Open season for McDowell at Congressional
Graeme McDowell breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered that Congressional is not the monster he once feared.
The defending champion was beaten up by the 7,574 yard beast when he played it in damp conditions early last month.
Six weeks later it’s playing faster and firmer and McDowell reckons he’s now got a realistic chance of defending his title in what he believes will be a wide open US Open.
Midway through a practice round with debutant Shane Lowry, McDowell said: “It’s firm enough to be wide open. Length is not an issue.
“Coming here today, the golf course is playing at least 10 percent shorter, maybe 20 percent shorter that it did six weeks ago.
“The fairways are reasonably firm and the greens look like they could get ultra firm. Even though there are some thunderstorms forecast I reckon these things could be like rocks by the end of the week. Anybody could win here”
McDowell was shocked by how long the man-sized course played when turned up for a practice round on May 2.
Demoralised after just a few holes, he told his fans on Twitter: “Nobody will break par.”
He felt it was set up for a long hitter but now he’s having a hard time picking a winner.
He said: “I haven’t got my head around who is going to win here this week but it is going to test all aspects of the game. It is a tricky driving course and the fairways are quite narrow in places.
“Does it suit a right to left shaper? Not really. There is not a huge amount of turn in the fairways.
“In and around the greens is going to be key. The winner is going to be somebody who is smart and is smart at flighting their irons into the greens and then chips and putts well after that.”
The last nine majors have been won by nine different players and like McDowell, US PGA champion Martin Kaymer believes picking a winner this week is a lottery.
The German believes that up to 40 players have a chance, explaining: “Probably 10, 15 years ago it was there were only 10 or 12 players, but now it’s so spread out. It’s so open.
“It can be a young guy. It can be (Ryo) Ishikawa, it can be Rory McIlroy, or it can be David Toms, as you saw at Sawgrass. It’s very open. It’s tough to say. But I think definitely it’s very open at the moment – it can be anybody, 30, 40 players is my guess.”
McDowell has struggled with his game in recent weeks, combining brilliant golf with three rounds in the high 70s or low 80s.
But he worked overtime with swing coach Pete Cowen at his Orlando base at the weekend and reckons he’s back on track with his game.
McDowell said: “I spent about 12 hours on the range with Pete – a couple on Friday evening and the rest on Saturday and Sunday – and it worked out really well.
“It was hot and humid a good acclimatisation as far as getting used to the heat and humidity that we are going to get here at the weekend.
“I love the course and the set up. It’s a great venue and it’s going to be a great US Open.”
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Distracted Harrington in fitness battle
Padraig Harrington is battling to be fit for next week’s BMW PGA at Wentworth.
The Dubliner, 39, tweaked a hamstring playing with his children before heading to the US for the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago. The injury put pressure on Harrington’s right knee, operated on nearly 12 months ago to repair a cartilage tear.
As a result, Harrington immediately sought medical treatment on Monday and will spend the next week in cotton wool as he counts down to Wentworth and next month’s US Open at Congressional.
Down two places to 43rd in the world, it’s an unwelcome problem for the three-time major who has struggled to find any consistency in his game this season and made just two of his last six cuts.
He recorded a top 10 finish at Quail Hollow two weeks ago but his knee gave him serious trouble during the Players Championship at Sawgrass and he missed the cut comfortably after rounds of 73 and 78.
“It was tough going with my knee, which was giving me quite a bit of pain during the week,” Harrington wrote on his website. “I had expected it to be pretty much gone by the time I started on Thursday but unfortunately it was probably worse.
“The pain was quite severe when it came – a sudden stabbing pain when I made certain movements. A lot of the time I was feeling it just before I took the club away, which was a big distraction and it was also very painful when I was walking on a side slope.
“I had to hit a shot from a grass bunker on the 15th on Thursday – I was standing on a steep slope and it must have taken me a minute to get into position as it was very sore.
“I am still very disappointed to have missed the cut, as I was looking forward to the week and feeling good about my game after the weekend of the Wells Fargo Championship.”
Hardly a week goes by without Harrington announcing another tweak to his game or is set up. He changed his putting routine (amongst other things) at the start of the season and then gave up that experiment mid-way through the opening round of the Masters, citing lack of feel.
Now he’s decided to try a new pre-shot routine that he hopes will reduce his tendency to get distracted over the ball. Ironically, the whole process proved to be a distraction at Sawgrass.
