Tag: European Tour

Rory McIlroy commits to 2020 Irish Open, one year after controversial absence

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy has committed to play in the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open after snubbing the event for the British Open in 2019.

Rory McIlroy has committed to the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open May 28-31 at Mount Juliet Estate.

The current World No. 1 from Northern Ireland is making a much anticipated return after winning the 2016 event when he and his now closed foundation, the Rory Foundation, hosted the event.

McIlroy hosted the Irish Open from 2015-18.

“I’m looking forward to it a lot,” McIlroy said in a statement. “It’s a bit different going back for a May date as opposed to July, and at a Parkland Course at Mount Juliet. I’ve never played the course but got good memories – it was the first time I ever watched Tiger Woods play in person… It’ll be exciting to tee it up there myself and try to win a tournament there.”

Rory McIlroy on the 18th green during the final round of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in Straffan, Ireland. (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

McIlroy, 30, was criticized across Ireland after skipping the 2019 event at Lahinch Golf Club. The four-time major winner said he decided not to compete in the 2019 Irish Open because he wanted to avoid playing in back-to-back events ahead of the British Open at Royal Portrush— a major tournament in his homeland.

“If I want to give myself the best possible chance to win the Open Championship, I want to play the week before to get tuned up on a links course and then I want to go straight into the Open,” McIlroy said to the BBC in February 2019. “That third week is a just a little too much for me.”

The accusations of snubbing last year’s event didn’t dissuade McIlroy. The 2014 Open Championship winner was unrelenting in his decision to forgo the Irish Open for the major tournament.

“If there is ever a year when I feel I can miss the Irish Open, it’s this year,” McIlroy said to the BBC. “If I was to play the Irish Open, the Open Championship would be my third event in a row. For me, that’s not the best way to prepare for what could be the biggest event of my life…

“It’s easy to criticize from far away because you don’t know the details. I’m sure people are going to be upset but at the same time, if it means that it gives me a better chance to win The Open, and prepare well for Portrush, I’m going to do it.”

The 2019 Irish Open was scheduled two weeks before the Open Championship with the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open the week in between. McIlroy placed T-34 at the Scottish Open and T-74 at the Open Championship.

McIlroy last played in the 2018 Irish Open and finished T-28 at 2 under. In 2017, he missed the cut, finishing T-118 at 1 over through 36 holes.

Tournament host Graeme McDowell welcomed McIlroy to the field for the 2020 tournament Friday morning on Twitter.

The Irish Open, previously held in July, was scheduled for May for the 2020 European Tour season. The last time the event was play in May was in 2016 when McIlroy won at the K Club in Straffan, Ireland.

Report: Two European Tour players WD from Oman Open as a result of coronavius quarantine

Two European Tour players have withdrawn from this week’s Oman Open, reportedly because they are being isolated as a coronavirus caution.

Two players have withdrawn from this week’s Oman Open on the European Tour, reportedly because they are being isolated to determine if they have been infected with the coronavirus. An Associated Press report names Italians Lorenzo Gagli and Edoardo Molinari as the players in question.

According to the AP, Gagli told the Italian newspaper La Nazione that a European Tour doctor told him at breakfast Wednesday to return to his room. Molinari, his roommate for the week in Oman, was moved to another room.

Gagli expressed frustration that isolation measures were being used in the case of himself and Molinari. He referenced shared meals with other players, contact in the gym and bus travel.

“If there was a risk of contagion, then they would have to isolate dozens of golfers and cancel the tournament,” Gagli said.

The Associated Press referenced an email from a European Tour spokesman that said only that Gagli and Molinari have withdrawn from the Oman Open on “medical grounds.” The spokesman said he could not say anything further because of patient confidentiality.

In the AP story, Gagli mentioned a European Tour email sent to players last week that requested they get vaccinated for yellow fever if planning to play in the Hero Indian Open on March 19-22 in New Delhi. He says he couldn’t get the vaccine before leaving Italy and was checked out by a European Tour doctor on Tuesday.

“I told her that I had had a fever until last Friday and she told me to wait two more days before getting the vaccine,” Gagli told the newspaper. “I went to train like normal and then this morning I was told of the decision to put me in isolation.”

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How much each golfer won at the WGC-Mexico Championship

Check out how much each golfer won this week at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship.

