crosswalk, so I took a drop out of it, which obviously you are allowed to do.," McIlroy told Sky Sports after a review and visit to the scene of the 'crime' ended up with him being penalised two shots, turning his par five into a double bogey seven.  

"I played my shot but I didn't notice that my left foot was still on the white line  and you need to take full relief. I didn't even know my foot was on the line.

"We went out there to see where my divot twas and it was clear that I couldn't have played the shot with my feet anywhere else. I guess I was just so much into the shot that I didn't even realise.

"It was unfortunate but that's the rules of this game. 

"[David Renwick] said to me on 18, 'I think you need to call a rules official because I think you were standing on the line or inside the line on the second hole.' [I said] 'Okay, yeah no problem, I don't want to sign an incorrect score card.'

"So we got the rules guys to come but they couldn't see anything on video. But we went out there and check the divot from where I hit the shot and it was clear that my foot had to be on the line to play the shot." 

Rory McIlroy visited the media centre to speak about the ruling. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Asked how sickening this felt in the light of the fact that he had been penalised in Abu Dhabi for illegally brushing away some sand between his ball and flag on the ninth hole in 2012, costing him two shots and the halfway lead, he said: "If anything it was a disadvantage [today] because I dropped it in a bad lie and didn't make birdie. I hit it to 15 feet and two putted. 

"The thing is, if I had realised or if I had known that my foot was on the line, I would have said, 'hold on a minute here, I need to take full relief. It's a bad lie anyway, drop it again I might get a better one'.

"It's disappointing, I don't think I gained any sort of advantage by my foot being on a bit of white paint."

Asked if his caddie JP Fitzgerald was unaware of the rule or simply couldn't see his foot, McIlroy said: "He didn't see the foot.

"He was just focussed on my playing the shot, the same as I was. I guess when you are standing over a shot, you don't realise where your feet are. You are just looking at the ball and trying to execute as best you can. 

"I guess I just have to make up those [two] shots as early as possible tomorrow and get off to a fast start. I felt like I hung in there well and had a lot of opportunities on the back nine that I didn't take. It was nice to birdie 18 but it was all sort of in vain so I need to go out there and get off to a good start tomorrow."

Having finished 11th in Abu Dhabi in 2008, tied fifth in 2009, third in 2010 and runner up in 2011 and 2012, McIlroy is now more motivated than ever to finally win in Abu Dhabi

"I'd like to think so," he said. "I think it gives me a bit of extra motivation. Not that winning this tournament was not motivation enough. Stuff like this is sort of stupid. There are a lot of stupid rules in golf."

McIlroy was clearly upset by the incident with The National's Steve Elling tweeting: "As Rory walked onto stage in media center to explain ruling, he slammed a wedge he had in his hand on the wooden platform in anger."

Lee shot a 69 to lead by two strokes on 12 under par from India's Gaganjeet Bhullar (66) and Open champion Phil Mickelson, who stormed up the leaderboard thanks to a nine under par 63.

Michael Hoey is tied for sixth, four off the pace on eight under after a 68 with Paul McGinley (72) tied 25th on four under.

Darren Clarke's 72 left him joint 46th on one under with Damien McGrane joint 60th on one over after a 75 and Gareth Maybin joint last on three over after a 76

Rory McIlroy signs autographs after his 67. So does Pádraig Harrington despite carding a 74 to miss the cut. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

He stood patiently signing autographs for the waiting fans with shouts of "Rory, Rory," doubtless ringing in his ears. He smiled. He posed for photographs. 

Pádraig Harrington could have been forgiven for slinking quietly away from the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on Friday after missing the cut by a shot in his first event of the season where there was a cut to miss. 

If he was still thinking of another disappointing week on the greens - perhaps the four and a half footer he missed for par on the final green on Thursday - it didn't show in the photos after he signed for a 74 that left him one shot from safety.

With just two birdies to show for his week's work - none in the second round - Harrington might even have been thinking back to his victory speech following his Open Championship win at Carnoustie in 2007. 

“I’d like to congratulate Rory on his fine achievement. I’m glad I got in before he wins one. I am sure he will win a few Open Championships in the future. He is a fine talent and he proved it this week.”

Six and a half years later and McIlroy now has two majors to Harrington's three. On the evidence of what the press saw in Abu Dhabi on Friday, where McIlroy played his last 11 holes in six under to move from the cut line to within two of the lead, several hacks were seeking odds on a Holywood major double this year.

For the record, McIlroy is 1/5 to win zero majors with Paddy Power, 7/2 to win one, 14/1 to win two and just 66/1 to win three. The Rory Slam is a mere 200/1.

Scotland’s Craig Lee (67) and Rafael Cabrera-Bello (68) lead the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship by a shot from Danny Willett (63) on nine under. But all talk was of McIlroy's performance.