He wrote: “I did some work with Bob Rotella and I decided to change my pre-shot routine, as I wanted to stop looking up before I hit. However, when in action on Thursday I found it a major distraction as I wasn’t comfortable with the new routine.
“I probably should have waited to work on it during my week off before changing it but I liked how it felt on the range and wanted to see how it was in a tournament.
“I went back to my old routine after three holes but I then found it quite distracting too. I am still going to change to the new routine but I will work on it this week so as to get comfortable with it.”
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Clarke targets Ryder Cup return in Chicago
Darren Clarke insists he can still win a major and win back his Ryder Cup place after snatching his first win for three years in Mallorca.
The Ulsterman, 42, leapt 36 spots to world No 88 thanks to his three-shot win at the Iberdrola Open.
Now just one win away from a return to the world’s top 50, he sees no reason why he can’t challenge for a place in the 2012 Ryder Cup team alongside Ulster stars Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, six years after his last appearance at the K Club.
Clarke roared: “It’s great to win again. With Rory and GMac doing as well as they have been it’s nice to sneak myself back into winner’s circle again.
“But I’ve still got an awful lot of things I want to do in the game. I want to start winning more frequently again and my swing’s getting better and better.
“Hopefully I can go on from there and start winning regularly again. I have just got to keep doing what I am doing and get better results.
“I used to be very consistent, week in week out and I have got to get that to get back into the top 50 again and if I do then I will be back playing in the tournaments that I want to play in.”
While he’s tipped as a potential Ryder Cup captain in the US in 2016, Clarke reckons he can still win a sixth cap under skipper Jose Maria Olazabal at Medinah near Chicago next year.
He said: “I still feel like I have a lot of golf left in me yet and if that’s the case I will be trying to qualify for the team.
“Ryder Cup captaincy is something you have got to be invited to do and hopefully at some stage I may get asked to do it.
“I would be privileged and honoured to be asked and hopefully I will have the opportunity to do it.
“But that’s a little bit in the distance yet so I want to try and make another team before I take on the captaincy role, if offered.”
Clarke took delight in proving his critics wrong and insisted that he never doubted his ability to win again.
He beamed: “It’s always nice to prove people wrong. I was frustrated that I wasn’t performing the way that I should be and in terms of doubting that I was going to win again, no.
“Golf is very fickle my it’s nature and a few things went my way yesterday and on the other side of the world, they went against GMac. That’s just the game, that’s the way it goes.”
As for that elusive major victory, he believes it’s not an impossible dream either.
He said: “I think my game is good enough. It’s a challenge but I have got to get into them first.
“I am in the Open and hopefully now in the US PGA as well but I have got to get into them to give myself an opportunity to do it.
“I’ve been up there and contended before and hopefully I will get myself back up there again.”
The Ulsterman was back in his adopted home town of Portrush yesterday after splashing out on the flight on drinks for every passenger on his flight back from Mallorca.
His next start is the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth next week, where he hopes to put on another champagne performance.
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Portmarnock in full championship condition
Portmarnock is waiting for its chance to host the Irish Open championship for the 20th time and considering the enhancements made to the course over the past 18 months, you get the distinct impression that the late Seve Ballesteros would approve.
Regarded by many as Ireland’s premier championship venue, the club now has more arguments than ever to back up its claim following what it describes as “many subtle and some significant changes” to its classic links.
The most obvious change is the redesign of the controversial first hole under the direction of Martin Hawtree. Not only has the mounding on the right hand side been eliminated completely but the green has been shifted some 40 yards closer to the estuary, making it a far more forbidding opening gambit that its predecessor.
The trees behind the old green have also been removed and a bail out area created to the left in the shape of a 20-yard wide surround that would have brought out the best in Seve’s incredible short game.
The great Spaniard won the last of his three Irish Open titles at Portmarnock in 1986 and were he to return today, he would find even more scope to show off his remarkable skills around the greens.
“We’ve increased the size of the surrounds so we can create natural run offs,” explains Aberdeen born Gary Johnstone, the links manager. “This gives players the option of using a variety of different clubs from the putter to seven irons for chip and runs or the sand wedge. Giving the players options creates doubt.”
Johnstone and his crew have created new run off areas at the second, third, fourth, eighth, ninth and 14th and enhanced the view and playability of the par-five sixth by cutting away a mound in front of the tee and raising the once low-lying, landing area.