Patrick Reed was steady enough on Sunday at Club de Golf Chapultepec to leave Mexico City with a new trophy.

Reed, who earned his eighth PGA Tour victory and second WGC win, putted for bogey on the par-4 18th to card a final-round 4-under 67 and win the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship at 18 under, one shot over Bryson DeChambeau.

DeChambeau, who finished Sunday 6-under 65, led earlier in the round, but Reed seized the lead with a string of birdies from Nos. 15-17.

Scroll through the list below to find out how much each golfer at the WGC-Mexico Championship won over the weekend.

WGC-MEXICO: Leaderboard | Photos

WGC-Mexico Championship

Position Player To Par Earnings
1 Patrick Reed -18 $1,820,000
2 Bryson DeChambeau -17 $1,150,000
T-3 Jon Rahm -15 $600,000
T-3 Erik van Rooyen -15 $600,000
5 Rory McIlroy -14 $430,000
T-6 Hideki Matsuyama -13 $320,666
T-6 Tyrrell Hatton -13 $320,666
T-6 Justin Thomas -13 $320,666
T-9 Billy Horschel -12 $237,500
T-9 Kevin Na -12 $237,500
11 Paul Casey -11 $205,000
T-12 Abraham Ancer -9 $182,000
T-12 Gary Woodland -9 $182,000
T-14 Xander Schauffele -8 $160,000
T-14 Sebastian Muñoz -8 $160,000
T-16 Carlos Ortiz -7 $143,500
T-16 Rafa Cabrera Bello -7 $143,500
T-18 Bubba Watson -6 $125,500
T-18 Tommy Fleetwood -6 $125,500
T-18 Kevin Kisner -6 $125,500
T-18 Benjamin Hebert -6 $125,500
T-22 Brandt Snedeker -5 $105,500
T-22 Lee Westwood -5 $105,500
T-22 Cameron Smith -5 $105,500
T-22 Matt Kuchar -5 $105,500
T-26 Adam Scott -4 $90,000
T-26 Zander Lombard -4 $90,000
T-26 Scottie Scheffler -4 $90,000
T-29 Shane Lowry -3 $73,500
T-29 Ryan Fox -3 $73,500
T-29 Sungjae Im -3 $73,500
T-29 Chez Reavie -3 $73,500
T-29 Lanto Griffin -3 $73,500
T-29 Christiaan Bezuidenhout -3 $73,500
T-29 Justin Harding -3 $73,500
T-29 Byeong Hun An -3 $73,500
T-37 Matthew Fitzpatrick -2 $56,200
T-37 Shaun Norris -2 $56,200
T-37 Brendon Todd -2 $56,200
T-37 Bernd Wiesberger -2 $56,200
T-37 Sergio Garcia -2 $56,200
T-42 Marc Leishman -1 $49,500
T-42 Branden Grace -1 $49,500
T-42 Danny Willett -1 $49,500
T-42 Matthias Schwab -1 $49,500
T-42 Robert MacIntyre -1 $49,500
T-42 Collin Morikawa -1 $49,500
T-48 Dustin Johnson E $45,500
T-48 Zach Murray E $45,500
50 Corey Conners +1 $44,000
T-51 Louis Oosthuizen +2 $42,500
T-51 Jason Kokrak +2 $42,500
T-53 Francesco Molinari +3 $39,100
T-53 Charles Howell III +3 $39,100
T-53 Victor Perez +3 $39,100
T-53 Kurt Kitayama +3 $39,100
T-53 Jazz Janewattananond +3 $39,100
T-58 Jordan Spieth +4 $36,500
T-58 Lucas Herbert +4 $36,500
T58 Matt Wallace +4 $36,500
T-61 Shugo Imahira +5 $35,000
T-61 Webb Simpson +5 $35,000
T-61 Lucas Glover +5 $35,000
64 Pablo Larrazabal +6 $34,000
65 Scott Hend +8 $33,750
66 Mike Lorenzo-Vera +10 $33,500
67 Jorge Campillo +11 $33,250
68 Ryo Ishikawa +12 $33,000
T-69 Marcus Kinhult +13 $32,625
T-69 Graeme McDowell +13 $32,625
71 Sung Kang +15 $32,250
72 Tae Hee Lee +19 $32,000

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European Tour postpones two events due to coronavirus outbreak

The European Tour has postponed the Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Two more professional golf tournaments scheduled to be played in the Asia-Pacific region have been pushed back from their original dates as concerns over a coronavirus outbreak prompt organizers to put safety first.

