DP World Tour : Amgen Irish Open Weather Tee Times
Spaniard Angel Hidalgo tied a DP World Tour course record 63 to force his way into the final pair, where Frenchman Adrien Saddier hung onto his lead with McIlroy in contention, sets the stage for today's Sunday finale at the Amgen Irish Open.
Sunday weather: Partly sunny and breezy with the chance of an isolated shower 20%. 18*c wind 8-12mph, SW.
Hidalgo admitted he felt like he was playing a video game as he fired seven straight birdies on the front nine. Four more followed between the 10th and 15th and though a trip to the water at the 16th took some of the shine off the Spaniard's round, he finished with a birdie to set the clubhouse lead at -14.
No DP World Tour player has ever made more than his 12 birdies in a single round, with Hidalgo the ninth player to achieve the feat and the third in the last three years, following Matt Wallace at the 2023 DP World Tour Championship and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen at last year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Asked to describe his round, Hidalgo said: "Well, I can't. I really felt for a few moments I was playing on the PlayStation, to be honest. Every single shot was directly to the pin. I was feeling since the shot on hole number three - I hit a perfect shot - I felt in control with the swing. I felt smooth," he said. "I said to my caddie, 'okay, it's a moment to throw the coin and see if we can go really low'."
Hidalgo is the second player to make 12 birdies in a DP World Tour round at The K Club, following Darren Clarke in his course-record 60 in the 1999 Smurfit European Open.
The remaining players in the 12-birdie club are Fred Couples (1991 Scandinavian Masters), Ernie Els (1994 Dubai Desert Classic), Russell Claydon (1995 Mercedes German Masters), Jeppe Huldah (2010 Portugal Masters) and Raphaël Jacquelin (2013 Turkish Airlines Open).
Saddier, playing in the final group after starting the day one shot behind overnight leader Joakim Lagergren, responded with a 68 to reach -15.
He led after two rounds of last week's Omega European Masters before fading over the weekend and he said: "There is still 18 holes to play, so a lot of things can happen. As I said yesterday, I crushed myself last weekend.
"I have a good chance. I was with my team on Monday, and I'm focused on tomorrow and what I have to do and what I can control. We'll see what happens."
World Number Two and home favourite Rory McIlroy is the big name in the chasing pack, four off the lead at -11 after a 68, one behind Saturday's playing partner Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, who had two eagles in his 67. They will need to get off to a fast start to catch the leaders.
Lagergren shot 73 and was alongside McIlroy at -11. Oliver Lindell, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Jacob Skov Olesen shared sixth place on -10, with the latter's namesake and fellow Dane Thorbjørn Olesen a further shot back at -9.
edit>>>> Canada's Aaron Cockerill couldn't make a birdie all day, and his 5 bogey's had him heading in the wrong direction. However a brilliant approach to 6' at the par 5 18th, led him to a much needed eagle 3, 75 will see him begin play T38 -3.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
No comments:
Post a Comment