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PGA European - The Irish Open Preview
From The Sports Network
| DATES: Thursday, June 28th through Sunday, July 1st |
| SITE: Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| COURSE ARCHITECT: Harry Colt (1929), PG Stevenson, Sir Anthony Babington |
| (1946) |
| Hole-By-Hole: | 1 - Par 4 416 Yds | 10 - Par 5 478 Yds | |
| 2 - Par 5 528 Yds | 11 - Par 3 191 Yds | |
| 3 - Par 3 174 Yds | 12 - Par 4 412 Yds | |
| 4 - Par 4 479 Yds | 13 - Par 4 418 Yds | |
| 5 - Par 4 411 Yds | 14 - Par 3 210 Yds | |
| 6 - Par 3 189 Yds | 15 - Par 4 391 Yds | |
| 7 - Par 4 431 Yds | 16 - Par 4 442 Yds | |
| 8 - Par 4 433 Yds | 17 - Par 5 581 Yds | |
| 9 - Par 5 475 Yds | 18 - Par 4 484 Yds | |
| ------------- | ------------- | |
| 36 3,536 Yds | 36 3,607 Yds | |
| Annual: | 57th |
| Television: | Golf Channel - Thursday -- 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. (et), |
| | - Friday -- 9-11:30 a.m. (et), |
| | - Saturday/Sunday -- 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (et) |
| Defending Champion: | Simon Dyson |
| Runner-Up: | Richard Green |
| Tournament Record: | 266 (Colin Montgomerie, 2001; Ross Fisher, 2010) |
| 54-Hole Record: | 198 (Rolf Muntz, 2000) |
| 36-Hole Record: | 129 (Patrik Sjoland, 2000; Shane Lowry, 2009) |
| 18-Hole Record: | 61 (Graeme McDowell, 2009; Ross Fisher, 2010) |
| Course Record: | 68 (Patrick McCrudden, 2010) |
| Total Purse: | $2,497,318 (2,000,000 euros) |
| Shares: | 1st Place - $417,262; 2nd Place - $278,175; 3rd Place - $156,725 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Player | Score | Player | Score |
| Simon Dyson | 269 | Soren Hansen | 274 |
| Richard Green | 270 | Alexandre Kaleka | 274 |
| Stephen Gallacher | 272 | David Howell | 275 |
| Bernd Wiesberger | 273 | Peter Lawrie | 275 |
| Ignacio Garrido | 274 | Lorenzo Gagli | 275 |
| Past Irish Open Winners |
| Year | Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up |
| 2011 | Simon Dyson (269) -- Richard Green |
| 2010 | Ross Fisher (266) -- Padraig Harrington |
| 2009 | *Shane Lowry (a) (271) -- Robert Rock |
| 2008 | Richard Finch (278) -- Felipe Aguilar |
| 2007 | *Padraig Harrington (283) -- Bradley Dredge |
| 2006 | Thomas Bjorn (283) -- Paul Casey |
| 2005 | *Stephen Dodd (279) -- David Howell |
| 2004 | Brett Rumford (274) -- Padraig Harrington, Raphael Jacquelin |
| 2003 | *Michael Campbell (277) -- Peter Hedblom, Thomas Bjorn |
| 2002 | *Soren Hansen (270) -- Darren Fichardt, Richard Bland, Niclas Fasth |
| 2001 | Colin Montgomerie (266) -- Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, |
| Niclas Fasth |
| 2000 | Patrick Sjoland (270) -- Fredrik Jacobson |
| 1999 | Sergio Garcia (268) -- Angel Cabrera |
| 1998 | *David Carter (278) -- Colin Montgomerie |
| 1997 | Colin Montgomerie (269) -- Lee Westwood |
| 1996 | Colin Montgomerie (279) -- Andrew Oldcorn, Wayne Riley |
| 1995 | *Sam Torrance (277) -- Howard Clark, Stuart Cage |
| 1994 | Bernhard Langer (275) -- Robert Allenby, John Daly |
| 1993 | *Nick Faldo (276) -- Jose Maria Olazabal |
| 1992 | *Nick Faldo (274) -- Wayne Westner |
| 1991 | Nick Faldo (283) -- Colin Montgomerie |
| 1990 | Jose Maria Olazabal (282) -- Frank Nobilo, Mark Calcavecchia |
| 1989 | *Ian Woosnam (278) -- Philip Walton |
| 1988 | Ian Woosnam (278) -- Nick Faldo, Manuel Pinero, Des Smyth, |
| Jose Maria Olazabal |
| 1987 | Bernhard Langer (269) -- Sandy Lyle |
| 1986 | Seve Ballesteros (285) -- Rodger Davis, Mark McNulty |
| 1985 | *Seve Ballesteros (278) -- Bernhard Langer |
| 1984 | Bernhard Langer (267) -- Mark James |
| 1983 | Seve Ballesteros (271) -- Brian Barnes |
| 1982 | John O'Leary (287) -- Maurice Bembridge |
| 1981 | Sam Torrance (276) -- Nick Faldo |
| 1980 | Mark James (284) -- Brian Barnes |
| 1979 | Mark James (282) -- Ed Sneed |
| 1978 | Ken Brown (281) -- Seve Ballesteros, John O'Leary |
| 1977 | Hubert Green (283) -- Ben Crenshaw |
| 1976 | Ben Crenshaw (284) -- Brian Barnes, Martin Foster, Billy Casper |
| 1975 | Christy O'Connor Jr (275) -- Harry Bannerman |