Had it not been for a double-bogey six at the sixth, where he hit a three-wood into a bush and had to take a penalty drop, he might well be leading. 

Rory McIlroy is feeling very good about his game. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Either way, the story is the contrast between his play so far this week and the way he limped away from the event with his new Nike sticks between his legs 12 months ago. That he did it in the group ahead of Harrington only served to show highlight the 18-year age difference between Ireland's two greatest players and the direction their careers have taken in recent years.

Hampered by his lack of confidence in his putting, Harrington is like a Rolls Royce with a Honda 50 motor under the hood. McIlroy is a brand new Ferrari. 

Twelve months ago, the then world No 1 shot two 75s and barely found a fairway. He was demoralised, chastened, confused and under pressure. Fast forward a year and he's never sounded more excited about his game, which only poses more questions about his exact state of mind during the 2012-13 off season. 

“I don’t feel like I’ve struck the ball this well in a long time,” McIlroy told reporters. “It’s gradually been coming. I’ve been working hard on all aspects of my game. I came here excited for the season, and I’m in with a chance to win going into the weekend.

“Coming off last year after 36 holes I was deflated. The week didn’t go how I imagined or how I planned.”

Michael Hoey is in contention in Abu Dhabi. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

He added: "It is a good position to be in and I am excited. It is a great way to start the season, being in the mix with 36 holes to play.

"I hit a poor tee shot on the sixth and took a double-bogey there but I did well to get back to level par for the round at the ninth. I gave myself a target of four under for the back nine.

"I felt if I could do that I would be right there for the weekend and I managed to go one better."

His playing partner Phil Mickelson, who made the cut by a shot thanks to a 70, was mightily impressed, as Golfweek's Alistair Tait reported

“He’s really striking the ball well, and his game looks extremely sharp,” Mickelson said. “His irons were better today than they were yesterday, but his driving was impeccable the first two days.”

The highlight of McIlroy's round was not the lucky recovery from rough at the 14th that hit the pin and gave him a tap in birdie but the two blows he struck to the 18th.

Few in the field could go for the green in two, never mind reach but McIlroy's drive was massive and his three-wood finished pin high.

The eagle putt missed by a whisker. But he wasn't greedy.

"When I'm driving it well it makes it so much easier," he said. "Could have been even better if that putt had dropped at the last but two or three behind at halfway is decent. I'm right in contention and that's a great place to be in my first event of the year."

Harrington missed a 10 footer for birdie at the last that would have given him another two rounds. Instead, he was left to reflect on a disappointing week.

He hit just four fairways and only 10 greens on Friday and when he did hit a green in regulation, it led to a two-putt. As a result, he was 115th out of 125 for putts per green in regulation.

Pádraig Harrington is as popular as ever, despite his struggles. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

He was joined in missing the level par cut by Simon Thornton (71-75, +2), Peter Lawrie (73, 74 +3), Shane Lowry (76, 71 +3) and rookie Kevin Phelan (72, 76 +4).

That meant that just six of the 11 Irishmen in action made the cut with McIlroy tied for fourth with Ricardo Gonzalez and Ryder Cup aspirant Thomas Bjorn on seven under.

European Ryder Cup skipper shot a 72 as playing partners Tommy Fleetwood (65) and Thorbjorn Olesen (70) got the upper hand this time.

Still, the Dubliner is tied for 13th on four under with Michael Hoey, who had another great ball-striking day and carded one birdie and 17 pars in a 71.

Damien McGrane also made just one birdie in a 72 to share 33rd on two under while Darren Clarke rebounded from three over with 11 to play to make the weekend.

He hit 16 greens in regulation and made birdies at the eighth, 10th, 13th and 17th for a very fine 69 and was joined on one under by Gareth Maybin, who shot an immaculate 70 to leave them tied 43rd.

Tiger Woods and JP McManus in Limerick in 2010.

Tax exile and millionaire philantrophist JP McManus has decided not to go ahead with his charity Invitational Pro-Am next year, according to sources quoted by the Limerick Leader.

In a story by Eugene Phelan, it is suggested that tax laws, which force the 63-year old businessman to spend at least half the year outside Ireland, are part of the reason for the decision to shelve plans for an event which has taken place every five years since 1995 and raised around €100m for charity.

Tiger Woods at Adare Manor in 2010

The news sounds like the end for an event that generated €43m ($58m) for local charities when it was last held at Adare Manor in Limerick in 2010.

According to the Limerick Leader:

The decision is understood to have been made in recent days by the 63-year-old Mr McManus after he held meetings with close associates involved in the running of the event.

The two-day tournament has previously attracted the best golfers in the world to Limerick, including Tiger Woods, and many celebrities including Hollywood stars Michael Douglas, Samuel L Jackson and Hugh Grant. It has raised huge sums for local charities, and is one of the biggest earning charity golf events in the world.

