Gary Murphy had a level par round of 70 in the 3rd round of the tour school and is now in a share of 22nd place on 6 under par total.Charlie Ford and Simon Khan both shot 67 and lead on 14 under.Jamie Elson is 3rd on -13 after a 66 and Alezandro Canizares had a sparkling 61 on the tour course to jump into 4th on -10.
New Professional Niall Kearney is in good shape after his 68 on the tour course to leave himself only 1 shot away from the top 30 on -4.
Johnny Caldwell had a brilliant 4 under par 68 on the difficult Stadium course to get back into the top 70 who will make the 72 hole cut off on 2 under par and he is joined by Colm Moriarty who had a 68 on the tour course.
Simon Thornton is still in with a good chance as he is on -1 after a 69 on the tour course,but John Kelly will need to shoot the lights out tomorrow if he is to survive.He had a good 73 around the Stadium course but is well away on +9 for the 54 holes played.
TOUR SCHOOL: TOP 30 TO GAIN FULL CARD FOR 2010.TOP 70 AND TIES WILL QUALIFY FOR FINAL 36 HOLES.
22ND GARY MURPHY 70 TOUR COURSE -6.
39TH NIALL KEARNEY 68 TOUR COURSE -4.
61ST JOHNNY CALDWELL 68 STADIUM COURSE -2.
61ST COLM MORIARTY 68 TOUR COURSE -2.
74TH SIMON THORNTON 69 TOUR COURSE -1.
146TH JOHN KELLY 73 STADIUM COURSE +9.
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Monday 30 November 2009
Sunday 29 November 2009
Irish fall back at Tour School Day 2.
Gary Murphy who was unlucky to lose his tour card last year might be picking up a new one for 2010 as he is lying in joint 7th place after the 2nd round of tour school at the PGA CATALUNYA complex in Spain.
Gary made a good start yesterday around the more difficult Stadium course with a 3 under par 69,he followed up today with another 3 under par 67 around the tour course to sit on 6 under par and 5 shots behind two English men in Simon Khan and Charlie Ford who are 11 under par.
New Professional Niall Kearney playing the same way around as Murphy added a 2 under par 68 and is in joint 35th place on 2 under par 140.
The other 4 Irish who played the tour course yesterday all fell back over the Stadium course today.Colm Moriarty who was 5 under par yesterday is back to level par after a 77 and Simon Thornton has gone from 3 under back to par as well after a 75.They are in joint 65th.
Johnny Caldwell who was also 3 under is now 2 over par after a 77 and is down in 96th place.John Kelly who made a great comeback in stage 2 to qualify will need the same again as he took a 78 and is down in 149th spot on +8
Gary made a good start yesterday around the more difficult Stadium course with a 3 under par 69,he followed up today with another 3 under par 67 around the tour course to sit on 6 under par and 5 shots behind two English men in Simon Khan and Charlie Ford who are 11 under par.
New Professional Niall Kearney playing the same way around as Murphy added a 2 under par 68 and is in joint 35th place on 2 under par 140.
The other 4 Irish who played the tour course yesterday all fell back over the Stadium course today.Colm Moriarty who was 5 under par yesterday is back to level par after a 77 and Simon Thornton has gone from 3 under back to par as well after a 75.They are in joint 65th.
Johnny Caldwell who was also 3 under is now 2 over par after a 77 and is down in 96th place.John Kelly who made a great comeback in stage 2 to qualify will need the same again as he took a 78 and is down in 149th spot on +8
Molinari brothers win World cup for Italy.
The Molinari brothers held their nerve to win the World Cup for Italy by beating Ireland and the holders Sweden by a single shot after 72 holes of fourball/foursomes around the Mission Hills course in China.
It has been a great year for the Molinari boys with younger brother Francesco finishing 14th in the Race to Dubai and Edoardo winning 3 times to earn a record amount on the Challenge tour.
At one stage they were 4 shots behind Ireland but with the help of some great putts by Francesco on the back nine and a few careless bogies by the Irish boys the Italian's found themselves in front by one playing the last.
A bad 2nd shot by Edoardo into a bunker was followed by a world class recovery by Francesco leaving a 2 foot putt for victory after a final round of 68 left them on 29 under par.
It was a first World cup win for Italy and was well deserved as they were up against the two favorite teams in Ireland and holders Sweden and managed to not only compete with them but beat them on the last day as Sweden had a 69 while Ireland had a 70.
OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP
-----------------------------
WINNERS ITALY 64 66 61 68 -29.
2ND IRELAND 58 68 64 70,SWEDEN 64 65 62 69 -28.
4TH ENGLAND 66 69 63 64 -26.
5TH JAPAN 62 71 64 69 -22.
6TH AUSTRAILIA 68 70 62 67 -21.
7TH GERMANY 66 71 66 65,KOREA 64 75 61 68,SOUTH AFRICA 65 70 62 71,USA 67 72 67 62,WALES 66 68 64 70 -20.
It has been a great year for the Molinari boys with younger brother Francesco finishing 14th in the Race to Dubai and Edoardo winning 3 times to earn a record amount on the Challenge tour.
At one stage they were 4 shots behind Ireland but with the help of some great putts by Francesco on the back nine and a few careless bogies by the Irish boys the Italian's found themselves in front by one playing the last.
A bad 2nd shot by Edoardo into a bunker was followed by a world class recovery by Francesco leaving a 2 foot putt for victory after a final round of 68 left them on 29 under par.
It was a first World cup win for Italy and was well deserved as they were up against the two favorite teams in Ireland and holders Sweden and managed to not only compete with them but beat them on the last day as Sweden had a 69 while Ireland had a 70.
OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP
-----------------------------
WINNERS ITALY 64 66 61 68 -29.
2ND IRELAND 58 68 64 70,SWEDEN 64 65 62 69 -28.
4TH ENGLAND 66 69 63 64 -26.
5TH JAPAN 62 71 64 69 -22.
6TH AUSTRAILIA 68 70 62 67 -21.
7TH GERMANY 66 71 66 65,KOREA 64 75 61 68,SOUTH AFRICA 65 70 62 71,USA 67 72 67 62,WALES 66 68 64 70 -20.
Saturday 28 November 2009
The latest on the Tiger Saga !
TMZ has the most recent details on the Tiger Woods “accident” melodrama. They claim Tiger did not suffer facial lacerations from his car crash:
We’re told he said his wife, [Elin Nordegren], had confronted him about reports that he was seeing another woman. The argument got heated and, according to our source, she scratched his face up. We’re told it was then Woods beat a hasty retreat for his SUV — but according to our source, Woods says his wife followed behind with a golf club. As Tiger drove away, she struck the vehicle several times with the club.
We’re told Woods became “distracted,” thought the vehicle was stopped, and looked to see what had happened. At that point the SUV hit the fire hydrant and then hit a tree.
All of which supports lots of people’s gut reaction.
Meanwhile, Tiger’s alleged mistress, Rachel Uchitel, a well known NYC “party girl,” is on her “I didn’t bang Tiger Woods” media campaign. Because she’s a private person and doesn’t appreciate the accusations that she’s a homewrecker.
Now we anxiously await to hear the there’s-nothing-to-see-here-please-disperse version from Team Tiger, so everyone can continue to blissfully believe that Tiger’s only shortcoming is flinging golf clubs — not women
We’re told he said his wife, [Elin Nordegren], had confronted him about reports that he was seeing another woman. The argument got heated and, according to our source, she scratched his face up. We’re told it was then Woods beat a hasty retreat for his SUV — but according to our source, Woods says his wife followed behind with a golf club. As Tiger drove away, she struck the vehicle several times with the club.
We’re told Woods became “distracted,” thought the vehicle was stopped, and looked to see what had happened. At that point the SUV hit the fire hydrant and then hit a tree.
All of which supports lots of people’s gut reaction.
Meanwhile, Tiger’s alleged mistress, Rachel Uchitel, a well known NYC “party girl,” is on her “I didn’t bang Tiger Woods” media campaign. Because she’s a private person and doesn’t appreciate the accusations that she’s a homewrecker.
Now we anxiously await to hear the there’s-nothing-to-see-here-please-disperse version from Team Tiger, so everyone can continue to blissfully believe that Tiger’s only shortcoming is flinging golf clubs — not women
Irish boys make a solid start to tour school.
Colm Moriarty who had a very ordinary season on the Challenge tour made a great start to the 6 round qualifying school with a 5 under par 65 around the TOUR COURSE at the PGA CATALUNYA complex in SPAIN.
He finds himself 5 shots behind the leader,Julien Gurrier who had a brilliant round of 10 under par 60.There is 5 players on 6 under including Jarmo Sandelin who had the best score of 66 around the STADIUM PAR 72 COURSE.
Gary Murphy had a great finish around the Stadium course when he eagled the par 5 12th and a further birdie left him around in 3 under par 69 and a share of 29th, alongside Simon Thornton and Johnny Caldwell who were both on the Tour course.
Niall Kearney who turned Professional just before the final qualifying had 3 birdies and 3 bogies around the Stadium course for a level par round of 72.
John Kelly was pretty upset with his last 4 holes.He was level par after 14 holes,before going double bogey,bogey and bogey before recovering to birdie the last for a 2 over par 72 and is way down in 119th place.
156 golfers are in action for 72 holes(36 on the Tour course and 36 on the Stadium course.)There will be a cut made after that with the lucky ones that get through will play a further 36 holes and the top 30 and ties will get a tour card for 2010.