The European Tour is the latest organization to be affected. The Tour has announced that the Maybank Championship, due to take place at Saujana Golf & Country Club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from April 16-19, and the Volvo China Open, scheduled for April 23-26, at Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen, have both been postponed.

According to the European Tour site, Maybank, as the title sponsor and promoter of the Maybank Championship, requested a postponement. The decision to postpone the Volvo China Open was made after consultation with tournament stakeholders: the China Golf Association, Genzon Golf Club, Shenzhen Government, title sponsor Volvo and promoters Mitime Golf.

Reschedule discussions are ongoing for both events.

“The well-being of our players, spectators and staff is always our absolute priority,” Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour said. “While it is therefore regrettable that the Maybank Championship and Volvo China Open have been postponed, we feel this is the correct course of action at this time. We are currently investigating alternative dates for both events.”

The LPGA has cancelled three events in the next month – one each in China, Thailand and Singapore – due to coronavirus concerns. The Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific, originally scheduled for Feb. 20-23 in Thailand, has been postponed and earlier this week, the PGA Tour Series-China announced it would postpone two qualifying events in the region, thus delaying the start of the regular season.

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Golfweek Rewind: Event postponed due to coronavirus, Haley Moore impresses

In the latest episode of Golfweek Rewind, we recap professional golf tournaments as well as the week’s top golf news.

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A major amateur event in Thailand is postponed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the USGA and R&A’s controversial Distance Insights Project is released and fan favorite Haley Moore shines in her first first round as an LPGA rookie.

Let’s look back at the week’s top stories on this episode of Golfweek Rewind,

In professional golf, Nick Taylor won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am by four strokes. The win was Taylor’s first on Tour in over five years. In the celebrity competition, the duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Kevin Streelman won for the second time in three years. Next stop on Tour is the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, California.

Hee Young Park claimed her first LPGA title in over six years at the ISPS Handa Vic Open in Victoria, Australia. On the men’s side of the event, which is sanctioned by the European Tour, Min Woo Lee claimed the title. The Vic Open is a unique setup which features two tournaments on the same course for equal prize money. Next stops for the LPGA and Euro Tour can be found on this week’s episode of Golfweek Rewind.

In other golf news, the R&A’s announced it will postpone the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, initially scheduled for this week in Thailand, due to concerns of the coronavirus. The R&A hopes to reschedule the event later this year.

For more on the USGA and R&A’s Distance Insights Project, SMU men’s golf coach Jason Enloe’s decision to resign and LPGA rookie Haley Moore’s impressive first LPGA round, watch this week’s episode of Golfweek Rewind above.

Min Woo Lee wins breakthrough Euro Tour title at Vic Open, his ‘home open’

Min Woo Lee, younger brother of LPGA player Minjee Lee, won the ISPS Handa Vic Open on Sunday with his sister looking on.

Another ISPS Handa Vic Open trophy has found its way to the Lee family trophy case. This time, Min Woo, 21, Lee earned a breakthrough European Tour victory at the event in Victoria, Melbourne.

The unique Vic Open features two tournaments running simultaneously on the same course for equal prize money. That means that Min Woo’s older sis Minjee, 23, was on hand to see big brother hoist the trophy.

Minjee finished tied for sixth, two shots out of the playoff that Hee Young Park eventually won. A five-time winner on the LPGA, Minjee won the Vic Open both in 2014 and 2018.

“I was super, super proud of him. It was really cool to just even be here with him and even watch him the last two holes. Just to see him play, I haven’t really seen him play that much, so to be able to have a win here is really cool.”

More: Hee Young Park wins first LPGA title in six years
Scores: ISPS Handa Vic Open

Min Woo turned professional just over a year ago after a successful amateur golf career.

Sunday’s victory at 13th Beach Golf Links was a testing one with the wind coming on strong in the final round. Min Woo closed with a 4-under 68 – which included three birdies in his first four holes plus a closing birdie at No. 18 – to reach 19 under for the tournament.

That was good enough to leave him two shots ahead of New Zealander Ryan Fox, who had posted a final-round 64 that vaulted him six shots up the leaderboard. He ultimately had to settle for second.