“A huge factor is the time JP is here in Ireland – that is the big sticking point,” one of the committee involved in the organisation of the pro-am confided. “He puts his heart and soul into this event, he is the driving force behind the pro-am, and it takes so much organising. The general public don’t realise the amount of work behind the scenes he puts in,”

Under tax residency laws Mr McManus – who will celebrate his 64th birthday in March and runs his hugely successful business from Geneva – must spend less than 183 days in Ireland.

It is now very doubtful that the event will be held again. After it first first staged in 1995, it took place every five years thereafter and hopes had been high that the next tournament would take place in 2015.

The Leader piece went on to quote McManus. who was asked in an interview with the paper's editor, Alan English, in 2012 in the 2015 event would go ahead.

Padraig Harrington and JP McManus at Adare Manor.

“It takes an enormous amount of time and now we have less time than we had a few years ago – the rules have changed,” [McManus] said. “It used to be nights in the country – now it’s days. So if I come in at seven o’clock and go out at seven in the morning that counts as two days here.

"Once you’re here over midnight, it counts as two days. Before, it was one. They have to do whatever they have to do, but I don’t know how much they achieve by it.”

 Rory McIlroy tees off on the ninth in the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

The world can start spinning on its axis again. Rory McIlroy is most definitely back, Paul McGinley continues to be a superb golfer and Pádraig Harrington, despite a frustrating miss on the final green, is still capable of holing six foot putts.

On top of that, it's clear that Michael Hoey could be in the mood to win again soon and that Damien McGrane, Simon Thornton and Kevin Phelan will give us plenty to cheer about in 2014.

It's also plain after the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship that Shane Lowry is rusty, that Gareth Maybin is streaky and that Peter Lawrie and Darren Clarke have some technical issues to resolve. 

Had it not been for McGinley's afternoon 68 - a score that left him just a stroke behind leaders Rafael Cabrera Bello, Romain Wattel and Matthew Baldwin - the story of the day might have been the way McIlroy launched one  thunderous, arrow-straight drive after another on a course with US Open style rough that is so deep that Sergio Garcia called it dangerous.

Granted, Garcia hit just four fairway as he struggled to a 76, two fewer than Phil Mickelson whose 73 was his first birdie-free round since the 2012 US Open.

McIlroy's round was notable in that it came on the same course where he hit just five fairways in a horrific 75 in his first competitive outing with his Nike clubs a year ago.

Twelve months on he's clearly found the correct driver-ball combination, hitting nine of 14 fairways according to the European Tour statistics though reporters on the ground said he missed just one.

Either way, he was pleased to start the year with an error-free round and when pressed on his driving he admitted that he hasn't hit the ball as well off the tee since he won the 2012 US PGA

“I drove it great today,” McIlroy said after a bogey-free, two under 70 that could have been several shots better. I’m definitely on to something with this driver-ball combination. I’m hitting it longer than I have before. If I drive it well, I play well and score well. It’s that simple.”

He added: “I played well and was very happy with how I hit the ball from tee to green.

Padraig Harrington and the Irish Independent's Karl MacGinty share a moment of levity on the 16th. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

"I hit it long and straight and just did not take advantage of some of the opportunities, especially on the last two holes. It definitely could have been a bit better but it is a solid start and I was pleased."

McIlroy found the rough thick and the course, especially the greens, softer and slower than in previous years.

Accuracy off the tee is crucial, as McGinley, Mickelson and Garcia all proved in their own way.

"No question, it's US Open rough or US PGA-style rough, and you have to keep it in the fairway," McGinley said after missing a six foot putt for a birdie at the 18th that would have given him a share of the lead.

Garcia suffered a shoulder injury in the pre-tournament pro-am and tweaked it again  hitting from the thick rough.

He needed treatment from a European Tour physio for three holes and warned other players could suffer similar issues.

"The problem is they have cut it from green to tee and the ball nestles down," said Garcia, who will receive further treatment before deciding whether to continue in the event. "Every single ball nestles down and you can't hit it 100 yards.

"I have tweaked a muscle and hitting from the rough is not helping. We will see how it feels tomorrow.

"Hopefully I am not the only one (who gets hurt), but unfortunately the way the course is set up it could happen to more people."

Asked if he felt the rough was dangerous, Garcia added: "I would say so."

Open champion Mickelson revealed he had also hurt his back playing from the rough on the ninth, his final hole, the left-hander carding his only bogey of the day there after 17 pars. 

"I kind of hurt myself going after one," said Mickelson, who was unable to remember the last round he had completed without a single birdie.

"I twinged my back on the last hole. You have to be careful and maybe just wedge it out and not risk any injury.

"It's a world-class course and there's nothing unfair about it – it's just difficult. Tomorrow I will have to be very conservative off the tee just to put it in play."