Three new championship tees have also been built, adding around 30 yards each to the par-three 12th and 15th holes and whopping 40 yards to the 18th, which now measures a forbidding 452 yards thanks to the removal of several trees near the old championship tee.
The addition of 100 yards to the course means that it measures is a muscular 7,466 yards from the back stakes, which should be more than enough to test the best amateurs in Europe in Augusta next year when the club hosts the Jacques Leglise and the St Andrews Trophy matches between the cream of Great Britain and Ireland and the Continent of Europe.
The addition of length was required because of advances in technology – a sad indictment of the game’s governing bodies given that it was more than a match for the tour professionals when the Irish Open was last played at the course in 2003.
At least there will be none of the jungle style rough found to the left of the 17th at St Andrews during last year’s Open Championship.
Johnstone and his staff have also eliminated much of the rye grass that created Myanmar-style like conditions in the rough, allowing the fescues to thrive through an aggressive over-seeding programme.
“The fescue percentage on our fairways has increased to around 75 percent, while on the greens were aiming for 90 percent,” explained club captain David Fleury. “In doing this we are ensuring quality year round golfing surfaces.”
He added: “Our ambition is to remain as one of the great links courses of the world… It is an ongoing journey which is never finished but we believe the significant work we have completed this past winter does go a long way towards meeting the ambitions we have set for ourselves.”
Those ambitions include the Irish Open, which was last played at Portmarnock in 2003, when New Zealander Michael Campbell triumphed in a play-off.
Given the controversy over its all male membership, its return will depend on whether or not public money, provided through Failte Ireland, is used to boost the prize fund.
Whatever the future holds for Portmarnock in terms of professional golf and political stances, the club is determined not to stand still when it comes to purely golfing matters.
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Phelan one step from second US Open
Waterford Castle amateur Kevin Phelan will have a chance to qualify for the US Open for the second year in a row.
The 20-year old scholarship student at the University of North Florida was one of just four players to advance to the Sectional Qualifiers – the final qualifying stage – when he finished second in a controversial Local Qualifying tournament at Sawgrass Country Club in Jacksonville on Monday.
Amateur Sean Dale of Jacksonville shot a three under 69 to lead the qualifiers by a shot from Phelan but could be disqualified by the USGA if they rule that he used a non-conforming wedge on two shots during his round.
Initially told his wedge was nonconforming he was later told to ship the club to the USGA, where it will be tested to see if the grooves are too deep.
According to Gary Smitts in the Florida Times Union, Dale only bought the new wedge because his original club was illegal for professional competition:
A Titleist Vokey lob wedge that Dale had purchased at an area retail store over the weekend — and which he used for two shots during the round — was ruled non-conforming under the 2010 United States Golf Association ban of square-grooved wedges.
One of Dale’s playing partners pointed it out and tournament officials called the Florida State Golf Association, which disqualified Dale after hearing a description of the wedge over the phone.
Initially, it was believed that unless the wedge had the letters “CC” stamped on the hosel (conditions of competition), it was non-conforming.
However, at the urging of Dale’s coach at the University of North Florida, Scott Schroeder, tournament chairman Tommy Dudley called USGA manager for equipment standards Carter Rich at the organization’s headquarters in Far Hills, N.J., for clarification of the FSGA ruling.
Walker Cup hopeful Phelan faces no such problems and now has a chance to join defending champion Graeme McDowell at Congressional Country Club near Washington DC from June 13-16.
After qualifying through the local and sectional route to reach the US Open at Pebble Beach last year, he’s keen to get back after missing the cut on his major debut.
“Once you get to a US Open, you always want to get back,” Phelan said after his two under 70 in one of 111 Local Qualifying tournaments. “But I tried to keep that out of my mind. You start looking ahead on this course, and it’s going to bite you.”
Claremorris’ Stephen Healy, a golf scholarship student at Jacksonville University, is second alternate for one of 11 Sectional Qualifiers on June 6 after carding a level par 72 at the Sawgrass Country Club event. He could become first alternate if Dale gets bad news from the USGA.
There also was a controversy over the Florida State Golf Association’s pace-of-play policy, which requires groups to not only finish their rounds in a given time, but finish within 15 minutes of the group ahead of them on both nines.
Six players in two groups didn’t make the deadline of four hours, 40 minutes to complete 18 holes and were more than 15 minutes behind the group ahead of them.
They included third placed qualifier Brian Harman, who had his 70 changed to a 71 with the one-stroke penalty.
