McIlroy latest to say ‘no’ to Players Championship challenge

Rory McIlroy has denied allegations that he has snubbed the PGA Tour by electing not to take part in this year’s ‘fifth major’, the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, stating his decision was purely down to golfing reasons.

In a light hearted Twitter exchange with world number one, Lee Westwood asked ‘Rorz’ whether he had decided on playing at Sawgrass.

“Yes I have! I’ve decided no holes at Sawgrass is better than my usual 36! Do you want to have a few holes that week somewhere?” McIlroy replied to the tweet.

“It will be weird! I’ve never played golf during the weekend of the players! Haha.”, he added, responding to an invite to play a few rounds with Westwood instead.

McIlroy later confirmed through official channels that he would not be competing at the Players.

“The reason I’m not playing TPC this year is because I’ve never thought the golf course has set up that well for me. Hence 2 missed cuts in 2 years,”

“I have no sort of vendetta against Tim Finchem or the PGA Tour.”

McIlroy won the Quail Hollow Championship last year, but decided to turn in his PGA Tour membership to compete on the European Tour in order to streamline his playing schedule. He has, however, not ruled out rejoining the PGA Tour in the future.

“I love playing in the US and have always found the people very welcoming. I’m sure one day I’ll join the PGA tour again, but right now I want to put all my efforts into Europe and the race to Dubai.”

Lee Westwood has also stated that he will not be competing at Sawgrass, saying the scheduled dates of the event does not fit into his playing schedule.

McDowell blasts TV rules ‘anoraks’

US Open champion Graeme McDowell has become the latest high profile player to get embroiled in Harrington-gate – after almost falling foul of TV evidence himself.

According to the Scottish Daily Record, McDowell was left raging after Padraig Harrington had been disqualified from the Abu Dhabi Championship for unknowingly signing for an incorrect score. Harrington had inadvertently brushed his golf ball with his hand when picking up his marker at the seventh hole during his first round.

At the time no-one had spotted the incident, and it wasn’t until later that a TV viewer had emailed into European Tour officials that the incident came to light, and Harrington was subsequently disqualified.

But McDowell has rounded on those people who he claims are making a mockery of the game and labelled them as ‘anoraks’.

The Northern Irishman said: “Anoraks! Too much time on their hands. It makes a mockery of the game when we are penalising players for something as crazy as that.

“TV viewers are important to us. High-definition, 3D and slow-mo add to the experience of watching golf on TV. But some of the fiddly, pernickety, stupid little rules need to be looked at.”

McDowell revealed in a Guardian article that a viewer had also emailed in to complain about the US Open champion’s own brush with the laws. The viewer had complained McDowell had moved the ball with his club on the 18th hole of his final round, but after investigation by Tour officials, the claim was thrown out.

However, the incident casts further shadow on the use of TV evidence to disqualify players based on the judgement of armchair fans.

Perhaps Vincent Hogan in the Irish Independant sums it up best in his article published Monday about the whole rules debacle, which you can read here.

Davis Love III named United States captain for 2012 Ryder Cup

Six-time Ryder Cup veteran Davis Love III has been confirmed as captain of the United States 2012 Ryder Cup team.

Love, a major winner, after winning the 1997 US PGA becomes the United States’ 27th Ryder Cup captain, and takes over the rains from vanquished 2010 captain, Corey Pavin.

“I guess since the big secret is out, now I can tweet it,” joked Love after the announcement, although in truth it was no secret and many had expected him to be given the nod.

“I’m thrilled. I’m thrilled to represent The PGA of America; thrilled to represent all of the men and women PGA professionals.” Love said in his press conference as his announcement was confirmed.

“As we have said a lot of times, there’s not a Tour player out there that plays one Tour event or plays six Ryder Cups that doesn’t have a PGA professional that led them to that position. So I thank all of the PGA professionals, including my dad.”

Love amassed a Ryder Cup record of 9-12-5 in his six appearances, and was a vice-captain to Corey Pavin at The Celtic Manor back in October.

Love made his Ryder Cup debut in the same match as his opposite number – Spaniard Jose-Maria Olazabal. Speaking of the European captain, Love said:

“José Maria and I go way back. We have competed against each other. We have shared a lot of trials and tribulations through our careers together. He has been a good friend for someone that plays The European Tour and that I don’t see that much. He’s always been respectful and supportive of my career.”

“I look forward to competing against him, to us leading our teams together.”

Harrington disqualified from Abu Dhabi Championship

Padraig Harrington has become the latest high profile golfer to fall victim to TV evidence after being disqualified from the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Harrington had made a good start to his challenge for the event, opening with a seven-under par round of 65 to lie just one shot off the first round leader, Charl Schwartzel.

