Weekly "Irishman in Contention" Thread! :)

WHIP IT!

McGinley's started like a man possessed at Wentworth.

Five under through 15, not a bogey in site... I must say, Paul frustrates me so much at times because he is, in my opinion, as good a ball striker as you will find anywhere. He should win more, he should definitely contend more.

Let's hope he has a good week.

Check our Clarke's opening six holes: Bogey-Birdie-Bogey-Birdie-Bogey-Birdie!!

Then went bogey-par-birdie-bogey to start the back side!! Currently one over.

Adiaga 2

A bogey-free 65 for McGinley - great start! He always seems to raise his game in Ryder Cup years. Last two RCs he played great golf towards the end to force his way into the automatic spots on the team. Would love to see him do it again.

JerryHandbag

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

A bogey-free 65 for McGinley - great start! He always seems to raise his game in Ryder Cup years. Last two RCs he played great golf towards the end to force his way into the automatic spots on the team. Would love to see him do it again.

Yeah great round by McGinley, hope he can follow it up with 3 more solid rounds, unfortnatley he seems to always put in a bad round to ruin his chances, hopefully not this week

Mister Sifter

Lets hope McGinley's great day is rounded off with his team winning the league tonight!

Surprised to see the likes of Ernie and Montgomerie struggling on a course they know so well. Althought Monty did recover well on the back 9.

WHIP IT!

Graeme1982 wrote: »

Lets hope McGinley's great day is rounded off with his team winning the league tonight!

Surprised to see the likes of Ernie and Montgomerie struggling on a course they know so well. Althought Monty did recover well on the back 9.

Mission Accomplished Graemo!

Hail, Hail!

A.Partridge

I think it's great to see Mark Staunton starting in the BMW at Wentworth. He was +8 after the first round but I'm hopeful that the BlackBush assistant can go a bit better today.

C'mon Mark!:D

pd101

Followed up yesterdays 65 with a 66 and is four shots clear going into the weekend.

WHIP IT!

pd101 wrote: »

Followed up yesterdays 65 with a 66 and is four shots clear going into the weekend.

Finished birdie-eagle. Must say, I don't think I've ever seen McGinley putt this well - hopefully the week has a happy ending!

git_ireland

Yeh guys have been watching it all day today. Playing well but seemed to have more chances yesterday. His putting yesterday was out of this world. Silky Stroke

uberwolf

ugh

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/7417872.stm

irishtoffee

This is fantastic for Irish golf.

Mister Sifter

pd101 wrote: »

Followed up yesterdays 65 with a 66 and is four shots clear going into the weekend.

Lineker asked him after his round on Thursday if he would rather another 65 or celtic winning the league on Thursday night. He said: "can i have a 66 and Celtic winning the league"... his wish was granted!

Hope goes on to win. Very, very likable guy with a great personality.

copacetic

uberwolf wrote: »

ugh

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/7417872.stm

he went to pieces alright, was like something I would do when i get in trouble..

eigrod

Nightmare start to 3rd day for McGinley. Dropped 4 shots in first 5 holes. No longer the leader after just 5 holes.

golfbgud

80+80 for Staunton. Big gap between ther Irish PGA circuit and the Europeantour.

I see John Dwyer from Ashbourne pulled out after Round 1?

PhilipMarlowe

Not wanting to tempt fate, but Gary Murphy is -5 for 13 holes in Austria having started his round with a bogey.... currently tied 5th, -7 leads

PhilipMarlowe

Birdie on his 17th hole, now -6 and T4 with the par 5 9th hole left to finish

copacetic

Licksy wrote: »

Birdie on his 17th hole, now -6 and T4 with the par 5 9th hole left to finish

and finished with a bird for 64, although how that fell in I'll never know. at least you didn't jinx him Licksy!

PhilipMarlowe

Yeah just managed to see that on tv, was already cursing him for missing when it dropped, currently joint leader on -7 with not too many left out on the course that can change that...

WHIP IT!

Is the Austrian Open going to be reduced to 54 holes or have they decided yet?

pd101

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Is the Austrian Open going to be reduced to 54 holes or have they decided yet?

Yeah its only going to be 54 holes.

copacetic

good sat and sunday for padraig 66, 68. unlucky to miss out on the play off at the st jude by a shot. Tied 4th is a good result going into the US open.

In Austria, the boards jinx worked on Murphy who finshed with a 74 to be well out of contention. McDowell had a better run and looked like he was going to compete but finished with 2 bogeys to tie 8th. Clarke had some round of 65 but wasn't enough to get him up there.