IRISH SCORES
------------
TOUR COURSE
JT 7TH COLM MORIARTY 65 -5.
JT 29TH JOHNNY CALDWELL,SIMON THORNTON 67 -3.
119TH JOHN KELLY 72 +2.
STADIUM COURSE.
JT 29TH GARY MURPHY 69 -3.
JT 82ND NIALL KEARNEY 72 PAR.
He finds himself 5 shots behind the leader,Julien Gurrier who had a brilliant round of 10 under par 60.There is 5 players on 6 under including Jarmo Sandelin who had the best score of 66 around the STADIUM PAR 72 COURSE.
Gary Murphy had a great finish around the Stadium course when he eagled the par 5 12th and a further birdie left him around in 3 under par 69 and a share of 29th, alongside Simon Thornton and Johnny Caldwell who were both on the Tour course.
Niall Kearney who turned Professional just before the final qualifying had 3 birdies and 3 bogies around the Stadium course for a level par round of 72.
John Kelly was pretty upset with his last 4 holes.He was level par after 14 holes,before going double bogey,bogey and bogey before recovering to birdie the last for a 2 over par 72 and is way down in 119th place.
156 golfers are in action for 72 holes(36 on the Tour course and 36 on the Stadium course.)There will be a cut made after that with the lucky ones that get through will play a further 36 holes and the top 30 and ties will get a tour card for 2010.
IRISH SCORES
------------
TOUR COURSE
JT 7TH COLM MORIARTY 65 -5.
JT 29TH JOHNNY CALDWELL,SIMON THORNTON 67 -3.
119TH JOHN KELLY 72 +2.
STADIUM COURSE.
JT 29TH GARY MURPHY 69 -3.
JT 82ND NIALL KEARNEY 72 PAR.
Irelands Lead cut back to 1,with 1 round to go !
Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell returned a 8 under par round of 64 in the 3rd round of the OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP but their lead was cut by 2 shots after a 61 by Italy and a 62 by the holders Sweden.
Irelands 26 under par total gives them a 1 shot advantage for the final round of foursomes tomorrow.They will be playing in the company of brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari of Italy,while the holders Sweden will be hoping to post a score in the group ahead and put some pressure on the Irish boys.
It looks like a 3 horse race as the 4th place teams of Japan and South Africa are 7 shots behind Ireland.
WORLD CUP LEADERBOARD ROUND 3.
--------------------------------
1ST IRELAND 58 68 64 -26.
2ND ITALY 64 66 61,SWEDEN 64 65 62 -25.
4TH JAPAN 62 71 64,SOUTH AFRICA 65 70 62 -19.
6TH ENGLAND 66 69 63,WALES 66 68 64 -18.
8TH VENEZUELA 67 67 65 -17.
9TH AUSTRAILIA 68 70 62,ARGENTINA 61 75 64,INDIA 67 68 65,KOREA 64 75 61 -16.
Irelands 26 under par total gives them a 1 shot advantage for the final round of foursomes tomorrow.They will be playing in the company of brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari of Italy,while the holders Sweden will be hoping to post a score in the group ahead and put some pressure on the Irish boys.
It looks like a 3 horse race as the 4th place teams of Japan and South Africa are 7 shots behind Ireland.
WORLD CUP LEADERBOARD ROUND 3.
--------------------------------
1ST IRELAND 58 68 64 -26.
2ND ITALY 64 66 61,SWEDEN 64 65 62 -25.
4TH JAPAN 62 71 64,SOUTH AFRICA 65 70 62 -19.
6TH ENGLAND 66 69 63,WALES 66 68 64 -18.
8TH VENEZUELA 67 67 65 -17.
9TH AUSTRAILIA 68 70 62,ARGENTINA 61 75 64,INDIA 67 68 65,KOREA 64 75 61 -16.
Friday 27 November 2009
Could this be the start of the end for TIGER !
The news broke yesterday that Tiger Woods was having an affair with a New York 34 year old called RACHEL UCHITEL.The next day he crashes his car leaving home at 2.25 am as reported by CNN.
Could it be a case of "no smoke without fire"
Shortly after Tiger pulled out of his driveway of his Isleworth, Florida, home at 2:25 AM Friday morning, he hit a fire hydrant. Then, he drove the car, a 2009 Cadillac Escalade, into a tree on his neighbor’s residence.
He was traveling at under 33 mph because no airbags were deployed, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The police report notes it was NOT alcohol related.
Little information has been released. But it’s reported he sustained facial lacerations and his injuries are serious. According to CNN, the actual status of his condition is currently unknown.
Could there be a more inopportune time for Tiger to get into a car accident than 2:30 in the morning in front of his own house?
*Update (3:04PM): Darren Rovell tweeted: Tiger Woods’ agent on condition: “He is fine.”
**Update (3:21PM): According to CNN, Tiger has been released from the hospital. Has he gone home? No one knows
Could it be a case of "no smoke without fire"
Shortly after Tiger pulled out of his driveway of his Isleworth, Florida, home at 2:25 AM Friday morning, he hit a fire hydrant. Then, he drove the car, a 2009 Cadillac Escalade, into a tree on his neighbor’s residence.
He was traveling at under 33 mph because no airbags were deployed, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The police report notes it was NOT alcohol related.
Little information has been released. But it’s reported he sustained facial lacerations and his injuries are serious. According to CNN, the actual status of his condition is currently unknown.
Could there be a more inopportune time for Tiger to get into a car accident than 2:30 in the morning in front of his own house?
*Update (3:04PM): Darren Rovell tweeted: Tiger Woods’ agent on condition: “He is fine.”
**Update (3:21PM): According to CNN, Tiger has been released from the hospital. Has he gone home? No one knows
Ireland still 3 clear at halfway stage in World Cup.
Ireland took 10 shots more in the foursomes 2nd round of the OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP in CHINA but still hold a 3 shot lead heading into the weekend from holders SWEDEN.
McIlroy and McDowell could have opened up a 6 shot lead as they took a bogey 6 at the 11th and a double bogey 7 at the 15th.They hit back to birdie the 16th & 17th for a 68 that leaves them 18 under par after their amazing opening round of 58.
Keeping a close eye on them will be the holders ROBERT KARLSSON & HENRIK STENSON for SWEDEN who haven't dropped a shot to par over the first 36 holes.Their rounds of 64 &65 leave them 2nd 1 shot clear of ITALY 64 & 66 who have the MOLINARI brothers playing.
Argentina who opened with a 61 fell back into a share of 11th after a poor 75 to leave them on -8.
WORLD CUP LEADERBOARD AFTER 36 HOLES.
-------------------------------------
1ST:IRELAND 58/68 -18.
2ND:SWEDEN 64/65 -15.
3RD:ITALY 64/66 -14.
4TH:JAPAN 62/71 -11.
5TH:VENEZUALA 67/67,WALES 66/68 -10.
7TH:ENGLAND 66/68,INDIA 67/68,NEW ZEALAND 67/68,SOUTH AFRICA 65/70 -9.
McIlroy and McDowell could have opened up a 6 shot lead as they took a bogey 6 at the 11th and a double bogey 7 at the 15th.They hit back to birdie the 16th & 17th for a 68 that leaves them 18 under par after their amazing opening round of 58.
Keeping a close eye on them will be the holders ROBERT KARLSSON & HENRIK STENSON for SWEDEN who haven't dropped a shot to par over the first 36 holes.Their rounds of 64 &65 leave them 2nd 1 shot clear of ITALY 64 & 66 who have the MOLINARI brothers playing.
Argentina who opened with a 61 fell back into a share of 11th after a poor 75 to leave them on -8.
WORLD CUP LEADERBOARD AFTER 36 HOLES.
-------------------------------------
1ST:IRELAND 58/68 -18.
2ND:SWEDEN 64/65 -15.
3RD:ITALY 64/66 -14.
4TH:JAPAN 62/71 -11.
5TH:VENEZUALA 67/67,WALES 66/68 -10.
7TH:ENGLAND 66/68,INDIA 67/68,NEW ZEALAND 67/68,SOUTH AFRICA 65/70 -9.
Thursday 26 November 2009
What a start for Ireland in the World Cup.
Rory McIlroy put the Race to Dubai behind him to help his partner Graeme McDowell to take the lead after the first round of the OMEGA MISSION HILLS WORLD CUP with a fantastic round of 14 under par 58 and a 3 shot lead over Argentina.
McIlroy & McDowell made 12 birdies,1 eagle and 5 pars as they combined to perfection during the round played in a fourball format(Best score to count at each hole.)
LEADERBOARD.ROUND 1 FOURBALLS
1ST IRELAND 58 -14.
2ND ARGENTINA 61 -11.
3RD JAPAN 62 -10.
4TH (HOLDERS) SWEDEN,CANADA,ITALY,KOREA 64 -8
8TH SOUTH AFRICA,CHINA 65 -7.
10TH DENMARK,ENGLAND,GERMANY,SINGAPORE,WALES 66 -6.
McIlroy & McDowell made 12 birdies,1 eagle and 5 pars as they combined to perfection during the round played in a fourball format(Best score to count at each hole.)
LEADERBOARD.ROUND 1 FOURBALLS
1ST IRELAND 58 -14.
2ND ARGENTINA 61 -11.
3RD JAPAN 62 -10.
4TH (HOLDERS) SWEDEN,CANADA,ITALY,KOREA 64 -8
8TH SOUTH AFRICA,CHINA 65 -7.
