McGinley Leads Irish Quintet in Mallorca

Paul McGinley leads a group of five Irish players at the Iberdrola Open Cala Millar in Mallorca on the next leg of the European Tour which starts on Thursday at Pula Golf Club at Son Servera in the Balearic Islands.

McGinley makes his first outing since the Ballantine's Championship in Korea, where he failed to make the cut, and is still making his comeback from injury after an operation on his knee during the off season.

Damien McGrane makes a visit to Mallorca as the most in form of the five players having secured two top 20 finishes so far this season with 17th places both at the Volvo China Open and the Open de España more recently in Sevilla.

With the first Re-Rank of the season due there will be plenty of jostling for position ahead of the big summer events for those who came through the Qualifying School such as Gary Murphy and Simon Thornton.

Gary Murphy makes his fourth consecutive outing aiming to break the cycle of missed cuts at the past three events in Italy, Spain and Madeira Islands. Having regained his playing rights at Qualifying School last December, Murphy has been unable to make in impact so far in the early part of the season when the “big guns” are traditionally off.

Simon Thornton is also looking to the Iberdola Open Calla Millar Mallorca to regain some momentum in his first season having also missed consecutive cuts in Sevilla and then last week in Turin at the BMW Italian Open.

Colm Moriarty arrives in Mallorca from the Challenge Tour for his second main Tour event of the year - following his first outing in Madeira Islands in April - having made a top 20 finish in Turkish Airlines Challenge but failing to make the cut in a windy Brittany last week.

Denmark’s Søren Hansen is the highest ranking player to compete this week and will be looking to consolidate his place in the World’s Top 50. The Dane made his Ryder Cup debut in Valhalla in 2008 and is chasing his third European Tour title.

The José Maria Olazábal-designed course has been a happy hunting ground for Spanish players. On each of the first three European Tour visits to Pula, home players claimed the Mallorca Masters; Miguel Angel Jiménez (2003), Sergio Garcia (2004) and José Maria Olazábal (2005).

Another Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, who came close to winning the Open de España, is on course to top the first Re-Rank of the season having earned €191,219 this season.

Iberdrola, Spain’s leading energy company and the world’s largest producer of wind power, are the title sponsors of the first edition of the Iberdrola Open Cala Millar Mallorca from May 13-16 which has prize money of €800,000 on offer.

Team Ireland Turkish Top Twenty

 

Melissa Reid of England secured the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open in Belek by two shots on Sunday from the chasing pair of Iben Tinning of Denmark and Chrostelk Boeljon of Netherlands. A one over par round of 73 was enough in the end to hold off the efforts of Christel Boeljon of the Netherlands who shot a 71 on the day and had started to make a move.

Iben Tinning carded a one over par round of 74 to retain share of second on a total of 218 with Boeljon.

Team Ireland’s trio of Hazel Kavanagh, Rebecca Coakley and Alison Walshe all finished with over par rounds.

Kavanagh picked up two shots on 3 and 4 only to lose them with bogeys the 6th and 8th to remain level par at the turn. A double bogey on the par five 14th hole was the major problem on an otherwise error free back nine but was enough to leave her signing for a two over par 75 for a 4 over total and aggregate of 223.

Rebecca Coakley dropped three shots on Sunday and picked birdies on 3 and 10 to end the day with a one over par 74 and five over for the tournament (224)

Alison Walshe made the turn in one under but a triple bogey eight on the 7th hole added to her woes to finish the back nine with a 40 and a total of 75 for the day. Walshe ended the tournament on 6 over with an aggregate score of 225.

Seven time major winner Laura Davies of England finished on 4 over with an aggregate of 223.

Maybin Falters Iin Italy

As Northern Ireland's Gareth Maybin completed his final round in a one under par 71 at the BMW Italian Open in Turin at the Royal Park Golf & Country Club on Sunday the overnight leader Frederick Andersson Hed was holding his game together and on his way to a maiden victory on the European Tour.