JerryHandbag

Just caught Harringtons putt on the 18th to make the play-off, i thought he holed it, and so did he! Agonising....Trevor Immelman is turning out to be some player, he birdied the last 3 holes to make the play off

Adiaga 2

Not many top ranked players in the field, but nice to see Gary Murphy start off well in the Russian Open. He's played well in this tournament the last few years and obviously likes the place so who knows..

Evgeni Kafelnikov is also in the field. Last time he played it he finished +40 after round 2 and just missed the cut...by 40 shots.

fullstop

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

Not many top ranked players in the field, but nice to see Gary Murphy start off well in the Russian Open. He's played well in this tournament the last few years and obviously likes the place so who knows..

Evgeni Kafelnikov is also in the field. Last time he played it he finished +40 after round 2 and just missed the cut...by 40 shots.

There's one of the other russians +24 after 15. What is the point of letting these hackers play. He played the front 9 d.bogey-par-d.bogey-par-d.bogey-par-d.boge-par-d.bogey :rolleyes: And has started the back nine 7-5-6-4-6-10. This guy is 32 shots behind the leader having not completed the first round yet. Why don't the just put a few 20 handicappers in the field

PhilipMarlowe

Adiaga 2 wrote: »

Not many top ranked players in the field, but nice to see Gary Murphy start off well in the Russian Open. He's played well in this tournament the last few years and obviously likes the place so who knows..

Not usually a gambling man but have Murph backed this week at 33-1, each way paying 1/4 odds for the first 6. Having started on the back 9 and had an early double (grrr), he recovered well, including 4 birdies on the trot. Here's hoping.... and hopefully the usual hex of being mentioned on here doesn't apply

WHIP IT!

Licksy wrote: »

Not usually a gambling man but have Murph backed this week at 33-1, each way paying 1/4 odds for the first 6. Having started on the back 9 and had an early double (grrr), he recovered well, including 4 birdies on the trot. Here's hoping.... and hopefully the usual hex of being mentioned on here doesn't apply

I think that only applies when I do it though Licksy. Hence, I never opened me f*ckin mouth all during the week of the British Open - and look what happened there!! :pac:

Adiaga 2

fullstop wrote: »

There's one of the other russians +24 after 15. What is the point of letting these hackers play. He played the front 9 d.bogey-par-d.bogey-par-d.bogey-par-d.boge-par-d.bogey :rolleyes: And has started the back nine 7-5-6-4-6-10. This guy is 32 shots behind the leader having not completed the first round yet. Why don't the just put a few 20 handicappers in the field

Kafelnikov is on +17 and beat his pro-hockey playing pal Alexey Kovalev by a massive 10 shots! All credit to Kovalev for breaking 100 yesterday :eek: Golf is a very new sport in Russia and I think they are just in the field to get some public interest over there. Wouldn't say the tour is too happy about it.

Murphy will need to shoot low today. Well capable of it though.

One Cold Hand

WHIP IT! wrote: »

I think that only applies when I do it though Licksy. Hence, I never opened me f*ckin mouth all during the week of the British Open - and look what happened there!! :pac:

Fiar play! I'm sure Padraig appreciates your effort!

slumped

I backed Adrian Morrow this weekend in the British Seniors. 300/1 e/w

He's five off the lead after day 1.

Won the Irish Seniors in Westport this year and the European Seniors in Portugal.

Plays out of Portmarnock as an amateur.

S

WHIP IT!

One Cold Hand wrote: »

Fiar play! I'm sure Padraig appreciates your effort!

Did you not hear him thanking me in his acceptance speech?

fullstop

slumped wrote: »

I backed Adrian Morrow this weekend in the British Seniors. 300/1 e/w

He's five off the lead after day 1.

Won the Irish Seniors in Westport this year and the European Seniors in Portugal.

Plays out of Portmarnock as an amateur.

S

Not looking a great bet now, he's +16 through 16 today!