10TH DENMARK,ENGLAND,GERMANY,SINGAPORE,WALES 66 -6.
Tuesday 24 November 2009
McIlroy straight back into action after Dubai.
Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy are ready to bring the Omega Mission Hills World Cup back to Ireland for the third time in the country’s history.
The duo have arrived at the Olazábal Course at the Mission Hills Golf Club with one thing on their minds – to bring home the magnificent World Cup trophy.
Not only are McDowell and McIlroy among the best players in the field this week, they also have one of the strongest friendships off the course of the 28 nations competing.
“It would mean a lot to win this tournament and that’s what we are here to try and do,” said McDowell. “The World Cup is one of the special tournaments in golf. We play a lot of individual golf, but getting a chance to play with a partner and representing your country and some of the great champions that have won this tournament, it would be a special feeling.
“Rory has said this before and I agree with him: we have a great chance to experience being in the hunt coming down the stretch with a partner and a friend, and sharing that experience will be pretty cool. There are a lot of great teams playing this week, and it would certainly mean a lot to us to take that trophy back to Ireland.
McIlroy echoed McDowell’s comments, and also dismissed any notion that he would lack motivation at this week’s event after just missing out on The Race to Dubai title to Lee Westwood at the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World.
“It will be very easy for me to stay motivated,” said the 20 year old. “I want to play the best I can for my partner. I don’t want to let him down. We are playing for our country which is a huge honour, and I don’t think there would be any reason why I wouldn’t be motivated.
“This is a new challenge for me. Graeme has played here before, and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s my first taste of the World Cup, and I don’t think there should be any reason why I shouldn’t be motivated. I’m going to go out there and give it my best shot, and it would be a great title to win.”
List of Teams for World Championship.
----------------------------------
Argentina Rafa Echenique & Tano Goya
Australia Robert Allenby & Stuart Appleby
Brazil Rafael Barcellos & Ronaldo Francisco
Canada Stuart Anderson Graham Deleat
Chile Hugo Leon & Martin Ureta
China Liang Wen-chong & Zhang Lian-wei
Chinese Taipei Lin Wen-tang & Lu Wei-Chih
Denmark Søren Hansen & Søren Kjeldsen
England Ross Fisher & Ian Poulter
France Christian Cévaër & Thomas Levet
Germany Alex Cejka & Martin Kaymer
India Jyoti Randhawa & Jeev Milkha Singh
Ireland Graeme McDowell & Rory McIlroy
Italy Edoardo Molinari & Francesco Molinari
Japan Hiroyuki Fujita & Ryuji Imada
Korea Charlie Wi & Y.E. Yang
New Zealand Danny Lee & David Smail
Pakistan Muhammad Munir & Muhammad Shabbir
Philippines Mars Pucay & Angelo Que
Scotland David Drysdale & Alastair Forsyth
Singapore Lam Chih Bing & Mardan Mamat
South Africa Rory Sabbatini & Richard Sterne
Spain Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño & Sergio Garcia
Sweden Robert Karlsson & Henrik Stenson
Thailand Thongchai Jaidee & Prayad Marksaeng
Venzuela Alfredo Adrian & Jhonattan Vegas
USA John Merrick & Nick Watney
Wales Stephen Dodd & Jamie Donaldson
The duo have arrived at the Olazábal Course at the Mission Hills Golf Club with one thing on their minds – to bring home the magnificent World Cup trophy.
Not only are McDowell and McIlroy among the best players in the field this week, they also have one of the strongest friendships off the course of the 28 nations competing.
“It would mean a lot to win this tournament and that’s what we are here to try and do,” said McDowell. “The World Cup is one of the special tournaments in golf. We play a lot of individual golf, but getting a chance to play with a partner and representing your country and some of the great champions that have won this tournament, it would be a special feeling.
“Rory has said this before and I agree with him: we have a great chance to experience being in the hunt coming down the stretch with a partner and a friend, and sharing that experience will be pretty cool. There are a lot of great teams playing this week, and it would certainly mean a lot to us to take that trophy back to Ireland.
McIlroy echoed McDowell’s comments, and also dismissed any notion that he would lack motivation at this week’s event after just missing out on The Race to Dubai title to Lee Westwood at the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World.
“It will be very easy for me to stay motivated,” said the 20 year old. “I want to play the best I can for my partner. I don’t want to let him down. We are playing for our country which is a huge honour, and I don’t think there would be any reason why I wouldn’t be motivated.
“This is a new challenge for me. Graeme has played here before, and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s my first taste of the World Cup, and I don’t think there should be any reason why I shouldn’t be motivated. I’m going to go out there and give it my best shot, and it would be a great title to win.”
List of Teams for World Championship.
----------------------------------
Argentina Rafa Echenique & Tano Goya
Australia Robert Allenby & Stuart Appleby
Brazil Rafael Barcellos & Ronaldo Francisco
Canada Stuart Anderson Graham Deleat
Chile Hugo Leon & Martin Ureta
China Liang Wen-chong & Zhang Lian-wei
Chinese Taipei Lin Wen-tang & Lu Wei-Chih
Denmark Søren Hansen & Søren Kjeldsen
England Ross Fisher & Ian Poulter
France Christian Cévaër & Thomas Levet
Germany Alex Cejka & Martin Kaymer
India Jyoti Randhawa & Jeev Milkha Singh
Ireland Graeme McDowell & Rory McIlroy
Italy Edoardo Molinari & Francesco Molinari
Japan Hiroyuki Fujita & Ryuji Imada
Korea Charlie Wi & Y.E. Yang
New Zealand Danny Lee & David Smail
Pakistan Muhammad Munir & Muhammad Shabbir
Philippines Mars Pucay & Angelo Que
Scotland David Drysdale & Alastair Forsyth
Singapore Lam Chih Bing & Mardan Mamat
South Africa Rory Sabbatini & Richard Sterne
Spain Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño & Sergio Garcia
Sweden Robert Karlsson & Henrik Stenson
Thailand Thongchai Jaidee & Prayad Marksaeng
Venzuela Alfredo Adrian & Jhonattan Vegas
USA John Merrick & Nick Watney
Wales Stephen Dodd & Jamie Donaldson
Monday 23 November 2009
5 Irish through to final qualifying school.
5 out of the 12 Irish competiting at the 2nd stage of qualifying made it through to the final stage that takes place next week.
Brilliant last rounds of 67 and 66 by amateur Niall Kearney saw him finish in joint second place on 12 under par at Costa Ballena,2 shots behind Swedens Fredrik Ohlsson.At the same venue John Kelly shot 68 and 69 to finish in joint 11th on 8 under par and one shot inside the cut of point.
At Sherry golf Simon Thornton easily made it through in joint 8th position after a final round of 72 left him on 4 under par.Colm Moriarty also made it through by 1 shot when he shot a closing round of 72 to finish on -3.
David Higgins put in a final round of 68 but it was too late to make the cut.He finished on +1 and was 3 shots too many.Michael McGeady was 6 shots away on +4 and Eddie Barr never got to grips with the course and finished 6 over par.Eddie has to make the long trip back to Queensland,Austrailia where he is based.
At Hacienda Del Alamo Johnny Caldwell came through with 2 shots to spare when he closed with a 69 for a 7 under par total.Mervyn Owens is on his way home as he finished 8 shots outside the -5 cut of point on +3.
At Arcos Gardens,Spains Santiago Luna won with a 12 under par total.The cut came at 2 under par.There was no Irish qualifiers as the best of the 3 was Michael Collins who was on +1.Cian McNamara was 6 over par and Gareth Shaw was another shot worse on +7.
Brilliant last rounds of 67 and 66 by amateur Niall Kearney saw him finish in joint second place on 12 under par at Costa Ballena,2 shots behind Swedens Fredrik Ohlsson.At the same venue John Kelly shot 68 and 69 to finish in joint 11th on 8 under par and one shot inside the cut of point.
At Sherry golf Simon Thornton easily made it through in joint 8th position after a final round of 72 left him on 4 under par.Colm Moriarty also made it through by 1 shot when he shot a closing round of 72 to finish on -3.
David Higgins put in a final round of 68 but it was too late to make the cut.He finished on +1 and was 3 shots too many.Michael McGeady was 6 shots away on +4 and Eddie Barr never got to grips with the course and finished 6 over par.Eddie has to make the long trip back to Queensland,Austrailia where he is based.
At Hacienda Del Alamo Johnny Caldwell came through with 2 shots to spare when he closed with a 69 for a 7 under par total.Mervyn Owens is on his way home as he finished 8 shots outside the -5 cut of point on +3.
At Arcos Gardens,Spains Santiago Luna won with a 12 under par total.The cut came at 2 under par.There was no Irish qualifiers as the best of the 3 was Michael Collins who was on +1.Cian McNamara was 6 over par and Gareth Shaw was another shot worse on +7.
20 year old Rory McIlroy World No 10.
20 year old Rory McIlroy has made gaint leaps over the last 2 years since turning Professional.He chased Lee Westwood (16 years his senior) all the way in the Race to Dubai,coming up short to fantastic golf by Lee.His 3rd place finish in the tournament left him order of merit runner up and a jump into No10 in the World Rankings.Sergio Garcia was also 20 when he reached the top 10 and it's worth noting that Tiger Woods was 21 before he made the top 10.