Paul McGinley was pleased with his 68. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

McGinley played to his strengths and missed just four fairways in a 68, having held a share of the lead at one stage.

A bogey at the 16th, where his approach sailed right into water, turned out to be almost as good as a birdie as he chipped through the green in four but then holed a chip from around 18 feet.

"I'm obviously pleased," the European Ryder Cup skipper said. "It was a good round of golf. I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens and only had one bogey so all in all, a good day's work.

"I didn't expect to shoot that low [on a course this long]. I'd expect to be around par or maybe shoot 71 but I a managed a few better than that. 

"The 16th was a great bogey. I was surprised to see myself in the water but anyway, I left myself on the wrong side of the green with a tough chip and the chip for five was one of those where you walk up and really fancy it and luckily it went in."

Asked if it was pleasing just to think about golf and put the captaincy on the back burner, he gave a response that was typical of his immaculate captaincy so far.

"[The captaincy] is never on the back burner," he told European Tour Radio's Nick Dye. "It is always at the forefront of your mind when you are put in as captain and it's very exciting. 

"It is an exciting time of my life and I am really enjoying it. And I am keen to play well too because it's an important part of my captaincy to stay competitive on tour."

Shane Lowry took his first round 76 on the chin. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie

Having outscored his young playing partners Thorbjorn Olesen (74) and Tommy Fleetwood (73), he added: "I've played with them quite a bit in the past and Tommy Fleetwood is a young kid just coming on tour and I've played with him three or four times now and that's great. 

"Should he make the team, I feel like I am better prepared to manage him and the same with Thorbjorn (Olesen).

Hoey was again in his element on a ball-striker's course, dropping just one shot in a three under par 69 that was worth a share of 11th spot. The Ulsterman was solid all round and dropped just one shot late in the day. 

Harrington hit just four fairways in his one under 71 but scrambled for pars five times out of six with his only mistake coming at the ninth, his final hole.

In deep greenside rough in two, his chip took an unlucky hop away from the cup, leaving him a six footer for par that he looked appalled to see slink past the edge of the cup.

His one under effort left him tied for 35th with Thornton, who hit the ball arrow straight, while McGrane was almost perfect off the tee and around the greens as he posted a 70 to share 19th with McIlroy on two under.

Playing with Thornton, rookie Phelan came back from two early bogeys with birdies the 17th and 18th to turn in level par before reeling off nine straight pars for a 72 that left him tied for 52nd.

Lawrie, playing in his first event without coach Brendan McDaid, continued with his recent struggles off the tee as he hit just four fairways and posted a 73.

Maybin had six birdies and a triple bogey eight in his first 10 holes before four bogeys in a five hole stretch from the 13th forced him to birdie the last to join Lawrie in 63rd place on one-over.

As for Clarke  and Lowry, it was a day when little went right. The Ulsterman finished bogey-bogey for a 74 as Lowry had six bogeys in a 76.

The bearded Clara man hit just three fairways and missed 10 greens but scrambled for par just five times in his first outing of 2014.

Still, he was upbeat and pleased to see McGinley near the top of the leaderboard.

"Not what I was looking for today folks but sure that's golf," he tweeted. "Tomorrow's a new day. Great to see captain mc on the leaderboard. #uptheirish" 

 Valerie Hassett competing in the semi final of the plate at the 2013 Irish Seniors Women's Close Amateur Championship at Woodenbridge. Picture by Pat Cashman www.cashmanphotography.ie

Valerie Hassett has been appointed President Elect of the ILGU with her Presidential term of office starting in January 2015.

After being introduced to the game by her parents on summer holidays in Skerries, her love for the game grew under the expert tuition of Bill Kinsella Snr.

She was a regular on the nationwide tour of Ladies’ Championships and Scratch Cups and went on to represent Munster at Interprovincial level for 25 years, retiring in 1999.

She made her Senior Ladies’ International debut in 2003 and represented Ireland for a further seven years.  A past Team Captain of the Irish International Girls’ team in the late 80’s, she managed the Irish Women’s Team in the late 90’s and stepped in at short notice once again as Team Captain at the European Team Championships in Spain in 2010.

In 2007 she was a key member of the Ennis Ladies team who defeated Royal Portrush at Milltown to capture their first Irish Senior Cup pennant in the Club’s Centenary Year.

Arguably one of her most memorable moments on the golf course was in 1998 when she was beaten in the final if the US Seniors in Virginia. She had already captured the British Seniors title at Pyle & Kenfig in 1996 and was runner up three times through to 1999.

She has served as National Junior Convenor and currently sits on the ILGU’s National Course Rating Committee having held the role of National Assessor for almost two decades.

A past Captain of Lahinch and Ennis Golf Clubs, she is currently Lady President of Lahinch Golf Club.