Harrington’s indiscretion came on the seventh green, where his hand brushed the back of his ball as he replaced it in front of his marker.

The ball moved forward slightly, and although Harrington believed at the time that the ball had returned to its original position, TV evidence later showed that it did not go all the way back.

The matter was referred to the European Tour by a viewer watching the event on TV, who in turn had no option but to disqualify Harrington for signing an incorrect score card. The penalty would have been two strokes had the mistake been addressed prior to his signing his card.

After being disqualified, Harrington said:

“I was aware I hit the ball picking up my coin. I looked down at the time and was pretty sure it had just oscillated and had not moved, so I continued on. In slow motion it’s pretty clear the ball has moved three dimples forward and it’s come back maybe a dimple and a half.

“At the end of the day that’s good enough, but I wouldn’t have done anything differently yesterday – there was nothing I could do about it at that moment in time.

“If I’d called a referee over it would have been pointless because if he’d asked me where my ball was I’d have said it was there. As far as I was concerned it didn’t move.”

Senior European Tour referee, Andy McFee delivered the bad news to Harrington on Friday morning.

“I got an email from the Tour feedback site just before six o’clock last night. I managed to get a look and knew immediately we had an issue. I got all members of the rules committee to look at the tape.

“Because everything was closing down I decided to sleep on it and speak to Padraig first thing this morning. It’s a minute movement, but it’s a movement and he never replaced it, so he should have included a two-stroke penalty.

“The fact that he is unaware he moved the ball unfortunately does not help him. Because he signed for a score lower than actually taken the penalty is disqualification.”

It is the second time in Harrington’s career that he has been disqualified while holding a chance to win a tournament. Eleven years previously, Harrington was disqualified from the Benson & Hedges International at The Belfry despite leading by five shots with one round to play, after it was discovered he hadn’t signed his first round scorecard.

Harrington’s ruling comes three weeks after Columbian Camilo Vilegas was disqualified from the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, after a TV viewer claimed he had improved his lie by knocking some loose turf from the path of his ball.

Schwartzel leads Abu Dhabi field after round one

South African Charl Schwartzel brought his winning Joburg Open form to Abu Dhabi to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Schwartzel shot an 8-under par 64 for an 8-under par opening round and is now a huge 69-under par in 2011. It might have been 70-under par and a two-shot lead, had it not been for a bogey on the 17th hole after racing through the first 12 holes in 8-under par. Schwartzel also made a birdie on the last hole.

“I went out and got off to a really good start,” said Schwartzel afterwards. “I’ve been struggling with my game, with my swing, for a while. Around a golf course like this, it’s not best thing to be doing that.

“It just worked well today – drove the ball well and gave myself lots of opportunities and converted most of my chances, just a really solid round.”

Schwartzel has yet to finish worse than fourth place so far in 2011. In four tournaments on the African Swing, he has finished fourth twice, been a runner-up and a winner – last week in the Joburgh Open.

Padraig Harrington lies in second place after carding a 7-under par 65 despite yet more swing changes, as he seeks to end a European Tour drought that stretches back to 2008 and his win in the US PGA. His win in the 2010 Iskander Johor Open was an Asian Tour event, and not a European Tour-sanctioned event.

But the Dubliner did his chances of ending that barren run no harm with his solid round, which included an eagle on the 17th hole.

Lying third after rounds of 66 were Swedish duo Alex Noren and Niclas Fasth, and US Open Champion and Ryder Cup hero Graeme McDowell, who enjoyed a spectacular inward nine holes with a run of five straight birdies from the 14th hole to come home in 30 strokes.

Defending champion and 2010 US PGA winner Martin Kaymer opened with a 5-under par 67, while world number one Lee Westwood started his 2011 season with a 3-under par 69. US Masters champion Phil Mickelson had an unspectacular 71, while Open champion Louis Oosthuizen went round in level-par 72.

Ireland’s Rory McIlroy opened with a 1-under 71, despite an eagle on the second hole and a birdie on the next. Rorz dropped consecutive shots on the 4th and 5th holes, before a birdie on the ninth hole to turn in 34, which he gave back with a bogey on the 14th. Meanwhile, Paul Casey opened with a 1-over par round of 73.

While Westwood carded a 69, the other members of the tipster trio fared less well in their respective first rounds. Big-hitting Spaniard, Alvaro Quiros opened with a 1-under par 71, while Ian Poulter had a horror show from the tee enroute to a 75 and a 3-over score to finish a lowly tied-93rd in the high quality field.

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