Rory was able to bank 3,610,020 Euros this year and he can now look forward to joining the PGA American tour next year as world No10.Padraig Harrington finished in 15th place in the order of merit but is ahead of Rory in the World rankings.He has finished the year in 6th place.
Gareth Maybin came through the qualifying school last year and after some great golf finished the year in 53rd place with 625,876 Euros and 124th in the World.
Name...................Race to Dubai..............World Ranking.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON........15th....1,468,232.............. 6TH.
RORY MCILROY..............2ND....3,610,020...............10TH.
GRAEME MCDOWELL..........33RD.... 848,571................51ST.
PETER LAWRIE.............43RD.....682,097...............157TH.
GARETH MAYBIN............53RD.....625,876...............124TH.
DAMIEN MCGRANE...........60TH.....563,128...............180TH.
DARREN CLARKE............61ST.....534,733...............106TH.
MICHAEL HOEY.............93RD.....341,327...............249TH.
PAUL MCGINLEY...........104TH.....302,433...............206TH.
GARY MURPHY.............124TH.....234,844...............428TH.
SHANE LOWRY.............153RD.....144,843...............135TH.
MICHAEL MCGEADY.........242ND......23,475...............622ND.
JOHNNY CALDWELL.........243RD......22,637..............1,132ND.
Rory was able to bank 3,610,020 Euros this year and he can now look forward to joining the PGA American tour next year as world No10.Padraig Harrington finished in 15th place in the order of merit but is ahead of Rory in the World rankings.He has finished the year in 6th place.
Gareth Maybin came through the qualifying school last year and after some great golf finished the year in 53rd place with 625,876 Euros and 124th in the World.
Name...................Race to Dubai..............World Ranking.
PADRAIG HARRINGTON........15th....1,468,232.............. 6TH.
RORY MCILROY..............2ND....3,610,020...............10TH.
GRAEME MCDOWELL..........33RD.... 848,571................51ST.
PETER LAWRIE.............43RD.....682,097...............157TH.
GARETH MAYBIN............53RD.....625,876...............124TH.
DAMIEN MCGRANE...........60TH.....563,128...............180TH.
DARREN CLARKE............61ST.....534,733...............106TH.
MICHAEL HOEY.............93RD.....341,327...............249TH.
PAUL MCGINLEY...........104TH.....302,433...............206TH.
GARY MURPHY.............124TH.....234,844...............428TH.
SHANE LOWRY.............153RD.....144,843...............135TH.
MICHAEL MCGEADY.........242ND......23,475...............622ND.
JOHNNY CALDWELL.........243RD......22,637..............1,132ND.
Sunday 22 November 2009
Irish under pressure heading into the final round at tour school.
There will be a lot of pressure on 6 of the 12 Irish competing in the 2nd stage of the European tour qualifying school in the south of Spain tomorrow.
At Arcos Gardens Michael Collins has played himself back into contention after a best of the day 68 leaves him only 2 shots outside the qualifying mark on level par.
At Costa Ballena amateur Niall Kearney shot a 67 to move to 6 under par.John Kelly had a 68 to sit on 5 under par.The cut of point after the 3rd round is 7 under so they have both given themselves a chance tomorrow.
At Sherry Golf Simon Thornton had a 71 to share 8th spot on 4 under par.Colm Moriarty slipped back with a 74 to sit on the cut mark of 3 under par heading into the final round.
At Hacienda Del Alamo Johnny Caldwell is on the cut mark of 4 under par after a 3rd round of 71.
Arcos Gardens...Par 72...19 qualify...Leader Michael Bothma & Santiano Luna -10.
Irish scores....26th..Michael Collins 68 Par. 51st Gareth Shaw 75 +5.Cian McNamara 75 +7.
Costa Ballena..Par 72..18 qualify...Leader Alvaro Velasco -13.
21st.Niall Kearney 67 -6.27th John Kelly 68 -5.
Sherry Golf..Par 72..18 qualify..leader Philip Archer -11.
8th Simon Thornton 71 -4. 12th Colm Moriarty 74 -3. 35th Michael McGeady 72 +3.50th David Higgins 73 +5. 53rd Eddie Barr 75 +6.
Haciendo Del Alamo..Par 72..19 qualify..Leader Ryan Blaum -16.
15th Johnny Caldwell 71 -4. 45th Mervyn Owens 71 +1.
At Arcos Gardens Michael Collins has played himself back into contention after a best of the day 68 leaves him only 2 shots outside the qualifying mark on level par.
At Costa Ballena amateur Niall Kearney shot a 67 to move to 6 under par.John Kelly had a 68 to sit on 5 under par.The cut of point after the 3rd round is 7 under so they have both given themselves a chance tomorrow.
At Sherry Golf Simon Thornton had a 71 to share 8th spot on 4 under par.Colm Moriarty slipped back with a 74 to sit on the cut mark of 3 under par heading into the final round.
At Hacienda Del Alamo Johnny Caldwell is on the cut mark of 4 under par after a 3rd round of 71.
Arcos Gardens...Par 72...19 qualify...Leader Michael Bothma & Santiano Luna -10.
Irish scores....26th..Michael Collins 68 Par. 51st Gareth Shaw 75 +5.Cian McNamara 75 +7.
Costa Ballena..Par 72..18 qualify...Leader Alvaro Velasco -13.
21st.Niall Kearney 67 -6.27th John Kelly 68 -5.
Sherry Golf..Par 72..18 qualify..leader Philip Archer -11.
8th Simon Thornton 71 -4. 12th Colm Moriarty 74 -3. 35th Michael McGeady 72 +3.50th David Higgins 73 +5. 53rd Eddie Barr 75 +6.
Haciendo Del Alamo..Par 72..19 qualify..Leader Ryan Blaum -16.
15th Johnny Caldwell 71 -4. 45th Mervyn Owens 71 +1.
Westwood champion of Europe for a 2nd time.
Lee Westwood became the Race to Dubai champion in fantastic fashion when he closed with a course record 64 around the Earth course to win 830,675 Euros as Dubai world champion and a 1 Million bonus as European No 1.
Lying second to 20 year old Rory McIlroy coming into the event,Westwood who was champion back in 2000 said,i want to concentrate on winning this tournament and everything else will look after itself.He was right,he shot scores of 66,69,66 and 64 to finish on 23 under par and win by 6 clear shots from Ross McGowan and 8 shots from Rory McIlroy.
Westwood gave nobody a chance when he shot 5 birdies on the front nine and another 3 coming back.McGowan made a charge on the back nine with 5 birdies in a row from the 12th to the 16th but even that didn't rattle Westwood.
Rory couldn't manage a birdie over the first 8 holes,but went on a great run with 6 birdies over the next 9 holes and even though he dropped a shot at the 18th his 67 allowed him to finish in 3rd and 1 shot ahead of Padraig Harrington and Geoff Ogilvy.
Lying second to 20 year old Rory McIlroy coming into the event,Westwood who was champion back in 2000 said,i want to concentrate on winning this tournament and everything else will look after itself.He was right,he shot scores of 66,69,66 and 64 to finish on 23 under par and win by 6 clear shots from Ross McGowan and 8 shots from Rory McIlroy.
Westwood gave nobody a chance when he shot 5 birdies on the front nine and another 3 coming back.McGowan made a charge on the back nine with 5 birdies in a row from the 12th to the 16th but even that didn't rattle Westwood.
Rory couldn't manage a birdie over the first 8 holes,but went on a great run with 6 birdies over the next 9 holes and even though he dropped a shot at the 18th his 67 allowed him to finish in 3rd and 1 shot ahead of Padraig Harrington and Geoff Ogilvy.
Saturday 21 November 2009
Moriarty best of the Irish at Q School.
Colm Moriarty is the best of the 12 Irish competing at the 2nd stage of qualifying around 4 different courses in the south of Spain.
Moriarty shot a second round of 70 to sit in joint 7th position at the Sherry golf venue on 5 under par.Simon Thornton is on the cut mark of 3 under par after a second round of 73.
The only other Irishman on the cut mark is Johnny Caldwell.He shot a 2nd round 73 to finish in a tie for 16th on 3 under par at Hacienda Del Aloma.
Arcos Gardens..Par 72. 19 qualify........Leader.Michael Bothma 68/65 -11.
Irish scores....Gareth Shaw 70/76 +2(40th),Michael Collins 75/73,Cian McNamara 74/74 +4(52nd)
Costa Ballena..Par72....18 qualify.......Leader.J.Ruth,E Dubois 66/67 -11.
Irish scores..Niall Kearney70/73 -1(47th)
John Kelly 72/71 -1(47th)
Sherry Golf...Par 72..18 qualify...Leader.Eduardo De La Riva 68/68 -8.
Irish scores..Colm Moriarty 69/70 -5(7th),Simon Thornton 68/73 -3(13th),Eddie Barr 74/73,Michael McGeady 71/76 (+3)(43rd) and David Higgins 72/76 +4(53rd)
Hacienda Del Alamo..Par 72...19 qualify...Leader Ryan Blaum 68/65 -11.
Irish scores...Johnny Caldwell 69/72 -3(16th), Meryvn Owens 71/75 +2(51st)
Moriarty shot a second round of 70 to sit in joint 7th position at the Sherry golf venue on 5 under par.Simon Thornton is on the cut mark of 3 under par after a second round of 73.
The only other Irishman on the cut mark is Johnny Caldwell.He shot a 2nd round 73 to finish in a tie for 16th on 3 under par at Hacienda Del Aloma.
