Lucas Bjerregaard of Denmark tees off on the 13th hole during the final round of the Portugal Masters at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course(Getty Images)
PGA Tour: World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
Viktor Hovland, from Norway came to defend his title this weekend and succeeded. Hovland signed four rounds of 67-65-62-67 to achieve a new tournament record of 23-under par. The young star wins his third title on the PGA Tour at the age of 24. Fourteen clubs were too many for him. Hovland let Danny Lee use his driver on the range, and he wracked it. The Norwegian played his best golf with a borrowed driver.
The first Scandinavian names on the leaderboard shows at T45. Henrik Norlander and Alex Noren finished with a total of 8-under par.
PGA Tour
World Wide Tech Championship
Course
Riviera Maya, Mexiko at the El Camaleon Golf Club.
Emily Pedersen, from Denmark, tried to defend champion in Saudi Arabia, but after four rounds of (73-71-67-71), the trophy slipped through her hands. Pedersen finished T17 on the leaderboard with a total of 6-under par. The best Scandinavian performance comes from Sanna Nuutinen (FIN). Nuutinen made a T9 with rounds of (71-65-73-69) for a total of 10-under par. This weekend, the Finnish player pocketed the amount of $19,452.11. Linnea Strom (SWE) and her mate Anna Nordqvist (SWE) wrapped up the event with totals of 9-under and 6-under par respectively.
The Swedish made a Top 20. Those 3 strokes difference mean a couple of thousand dolars. Strom collects $16,426.22 for a T13, while Nordqvist will take home the amount of $14,048.75 for a T17. The Aramco Saudi was not the best tournament for the Scandinavian, but that could easily change for the upcoming ones.
Denmark must be proud. Two of their golfers showed on the top of the leaderboard. Both hand by hand, Nicolai Hojgaard and Lucas Bjerregaard shared the silver medals with a total of 17-under par. What a crazy performance these two had this weekend in Portugal. Only Thomas Pieters of Belgium climbed up one more spot to win the European Tour tournament. Pieters finished 2 strokes ahead of the Danish, with a total of 19-under par.
EU Tour
Portugal Masters 2021
Course
Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course – Vilamoura, Portugal
Prize Money
1.5 Million Euro
Champion
Thomas Pieters
Scandinavian players
Nicolai Hojgaard(T2), Lucas Bjerregaard(T2), Kristoffer Broberg(T12)
The Challenge Tour Grand Final was played in Mallorca, Spain at the T-Golf & Country Club. Markus Helligkilde brought all medals home. The Danish player not only won the tournament, but also the Challenge Tour Ranking. Helligkilde added enough points to move up to #1 after the Grand Final. His mate, Niklas Nørgaard MØLLER (DEN), signed excellent rounds of (72-69-69-70) for a total of 4-under par and a T8 position. Also tied for the 8th place, Jesper KENNEGARD (SWE).
The Grand Final tested the steel nerves of most of the players that were competing to earn their pass to the European Tour next season. The environment was great, and the ceremony ended with a group picture of all 20 classified to the Main Tour.
Challenge Tour
Challenge Tour Grand Final
Course
T-Golf & Country Club Poniente – Mallorca, Spain
Prize Money
450,000 Euro
Champion
Markus Helligkilde
Scandinavian players
Markus Helligkilde(1), Niklas Nørgaard MØLLER(T8), Jesper KENNEGARD(T8)
Craig Howie of Scotland plays his tee shot on the 1st hole during Day One of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final (Getty Images)
First things first, for those who are not very familiar with the different Tours, the European Challenge Tour is the male subcategory of the Main European Tour. Since its inception in 1989, the Challenge Tour has developed into a proven training ground, where the champions-in-waiting compete across the globe for a place on the European Tour. Many players who have progressed from the Challenge Tour have gone on to become Major Champions. Including Brooks Koepka, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer and Louis Oosthuizen. In addition to Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren.
Walking the path towards the Main Tour.
Professional golfers usually start their career playing in smaller Tours such as the Alps Tour, or the Q-School. It stands for European Tour Qualifying School. The Q-School is the thoughest test in golf. Held between September and November each year. Only the top 25 players at the end of the six-round Final Stage will earn the direct pass to the European Tour for the following season.
