Cup final tickets ease pain of disqualification
The old adage that every cloud has a silver lining was certainly given substance at Carton House yesterday. On Thursday night over dinner Jamie Spence was having a dinner conversation with fellow tour player Roger Chapman when the latter made some remark about Spence's opening day 75 at the Irish Open.
Spence, chairman of the European Tour Tournament committee, was pretty sure he didn't have a 75 and upon further investigation it came to light that he had signed for a wrong score, which meant he was disqualified. In was at that point that he discovered through a phone call, that a friend would be able to provide the Arsenal fan with two tickets to today's FA Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff between the Gunners and Manchester United. The pain of his disqualification was eased by the fact that he could now take his son to the soccer match.
He wasn't the only play to suffer a D/Q as Craig Hanell was similarly punished after playing a ball from the wrong place. Barry Lane retired with a knee injury after just two holes.
Haeggman chasing 10,000 air miles
Joakim Haeggman would be especially motivated to win the Red Bull Final 5 prize this week, the use of a private jet for 10,000 air miles to fly to and from European Tour events. The prize is on offer for the professional with the best aggregate score over his final five holes in the four rounds combined.
Living on Sweden's east coast, Haeggman had to get a flight from his local airport to Copenhagen to catch flights to European Tour events. The airline has since cancelled the service and now he has a four-hour drive to catch flights to compete in Europe and beyond.
He'll have to catch Paul McGinley and defending Irish Open champion Brett Rumford first who lead the competition on four under with 36 holes to play.
Missed cut will lead to more debate
Continuing the English FA Cup final theme Irish golfer Graeme McDowell and his caddie Matt Harbour can be expected to have some lively debate and it won't be on the golf course. The pair missed out on the action at Carton House for the weekend after missing the cut by a shot, McDowell shooting a second round four over regulation figures, 76.
They're likely to get together today so they can watch Manchester United take on Arsenal and a little bit of spice will be thrown in as McDowell is a Red Devil while Harbour is a 'Gooner'.
ManMatters ready for your full MOT
The general consensus is that most men don't rush forward when the opportunity arises to receive a searching examination of their physical wellbeing . . . even when it's free gratis and for nothing. But those brave male souls who head for the Irish Open at Carton House and the tented village in particular can drop into a tent and receive a comprehensive evaluation of among other things, blood pressure, body mass index, fat percentages, height and weight ratios et al. Those willing to undergo the MOT can do so at the ManMatters tent or for more information can log on to www.manmatters.ie.
Moriarty looking forward to the weekend
Colm Moriarty demonstrated plenty of guts to recover from being four over at one stage to shoot a 74 for a one under two-round total and enjoy the mantle of being the second best placed Irishman.
"I got off to a bad start. I was short with a nine iron on the 10th and did the same thing on the 11th; didn't get up and down either time. I made a good up and down on 14 for par and that settled me down. I came back after a couple more bogeys with two birdies and that was crucial.
"The shots I leaked on the 10th and the 11th were annoying because I wasn't in trouble. I was in good position. I didn't commit to them but it was tricky to club yourself in the wind. It's nice to make the cut but I have set my sights higher than that.
"I'm looking forward to the weekend."