Arcos Gardens..Par 72. 19 qualify........Leader.Michael Bothma 68/65 -11.
Irish scores....Gareth Shaw 70/76 +2(40th),Michael Collins 75/73,Cian McNamara 74/74 +4(52nd)
Costa Ballena..Par72....18 qualify.......Leader.J.Ruth,E Dubois 66/67 -11.
Irish scores..Niall Kearney70/73 -1(47th)
John Kelly 72/71 -1(47th)
Sherry Golf...Par 72..18 qualify...Leader.Eduardo De La Riva 68/68 -8.
Irish scores..Colm Moriarty 69/70 -5(7th),Simon Thornton 68/73 -3(13th),Eddie Barr 74/73,Michael McGeady 71/76 (+3)(43rd) and David Higgins 72/76 +4(53rd)
Hacienda Del Alamo..Par 72...19 qualify...Leader Ryan Blaum 68/65 -11.
Irish scores...Johnny Caldwell 69/72 -3(16th), Meryvn Owens 71/75 +2(51st)
Westwood in pole position for order of merit title.
Lee Westwood is playing the best golf of his life as he heads into the final round of the Race to Dubai title.With a brilliant third round of 66 he finished on 15 under par for a 2 shot lead over Ross McGowan who matched him shot for shot for a 66 to sit on 13 under par.
Current No1,20 year old Rory McIlroy was up with Westwood until the last 3 holes.He made 3 bogies for a 69 to join fellow countryman Padraig Harrington 69 and Alexandre Noren 67 in joint 3rd on 10 under par and 5 behind the leader.
It is going to be hard to catch Westwood,but McIlroy will be looking for help from McGowan,Harrington,Noren,Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy,to make sure that he wins the order of merit for 2009 and becomes the youngest winner since Seve Ballesteros won back in 1976.Westwood on the other hand will be looking to capture his second title.He last won back in 2000,stopping Colin Montgomery from making it 8 titles in a row.
Current No1,20 year old Rory McIlroy was up with Westwood until the last 3 holes.He made 3 bogies for a 69 to join fellow countryman Padraig Harrington 69 and Alexandre Noren 67 in joint 3rd on 10 under par and 5 behind the leader.
It is going to be hard to catch Westwood,but McIlroy will be looking for help from McGowan,Harrington,Noren,Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy,to make sure that he wins the order of merit for 2009 and becomes the youngest winner since Seve Ballesteros won back in 1976.Westwood on the other hand will be looking to capture his second title.He last won back in 2000,stopping Colin Montgomery from making it 8 titles in a row.
Mixed fortunes for Irish at 2nd stage of Tour School.
There was mixed fortunes for the 12 Irish at the second stage of the European tour qualifying school in Cadiz,Spain.
While McIlroy,Harrington and 4 other Irish are playing in the mega rich finals of the race to Dubai,the 12 hopefuls at tour school are fighting for their lives and a job for next year.
The best is Simon Thornton who is in joint 6th spot at Sherry golf after a 4 under par 68.At the same venue,Eddie Barr who made the long trip from Austrailia is down in 57th place on 74+2 with only 18 to qualify.
Gareth Shaw is 12th at Arcos Gardens after a 2 under par 70,while amateur Niall Kearney had a 2 under par 70 at Costa Ballena club de golf and finds himself down in 25th place with only 18 to qualify.
At Hacienda del alamo,Johnny Caldwell is 7th after an opening 69 -3.
ARCOS GARDENS....LEADING SCORE......OLIVER WHITELEY 65 -7...19 TO QUALIFY.
IRISH SCORES.......GARETH SHAW 12TH 70 -2....CIAN MCNAMARA 52ND 74 +2..MICHAEL COLLINS 59TH 75 +3.
COSTA BALLENA CLUB DE GOLF....JESUS MARIA ARRUTI +2 OTHERS 65-7..18 QUALIFY.
NIALL KEARNEY 25TH 70 -2, JOHN KELLY 44TH 72 PAR.
SHERRY GOLF..........PAULO PINTA 64 -8 18 QUALIFY.
SIMON THORNTON 6TH 68 -4,COLM MORIARTY 13TH 69 -3,MICHAEL MCGEADY 29TH 71 -1,DAVID HIGGINS 43RD 72 PAR,EDDIE BARR 57TH 74 +2.
HACIENDA DEL ALAMO.........STEPHAN GROSS 64 -8 19 QUALIFY.
JOHNNY CALDWELL 7TH 69 -3,MERVYN OWENS 21ST 71 -1.
While McIlroy,Harrington and 4 other Irish are playing in the mega rich finals of the race to Dubai,the 12 hopefuls at tour school are fighting for their lives and a job for next year.
The best is Simon Thornton who is in joint 6th spot at Sherry golf after a 4 under par 68.At the same venue,Eddie Barr who made the long trip from Austrailia is down in 57th place on 74+2 with only 18 to qualify.
Gareth Shaw is 12th at Arcos Gardens after a 2 under par 70,while amateur Niall Kearney had a 2 under par 70 at Costa Ballena club de golf and finds himself down in 25th place with only 18 to qualify.
At Hacienda del alamo,Johnny Caldwell is 7th after an opening 69 -3.
ARCOS GARDENS....LEADING SCORE......OLIVER WHITELEY 65 -7...19 TO QUALIFY.
IRISH SCORES.......GARETH SHAW 12TH 70 -2....CIAN MCNAMARA 52ND 74 +2..MICHAEL COLLINS 59TH 75 +3.
COSTA BALLENA CLUB DE GOLF....JESUS MARIA ARRUTI +2 OTHERS 65-7..18 QUALIFY.
NIALL KEARNEY 25TH 70 -2, JOHN KELLY 44TH 72 PAR.
SHERRY GOLF..........PAULO PINTA 64 -8 18 QUALIFY.
SIMON THORNTON 6TH 68 -4,COLM MORIARTY 13TH 69 -3,MICHAEL MCGEADY 29TH 71 -1,DAVID HIGGINS 43RD 72 PAR,EDDIE BARR 57TH 74 +2.
HACIENDA DEL ALAMO.........STEPHAN GROSS 64 -8 19 QUALIFY.
JOHNNY CALDWELL 7TH 69 -3,MERVYN OWENS 21ST 71 -1.
Sunday 15 November 2009
Bourdy wins Hong Kong/McIlroy leads Race to Dubai.
Frenchman Gregory Bourdy held his nerve as Rory McIlroy came roaring up behind him to win the UBS HONG KONG OPEN by 2 shots.Bourdy had a final round of 67 to finish on 19 under par with 20 year old McIlroy starting the day 5 shots behind, dropped a shot with a 3 putt at the 17th but still managed a 64 for 2nd place.
Bourdy won the 279,288 Euros that lifted him from 87th to 47th place in the race to Dubai.The top 60 will tee up next week at the Earth course around the Jumeirah Golf estates for an end of season festival "Race to Dubai"
20 year old McIlroy is back on top after his 2nd place finish earned him 186,190 Euros and allowed him to leapfrog Lee Westwood by 128,173 Euros.If Rory can hold off the challenge next week from Westwood,Kaymer and Ross Fisher he will be the youngest winner since Seve Ballesteros won as a 19 year old in the mid 70s.
Peter Lawrie had a good week,finishing in a share of 7th place and won 50,272 Euros.Darren Clarke thought he needed a top 15 finish this week to make the top 60.He played really well to finish in a tie for 11th that earned him 26,165 Euros but unfortunately it only took him to 61st place,one place outside the cut off.
Graeme McDowell didn't finish as well as he started.He took 70 in the last round for a share of 18th place on 9 under par and earned 20,486 Euros.
Bourdy won the 279,288 Euros that lifted him from 87th to 47th place in the race to Dubai.The top 60 will tee up next week at the Earth course around the Jumeirah Golf estates for an end of season festival "Race to Dubai"
20 year old McIlroy is back on top after his 2nd place finish earned him 186,190 Euros and allowed him to leapfrog Lee Westwood by 128,173 Euros.If Rory can hold off the challenge next week from Westwood,Kaymer and Ross Fisher he will be the youngest winner since Seve Ballesteros won as a 19 year old in the mid 70s.
Peter Lawrie had a good week,finishing in a share of 7th place and won 50,272 Euros.Darren Clarke thought he needed a top 15 finish this week to make the top 60.He played really well to finish in a tie for 11th that earned him 26,165 Euros but unfortunately it only took him to 61st place,one place outside the cut off.
Graeme McDowell didn't finish as well as he started.He took 70 in the last round for a share of 18th place on 9 under par and earned 20,486 Euros.
Tiger wins down under/Murphy has to get ready for tour school.
World No1 Tiger Woods won in Austrailia for the first time when he claimed the JBWier MASTERS in MELBOURNE by 2 shots from local Greg Chambers.
Woods game was in sharp contrast to the previous day when he struggled to produce a level par round of 72.Today he had his game under control and cruised to a victory with a 68 that gave him a 14 under par total.He can now add the 173,117 Euros to the $3 Million he got for playing.
The other side of the game had Irelands Gary Murphy trying to keep his tour card for next year.He needed a top 15 finish or at least 20,000 Euros.His last round of 74 left him tied for 36th and only earned him 4,520 Euros.
Murphy will have to get ready for tour school as he missed out by 16,000 Euros as he finished 124th on the table with the top 120 keeping their card.
