Golf, by TourMiss

Four years after playing an Irish Open practice round alongside Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will return the favour for three of Ireland’s top amateurs afforded invitations to contest this week’s championship at Carton House. Lowry, as then amateur, used the knowledge gleaned in storming to success at Baltray and now the double Race to Dubai winner is keen to impart his experience to the leading Irish amateur trio of Gavin Moynihan, Kevin Phelan and Reeve Whitson. On Friday, the trio were selected ...

New BMW International Open champ, Ernie Els has delivered a blow to Scottish Open organisers saying he intends to withdraw from the July 11th commencing event at Castle Stuart. Els’ name appears on the European Tour website list of entries but the double Scottish Open champion intends instead to focus purely on his intended next event – his defence of the Open Championship. The South African, and reigning Open Champion, will get his first look at Muirfield tomorrow (TUES) playing a practice round ...

Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn has passed up the opportunity in making amends for his 2003 British Open demise by withdrawing from Monday’s International Qualifier at Sunningdale in England. The 42-year old Dane declares he’s getting ‘too old’ for 36 rounds in a day and instead will seek to qualify for golf’s oldest Major by other means. A decade ago, Bjorn led the 2003 Open by two shots with three holes to play but a 16th hole double bogey saw him finish joint second and a shot behind American ...

Two days after being selected to represent Ireland at the European Amateur Team championship and three of the team members have been rewarded with an invitation to contest Thursday’s starting Irish Open at Carton House. Gavin Moynihan (The Island GC), Kevin Phelan (Waterville GC) and Reeve Whitson (Mourne GC) will now join this week’s Irish Open. The trio were annoucned on Friday as part of the six-man team heading to the European Amateur Team event starting on July 9th at the Silkeborg ...

BMW officials this morning announced the 2014 BMW International Open will be contested in Cologne next year. The 26th edition of the prestigious German event will again be staged at the Jack Nicklaus designed Gut Larcenhof course at Pulheim to the north of the ancient German city. It will be the second occasion in three years the event will be staged in Cologne as part of BMW’s policy now of moving the tournament between Munich and Cologne. England’s Danny Willett last year defeated Australia’s ...

Fellow Scot Sandy Lyle has issued a subtle reminder to Colin Montgomerie as he this week’s makes his seniors tour debut in Pittsburgh, and a hopeful first-ever ‘Major’ success. Monty turned 50 today and he’ll step out onto the Fox Chapel Golf Club on Thursday for the Senior Players Championship and the third of five Majors for the over-50 brigade. Lyle is five years older than Monty but is yet to win on the lucrative US Seniors circuit. And Lyle joked:  “Just because Monty’s won a whole ...

Sergio Garcia will take a three break from golf declaring he needs a rest ahead of The Open after the controversy in recent weeks. Despite his politically incorrect ‘fried chicken’ comments last month, Garcia returned to the European Tour to post a third round seven under par 65 and move to 12-under par, and just a handful of shots from the lead in the BMW International Open in Munich. It was Garcia’s lowest round in some seven months since a first and third day 64s in last year’s Race to ...