Behind the Scenes. The Challenge Tour from first hand.
The competitiveness is so high that most golfers tend to go step by step, qualifying from one Tour to the next. Currently ranked #1 of the Challenge Tour, the Spanish golfer Santiago Tarrio explains:
“The Alps Tour is so sacrificed due to the traveling expenses, and the low money prizes. Best case scenario, your bank account finishes Par-even at the end of the season. But that is only possible if you constantly win the events. If otherwise, you are continuiously losing money to play.”
This humble golfer talks about his personal experience. Santiago worked as a waiter for five years to save up some money before he could get back to the golf fields. He claims that the sponsors don’t know you yet, and it is hard to find one that invest in you, which hinders financial support. Tarrio and his team missed some cuts at first. They depended on a loan to keep playing before they finally earned the full card to the Challenge Tour. It was then, when the economic struggle decreased.
Delving into The Grand Final.
This week, the European Challenge Tour celebrates its last tournament of the season, the Grand Final. It takes places from November the 4th-7th, 2021 at the T-Golf & Country Club, in Mallorca, Spain. The Top 45 players of the Challenge Tour season will make it to the Grand Final. However, only the best 20 of the Ranking will earn a pass to the European Tour for next year.
To throw some light over the reality of what these golfers go through. The Grand Final offers the highest monetary prize of all year, 450,000€ to spread between the 45 participants. The last position will collect 2,000€, compared to an average of 8,000€ that any player pockets on a regular European Tour event for making the cut.
From Czech Republic, Ondrej Lieser is the winner from last year. He is currently 310th of the OWGR. This year, all eyes were on the Spanish pro golfer Santiago Tarrio as he finished second in 2020. However, the results gave a 180º degrees turn. He shot 1-over (72 shots) in the opening round to situate himself at the end of the leaderboard.
Santiago Tarrio of Spain plays his tee shot on the 1st hole during Day One of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final. (Getty Images)
The second round has already started and apparently he was only starting engines yesterday. Tarrio climbed up 30 postions after the second day. He shot a total of 4-under par (67 shots) for a Top 10. There is a small chance that he will not close the year as number one. Tarrio and his caddy Noelia will surely give it all to bring the trophy home.
After a year of empty stadiums, fields, and pavillions, Borja Ochoa – General Manager of the T Golf & Country Club is excited to welcoming the public again. “Happily, we are returning to normality and this year will be able to welcome you all without restrictions.” People deserves to watch this show.
A greenside leaderboard is seen at the end of the Day Two of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final. (Getty Images)
Santiago Tarrio Ben from Spain during Day Four of the B-NL Challenge Trophy at The Dutch golf course. (Getty Images)
Good morning, we are here today with Santiago Tarrio and his caddy Noelia, a Spanish golfer from Padron. He has been playing the European Challenge tour since 2016. We are going to get started to get to know you a littler better and what your goals are and how you feel about this upcoming season, you obviously are ranked number one now, showing a solid golf game so we hope to keep it that way for longer.
Welcome to Golf Post, how are you today?
Tarrio: The feeling is good, the results are amazing and it is going better than expected. I am very happy for me and for my team. The main goal was to make it to the main European Tour, and now that is accomplished after all, I am very happy and excited about next year, I cannot wait to be surrounded by all of the other boys from the Tour and try to play my best.
Golf Post: You have accomplished one of the biggest goals that any golfer can dream of, how does that make you feel?
Tarrio: I am very excited. Now, we are playing in some of the European Tour events, and I am looking forward to playing all of them next year, and enjoy those nice courses out there and catching some experience.
Golf Post: We are here today at the golf course that saw you grow up since you first introduced yourself into golf. After five years of jumping from one place to another every other weekend, does this course still feel like home? Do you still practice here or have you found some other field that fits your needs better?
Tarrio: Yeah, I was basically born on this course, I started to play here, this is my course and this city is my home, so when I have one week off, I come here to see my family, friends and have some rest too. Of course, I also play and practice at other courses but I like to spend time at the course that saw me growing up. I love it here.
Golf Post: In 2005, your handicap was 6,5, and now in 2021 you are Top 100 in the OGWR. How does that feel? Did you expect to come that far in your golf career?