PhilipMarlowe

Licksy wrote: »

Not usually a gambling man but have Murph backed this week at 33-1, each way paying 1/4 odds for the first 6. Having started on the back 9 and had an early double (grrr), he recovered well, including 4 birdies on the trot. Here's hoping.... and hopefully the usual hex of being mentioned on here doesn't apply

Suffice to say that I am never gambling again, and never ever mentioning the progress of an Irishman on the european tour until about 6pm sunday

pd101

Michael McGeady won in Wales today on the Challenge Tour

fullstop

Fair play to McGeady on his first challenge tour victory

http://www.europeantour.com/default.sps?pageid=127&pagegid=%7BAEFB93B0%2DEFF5%2D4C05%2DAB0F%2DFD08D947D944%7D&infosid=3&eventid=2008750&reportid=63333

PhilipMarlowe

Sorry for the inevitable hex that's about to pass...
but Darren Clarke is 6 under thru 15 holes today and in a tie for the lead on -8 at the KLM Open in the Netherlands.
Nice to see a strong showing before the Ryder Cup.

madds

A 3 shot lead over Stenson after a 66 today. Could have been 1 or 2 strokes better but 16/18 fairways hit shows he's hitting the ball very well. Darren hit some lovely knock down shots today. I just hope Faldo was watching, and Darren brings home the bacon tomorrow.

fullstop

madds wrote: »

A 3 shot lead over Stenson after a 66 today. Could have been 1 or 2 strokes better but 16/18 fairways hit shows he's hitting the ball very well. Darren hit some lovely knock down shots today. I just hope Faldo was watching, and Darren brings home the bacon tomorrow.

That's greens in reg. Not possible to hit 16/18 fairways cause of par 3s

copacetic

Not wanting to put the boards jinx on anyone who may be leading, I'll just mention that McGinley has been playing some great golf and is now joint second 4 shots back, 4 under for the day. Some lovely iron play.

madds

McGinley has just chipped in on the par 5 12th so moves into 2nd on his own.

Clarke has birdied the par 3 11th and is now -16, 3 ahead of McGinley, and 5 ahead of Stenson who has dropped back to 4th.

That's 5 birdies in the last 8 holes for Clarke, but I wish Stenson was a little closer to him as today started out as a matchplay scenario and I think his chances of getting a pick from Faldo would have benefited more if Stenson's challenge had gone the full 18 holes.

Hope I'm wrong though. Hopefully we can have an Irish 1-2.

KevIRL

Darren Clarke 1st and Paul McGinley 2nd in the KLM Open. Well done guys. Nice way to put yourselves into Ryder Cup reckoning.

I think thats the 8th Irish win on the European Tour this year, am I right?

madds

Well done Clarkie! Swung it really well today and totally deserved the win. Great to see him see off the challenge of a player who has already made the Ryder Cup team.

Congrats also to Paul McGinley. Hopefully both Irishmen can bring this form to Gleneagles with them next week.

copacetic

KevIRL wrote: »

Darren Clarke 1st and Paul McGinley 2nd in the KLM Open. Well done guys. Nice way to put yourselves into Ryder Cup reckoning.

I think thats the 8th Irish win on the European Tour this year, am I right?

merged with weekly thread to keep spoiler off main list.

WHIP IT!

Delighted for Clarke and really happy for McGinley too... I'm forever saying it to anyone who'll listen - Paul McG is as good a ball-striker as you'll see anywhere. He should have twice the wins he's had in his career. Has every shot in the bag - love watching him and Clarke when they're hitting it well.

Big fan of Stenson too - anyone think he's one of those players that involves his caddy a bit too much though?

Speaking of caddies, I see Ben Curtis' English caddy has booked off his service for the Ryder Cup - he's supporting Europe and doesn't want to be part of the US team! Ha. Although admirable in a way - it's a bit unprofessional I must say - if I was Curtis, I wouldn't have him back tbh.

KevIRL

Rory McIlroy leads European Masters by 2 after a 63 today

copacetic

he had a good few chances to go lower too. great start, hopefully he can go steady from here.

madds

Only seeing this now....fair play. Are there any highlights on the box later? Would love to see how McIlroy put his card together.

copacetic

golf night is on 7.30 -9.30 on sky2. although that'll clash with bmw champs.



edit - actually it won't, play cancelled for today at BMW due to rain, course looks
pretty waterlogged.

Mister Sifter

KevIRL wrote: »

Rory McIlroy leads European Masters by 2 after a 63 today

Good to see him with a decent round at last. He's been struggling a bit of late.

Hopefully he can get his first win soon!

copacetic

so a 71 tday for rory, bit of a step down from 63 yesterday, but still tied leader on -8 with rumford. Hit some poor shots today but held in there, good thinking on the last, against grand stand and drop zone didn't suit him so he took a drop to give himself a better chance of up and down and knocked in the 15 footer after the pitch.

Mister Sifter

Out the traps in style today... 3 under through 3 holes. Looking forward to seeing this when coverage starts at 12. Eagle at the first, par second, birdie third.

Was watching golf night last night and the way he held it together over the last three holes was impressive. Three big putts he holed!

Hopefully he can edge a few clear today.