OLDEST IRISH AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN USA, ESTABLISHED IN 1928
Category: Archive

Golf Roundup 73 spoils Murphy’s march

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By John Manley

Gary Murphy represented Ireland’s best shot in the North West of Ireland Open at Slieve Russell in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan. The Kilkenny man sat well poised to keep the trophy on home soil as he shared the lead at the halfway point. But a 73 in Sunday’s final round relegated him to a tie for seventh place.

Murphy, in his first full year on the European Tour, opened with a 2-under-par 70, then tied the course record in the second round with a 66. A 70 in the third round still left him in the hunt come Sunday, but he wasn’t up to the challenge, finishing four strokes behind Massimo Scarpa.

PGA Championship

Darren Clarke shared ninth place with six others as the year’s fourth and final major went to Tiger Woods, who won a playoff with Bob May, at Valhalla in Louisville, Ky. Clarke was tied for third place, only two strokes off the lead, as he opened with a four-under-par 68 on Thursday. Two subsequent rounds of 72 kept him from sustaining his challenge. A final-round 67 enabled him to creep back up the leaderboard, finishing at nine-under 279 for 72 holes, nine shots behind the leaders.

Padraig Harrington recovered from a 75 on Thursday to make the cut with a 72 on Friday. He bettered that with a 69 on Saturday, but fell backwards on Sunday with a 74. He tied for 59th place with a 2-over 290.

Sign up to The Irish Echo Newsletter

Paul McGinley missed the cut by two strokes. He shot 149 (74-75) for 36 holes.

Met Open

P.J. Cowan finished tied for that spot in the Metropolitan Golf Association/Met Life Open at the Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, N.J. Cowan was tied for the second-round lead, after carding scores of 68 and 70, but his final round 72, left him at 210, three shots behind champion Michael Gilmore. Cowan earned $9,000.

Earlier this month, Cowan defeated many of the same rivals in the New York Open Championship at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale. His final score of one-under-par 209 comprised rounds of 68, 70 and 71. The runners-up were five strokes back. Cowan, who won this tournament for the third time, earned $15,000.

Euro Challenge

Francis Howley sat only a stroke off the lead after three rounds of the Norwegian Open, but bad weather in Oslo conspired to cancel the final round, leaving the Sligo man tied for fourth place at 207 (68-71-68). The trio at 206 ventured out to decide the championship by themselves, with Paul Nilbrink emerging victorious on the second playoff hole.

BUY.COM Tour

John Kernohan tied for 22nd place in the Fort Smith Classic, played over the Hardscrabble Country Club course in Fort Smith, Ark. Kernohan vied for the early lead with a four-under-par 66, and remained within hailing distance of the lead with a second round 68. A 71 in the third round ended his title hopes. He came back on Sunday with a 68. He took home $4,220.

Other Articles You Might Like

Sign up to our Daily Newsletter

Click to access the login or register cheese