Kerry’s Sean Quinlivan qualified for the Sectional qualifiers last week when he shot a 70 to finish third in Local Qualifying at Glen Head Country Club in New York.
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“Captaincy? I want to play the 2018 Ryder Cup” – Harrington
Padraig Harrington insists his goal is to play in the 2018 Ryder Cup at the age of 47.
The struggling Dubliner has been tipped as a potential European skipper in Paris in seven years’ time. But he believes he is about to play the best golf of his life and sees no reason why he can’t aim for what could be his 10th Ryder Cup cap at Le Golf National.
Gunning to become a Ryder Cup golden oldie, Harrington said: “In my head, at this very moment, I will be playing.
“As much as I’d love to captain the team, I am very much a player at the moment and potentially going to play the best golf of my life. I know I turn 40 this year but in my head I feel pretty young and ready to go.”
Paris were the long-time favourites for the 2018 Ryder Cup despite late support for Madrid following the death of Spain’s five-time major winner Severiano Ballesteros 11 days ago.
But Harrington believes that despite the fact that emotions were running high, the best of the five candidates venues got the nod in the end.
Thrilled for France and its players, Harrington told RTE Radio: “It is a tremendous achievement and I think one that’s well deserved.
“They have given an awful lot to the European Tour over the years in terms of players and the event and I think going there gives a degree of certainty.
“We all know it is one of the best golf courses in Europe and well suitable for holding the Ryder Cup. It’s the safe bet, let’s say. You are guaranteed a great Ryder Cup.”
The death of Ballesteros fuelled hopes that the European Tour would award the Ryder Cup to Madrid as a tribute to the Spaniard’s enormous contribution to European golf.
But Harrington believes that the powers at Wentworth came to the right decision after a two year process that saw Paris and Madrid compete with Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
He said: “As much as there is an emotional pull because of Seve, France have put a lot into this. They really do deserve it. They have put in a solid bid all the way through. They did everything right and as much as it would have been great for Madrid and great for Seve’s legacy, Paris is the deserved winner here.”
Harrington believes the European Tour can still honour Ballesteros by replacing its logo with new version featuring the iconic image of Seve punching the air.
Harrington said: “When they brought out the new logo two years ago I said, why couldn’t we use something with more connection for us at the time.
“It is an iconic image of Seve punching the air in St Andrews, it’s the one he had tattooed on his arm and would look fantastic on the European logo.
“He is an iconic figure – there are a lot of deserving people – but Seve is the heart of the European Tour.”
Nursing a knee problem ahead of next week’s BMW PGA at Wentworth, the six-time Ryder Cup star reckons he’s on the right track with his game despite missing four of his last six cuts.
He said: “I am an optimistic person when it comes to my game and I like what I see. I am very happy with where my golf swing is and is going and I’m very happy with where my mental game is going.
“Obviously things have to be brought to the absolute 100 percent but I am happy with the direction and the understanding I have at the moment and I like what I see on the golf course.”
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“Padraig right to change swing” – Sean Foley
Padraig Harrington was right to tinker with his swing after winning three majors in just 13 months.
That’s the view of Tiger Woods’ controversial swing coach Sean Foley, who’s backing the Dubliner’s decision to continue making wholesale changes to his game since he captured the 2008 US PGA.
“I know Harrington and his caddie Ronan and he is kind of the ultimate professional and if he thinks he can get better, he is going to try and do so”, Foley said.
“It is tough for people to understand because he has won three majors, but he must know himself that something just doesn’t feel right or he can get better.”
Foley compared Harrington to Woods, who is changing his swing to avoid injury as he bids to overtake Jack Nicklaus’ haul of 18 major wins.
The Canadian said: “Tiger is the same way. People say, why doesn’t he go back to his swing from 2000-20001 and obviously that was a great golf swing and he played unbelievable with it.
“But it was a little bit detrimental to his knee so he couldn’t go back to that even if he wanted to. So he continues wanting to learn and moving forward with his knee, just based on the fact that he thinks he knows that there is a better way to do it.”
Having worked hard to implement changes that will take the stress off his neck, Harrington has slipped from third to 41st in the world over the past two and a half years.
But Foley insisted: “Nobody works as hard as Padraig out here and he’s showing some form lately. Those three majors didn’t necessarily come out of nowhere because he has always been a fantastic player.”