Tarrio: Wow, I was only 15 years old in 2005 and I tell you what, I do not remember what my handicap was back then, but it is really nice that you tell me and now for me to think about it. I always try to improve every year. I stopped playing golf entirely for five years when I was 17 though. But I returned 5 years ago, and I started to play the Alps Tour and some minor tours. My goal was to become a professional golfer and play the Challenge Tour and soon the European Tour. Now, five years later, I accomplished my goal, and I am very happy about it, I got it.
My amateur life was short, I only used to play the national championship once a year and some regional tournament. I found this was a disadvantage compared to other players because I think it is necessary to play important tournaments as an amateur to enrich your experience and to work with the best national coaches and trainers. It is something that grows into one’s game. I guess that being able to accomplish my goals without having lived any of that makes me feel more proud of my team and myself.
Golf Post: After all, as you said, you still managed to turn professional and be first ranked in the Challenge Tour right now. You began to play this Tour in 2016, is there an event that is more special for you?
Tarrio: In 2018, I played my first season with full card in the Challenge after I won the Alps Tour. I would say that was the most special moment for me because of the big gap that exists from one to the other. I like to learn from the other guys, and I liked the Alps Tour because most of the players had a lack of sources, so we used to share travel expenses as well as accommodation. That brought me a lot of good moments and it was very special for me to close that stage with a win.
Golf Post: Noelia, you have been his caddy and partner in crime at the golf course ever since Santi started this journey. We have heard that no other caddy reads the greens as good as you do. What was the most special moment for you?
Noelia García: Our first victory together at the Spanish Challenge. Although I also have experience in the PGA Tour, where we started with a triple boggey on the first hole, we made a 7 because we took the wrong meassure, but now we remember it as a funny memory.
Tarrio: She is a really good caddy, I am afraid I will have to fight the best players in the world that try to tempt her with better contracts and want to steal her from me, because she is a very nice caddy.
Golf Post: You are playing insane golf this season, collecting two wins and five Top 5. Once again, you are currently Top 100 in the OGWR. What has been the key to the success?
Tarrio: I think it is the mental game. I make birdies and I look up around me and think “Ok I can do this, I can play this game just like these top golfers here, I can do this.”
Golf Post: What are you most thankful for that guides you to this success?
Tarrio: My team. I have a lot of people around me that supported me through the bad moments and push me through them always. I think that is key and I am very happy with the team I brought together.
Golf Post. Now that your team and you have secured a spot in the main European Tour for the upcoming season, what are your goals? How do you see your future playing out in the European Tour?
Tarrio: My main goal is to maintain and consolidate the spot in the Main Tour during the first year, and then I will try for my first victory of course. I want to go step by step, which has always been the process we followed up until today. Of course my ultimate goal is to play the Masters of Augusta, and to play a Ryder Cup with the European Team. But for now, we need to work hard on every step on the path.
Golf Post: In April 22-25th, you played the Limpopo Championship, in South Africa. Then, you were T72 in the Challenge Tour ranking. Only two months later, in June you were proclaimed winner of the Spanish Challenge and leader of the Challenge Tour. How do you and your team manage the pressure to keep it that way?
Tarrio: We try to go shot by shot and week by week. I felt the pressure when I missed nine cuts in a row, or when I needed a good tournament to get the full card privileges. It was very hard to be able to bear the expenses playing the Alps Tour because of the lack of sponsors, and the low money prizes. So having to play the Alps for one more year also put pressure on me because that would have cut down the chances to continue maybe. Golf is not rocket science, and the effort may not always pay off. But now, we found more sponsors, and also the money prizes are higher. We are seeing the effort show in the scores, and when the game is good, there is no pressure.
Golf Post: About a month ago, the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020 were celebrated. Jon Rahm tested positive and you were up next to play according to the current ranking. However, the Spanish Federation and NOC decided to fly out Jorge Campillo instead. What happened? Do you think it was an unfair decision?
Tarrio: When the inscription lists were closed, I was ranked just one spot behind Adri Arnaus in the World Ranking, so I knew that I had a small chance to go if anything happened that didn’t allow Jon Rahm or Adri Arnaus to go. I was surprised that I did not get the call to aware me that I was first in the substitute list. The week before the Olympic Games, I was playing in Italy when my team and I found out about the positive COVID-19 case of Jon Rahm.