A three-way tie for third at 14 under included Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Marcus Fraser and Travis Smyth.

This is Min Woo’s fourth European Tour start this season. His previous best European Tour finish came in December when he was third at the Australian PGA Championship. The ISPS Handa Vic Open is just his 19th event on this tour.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “Vic Open, it’s the home open. Especially as it’s the European Tour, it’s big. I’m over the moon.”

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Hee Young Park launches LPGA comeback with playoff win at ISPS Handa Vic Open

Hee Young Park won her first LPGA title in six years at the ISPS Handa Vic Open, a mixed event co-sanctioned by the European Tour.

It wasn’t that long ago that Hee Young Park had to be convinced by her newlywed husband to stay in golf. Faced with the task of eight daunting rounds at Q-Series, the 32-year-old Park was ready to call it a career.

“My husband really, you know, forced me to try to Q‑School,” said Park. “It was tough because 13 years ago it was only five rounds. But it was eight rounds, so it was really tough, but I made it. I had a chance to play this year and then here it is.”

Here it is alright, Park’s first victory on the LPGA in 6 years, 6 months and 26 days. Park defeated fellow South Koreans Hye-Jin Choi and So Yeon Ryu in a four-hole playoff at the ISPS Handa Vic Open to claim her third LPGA title.

Scores: ISPS Handa Vic Open

Min Woo Lee, younger brother of Minjee Lee, claimed the men’s European Tour title. The unique Vic Open features two tournaments running simultaneously on the same course for equal prize money.

“As my first win, it’s pretty sweet,” said 21-year-old Lee. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet, but I’ll wake up tomorrow feeling good. Maybe drunk.”

Minjee finished tied for sixth, two shots out of the playoff. A five-time winner on the LPGA, Minjee won the Vic Open both in 2014 and 2018.

“It was pretty special,” said Min Woo of having big sis on property for his breakthrough on the European Tour. “My hair was like a peacock, but yeah, it was pretty cool to see her smile and have my back.”

Park, Choi and Ryu finished regulation play at 8-under 281. Ryu, a former World No. 1, bowed out of the playoff after the second extra hole. Park and Choi birdied the par-5 18th three consecutive times. On the fourth trip down, Choi’s tee shot found the trees and she punched out into a hazard. Park two-putted for par to secure the title.

Ryu pledged to donate half of her winnings from both the ISPS Handa Vic Open and the ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open to brushfire relief efforts in Australia.

“I feel like even though I’m Korean and even though I spent a lot of time in America, I feel like Australia’s like my second home,” Ryu said. “I have a lot of Australian staff; my coach is Australian, my physio’s Australian and I’m surrounded by a lot of Aussies. I came to Australia quite a lot to do winter training since I was 18. I love Australia, you know, food, wine, coffee, but most importantly people are so nice.”

Ryu earned $90,049 for her share of second.

Rookie Leona Maguire, a decorated four-year player at Duke, finished tied for fourth.

After getting married to Joojong Joe, a K-Pop music executive, Park’s game took a nosedive as her priorities started to shift.

“I married and it was really busy (with a) different life,” said Park, who lives in Los Angeles. “I’m married and I have more family now, a housewife and golf and a lot of things going on.”

But thanks to the prodding of Joe, Park signed up for Q-Series, where she finished second, and embarked upon her 13th year on the LPGA. Now she has that “rookie-year feeling” all over again.

“Back to refreshed,” she said.

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Geoff Ogilvy on ISPS Handa Vic Open: Mixed events fun to watch

Geoff Ogilvy weighs in on the concept of mixed events in professional golf, which is playing out at the ISPS Handa Vic Open this week.

A fortnight of U.S. Open golf played at Pinehurst in 2014 left an impression on Geoff Ogilvy. The Australian pro, who owns 12 worldwide victories (the 2006 U.S. Open among them), called it a revelation in a letter he penned for LPGA.com this week as the LPGA’s ISPS Handa Vic Open plays out at 13th Beach Golf Links in Melbourne, Victoria.

“Not only could the men and women compete on the same course, they could do it under virtually identical conditions,” Ogilvy wrote on the subject of equal-opportunity golf.

That’s a particularly relevant concept this week considering that the Vic Open is being played in Melbourne alongside the European Tour event of the same name. Women and men compete for equal prize money.