Woods game was in sharp contrast to the previous day when he struggled to produce a level par round of 72.Today he had his game under control and cruised to a victory with a 68 that gave him a 14 under par total.He can now add the 173,117 Euros to the $3 Million he got for playing.
The other side of the game had Irelands Gary Murphy trying to keep his tour card for next year.He needed a top 15 finish or at least 20,000 Euros.His last round of 74 left him tied for 36th and only earned him 4,520 Euros.
Murphy will have to get ready for tour school as he missed out by 16,000 Euros as he finished 124th on the table with the top 120 keeping their card.
Saturday 14 November 2009
Rory McIlroy well ahead of Westwood in Hong Kong.
20 year old Rory McIlroy looks like he will be in top spot heading into the final tournament of the year in Dubai to confirm the 2009 champion of Europe.He shot a 65 in the 3rd round of the UBS HONG KONG OPEN to sit in 3rd place on 11 under par and a 6 shot lead over the current No1 Lee Westwood who had a 3rd round of 69.Only 50,000 Euros behind Westwood,McIlroy will take the No1 position going into next weeks final play off's if the gap remains the same tomorrow night.
French man Gregory Bourdy had a 7 birdie round of 63 to take a 2 shot lead over Robert Jan Derksen who had a 65.Bourdy(87th) and Derksen(78th) are outside the top 60 who qualify for the Race to Dubai next week,but that could all change if they hold on to their positions tomorrow evening.Bourdy is 16 under par and Derksen is -14.
Peter Lawrie is in joint 4th place after a 66 left him on 10 under par and level with Miguel Angel Jiminez who shot a 63 and the holder Wan-Tang Lin 67 who beat McIlroy in a play off last year and Francesco Molinari 66.
Graeme McDowell is in for a high finish as he is on 9 under par after a 66,and Darren Clarke is still in with a chance of reaching the top 15 or 20,000 Euros as he shot another 67 to finish on 7 under.
French man Gregory Bourdy had a 7 birdie round of 63 to take a 2 shot lead over Robert Jan Derksen who had a 65.Bourdy(87th) and Derksen(78th) are outside the top 60 who qualify for the Race to Dubai next week,but that could all change if they hold on to their positions tomorrow evening.Bourdy is 16 under par and Derksen is -14.
Peter Lawrie is in joint 4th place after a 66 left him on 10 under par and level with Miguel Angel Jiminez who shot a 63 and the holder Wan-Tang Lin 67 who beat McIlroy in a play off last year and Francesco Molinari 66.
Graeme McDowell is in for a high finish as he is on 9 under par after a 66,and Darren Clarke is still in with a chance of reaching the top 15 or 20,000 Euros as he shot another 67 to finish on 7 under.
Tiger had a bad day and still leads in Austrailia.
It was hard work watching Tiger Woods playing the 3rd round of the JBWeir MASTERS in MELBOURNE,AUSTRAILIA but at the end of the day he managed a level par round of 72 to stay on top of the leaderboard with locals Greg Chalmers and James Nitties.
Both Chalmers and Nitties were on top of their game to shoot 69,and with Tiger all over the place,they managed to join him on top of the leaderboard on 10 under par heading into tomorrows final round.
Ireland's Gary Murphy who needs at least a top 15 finish this week to keep his tour card,still has a fighting chance as he shot a one under par 71 to share 28th spot on 1 under par.Murphy will need to improve by at least 4 shots to survive.
Both Chalmers and Nitties were on top of their game to shoot 69,and with Tiger all over the place,they managed to join him on top of the leaderboard on 10 under par heading into tomorrows final round.
Ireland's Gary Murphy who needs at least a top 15 finish this week to keep his tour card,still has a fighting chance as he shot a one under par 71 to share 28th spot on 1 under par.Murphy will need to improve by at least 4 shots to survive.
Friday 13 November 2009
Tiger leads in Austrailia,Murphy still in with a fighting chance.
It is no surprise that the World No1 Tiger Woods has opened up a 3 shot lead at the halfway stage of the JBWeir MASTERS in AUSTRAILIA.
Tiger added a 68 to his opening 66 for a 10 under par total and he has a 3 shot lead over Greg Chambers 68/69,Jason Dufner 70/67 and James Nitties 66/71.
Gary Murphy needs a top 15 finish to save his tour card for next year,and to save a visit to tour school at the end of November.He is putting up a great fight.He opened with a 71-1 and after 13 holes had gone out to +2 and in danger of missing the cut.
He showed great courage to birdie the 14th and 15th to finish on level par and a share of 34th place.
Gary will be able to have a good shot over the weekend,and everyone in Ireland will be behind him.
Tiger added a 68 to his opening 66 for a 10 under par total and he has a 3 shot lead over Greg Chambers 68/69,Jason Dufner 70/67 and James Nitties 66/71.
Gary Murphy needs a top 15 finish to save his tour card for next year,and to save a visit to tour school at the end of November.He is putting up a great fight.He opened with a 71-1 and after 13 holes had gone out to +2 and in danger of missing the cut.
He showed great courage to birdie the 14th and 15th to finish on level par and a share of 34th place.
Gary will be able to have a good shot over the weekend,and everyone in Ireland will be behind him.
McIlroy 2 ahead of Westwood after 36 holes.
The race to Dubai is hotting up,as Rory McIlroy has a 2 shot lead over Lee Westwood at the half way stage of the UBS HONG KONG OPEN.
McIlroy is only 50,000 Euros behind Westwood and would dearly love to take the No1 spot going into the final tournament next week.He is 2 shots ahead after a second round of 68 to sit in joint 11th place on 6 under par,while Westwood could only manage a level par 70 to sit back in 35th place.
The tournament has a 4 man tie for the lead.Gregory Bourdy 64/67,Robert Jan Derksen 63/68,Wen-Chang Liang 66/65 and Charl Schwartzel65/66 are all on 9 under par.
Graeme McDowell is in good shape after rounds of 67/68 to share 20th place on -5.
Peter Lawrie is level with McIlroy in 11th place after scores of 66/68.Darren Clarke who needs to win at least 20,000 Euros this week to get into the top 60 for next week,has given himself a fighting chance with a second round of 67 for 35th place on 4 under par.
Michael Hoey 73/68 +1 and Shane Lowry 72/78 +10 have the weekend off after missing the cut which came at 2 under par.
McIlroy is only 50,000 Euros behind Westwood and would dearly love to take the No1 spot going into the final tournament next week.He is 2 shots ahead after a second round of 68 to sit in joint 11th place on 6 under par,while Westwood could only manage a level par 70 to sit back in 35th place.
The tournament has a 4 man tie for the lead.Gregory Bourdy 64/67,Robert Jan Derksen 63/68,Wen-Chang Liang 66/65 and Charl Schwartzel65/66 are all on 9 under par.
Graeme McDowell is in good shape after rounds of 67/68 to share 20th place on -5.
Peter Lawrie is level with McIlroy in 11th place after scores of 66/68.Darren Clarke who needs to win at least 20,000 Euros this week to get into the top 60 for next week,has given himself a fighting chance with a second round of 67 for 35th place on 4 under par.
Michael Hoey 73/68 +1 and Shane Lowry 72/78 +10 have the weekend off after missing the cut which came at 2 under par.
Thursday 12 November 2009
Gary Murphy lonely trip to Austrailia.
Gary Murphy is the only Irishman playing in the JBWeir MASTERS in Austrailia this week.Murphy had to make the lonely journey to give himself the final chance of keeping his tour card for 2010.
Gary is in 127th place and with the top 119 keeping their card,he needs at least 14,000 Euros or a top 15 finish this week.He has made a resonable start,with 2 birdies in the last 4 holes to sit in a share of 23rd place on -1,71.
Tiger Woods getting a reported $3 Million for playing is given value for money.He sits in a share of the lead with S.African Branden Grace and local James Nittes.
All three had great opening rounds of 6 under par 66s.
Gary is in 127th place and with the top 119 keeping their card,he needs at least 14,000 Euros or a top 15 finish this week.He has made a resonable start,with 2 birdies in the last 4 holes to sit in a share of 23rd place on -1,71.
Tiger Woods getting a reported $3 Million for playing is given value for money.He sits in a share of the lead with S.African Branden Grace and local James Nittes.
All three had great opening rounds of 6 under par 66s.
McIlroy & Westwood open with 66s in Hong Kong.
38 year old Udorn Duangdecha from Thailand who has never won a professional tournament and has no World ranking leads the HONG KONG OPEN after a brilliant opening round of 8 under par 62.Netherlands Robert Jan Derksen led for most of the day with a 63,before Udorn surprised everyone with his 62.
The real fight is between Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood to see who can lead the order of merit going into next weeks Race to Dubai.Westwood leads by 50,000 Euros. They are keeping a close eye on each other this week and are locked together in 16th place on -4 66s after round one.
Graeme McDowell is in joint 29th after a round of -3,67.Darren Clarke who needs to make at least 20,000 Euros this week if he is to make the top 60 for Dubai next week,is on the predicted cut mark of -1,69.
Shane Lowry is down in 110th with a +2,72 and Michael Hoey is another shot behind in 118th place after a +3,73.
The real fight is between Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood to see who can lead the order of merit going into next weeks Race to Dubai.Westwood leads by 50,000 Euros. They are keeping a close eye on each other this week and are locked together in 16th place on -4 66s after round one.
Graeme McDowell is in joint 29th after a round of -3,67.Darren Clarke who needs to make at least 20,000 Euros this week if he is to make the top 60 for Dubai next week,is on the predicted cut mark of -1,69.