I got in contact with my physiologist and manager, Joaquin to get in contact with the Spanish Federation to see what the next steps were because we believed that we should be the ones to go to Tokyo, but the time to sort things out was limited due to Covid restrictions and requirements previous to the Games. Joaquin called me and explained to me that the Spanish Federation had to send out a provisional list in March that collected all the names of the possible players that could represent the country in case something like this happened to the two players that were chosen in the first place.
The Spanish Federation believed that five names were enough. However, Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera rejected their spots to Tokyo. Therefore, there were only three left in the list: Jon Rahm, Adri Arnau and Jorge Campillo.
This meant that any other Spanish golfer that was out of that list could never have the chance to participate in the Tokyo Games whatsoever, although other players went ahead in the OWGR since March until the last update of the World Ranking previous to the Games, like it happened to me, the same way it could have happened to any other.
In this case, by the time the World Rankings were updated, Jorge Campillo was two spots behind me and one spot behind Otaegui. I think it was a huge negligence. The worst part is that the Federation acted shady and I am hurt that the Federation did not release a public statement informing on the situation to all golfers and fans explaining what is happening and how they are proceeding.
I recognize that I received apologies from the President of the Spanish Federation, who was not aware of the situation and did not know that I was next in the list. Therefore, the party responsible was the president. Actually, the Spanish Olympic Committee put me down on their list, but not the Federation, which was just a shame for me.
Golf Post: The weekend after the Olympic Games you proved a point at the Hero Open with a crazy total of 21-under par, with rounds of 69-66-67-63. You brought you own bronze metal home that weekend, and finished first out of all the Spanish golfers. I am sure that was a tough mental challenge, but you managed to get over successfully. How did you face such a challenge and how did you feel afterwards?
Tarrio: I think the week before was the hardest one playing in the European Tour event and awaiting to see what was going on with the Olympic Games. Then it turned out that I was not flying to Tokyo and quickly had to prepare to play in Scotland. I was physically and mentally tired, but it was very special for my team and I. The results were great, we finished third and I even got asked to sign some autographs, which I am not very used to do so.
Golf Post: Speaking of the Olympic Games, Paris 2024 is coming up soon, only three years away from now, and time flies. Is that one of the goals that you included in the long-term of your golf career?
Tarrio: It was not one of the goals that I was planning on chasing so far for now. I believe that if I ever accomplish such a goal, it will mean a reward to the team for all the hard work that we are putting in, and definitely a huge gift for us. It will be the revenge for Tokyo 2020(1), and we know that it will not be easy, but we will try our best always to get as far as possible.
Golf Post: So far you goal is to get to the European Tour next season and to maintain the card. Maybe bring a couple of victories home for the next couple of years, and who knows if we may see you in Paris as well. What is the part of your game that you are focusing the most on to improve your performance, is there anything specific that you consider a weakness?
Tarrio: I think I need to improve in all parts of golf because I have more golf inside me, I can improve in the physical, mental and technical parts. It is nice for me not to see the top of my golf game at the moment. I would say the physical part is probably the worst part of my game because of the non-stop traveling and training. However, I always try to improve in all parts because I think there is always blanks to fill.
Golf Post: Thank you so much for having us, for this interview. It was really great talking to you. We wish you the best of luck for the upcoming tournaments and for you to accomplish all the goals for the European Tour next season.
Tarrio: My pleasure. I hope to see you more times in the future for more interviews. Thank you so much.
Britishman Ewen Ferguson teeing off at one of the Challenge Tour events from this year 2021 in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Date: Wednesday August 25, 2021
Empordà Golf to host second Spanish Swing of 2021
Press Release
The European Challenge Tour today announced that two events in Spain – the Empordà Challenge and the Challenge Costa Brava – will take place in consecutive weeks at Empordà Golf, this October.
The Empordà Challenge will be held from October 14-17 while the Challenge Costa Brava will then take place from Tuesday October 19 – Friday October 22. The latter will mark the end of the regular Road to Mallorca season, determining the 45-player field for the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A from November 4-7.
