The gift of bilocation isn’t one that anyone has mastered, which is why Sara Byrne will be finishing her amateur career – representing Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale – rather than playing in the clashing KPMG Irish Women’s Open at Carton House in Maynooth, Co Kildare.
Byrne safely negotiated a route through the LPGA Tour Q-Series Qualifying Stage at Rancho Mirage in California over the weekend before undertaking the long haul flight back to this side of the Atlantic to finish what has been an outstanding amateur career.
The unfortunate clash of scheduling between the Curtis Cup and the Irish Open has meant Byrne, Áine Donegan and Beth Coulter – the three Irish players on Catriona Matthew’s Curtis Cup team – will be in team mode, as GB&I seek to win the competition for the first time since it was staged at Dún Laoghaire in 2016 when, coincidentally, there were three Irish women (Leona Maguire, Maria Dunne and Olivia Mehaffey) on the winning team.
“It would be perfect to finish amateur golf at the Curtis Cup and turn pro; winning would be a perfect ending to it all,” said Byrne, from Douglas in Co Cork, who graduated from the University of Miami earlier this year.
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After Sunningdale, it will be a quick move into professional life with the next stage of the LPGA Tour Q-Series set for the Plantation Club in Florida on October 15th-18th. And, hopefully, plenty of opportunities at future Irish Opens in the next phase of her golfing life.
Fitzpatrick left fuming after cracked driver ruling
Matt Fitzpatrick wasn’t impressed at all with rules officialdom at the BMW Championship which denied him the opportunity to change his driver mid-round after his club was damaged through no fault of his own.
The English golfer’s driver had a noticeable crack on the clubface and the effect of the damage was demonstrated when Fitzy used it for a tee shot which saw the ball flight take a low, hooked trajectory.
No use, though. The PGA Tour’s chief referee Stephen Cox deemed it to be a “minor crack” which apparently did not meet the threshold of being “significantly damaged”.
Fitzpatrick – who had two spare driver clubfaces safely in his locker – wasn’t amused. “An absolute disgrace,” he fumed.
To rub salt into open wounds, he failed to advance to the Tour Championship.
By the Numbers: 13
An indication of the ever-growing depth of women’s golf in the country is evidenced by the fact that almost 10 per cent of the field at this week’s KPMG Irish Women’s Open are home-grown. Professionals Leona Maguire, Lauren Walsh and Olivia Mehaffey are joined by Anna Foster and Anabel Wilson (both making their professional debuts on a sponsor’s invite) along with nine amateurs – Róisín Scanlon, Kate Lanigan, Emma Fleming, Kate Dillon, Olivia Costello, Aideen Walsh, Canice Screen and Anna Abom – to make for 13 Irish players competing in the LET event.
Word of Mouth
“I think you could have given Phil or Tiger a chance to be captain at my age and they would have played on the teams. But it’s never really had a chance to happen. It’s going to be really hard for me to make that team, but if I make the team, I’ll play. I don’t see myself being a captain’s pick. But I’ll be proud to just be the captain. If I have to go out there and play, I’d love to do that, too” – Keegan Bradley, the US Ryder Cup captain for Bethpage next year, on the possibility of being a playing captain following his win in the BMW Championship. Bradley moved to 11th in the updated world rankings and to fourth on the FedEx Cup standings.
On this day: August 27th, 1979
Tom Watson’s fifth win of the season on the PGA Tour came in the Colgate Hall of Fame Classic at Pinehurst No. 2 where he successfully defended his title, beating Johnny Miller in a playoff.
For his efforts, aside from the monetary gains, Watson and his wife Linda were presented with a pair of baby shoes, each with two spikes on the sole, in anticipation of the impending birth of the couple’s first child!
Watson, as it happened, earned a pay-day of $45,000 for his win which deprived Miller a chance to end his drought having failed to win on tour since 1976.
“I thought I had all the marbles,” quipped Miller of letting outright victory slip from his grasp with a hooked drive on the 72nd hole which resulted in a bogey and dropped him into a playoff with Watson after both finished on 12-under-par 272.
Watson won on the second hole of the playoff with a par which gave him a fifth win of the season – to go with his Heritage, Tournament of Champions, Byron Nelson Classic and Memorial successes – as he topped the PGA Tour order of merit.
X-Twitter Talk
A sad day for my family and I today, as we lost Wilson after a week fighting sepsis. We had a great 5 years together and we will always remember the good times he gave us – Pádraig Harrington on sadly losing his Bernese Mountain dog.
Victory is sweeter when you share it with those you love. Congratulations to Keegan Bradley on the fantastic win and to his father Mark Bradley, PGA, for being the best support system – the PGA of America posting their affection for their US Ryder Cup captain and son of one of their own.
A playing captain’s assistant for the US Team? – from the President’s Cup social media site. Interestingly, Bradley liked and reposted within minutes.
Know the Rules
Q A player chips his ball on to the green where it comes to rest at the top of the slope. As he walks on to the putting surface, but some way away from reaching his ball, it starts to move again down the slope closer to the hole. Can the player proceed to play the ball from its new position?
A Yes. This situation is covered under Rule 13.1d which allows for when a ball on the putting green is moved by wind, water or other natural forces. If the ball had been lifted and replaced on its original spot before it moved, the ball must always be replaced on the original spot, regardless of what caused it to move. In this situation, the ball can be played from its new spot as it had not been lifted and replaced before it moved.
In the Bag - Lydia Ko
AIG Women’s Open
Driver – Ping G430 LST
3-wood – Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
5-wood – Ping G430 Max (18 degrees)
Hybrid – Ping G430 (22 degrees)
Irons – Ping i230 (5-7), Ping Blueprint S (8-9)
Wedges – Titleist Vokey SM9 (PW), Titleist Vokey SM9 (48, 54 and 58 degrees)
Putter – Scotty Cameron GSS
Ball – Titleist ProV1x