Maybin dropped shots on holes 9 and 14 the only errors of the day with a total of three birdies on the final day to leave him at one under overall to finish with an aggregate 286 leaving him in 42nd place in the clubhouse.

Frederik Andersson Hed of Sweden finished one over par on 16 under to win his first  European Tour event after his 71 was enough to hold off the final day challenges of Ignacio Garrido of Spain with a 70, David Horsey of England with a 68 and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts (70).

Sweden's Peter Gustafsson made a move midway through the day and signed for a 66 which was only enough to take third place on 12 under and he is in a three way tie with Colsaerts sand Chris Wood.

In the end it was Horsey who came closest on 14 under par but was unable to overcome the Swedes seven shot advantage from outset. Bogeys on the 14th and 18th holes ended his chances of forcing a play off.

Having started the day in second place Miguel Angel Jimenez dropped back to 7 under after a four over par final round.

Matteo Manassero completed his final round in Turin with a 71 and an aggregate of 283 after an error free front nine. Two birdies and a bogey on the back nine the only events of the round.

Italian Weekend for Gareth Maybin

Gareth Maybin remains the only Irish player to make it through round two of the BMW Italian Open in Turin and remains three over for the tournament after a level par round on Friday. He has slipped to five shots off the lead however after Frederik Andersson Hed of Sweden posted a 66 in the club house to set the pace at 8 under.

Miguel Angel Jimenez is part of the chasing group on 7 under that includes fellow countrymen Ignacio Garrido and Alejandro Cañizares, with Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Henno Ottie of South Africa, also in the mix.

The Ballyclare man is only Irish player to stay over the weekend – thanks to his first round 69 – having played an up and down round of four birdies and four bogeys for a 72.

Darren Clarke signed for a two over par round with his only birdie on 18 after dropping shots on 4, 12 and 15. A three over total for the tournament was outside the projected cut which allowed him an early flight home from Turin without fear of having to return.

Simon Thornton started the day level par after finishing his first round early in the morning. But a double bogeyed on his second hole in round 2, was followed by two more dropped shots to make the turn in 40. Another two dropped shots on the homeward leg left the Newcastle resident on 6 over and missing another cut a week after falling short in Spain.

Gary Murphy played the first nine holes in one over par needing to post a score to break out of the current rut. He managed to balance two errors with birdies to reach the 15th level. But a birdie, double bogey, par and bogey finish gave him a 78 and a total of 8 over.

Italian Matteo Manassero made the turn in 33 and completed the day with a 70 - even after a double bogey on the 16th – to remain 4 under for his first event as a professional.

Turkish Delight for Kavanagh

 Hazel Kavanagh shot a four under par 69 on day one of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open in Belek near Antalya to take second place and remain one shot behind the event leader, Iben Tinning of Denmark, who signed for a 68 at the National Club.

Kavanagh of Team Ireland and the Spawell Driving Range shot four birdies on the front nine holes to reach the halfway in 33 shots. The Dubliner followed it with a level par back nine with one bogey and birdie to sign for a 69.

Rebecca Coakley started with a birdie and a bogey to go through the first nine holes in one over par. Still level at the 15th, after a birdie and a bogey, Coakley then dropped two shots on 17 and 18 to finish on 2 over.

Alison Walshe started with a bogey on the 10th and followed immediately with a birdie to level things. But dropped shots on 3, 5 and 8 gave her a 39 at the turn. After a level par back nine Walshe signed for a 76 to remain 3 over.

Tara Delaney also opened with a bogey and then carded 3 birdies to make the turn in 34 shots but went on to drop seven shots on the back nine to sign for a 78 and remain 5 over.

Martina Gillen opened with a bogey and followed it with a birdie on the second. By the turn Gillen had 42 shots on her card having carded three more bogeys. With a level par back nine Gillen signed for a 6 over par total of 79.

The National was the first real Championship golf course to be built in Turkey and was designed by Irish golfers David Jones and David Feherty in 1994. The course is par 73 and 6,211 yards long