Shane Lowry is down in 110th with a +2,72 and Michael Hoey is another shot behind in 118th place after a +3,73.
Sunday 8 November 2009
Mickleson wins his 2nd World golf championship this year.
The long awaited duel between the World's top 2 golfers fizzled out very quickly when Tiger hit water at the 3rd hole and took a double bogey during the final round of the WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP,HSBC sponsered event in SHANGHIA,CHINA.
Mickleson went on to claim his 2nd World event this year as he had already won the CA CHAMPIONSHIP back in March.
World No2 Mickleson hit a final round of 69 to finish on 17 under par and won by one shot from Ernie Els who found water at the last for his only bogey of the round.It was unfortunate for Els as he was 10 under par for his round,but had to settle for a 63.
Ryan Moore was 3rd after another solid week.He was 15 under par after a closing 68 to knock Rory McIlroy into 4th place on 14 under after he matched Els course record score of 63.Rory collected 211,988 Euros and has jumped back into 2nd on the Race to Dubai table and only 50,000 Euros behind Westwood,with only one tournament to go before the Dubai final.
Padraig Harrington wasn't in great form all week,but he recovered with a final round of 67 to finish in 25th and collect 41,276 Euros.
Shane Lowry got a great start to his week with a 66,but had to settle for a share of 28th place with a closing round of 72.His 5 under total won him 39,032 Euros and moves him up to 154th in the Race to Dubai table with earnings since his Irish Open win of 144,843 Euros.
Mickleson went on to claim his 2nd World event this year as he had already won the CA CHAMPIONSHIP back in March.
World No2 Mickleson hit a final round of 69 to finish on 17 under par and won by one shot from Ernie Els who found water at the last for his only bogey of the round.It was unfortunate for Els as he was 10 under par for his round,but had to settle for a 63.
Ryan Moore was 3rd after another solid week.He was 15 under par after a closing 68 to knock Rory McIlroy into 4th place on 14 under after he matched Els course record score of 63.Rory collected 211,988 Euros and has jumped back into 2nd on the Race to Dubai table and only 50,000 Euros behind Westwood,with only one tournament to go before the Dubai final.
Padraig Harrington wasn't in great form all week,but he recovered with a final round of 67 to finish in 25th and collect 41,276 Euros.
Shane Lowry got a great start to his week with a 66,but had to settle for a share of 28th place with a closing round of 72.His 5 under total won him 39,032 Euros and moves him up to 154th in the Race to Dubai table with earnings since his Irish Open win of 144,843 Euros.
Good week for Kilpatrick in Egypt..
Golf is a funny old game.Ask Richard Kilpatrick from Banbridge.He played in 5 events on the Challenge tour this year and won 1,200 Euros.He also played in 9 Europro events and could only manage a total of 505 Euros,but this week with an invite to play in the Egyptian Open he played great golf to finish on 3 under par and took 11th place on his own and won $3,900.It was more then double what he won all year.
Gareth Shaw also recovered well after taking 74 in the first round.He finished on 1 under for the 4 rounds and finished in a share of 16th place.
Englands Steven Tiley was the run away winner.He shot a closing round of 68 to win by 4 shots on 13 under par.
Ryder cup captain Colm Montgomery finished 5th on 6 under par and 7 seven behind Tiley.
Gareth Shaw also recovered well after taking 74 in the first round.He finished on 1 under for the 4 rounds and finished in a share of 16th place.
Englands Steven Tiley was the run away winner.He shot a closing round of 68 to win by 4 shots on 13 under par.
Ryder cup captain Colm Montgomery finished 5th on 6 under par and 7 seven behind Tiley.
Friday 6 November 2009
Tiger on the prowl in China,Lowry fading.
World No1 Tiger Woods shot his second 67 in a row in the HSBC CHAMPIONS EVENT in SHANGHAI to share the halfway lead with Nick Watney 70 on 10 under par.Tiger was able to manage his scores despite a lot of attention from loads of amateur photographers.
The tournament is getting very exciting as world No2 Phil Mickleson is into joint 3rd place and only one shot behind after a 66 left him 9 under par and level with Ryan Moore 69 and Alvaro Quiros 66.
Shane Lowry who's brilliant first round of 66 left him in 2nd place dropped down to 14th after a second round of 74.He was 4 over after 8 holes before recovering with a 2 under run over the last 10 holes to start the weekend on 4 under par.
Rory McIlroy improved with a second round of 68.He was level par after 12 holes before making 4 birdies over the last 6 holes.His 3 under par total leaves him in 23rd.
Padraig Harrington added a 69 to his opening 74 to sit well back in 37th place on 1 under par.
The tournament is getting very exciting as world No2 Phil Mickleson is into joint 3rd place and only one shot behind after a 66 left him 9 under par and level with Ryan Moore 69 and Alvaro Quiros 66.
Shane Lowry who's brilliant first round of 66 left him in 2nd place dropped down to 14th after a second round of 74.He was 4 over after 8 holes before recovering with a 2 under run over the last 10 holes to start the weekend on 4 under par.
Rory McIlroy improved with a second round of 68.He was level par after 12 holes before making 4 birdies over the last 6 holes.His 3 under par total leaves him in 23rd.
Padraig Harrington added a 69 to his opening 74 to sit well back in 37th place on 1 under par.
Thursday 5 November 2009
Lowry one ahead of Tiger in Shanghai.
American Nick Watney has set the pace in the HSBC CHAMPIONS EVENT in SHANGHAI when he had a 7 birdie,1 eagle and 1 bogey round of 8 under par 64.He opened up a 2 shot gap from Martin Kaymer,Ryan Moore and Irelands Shane Lowry.
Lowry has improved greatly from he turned Professional after winning the Irish Open as an amateur back in May.He is 164th in the Race to Dubai with 105,811 Euros earned in the 5 months he has been a Pro.He can quite easily compete with the best players and is not afraid to go low.
He can look back with pride as he finished one shot clear of Tiger who had a 67.
It wasn't a great day for Rory McIlroy who was one over par 73.He took a double bogey at the 1st,his 10th and couldn't recover.Padraig Harrington was 2 under after 9 holes.He had a bad run of 4 bogies on the front nine to finish well back in 57th place on 74 +2.
Lowry has improved greatly from he turned Professional after winning the Irish Open as an amateur back in May.He is 164th in the Race to Dubai with 105,811 Euros earned in the 5 months he has been a Pro.He can quite easily compete with the best players and is not afraid to go low.
He can look back with pride as he finished one shot clear of Tiger who had a 67.
It wasn't a great day for Rory McIlroy who was one over par 73.He took a double bogey at the 1st,his 10th and couldn't recover.Padraig Harrington was 2 under after 9 holes.He had a bad run of 4 bogies on the front nine to finish well back in 57th place on 74 +2.
Kilpatrick and Shaw in Egypt with Monty.
Richard Kilpatrick who has had a miserable time this year on the Europro tour,made the long journey to Egypt to play in the Egyptian Open and got off to a great start when he returned a 2 under par 70 to sit in 16th place and 5 shots behind Carl Suneson who had a sparkling 65.
It wasn't such a great start for Gareth Shaw. Like Kilpatrick he has had a terrible year on the Challenge tour and things haven't improved as he opened his account with a 2 over par 74 and is down in 48th place,9 shots off the pace.
Ryder cup captain,Colm Montgomery is a welcome guest to this part of the world and he trilled the large crowd with a 3 under par 69.
It wasn't such a great start for Gareth Shaw. Like Kilpatrick he has had a terrible year on the Challenge tour and things haven't improved as he opened his account with a 2 over par 74 and is down in 48th place,9 shots off the pace.
Ryder cup captain,Colm Montgomery is a welcome guest to this part of the world and he trilled the large crowd with a 3 under par 69.
Sunday 1 November 2009
Bad year for the Irish on the mini tours.
The Challenge and Europro tours have finished for the year.The top 20 on the Challenge tour progress onto the main European tour for 2010 and on the Europro tour the top 5 move up to the Challenge tour for 2010.
It is a real struggle for these players to make ends meet and especially if you are travelling from Ireland all the time it becomes an expensive business.On the Challenge tour the 20th player earned 58,920 Euros.The best of the Irish was Simon Thornton who finished in 51st place and earned 24,738 Euros.To earn this Simon had to play in 12 events,which covered most of Europe.Winning on average of 2,000 per event Simon wouldn't be making a lot of money when you take away his travel,food and accommodation.Colm Moriarty(52nd)won the same ammount playing in 18 tournaments.
On the Europro tour the 5th placed player earned only 20,407 Euros to gain entry onto the Challenge tour next year.Brian McElhinney was the top Irish in 22nd place.He made £5,708 from 13 starts.At an average of £439 winnings per event Brian would have lost at least £250 per tournament.Barrie Trainor playing on the Europro tour for the first year made a good start.He made the cut in 8 from the 10 outings and finished 33rd on the merit table with £3,731.
CHALLENGE TOUR (IRISH)
-----------------------
51ST: SIMON THORNTON (12 EVENTS) 24,738 EUROS.