Jamie Hodges, Javier Gervás, and Emilio Cuatrecasas look forward to welcoming these events
Empordà Golf is the former host venue of European Tour and European Tour Qualifying School events, and the two Challenge Tour tournaments will be played on the Links Course, which underwent substantial renovation work during 2020. The back-to-back events replace the Hainan Open and Foshan Open in China which were cancelled earlier this month due to the ongoing effects of the global pandemic.
Jamie Hodges, Head of Challenge Tour, said: “We are grateful to Empordà Golf and the promoter, JGolf, for their help in bringing these events to fruition.
“It was important for us to provide our members with these replacement tournaments to ensure playing opportunities were maximised at an important time of the season and having enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Javier Gervás and his team, we knew it would be possible to organise a solution with their help.
“Empordà Golf has stood the test of time in terms of hosting professional events and we are all excited to spend two weeks in Spain at such a wonderful venue.”
Javier Gervás, General Manager of JGolf, said: “When the space in the Road to Mallorca Schedule emerged we worked hard to help cover those two crucial weeks in the calendar.
“We knew that Empordà Golf were interested in going a step further in terms of the professional tournaments it has hosted and we therefore proposed hosting the last two Challenge Tour tournaments before the Grand Final.
“They have put in great effort that I am sure will be rewarded. We will now have two decisive tournaments in Spain this season with international coverage that will put Empordà Golf in the spotlight of world golf.”
Emilio Cuatrecasas, President of Empordà Golf Club, said: “The decision to hold the Empordà Challenge confirms the effort being made by all the Costa Brava clubs to improve their facilities and become a world-class sports destination.
“It is also noteworthy that the growing popularity of these international tournaments is driving many young people to practice golf, getting the clubs to feed not only their energy but also an updated vision of this sport that will bring considerable progress in the sporting, social and environmental fields.”
The Empordà Challenge and the Challenge Costa Brava will be the second Spanish Swing on the 2021 Road to Mallorca, following the Challenge de España and the Challenge de Cádiz, which took place at Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri, Cadiz, in June.
The Empordà Challenge and the Challenge Costa Brava will be supported by the Challenge Tour, Empordà Golf, Girona Provincial Council through the Costa Brava Tourist Board and Kyocera. The promoter and organiser is JGolf.
European Challenge Tour player from Denmark, Nicolai Tinning is set for the 2021 Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge.
Nicolai Tinning is looking to take inspiration from his sporting family as he prepares to tee it up in the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge this week.
The Dane competed in his first European Challenge Tour event of the 2021 Road to Mallorca International Schedule last week at the Made in Esbjerg Challenge – Presented by FREJA & TotalEnergies, finishing in a respectable tie for tenth place at Esbjerg Golfklubb, which also provides the setting for this week’s event.
Tinning is looking to rekindle the winning tradition that is prominent in his family after his father
His father, Steen Tinning, has two wins apiece on both the European Tour and the Legends Tour, while Tinning Snr’s cousin, Iben Tinning, also had a successful career recording six Ladies European Tour titles.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I’ve been coming here since I was 12, I have quite a big golf family. My dad is the guy to speak to about everything, we have talked a lot about Tour life and how to get around, how to behave and how to play Pro-Ams. Some of it I have learnt from my dad and I’ve talked a lot with my Dad’s cousin Iben who also played a high level of golf and of course my coach Ben.
“I enjoyed last week a lot, there was a lot of people here the first week, it was amazing. I didn’t play that well on Saturday but I played really well on Friday so it was amazing to play here and there can’t be a better place for me to play a tournament.”
The 28-year-old competed in 19 European Challenge Tour events in 2019 with his best result coming at the Swiss Challenge Presented by Swiss Golf in which the Dane recorded a tie for 13th place but has admitted that it is excellent to be back playing after being very busy off the course.
“I’m just trying to enjoy it,” he said. “I played 19 events on the Challenge Tour and then Covid came. There have been a lot of things going on in my personal life, I’m going to be a dad in January, and I got married last year, so it’s just trying to enjoy it and play this amazing course. I just love being here.”
Tinning is joined in the field for the Sydbank Esbjerg Challenge by last week’s Made in Esbjerg – Presented by FREJA & TotalEnergies champion and five-time Challenge Tour winner Ricardo Gouveia, as well as three-time Challenge Tour winner Daan Huizing.