She is well known for valued insight into developing the game at all levels and is never short of an encouraging word for her fellow competitors, in particular talented juniors. In 2004, she presented the Valerie Hassett Cup – the holy grail for which the girl golfers of Clare and Limerick do battle each summertime.

She will take up the presidential reigns in January 2015 when the current ILGU President Mary McKenna MBE (Donabate) completes her two year term.

Robin Dawson. Picture by Pat Cashman www.cashmanphotography.ie

Irish Boys champion Robin Dawson is heading for Augusta. 

No, he hasn't received an invitation to the Masters Tournament but to the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley Golf Club, just a 20-minute drive from Amen Corner from April 24-26.

The Faithlegg talent, who went on to help Ireland win the Boys Home Internationals and was the top points scorer for Great Britain and Ireland in August's Jacques Leglise Trophy win over the Continent of Europe, will be helping an event that raises crucial funds for the First Tee Programme.

The tournament, which is held just over the Georgia border in North Augusta (South Carolina) is regarded as one of the leading junior events in the world due its stringent invitation guidelines. 

Automatic qualifiers for the 54-strong field include the USGA Junior Amateur champion and runner-up, the top 30 eligible players in the Golfweek/Sagarin junior rankings, the 2013 British Boys Amateur champion and runner-up and any junior in the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking

Dawson can thank the First Tee of Ireland for his introduction to the game having taken it up when he was ten years of age through the first ever programme with Faithlegg National School in Waterford.

The bad news for Dawson is that his trip to the US coincides with the West of Ireland Championship at County Sligo. 

He would have had high hopes of making at impact at Rosses Point having reached the quarter-finals on his debut last year.

Nigel Edwards during his playing days for Great Britain and Ireland. 

Nigel Edwards has been reappointed as the Captain of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team that will face the United States of America at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in the 2015 match, writes the R&A. He is the first person in the modern era to be invited to captain the GB&I team three times.

 

Edwards (45) will also captain the GB&I team as they take on the Continent of Europe in the St Andrews Trophy match at Barseback in Sweden on 29 and 30 August this year.

Originally from Caerphilly, Wales, Edwards will serve as Walker Cup Captain for the third time in succession as the GB&I team tries to win back the trophy in England next year. 

He will also serve as Captain of the St Andrews Trophy team for the third time in the biennial match as GB&I look to reclaim the trophy after the Continent of Europe’s narrow 12½ – 11½ victory at Portmarnock in 2012.

A long-time member of Whitchurch Golf Club in Cardiff, Edwards played in four successive Walker Cup matches between 2001 and 2007. He was instrumental in GB&I’s 2003 victory at Ganton Golf Club, holing the winning putt, finishing undefeated and as the match’s leading points-scorer.

After twice playing on the winning side, Edwards completed a hat trick of wins by captaining GB&I to victory in the 2011 match at Royal Aberdeen. Defeated by the US side in the 2013 match at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York, the GB&I team will look to reclaim the Walker Cup on home soil in 2015.

“I’m very proud to have the opportunity to captain the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team for a third time in 2015,” said Edwards. “It will also be a privilege to lead the St Andrews Trophy team for a third time this year. Both events have long histories and we will be aiming to win back the trophies. I am looking forward to continuing my involvement and using my past experience as both a player and Captain to make sure the players are prepared to play to the best of their ability.”

In addition to his Walker Cup successes, Edwards has been part of three victorious GB&I teams in the St Andrews Trophy, featuring in the winning 2002, 2004 and 2006 teams at Lausanne in Switzerland, Nairn in Scotland and Marianske Lazne in the Czech Republic respectively. He captained the teams which lost to the Continent of Europe at Castelconturbia in Italy in 2010 and Portmarnock in 2012.

Edwards was also part of two winning European teams in the Bonallack Trophy match against the Asia-Pacific.

“Nigel has demonstrated great passion and pride for the Walker Cup and the St Andrews Trophy and we are very pleased that he has accepted the invitation to lead the GB&I teams both this year and next,” said Jonathan Plaxton, Chairman of The R&A Selection Committee.

“He has proven to be very popular with the players and his experience in the amateur game will continue to be a tremendous asset as he prepares teams for the St Andrews Trophy and the Walker Cup.”

Edwards is currently Performance Director for England Golf, and previously served as Director of Player Development and Coaching at The Golf Union of Wales.

The Old Head of Kinsale

Carr Golf Travel has announced its 2014 event schedule, marking the Irish organisation's 25th year in business.

The 7th Invitational Father & Daughter Golf Tournament leaves Doonbeg after six years and will be played at the Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links from July 20-23, which will also host the 5th Celtic Couples Challenge from September 21-25.

The World Invitational Father & Son will be played at Waterville from August 6-10 while the Carr Golf Invitational Pro-Am will be played on the links of Northern Ireland from October 19-24.

Carr Golf’s events have attracted 4,000 participants over 24 years and upwards of 200 teams will participate in the 2014 events.