52ND: COLM MORIARTY (18 " ) 24,155 "
105TH: GARETH SHAW (14 ") 10,030 "
111TH: JOHNNY CALDWELL (8 ") 8,837 "
164TH: MICHAEL MCGEADY (16 ") 2,470 "
169TH: ALAN MURRAY ( 8 ") 2,174 "
184TH: NOEL FOX (13 ") 1,702 "
185TH:PETER O KEEFFE (7 ") 1,656 "
194TH:RICHARD KILPATRICK ( 5 " ) 1,200 "
204TH:NIALL TURNER (2 " ) 605 "
EUROPRO TOUR
----------------------
22ND BRIAN MCELHINNEY (13 EVENTS) £5,708.
33RD BARRIE TRAINOR (10 " ) £3,731.
34TH PAUL O HANLON (10 " ) £3,664.
40TH MICHAEL COLLINS (7 " ) £3,365.
50TH TIM RICE (12 " ) £2,885.
59TH BRENDAN MCCARROLL (13 " ) £2,064.
67TH MARK STAUNTON (8 " ) £1,454.
73RD STEPHAN GRANT (7 " ) £1,165.
87TH MARK CAMPBELL (8 " ) £755.
102ND RICHARD KILPATRICK ( 9 " )£505.
103RD CIAN MCNAMARA (6 " ) £500.
104TH JUSTIN KEHOE (10 " ) £495.
106TH PAUL MCDONALD (5 " ) £442.
108TH DANIEL SUGRUE (7 " ) £425.
119TH JONATHAN MALLON (10 " )£352.
123RD SHANE FRANKLIN ( 6 " ) £280.
132ND MICHAEL LAVELLE ( 10 ") £202.
It is a real struggle for these players to make ends meet and especially if you are travelling from Ireland all the time it becomes an expensive business.On the Challenge tour the 20th player earned 58,920 Euros.The best of the Irish was Simon Thornton who finished in 51st place and earned 24,738 Euros.To earn this Simon had to play in 12 events,which covered most of Europe.Winning on average of 2,000 per event Simon wouldn't be making a lot of money when you take away his travel,food and accommodation.Colm Moriarty(52nd)won the same ammount playing in 18 tournaments.
On the Europro tour the 5th placed player earned only 20,407 Euros to gain entry onto the Challenge tour next year.Brian McElhinney was the top Irish in 22nd place.He made £5,708 from 13 starts.At an average of £439 winnings per event Brian would have lost at least £250 per tournament.Barrie Trainor playing on the Europro tour for the first year made a good start.He made the cut in 8 from the 10 outings and finished 33rd on the merit table with £3,731.
CHALLENGE TOUR (IRISH)
-----------------------
51ST: SIMON THORNTON (12 EVENTS) 24,738 EUROS.
52ND: COLM MORIARTY (18 " ) 24,155 "
105TH: GARETH SHAW (14 ") 10,030 "
111TH: JOHNNY CALDWELL (8 ") 8,837 "
164TH: MICHAEL MCGEADY (16 ") 2,470 "
169TH: ALAN MURRAY ( 8 ") 2,174 "
184TH: NOEL FOX (13 ") 1,702 "
185TH:PETER O KEEFFE (7 ") 1,656 "
194TH:RICHARD KILPATRICK ( 5 " ) 1,200 "
204TH:NIALL TURNER (2 " ) 605 "
EUROPRO TOUR
----------------------
22ND BRIAN MCELHINNEY (13 EVENTS) £5,708.
33RD BARRIE TRAINOR (10 " ) £3,731.
34TH PAUL O HANLON (10 " ) £3,664.
40TH MICHAEL COLLINS (7 " ) £3,365.
50TH TIM RICE (12 " ) £2,885.
59TH BRENDAN MCCARROLL (13 " ) £2,064.
67TH MARK STAUNTON (8 " ) £1,454.
73RD STEPHAN GRANT (7 " ) £1,165.
87TH MARK CAMPBELL (8 " ) £755.
102ND RICHARD KILPATRICK ( 9 " )£505.
103RD CIAN MCNAMARA (6 " ) £500.
104TH JUSTIN KEHOE (10 " ) £495.
106TH PAUL MCDONALD (5 " ) £442.
108TH DANIEL SUGRUE (7 " ) £425.
119TH JONATHAN MALLON (10 " )£352.
123RD SHANE FRANKLIN ( 6 " ) £280.
132ND MICHAEL LAVELLE ( 10 ") £202.
Ross Fisher wins World Matchplay.
Ross Fisher takes a giant step in World golf when he moved up to 17th in the World rankings and 4th in the Race to Dubai after a great display of golf to win the Volvo World Matchplay in Malaga.
Fisher was in great form all weekend and had to play 126 holes to lift the trophy and a winning cheque for 750,000 Euros.
In the group stage he beat Camilo Villegas by 2 holes and Jeev Milkha Singh by 1 hole.He lost by 2 holes to Lee Westwood but was the top point scorer in the group.
In the semi final he had to go to the 39th hole to beat Masters champion Angel Cabrera with a fantastic 3 wood into the final green.
The final against Anthony Kim came down to a putting competition,such was the standard of golf.Fisher holed some great putts and ran out a 4/3 winner when he was 10 under par after the 33 holes played.24 year old Kim went home with a cheque for 450,000 Euros.
Robert Allenby had a hole in one in the 3rd/4th place play off against Cabrera and went on to win with an eagle at the 19th.
Fisher was in great form all weekend and had to play 126 holes to lift the trophy and a winning cheque for 750,000 Euros.
In the group stage he beat Camilo Villegas by 2 holes and Jeev Milkha Singh by 1 hole.He lost by 2 holes to Lee Westwood but was the top point scorer in the group.
In the semi final he had to go to the 39th hole to beat Masters champion Angel Cabrera with a fantastic 3 wood into the final green.
The final against Anthony Kim came down to a putting competition,such was the standard of golf.Fisher holed some great putts and ran out a 4/3 winner when he was 10 under par after the 33 holes played.24 year old Kim went home with a cheque for 450,000 Euros.
Robert Allenby had a hole in one in the 3rd/4th place play off against Cabrera and went on to win with an eagle at the 19th.
Ian Poulter wins rain delayed Singapore Open.
It was a long day for Ian Poulter as he had to complete 36 holes before he won the SINGAPORE OPEN by 1 shot on 10 under par.Poulter was 12 under par after 36 holes and had opened up a 5 shot lead.
He got a bad start to the 3rd round and was overtaken a number of times,but he held his nerve to win a cheque for 554,127 Euros closing with 2 rounds of 72s.
Graeme McDowell who was leading for a while dropped 3 late shots for a closing 74 that left him in 5th place on -7 and a cheque for 119,027 Euros.
Peter Lawrie also had a 74 in his last round to finish on -2 and a share of 24th place earned him 32,582 Euros. Padraig Harrington didn't get the win he was looking for.He was on par for the tournament and was well down in 38th place for 21,611 Euros. Darren Clarke finished with a 75 for a +6 total.He finished in 57th place and got a cheque for 9,808 Euros.
The 36 hole cut came at +1 which left Paul McGinley 73/71 and Gary Murphy 73/71 on 1 shot too many.Shane Lowry 74/71 and Damien McGrane 73/72 on +3 also had the weekend off as did Michael Hoey 77/69 +4.
He got a bad start to the 3rd round and was overtaken a number of times,but he held his nerve to win a cheque for 554,127 Euros closing with 2 rounds of 72s.
Graeme McDowell who was leading for a while dropped 3 late shots for a closing 74 that left him in 5th place on -7 and a cheque for 119,027 Euros.
Peter Lawrie also had a 74 in his last round to finish on -2 and a share of 24th place earned him 32,582 Euros. Padraig Harrington didn't get the win he was looking for.He was on par for the tournament and was well down in 38th place for 21,611 Euros. Darren Clarke finished with a 75 for a +6 total.He finished in 57th place and got a cheque for 9,808 Euros.
The 36 hole cut came at +1 which left Paul McGinley 73/71 and Gary Murphy 73/71 on 1 shot too many.Shane Lowry 74/71 and Damien McGrane 73/72 on +3 also had the weekend off as did Michael Hoey 77/69 +4.
Peter Whiteford win final challenge tour event !
Scotland's Peter Whiteford won the APULIA SAN DOMENICO GRAND FINAL event in ITALY and with it a cheque for 51,500 Euros and a 5th place finish in the Challenge tour order of merit which gives him a full European tour card for next year.His 72 hole total of 5 under par and a birdie at the first play off hole beat Aussie,Andrew Tampion.
It was still a good day for Tampion who picked up a cheque for 34,200 Euros which allowed him to jump from 39th place into 15th which will also give him a card for next year.
Andrew McArthur's finish of 2 under and joint 4th means he will also make the main tour next year as he finished in 17th place.With the top 20 gaining cards next year you have to feel sorry for Peter Gustafsson who was 21st and Christoph Gunther 22nd.They were knocked out of the top 20 by Tampion and McArthur.
Edoardo Molinari will make a welcome return to top level golf next year as he had a record year winning twice and amassing a record total of 242,980 Euros.
It was still a good day for Tampion who picked up a cheque for 34,200 Euros which allowed him to jump from 39th place into 15th which will also give him a card for next year.
Andrew McArthur's finish of 2 under and joint 4th means he will also make the main tour next year as he finished in 17th place.With the top 20 gaining cards next year you have to feel sorry for Peter Gustafsson who was 21st and Christoph Gunther 22nd.They were knocked out of the top 20 by Tampion and McArthur.
Edoardo Molinari will make a welcome return to top level golf next year as he had a record year winning twice and amassing a record total of 242,980 Euros.
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