Nichols: Vic Open puts men, women on equal footing and at many of the same tees

Ogilvy’s guest column ran on the LPGA’s web site under the headline “The sum of mixed golf is worth more than its separate parts.” In it, he explains the evolution of his status as a women’s golf fan. At first, he just watched the majors – notably the ANA Inspiration and the U.S. Women’s Open. Now he gets a front-row seat at the Vic Open, he says.

“The Vic Open should open people’s eyes to the fact that our game is full of amazing golf talent. It also proves that women and men playing together can work. Tennis has been doing it for years and has clearly benefited from it.”

In the piece, Ogilvy references rounds with So Yeon Ryu, a two-time major winner, and fellow Australian Su Oh. Their consistency and efficiency  impressed him, but the same can be said for many others this week.

“When I’m at a golf tournament now, I’m watching other people play just as much as I’m playing myself,” Ogilvy wrote. “Last year at the Vic Open and again this week, I found that all I wanted to do was watch the women and how they went about it. Some of them are just machines. They don’t hit bad shots. I watched one after another hit hybrids onto greens to 10 feet. Men don’t play that way. When I hit a hybrid, I’m happy to hit it anywhere on the green. So, for those who haven’t watched the best women in the game, there is something to be learnt from both men and women, and there’s enjoyment in watching both styles of play.”

Madelene Sagstrom and Haeji Kang were tied for the lead at the LPGA’s event at 8 under, with rookie Haley Moore just two shots back at 6 under. Jarryd Felton and Sean Crocker lead the European Tour event after opening-round 67s.

Ogilvy is 12th after an opening 67.

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Brooks Koepka on giving interviews during rounds: ‘I won’t do it’

Current World No. 1 Brooks Koepka said he doesn’t understand why golf broadcasts interview players during rounds.

Don’t expect any mid-round interviews from Brooks Koepka anytime soon.

Last week at the European Tour’s Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, eventual champion Graeme McDowell received a slow playing warning after giving a TV interview during his second round.

Apparently Koepka was also asked and politely passed.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know any other sport that does interviews in the middle of play,” Koepka said Sunday. “I know in football you’re not doing it unless it’s the Pro Bowl. Basketball you’re not doing it unless it’s halftime. This is the only sport where you’re talking to people while they are playing.

“I won’t do it. I’m not interested in talking about what just happened or the difficulty of the holes ahead,” added Koepka. “I’m just focused on one shot at a time, where my ball’s at. I understand why it might be beneficial to the fans, but I don’t get it.”

While the European Tour claims that “in-course interviews are an important and integral part” of its broadcasts, the PGA Tour doesn’t interview players during rounds on a weekly basis like its European counterparts.

Koepka, the current World No. 1, will lose that title to Rory McIlroy when the Official World Golf Ranking is updated next Monday. McIlroy elected not to play this weekend while Koepka finished 17th.

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Graeme McDowell ends European Tour drought with Saudi International win

Graeme McDowell shot even par on Sunday to claim the European Tour’s Saudi International title by two strokes.

Back in the winner’s circle again.

Graeme McDowell shot a final-round even-par 70 to finish 12 under and win the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers on Sunday in Saudi Arabia. It is his 11th European Tour title.

He’s now won in three different decades, has 16 professional wins across 13 different countries and finds himself back inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking.

The 40-year-old McDowell finished two shots clear of defending champion Dustin Johnson, whose 3-under 67 (which included an eagle on the final hole) just wasn’t enough.

LEADERBOARD: Saudi International

“It’s special,” McDowell said after his round. “I’ve been working hard the last year and a half. I want to be back up there one more time just to be able to play against these guys.”

McDowell said he’s excited to be back in great form, and that it happened “a little faster than I expected.” He’s hoping this win propels him forward and lays the foundations “for having a big year.”

Kevin (Kirk, McDowell’s coach) said to me, ‘There’s no reason why the best golf in your career can’t still be ahead of you.’ I like that,” said McDowell. “I like that kind of idea. I like that focus.”

Phil Mickelson, Thomas Pieters and Gavin Green finished T-3 at 9 under, followed by Ross Fisher, Victor Dubuisson, Sergio Garcia, Abraham Ancer and Thomas Detry T-6 at 7 under.

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