The Celtic Couples will however also feature round at Cork Golf Club, designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie, who also created Augusta National, Lahinch, Cypress Point and the San Francisco Golf Club.

“Trying to find courses and locations that match last year’s venues, Doonbeg and Turnberry, was a challenge, but the Old Head of Kinsale is such a spectacular course and the village of Kinsale is one of the most beautiful locations in Ireland, this made perfect sense for these ladies golf events,” said Marty Carr, CEO of Carr Golf Travel. 

Further details at www.carrgolf.com

Paul McGinley and Pádraig Harrington during the Saturday afternoon foursomes in the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club. Photo: Fran Caffrey/ www.golffile.ie

Show me some form and then we'll talk. That's the unsurprising tack that Ryder Cup skipper Paul McGinley is adopting when it comes to the chances of seeing Pádraig Harrington or Shane Lowry making his team next September.

As he begins his second year in the job today, the Dubliner has remained true to his word and continued to wear his hat of total neutrality when it comes to the make up of his side. 

During the course of conversations with him over the past 12 months, McGinley has consistently refused to say anything specific about any of his potential players, especially the Irish, beyond the usual platitudes.

And while he was pleased to see Harrington make a positive start to the season with a share of fifth in the Volvo Golf Champions last week, it didn't change the script.

As he told the Irish Independent's Karl MacGinty and others on Tuesday: 

"I will be making my decisions from a European Team perspective. It's all about the strength of my team and not from any other perspective," insisted the captain, confirming that he would leave friendship and his Irish nationality at the locker-room door.

"That's what I have to do as a Ryder Cup captain. My decisions will be evidence-based and if Padraig, Shane (Lowry) or anyone else is going to be a pick, they must show the evidence.

"Padraig had a great result last week. I was pleased to see how well he played and, of course, I'd love to see him in my team.

"I don't want to put pressure on him, so I'm not going to say anything about Padraig's game as he knows his game and what he's capable of better than anybody.

"He had a great week last week. I know he's motivated to make the team, and I know he's still real excited about his career, and I'd love to see him pushing on from his great start to the season.

"So keep pushing on, keep pushing on. Give me a reason to pick you."

Harrington knows better than anyone that he needs a huge season to put himself in the Ryder Cup frame. As far as qualifying automatically, he will need to win a major or several regular events and even to catch the eye of the captain he knows he must play well, especially in the big European Tour events this summer.

As yet he is not qualified for the Masters, the US Open or any of the big WGCs, which means he may have to win the Open again to revive his Ryder Cup hopes.

As he told the Irish Independent:

"I'd probably have more chance of winning a Major than making the Ryder Cup team this year ... though if I did win a Major, it'd put me right into that position."

After year in the job, McGinley has concerned himself mainly with the logistical matters for Gleneagles. Making any plans for the golf course itself is pointless until he knows the make up of his team. And while Henrik Stenson already looks certain to make it, so much can yet change that there is little he can do or say but maintain a watching brief until the end of July at least.

“It’s been a busy year but a really good year,” said the hero of 2002. “I think there has been a lot achieved in terms of preparation in a number of areas, both logistically away from the venue and in terms of arrangements at the hotel itself. So I’m very pleased this far.

“We also had the Year to Go celebrations last September which was a whirlwind of activity leading up to it, as well as during the three days themselves, so I think that gave me a very good idea of what the intensity is going to be like during the week itself.

“Now we are into the actual Ryder Cup year, the communication with the players is starting to grow a bit more but I will let that grow naturally over the next nine months.

"I am wary of having too much communication with them because they all know what they are doing – I’ll just let them evolve into their respective seasons which will hopefully bring success in Major Championships and such like.”

McGinley regards his first year in a positive light and does not tire of recalling how helpful his experiences under his own former captains has been to him.

As a player under Sam Torrance (2002), Bernhard Langer (2004) and Ian Woosnam (2006) and an assistant to Colin Montgomerie (2010) and José María Olazábal last time out, he's learned a lot.

“It has been a very enjoyable year so far – a steep learning curve in places I will admit – and I have put into practice a lot I have learned from previous captains because I’ve been very fortunate to play under and be involved with some great captains,” said McGinley. “I know it is said a lot, but it is the truth, I have benefitted from them all.”

 

Peter Lawrie and Brendan McDaid have ended their 120-year professional partnership.

Peter Lawrie has parted company with long time coach Brendan McDaid as he bids to halt his slide and get his career back on the upward curve.

The Rathfarnham man, who turns 40 in March, reluctantly decided to spit with his coach of 12 years over Christmas having followed the most harrowing season of his career with a faltering start to the 2014 campaign in the pre-Christmas events.