| 1974 | Not Held |
| 1973 | Not Held |
| 1972 | Not Held |
| 1971 | Not Held |
| 1970 | Not Held |
| 1969 | Not Held |
| 1968 | Not Held |
| 1967 | Not Held |
| 1966 | Not Held |
| 1965 | Not Held |
| 1964 | Not Held |
| 1963 | Not Held |
| 1962 | Not Held |
| 1961 | Not Held |
| 1960 | Not Held |
| 1959 | Not Held |
| 1958 | Not Held |
| 1957 | Not Held |
| 1956 | Not Held |
| 1955 | Not Held |
| 1954 | Not Held |
| 1953 | E.Brown (272) |
| 1952 | Not Held |
| 1951 | Not Held |
| 1950 | H.Pickworth (287) |
| 1949 | H.Bradshaw (286) |
| 1948 | D.Rees (295) |
| 1947 | H.Bradshaw (290) |
| 1946 | F.Daly (288) |
| 1945 | Not Held |
| 1944 | Not Held |
| 1943 | Not Held |
| 1942 | Not Held |
| 1941 | Not Held |
| 1940 | Not Held |
| 1939 | A.Lees (287) |
| 1938 | A.Locke (292) |
| 1937 | B.Gadd (284) |
| 1936 | R.Whitcombe (281) |
| 1935 | E.Whitcombe (292) |
| 1934 | S.Easterbrook (284) |
| 1933 | E.Kenyon (286) |
| 1932 | A.Padgham (283) |
| 1931 | E.Kenyon (291) |
| 1930 | C.Whitcombe (289) |
| 1929 | Abe Mitchell (309) |
| 1928 | E.Whitcombe (288) |
| 1927 | George Duncan (312) |
| Note:Formerly called Carrolls Irish Open (1975-93), Murphy's Irish Open |
|
(1994-2002), Nissan Irish Open (2003-06), 3 Irish Open (2009-10).
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| Top Contenders in the Field |
| Player | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Simon Dyson | wd | T-71 | T-49 | T-13 | T-60 | T-7 | mc | T-41 | mc | Won |
| Richard Green | mc | mc | --- | T-28 | mc | T-4 | T-40 | mc | T-5 | 2nd |
| Ross Fisher | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-5 | mc | T-24 | T-50 | Won | T-17 |
| Damien McGrane | --- | T-47 | T-39 | --- | T-19 | T-12 | mc | T-57 | T-35 | T-21 |
| Graeme McDowell | T-27 | mc | T-11 | mc | mc | T-31 | mc | wd | T-31 | T-25 |
| Rory McIlroy | --- | --- | --- | mc | --- | --- | 7th | T-50 | T-35 | T-34 |
| Anthony Wall | mc | --- | T-26 | mc | T-5 | mc | T-10 | T-10 | T-39 | T-34 |
| Maarten Lafeber | mc | T-36 | --- | T-22 | T-5 | T-45 | T-3 | T-41 | T-53 | 71st |
| Padraig Harrington | T-6 | mc | T-2 | T-5 | 11th | Won | T-31 | mc | 2nd | mc |
| G. Fdez-Castano | --- | --- | --- | mc | T-44 | --- | --- | mc | T-3 | mc |
| Darren Clarke | T-27 | T-47 | T-64 | 17th | 3rd | --- | T-16 | T-14 | T-12 | mc |
| Paul McGinley | --- | T-33 | T-5 | T-28 | wd | T-58 | T-16 | T-67 | T-14 | mc |
| Shane Lowry | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Won | T-21 | mc |
| Richard Finch | --- | --- | --- | T-22 | mc | mc | Won | mc | T-31 | mc |
| R. Cabrera Bello | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-37 | --- | T-20 | mc | mc |
| Michael Campbell | --- | Won | T-22 | mc | T-12 | mc | --- | mc | mc | mc |
| Robert Rock | --- | 74th | T-22 | --- | T-5 | mc | mc | 2nd | dq | mc |
| Danny Willett | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | mc |
| Brett Rumford | mc | T-17 | Won | T-49 | T-53 | T-52 | --- | T-8 | T-9 | wd |
| Francesco Molinari | --- | --- | --- | T-43 | T-56 | T-7 | mc | dq | 8th | --- |
| Paul Lawrie | T-16 | --- | mc | mc | T-37 | mc | mc | T-30 | T-14 | --- |
| Nicolas Colsaerts | --- | T-36 | --- | --- | T-53 | --- | --- | --- | T-21 | --- |
| John Daly | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | mc | --- | --- |
| Keegan Bradley | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Branden Grace | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano |
| Darkhorse - Paul McGinley |
| |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Paul Lawrie) - Finished tied for 23rd |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Ross Fisher) - Finished tied for 8th |
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| NOTES: |
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The European Tour heads to Northern Ireland this week for the Irish Open. The
field is highlighted by major championship winners from Ireland - Rory
McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke. American
Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner, is also in the field.