Had Harrington been disqualified in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, where a spectator accused him of hitting from in front of the tee markers on the 13th in the final round, he would have dropped four spots to 46th in the world.
Officials eventually gave Harrington the benefit of the doubt after reviewing television footage and revisiting the tee in search of his divot.
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Clarke in holiday mood in Mallorca
Darren Clarke remained in holiday mood when he opened with a five under par 65 to trail leader Gregory Bourdy by just two shots in the Iberdrola Open in Mallorca.
Five weeks after his last tour start and recharged following a two-week break in the Bahamas, the Ulsterman had seven birdies and two bogeys at Pula Golf Club to share third place.
“Played really nicely and made just two mistakes a made bogey off both of them at 12 and 13 but overall, very good,” Clarke said. “Good start.”
Clarke started on the back nine and birdied the 10th and 11th before recovering from those mistakes with birdies at the 15th, first, third, sixth and seventh.
“My distance control was very good today and I putted nicely and just played nicely,” he said. “I have had two weeks holidays on the beach in the Bahamas and practiced a little bit. But it has been good to get away from the game a little bit and back playing again.”
Frenchman Bourdy shot a seven under par, course record 63 to lead by a shot from England’s Danny Willett with Clarke tied for thid with James Nixon. Welsman Rhys Davies was three behind on four under with Damien McGrane the next best of the Irish in joint 10th after a 68.
“It’s nice to have a little bit of a break and just get away from it,” Clarke said. “We had a good threeball today and Rhys was playing very nicely and it was very good.”
Clarke has falled to 124th in the world this year and admitted that he took a break to ease his frustration.
“Sometimes in this game when you work and work and work and don’t really see anything, it is time to take a little bit of a break and get away from it,” he confessed. “And that’s what I’ve done.”
An admirer of the course, which was redesigned by Jose Maria Olazabal, he said: “I am very surprised for a resort golf course. I think it is very, very good.
“It’s a stern test to say the least and the greens are going to firm up as the week goes on and it’s going to get tougher and tougher.
“There are a lot of shots you have to play out there and the water is in play an awful lot. As I say, it is a very good test.
“Jose Maria has done a fantastic job on the redesign. I played here many years ago and I could hardly rememebr the golf course so that is a sign of how good a job he has actually done.”
McGrane had five birdies and three bogeys in his 68 as Paul McGinley bogeyed his final hole, the ninth, to post an even par 70.
Offaly’s Shane Lowry complained of tiredness as he carded a disappointing, two over 72 featuring three bogeys and just one birdie.
“Very flat day today,” he tweeted. “Couldn’t get it going. Feeling tired after a long few weeks. Need some energy for tomorrow.”
Simon Thornton also shot 72 as tournament invitee Gary Murphy rescued a four over 74 with three successive birdies on his back nine.
However, it was a bad day at the office for Glasson’s Colm Moriarty, who finished the day second last in the field after an 80.
The Athlone man was two under after five but then doubled the seventh and bogeyed the ninth to turn in one over 36.
One of the late starters, he found the back nine a nightmare and came home in 44 with four bogeys, a double and a triple bogey on his card.
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Harrington battles knee, Tiger withdraws and McDowell regains form at Sawgrass
Padraig Harrington battled through the pain barrier after an injury to his dodgy right knee threatened to derail his challenge for The Players at Sawgrass.
The 39-year old Dubliner, who went under the knife to remove damaged cartilage in his right knee almost 12 months ago, complained in practice of a “stabbing pain” during his takeaway and will have treatment before his second round today.
Harrington hit just four fairways and was forced to rely on his putting as he opened with a one over par 73 to trail leader Nick Watney by nine shots as Graeme McDowell regained some form with an encouraging 67.
“I have taken it easy this week during the practice days as I hurt my knee last week and it is still quite sore,” Harrington before the start.
A limping Tiger Woods withdrew after playing nine holes in a nightmare, six over 42 as he complained of a recurrence of his left knee and Achilles problems.
But while Harrington will soldier on, he was still concerned about doing himself more damage after hurting his already suspect knee during last week’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.
Harrington explained: “I twisted it walking on a slope and it hasn’t recovered. I thought it was something that would just disappear after a day or two but it has been quite sore since.
“If it wasn’t such a big event, I would probably withdraw. I have kept my preparation to a minimum so as not to put any undue pressure on my knee, so hopefully this will help me get through the week.”
The world No 41 was near the top of the leaderboard on three under par with eight holes to play as putted brilliantly for birdies at first, fourth, seventh and 10th.