Having saved his European Tour card with a last gasp Top-20 finish in the Perth International, his final event of the 2013 campaign, Lawrie missed the cut in the first three events of the 2014 campaign and opted to swap Skibbereen man McDaid for Jamie Gough.

"I really thought I was going nowhere, so things had to change," Lawrie told the Irish Independent. "So that's why I've taken the step I have. Brendan and I have been together a long time and we remain good friends. Ending a partnership like ours is tough, but this is a business and you can't be afraid of change."

Born in Donegal but raised in Skibbereen, career coach McDaid had no hard feelings.

“Since Peter was the Rookie of the Year 2003; it has been a great adventure on the European Tour together,” McDaid told the Irish Golf Club Gazette.  “Particularly retaining his playing rights in Perth at the very end of last season, which really came down to the wire and was a true test of nerve in Australia.”

Lawrie has also taken on a  new caddie in Owen O'Neill and McDaid is confident his former client with recapture his form.

“For this season a new setup makes sense and I am grateful to Peter for some great years on Tour,” he said. “No doubt he will continue to enjoy success and I wish him well.

“At times these changes can be good and it is the natural process of the game. Few things ever stay the same and the twelve years have just flashed by us both.”

Simon Thornton sporting some of his new gear. 

European Tour pro Simon Thornton has signed a ground-breaking European clothing deal with multi-brand, online golf fashion retailer TRENDYGOLF.

Unlike his fellow professionals who are committed to wearing the same label every day, 36-year old Thornton, 36, will work with TRENDYGOLF on a weekly basis to determine the best outfit from a number of brands to reflect his look, mood and location.

The 2012 St Omer Open winner will debut pieces from TRENDYGOLF's new spring/summer 2014 collection at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week and could be wearing different labels on any day or even mixing and matching across the same outfit - a practice already operated by TRENDYGOLF with PGA Tour professional James Driscoll in the USA.

Thornton will be able to choose from any brand in the TRENDYGOLF European range which includes J Lindeberg, RLX Ralph Lauren, Aquascutum, Hugo Boss, Puma Lux, Lyle & Scott and Peak Performance.

He explained: "This is a fabulous opportunity for me to wear a wide range of golf fashion apparel and not be pigeon-holed with one style or label. I imagine I will get a few envious looks from my fellow pros when I turn up wearing a completely different brand on day two than I was on day one.

"We believe it's a first for the European Tour and it gives me the freedom to choose a personal look with a perfect fit. We will also be interacting with TRENDYGOLF fans and customers on social media who can ask how I felt in the gear and can get my opinion on it. There's no other arrangement like this in operation on our tour.

"I've partnered with TRENDYGOLF for a couple of years now and last year wore Peak Performance throughout. It's helped my confidence because if you feel good on the tee your head is in the right place and you can concentrate on your golf. Knowing I've had good-looking and technically advanced clothing has helped my game and overall demeanour."

TRENDYGOLF founder Ian McLeod added: "Simon was the ideal choice for us moving into the 2014 season. He's tall, athletic and is a great believer in the positive effects golf clothing can have on an individual. We will help style him in the manner he feels will benefit him the most, and the big advantage for Simon with this arrangement is that he will be able to choose from the latest fashions from all the brands, not just one."

The relaunched PaulMcGinley.com

European Ryder Cup skipper Paul McGinley has relaunched his website - PaulMcGinley.com - but it appears there's little chance that he will take to social media as he faces the biggest year of his career to date.

The Dubliner credited Twitter for his selection as the first Irish Ryder Cup skipper when he landed the job exactly a year ago with Rory McIlroy's tweets of support proving crucial in the final days of the "campaign".

McGinley's opposite number Tom Watson has taken to Twitter - @TomWatsonPGA - and now has nearly 40,000 followers. He also has a website, TomWatson.com. But while McGinley had no problem admitting that Twitter played a crucial in his selection as captain, he won't be taking on Watson in the twitterverse this year.

“I am the first captain to be elected by Twitter,” McGinley joked during his first news conference as captain. “I'm not a Twit; I've never Twitted. One thing I've learned from this is the power of Twitter, there's no doubt about that, absolutely, there's no doubt about that.

"I've also learned how related Twitter is to the bookies; now I know where they get all their odds from. (Laughter)."

As for McGinley's new website, he's headed to Wales for help and hired Wrexham based Bloc Creative. The site features the usual sections - bar Twitter and Facebook links - reveals that he has commercial partnerships with now fewer than 12 brands - TaylorMade, Adidas, Allianz,  hotel chain The Doyle Collection, Sky Sports, Ryder Cup sponsor EY.com (Ernst and Young), Rolex, Clubstohire.com, international golf club membership club Eligo Club, BMW and Ashworth.

Unusually, there is no reference to his golf design business. Perhaps there is a new website coming there - and some business for an Irish web design company.

 Rory McIlroy gives traditional Emirati Al Razfa dancing a whirl in Abu Dhabi.