McIlroy and McDowell are playing for the first time since the U.S. Open.
McIlroy missed the cut in defense of his 2011 title, while McDowell, the 2010
U.S. Open champion, finished tied for second. Harrington has played well
lately, finishing in the top 15 in four of his last five events, including a
tie for fourth at the U.S. Open.
This will be the first time since 1953 that this tournament will be staged in
Northern Ireland. Royal Portrush has hosted this event four times, with the
last coming in 1947. Royal Portrush hosted the 1951 British Open Championship,
won by Max Faulkner.
Last year, Simon Dyson birdied two of the last three holes to win by one
stroke over Richard Green, who bogeyed the final hole. Dyson finished at 15-
under-par 269 for his fifth European Tour victory. Peter Lawrie was the top
finisher from Ireland, as he tied for 8th.
In 2009, despite missing a birdie putt on 18th hole in regulation, Irish
amateur Shane Lowry was victorious thanks to a two-putt par on the third
playoff hole. Lowry joined Pablo Martin and Danny Lee as the only three
amateurs to win on the European Tour. He was the first player to win in his
European Tour debut since American Ben Curtis won the British Open in 2003.
Harrington in 2007 held on to beat Bradley Dredge in a playoff to become the
first Irishman in 25 years to win the European Tour's biggest event on the
Emerald Isle. An exciting finish to the final round gave way to an
anticlimactic playoff, when Dredge plugged his third shot at the par-five 18th
into the bank of a pond on the way to a double-bogey. Harrington made par and
became the first Irishman to win this event since John O'Leary in 1982.
In 2006, Thomas Bjorn birdied the 72nd hole on Monday to win. Bjorn closed
with an even-par 72 to end at 5-under-par 283 for a one-shot win over Paul
Casey. Bjorn seemed out of the tournament after he opened with a six-over 78
in the first round and trailed by nine shots. A course-record-tying 66 got him
back to even-par after two rounds and a 5-under 67 in round three got him
into contention. The tournament was plagued by weather issues causing the
Monday finish. Bjorn's opening-round 78 tied the highest first round score by
a winner in European Tour history, set by George Burns at the 1975 Kerrygold
International.
There have been 11 playoffs in tournament history, including five of the last
10 years. The 11 playoffs are the most at any one event on the European Tour.
In 2001, Colin Montgomerie became the fourth player in event history to
capture this title three times, when he led wire-to-wire, defeating
Harrington, Clarke and Niclas Fasth by five shots. Montgomerie joined Nick
Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Seve Ballesteros as a three-time winner.
There have been only five champions who have posted all four rounds in the
60s: 2002 - Soren Hansen (Fota Island) 69-69-64-68; 2001 - Montgomerie (Fota
Island) 63-69-68-66; 1999 - Sergio Garcia (Druids Glen) 69-68-67-64; 1987 -
Langer (Portmarnock) 67-68-66-68; 1984 - Langer (Royal Dublin) 68-66-67-66.
Montgomerie was the last player to win back-to-back (1996-97), while Faldo is
the only player to win three consecutive years (1991-93). There have been four
wire-to-wire winners: Christy O'Connor Jr. (1975), Langer (1987), Faldo (1992)
and Montgomerie (2001).
Only seven times has an Irishman won this event: 2009 - Lowry (County Louth
Golf Club), 2007 - Harrington (Adare Manor), 1982 - John O'Leary
(Portmarnock), 1975 - O'Connor, Jr. (Woodbrook), 1949 - Harry Bradshaw
(Belvoir Park), 1947 - Bradshaw (Royal Portrush) and 1946 - Fred Daly
(Portmarnock). Americans have captured this event only twice, in 1976 and
1977, when Ben Crenshaw and Hubert Green won the tournament.
The European Tour moves to France next week for the Alstom Open de France in
Paris, where Thomas Levet will defend the title in his home country.
06/26 16:43:28 ET
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As of June 26, 2012, at 04:43 PM ET
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