A bad tee shot cost him a bogey six at the second and he continued to miss fairways for the rest of the round before even his putting let him down.
In the end, he played his last eight holes is four over, bogeying the 11th before three putting twice – for a double bogey six at the 12th and again for a closing bogey from over 50 feet at the 18th.
Late starter Graeme McDowell emerged from his mini slump in impressive fashion when he opened with a five under par 67 that could have been several shots better.
The 31-year old US Open champion, who has missed three of his last four cuts, finished the day three shots behind pacesetter Nick Watney is a share of fifth place after an eagle, four birdies and just one bogey.
Starting on the back nine, McDowell followed birdies at the 10th and 12th with an eagle three from just five and a half feet at the 16th.
He birdied the par-five second and then recovered from a bogey at the short third by holing an overhit greenside bunker shot for an outrageous birdie at the sixth after driving into the trees off the tee.
He had another birdie chance the eighth and then pitch over the back of the par-five ninth from just short of the green and had to scramble for his par five.
McDowell credited coach Pete Cowen with his return to form following an intensive practice session at Lake Nona last week.
He said: “”I’ve been playing some pretty dismal golf the last three or four weeks. New Orleans especially was awful. New Orleans was the straw that broke the camel’s back, really. I knew I couldn’t continue swinging it the way I was swinging it and I had to do something about it.
“So Pete and I got together last Saturday. Went back to basics and tried to build the swing back up from scratch. I found a couple little feelings that were different, and off we go again.
‘ve been beating myself up a little bit. You know, it’s frustrating because we put pressure on ourselves. We want to play well every week that you can play well. But I expect to play better than I have been playing, that’s for sure.
“There have been some frustration levels in there. I’ve been beating myself up, and probably been tough to live with for the people around me as well, caddie’s and agents, et cetera, et cetera. The mind feels a lot more clear the last couple of weeks.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a busy summer, so that’s about the right time to start getting the head screwed back on again. The last six weeks has been tough, but it’s been a little bit of a wake-up call as well.”
McDowell added: “I’ve been working hard the last three or four weeks and not getting anything out of my golf swing. I felt like the light switch came on a little bit over the weekend.
“I found a couple things that just hadn’t been making any sense to me. I started seeing the golf ball behaving again.
“So I’m not trying to say I was expecting to do great things this weekend. I felt like I was on the beginning of — I felt like I was back on the right path again, and I was just coming here this week to try to really start things off, start the summer going, start off on the right foot and get a clear mind and get patient again.
“Just that’s a great way to start the week. I hit some good shots today and made some good swings. Like I say, I haven’t really been seeing that lately so it’s good to see.”
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Maguire twins hit the ladies tour in Portugal
Teen twins Leona and Lisa Maguire will be gunning for glory on Ladies European Tour today.
Leona, 16, was invited to play in the ISPS Handa Portugal Ladies Open at Campo Real near Lisbon as the reigning Portuguese Ladies Amateur Open champion.
But the Cavan sensation also succeeded in getting an invitation for her twin sister Lisa for what will be their fourth start in a professional tour event.
Leona said: “It’s a very nice country. I really like the courses over here and this week, the course isn’t too dissimilar to the one I won on in January. The weather is quite nice and I really like the course so hopefully Portugal is good to me again.
“I’ve played well all season this year so hopefully I can keep that going. I’m pretty happy with my game so we’ll drop a few putts and see what happens.”
After missed cuts in their previous pro starts in the 2009 Ladies Irish Open and the 2007 Northern Ireland Ladies Open, Lisa tied for 40th in last year’s Ladies Irish Open at Killeen Castle with Leona sharing 49th.
Lisa added: “It’s a great opportunity. We always love coming to play a pro event because it’s a totally different experience and to be able to play with some of the best players in Europe is pretty amazing. Hopefully we can play our best this weekend and see where it goes.
Leona has a first round tee time of 9am and will play from the 10th with professionals Line Vedel of Denmark and Australian Kate Combes on Friday. Lisa will play with England’s Holly Aitchison and Denmark’s Lisa Holm Sorensen from the first at 9.20am.
Lisa and Leona appear to be of a similar standard, currently lying in second and third place on the European PING Junior Solheim Cup Team Ranking respectively.
They hope to make their second appearance on the European team when the PING Junior Solheim Cup is played at Knightsbrook on September 20-21.
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