The world rankings say he is only the seventh best player in the world but Rory McIlroy sounds like a man who's ready to regain his place on the throne of world golf in 2014.

After confessing in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday that his off course distractions as well as his move to Nike led to him being made to "look silly" when he was at his lowest ebb in The Open at Muirfield, he insists that all is right with the world once more.

If that's the case and he avoids any temptations to shoot himself in the foot, it would take guts to bet against him making as swift return to world No 1 as his descent. 

Until Tiger Woods wins another major, there will always be doubts that the 38-year old American can claim to be the undisputed top dog when McIlroy is at his best

Since he turned professional in September 2007, the curly haired genius from Co Down has won 10 official events, including two majors.

Taking the current Top-50 in the world rankings, only Woods (23 wins), Phil Mickelson (13 wins), Adam Scott, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer (11 each) have won more tournaments than the pride of Holywood.

No-one has won more majors. And that includes players no longer ranked in the Top-50.

Mickelson and current world No 121 Padraig Harrington are the only men who can match his two victories in the 24 majors than have been played since he made his professional debut in the Quinn Direct British Masters that September.

With Harrington's best days behind him until he can shake off the lingering effects of the yips, one wonders who can stand up to McIlroy when he is in full flow.

Lee Westwood (11 wins since September 2007) has a huge mental barrier to cross in the majors and with Open champion Mickelson set to turn 44 in June, it looks likely that McIlroy's biggest rivals over the next few years will need to pray that he doesn't start producing his A game on a regular basis.

Woods remains the biggest threat followed by the likes of Scott, Kaymer, Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and fellow Ulsterman Graeme McDowell, whose haul of 10 wins and one major since 2008 bears comparison with that of his former stablemate.

 Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy kicked off the week with some dancing and club twirling. Gif via http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf  

Yes, we can add to that list young Americans such as Jordan Spieth and Harris English, the Australian Jason Day, the unpredictable yet impressive Dustin Johnson, the competitive steel of Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner, the precision of England's Luke Donald and Justin Rose and the erratic Spaniard Sergio Garcia.

It remains to be seen how many of them have the A game to match McIlroy's and given the expected positive noises he made ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, he sounds like he means business.

Recently engaged to Caroline Wozniacki (he got down on one knee as fireworks exploded on New Year's Eve in Sydney) and unburdened by the disaster of 2013 thanks to that Australian Open win over Scott in December, reports indicate that McIlroy had a broad smile on his face in the UAE.

“There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be smiling,” McIlroy told reporters, including Jamie Corrigan of the Daily Telegraph. “I’m happy."

He had no shortage of reasons for his bliss.

“Yes, 2013 was disappointing from a professional standpoint, but, as a whole personally it was a great year,” he told reporters. “I feel I have stability in my life now and the engagement will only help with regards to knowing everything in my life is set. I mean, if you get engaged, you plan to spend the rest of your life with that person, so it is a big decision. But she’s definitely the right girl for me.”

"Reflecting back on last year there was a lot of instability going on but I’m starting this season on such a different sort of platform. Everything feels like it’s fallen in place and I can just focus on my golf and play the way I know I can.”

McIlroy admitted that he was badly affected by his $100m a year equipment move and the ensuing legal entanglements with Oakley and his former management group, Horizon Sports.

“I’m not going to lie and say it didn’t affect me,” he said. “Of course it did. I was thinking of other things [apart from golf] when I really shouldn’t have had to. But that’s the last year I’m ever going to have go through that. I’ve learnt from it and am smarter because of it. And it’s great that I’ve gone through it at this stage in my career and not 15 years down the line.”

With only the Horizon litigation remaining to be settle, he could not be in a more different place than he was 12 months ago when he was unveiled as a Nike athlete in the most over the top way possible

“There was a load of stuff going on which didn’t let me focus 100 per cent on what I needed to do – play the best I could. This year is polar opposite. I’m using exactly the same [equipment] set-up that I used for the final quarter of last year. And I feel the driver and ball I put in the bag for that stretch at the end of the year has really, really helped.”

Reflecting on the lows of 2013, he said: “My biggest frustration was at the Open. Anything I was tried to do with the golf ball I couldn’t do. I was putting into bunkers; all sorts of stupid stuff. When the ground is so firm at Muirfield you have to be spot on and if you’re even a slight bit off it makes you look silly. 

"And I was a long way off and so it made me look even sillier. My confidence was so low and that’s not something I usually struggle with. So it was back to the drawing board and to try to salvage something from the year.”

Having (semi) jocosely told the BBC in December that he intends to make up for his lack of major wins in 2013 by winning two this year, he's clearly keen to consign last season to the Book of Blips.

As Harrington pointed out last year, if McIlroy plays well, he wins. Worryingly for his rivals, he's not prepared to accept another "silly" season.