The action in the second event of the Danish Swing gets under way at 7:30am local time on Tuesday August 17, with Tinning teeing it up alongside fellow Dane Nicolai Kristensen and Robin Dawson of Ireland at 9:10am.
Daan Huizing, from the Challenge Tour, looks forward to play again in Denmark at the Made in Esbjerg Challenge 2021.
Daan Huizing is looking forward to back-to-back events in Denmark as he attempts to return to winning ways in the Made in Esbjerg Challenge Presented by FREJA & TotalEnergies.
The Dutchman has competed in 12 tournaments out of 16 on the 2021 European Challenge Tour schedule securing five top 20 finishes. That record includes victory at the Irish Challenge in May after producing a sensational round carding a four under par round of 67, beating Eduard Rousaud in a play-off to secure his third European Challenge Tour title.
Huizing is looking to rekindle that kinds of form in the next event of the Challenge Tour in Denmark this week.
“I think points wise it’s huge,” he said. “I also think for my own progression and development as a player. I think I’ve matured a lot in the last two, three years and showing really good improvement towards the European Tour.”
“Of course you want to win and I thought Ireland was beautiful I loved the place, I loved the whole week, even walking on the last hole or walking in the play-off I said to myself wow, I love it here, how beautiful is this? That was a great state of mind to be in and then you play your best golf and now it’s a challenge to get those ingredients back again and put it all together again so I can win again.”
Huizing said playing back-to-back events can be challenging at times but is looking forward to being back in Denmark after finishing a solid tied 12th place at the Vierumäki Finnish Challenge last week.
“All I’ve heard is that it’s really good, so yes I am definitely looking forward to it,” he said. “The courses I have played in Denmark have all been good, the greens have always been very nice, last week in Finland was also top notch.”
“I did it one time in Spain (playing back-to-back events) and I actually thought it was quite challenging because the course gets a little mind numbing, maybe it’s different here because it’s a tougher course and maybe they can do more with the course, but I think for them to have the events in the first place is a really great achievement. I don’t mind it and especially on a great golf course like this I am actually looking forward to it.”
The 30-year-old is currently in ninth position on the Road to Mallorca but is focused on climbing the rankings in order to secure a return to the European Tour.
“I have my goal which is to finish in the top five of the Rankings, then you will have a better category for next year, so week in week out you try and give your best, get results and get more points on the board.”
Huizing is joined in the field for the Made in Esbjerg Challenge by last week’s Vierumäki Finnish Challenge winner Marcus Helligkilde and Italian Challenge and four-time European Challenge Tour winner Ricardo Gouveia.
The action in Denmark gets under way at 7:30am local time, with Huizing teeing it up alongside Denmark’s John Axelsen and Englishman Andrew Wilson at 13:20.
Daniel Gavins wins the ISPS HANDA World Invitational 2021
August 1, 2021
Daniel Gavins
Northern Ireland
Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: You mentioned out there how it feels to be a European Tour winner.
DANIEL GAVINS: It just feels amazing. I don’t think it’s going to sink in for a while. Yeah, it’s just a dream come true really.
Q. It was a bit of a roller coaster at the end there. You spent a long time at the range. You were even at the clubhouse watching the TV. What was going through your mind as everything unfolded out on the golf course?
DANIEL GAVINS: To be honest I thought I was going to be a few shots short of winning, so to win, it’s just — I just can’t really believe it. I thought I was going to finish maybe second or third looking at the leaderboard going down the last, but yeah. Must be my week.
Q. As you mentioned, you started the day seven shots off. Did it even enter your mind that you would be sitting here as the winner of the ISPS Honda World Invitational?
DANIEL GAVINS: Not in the slightest, no. Kind of went into today playing each hole as it came and just tried to stay patient out there. A few birdies led to a few more, and yeah, here we go.
Q. You holed some incredible putts out there. Can you talk us through a couple of those putts and a couple moments where you really felt like you had it going on the golf course?
DANIEL GAVINS: Yeah, I mean, the first — it started on the par-3 when I holed a bunker shot for the birdie. It was a pretty tough bunker shot. I managed to hole that. Then the next hole rolled in like a 70-foot putt for birdie, which was a pretty tough hole. And then same on 13 and same on 16, I’ve rolled in 60 feet again on both of those holes, which was a bit of luck in there. But yeah. Unbelievable.
Q. I know you were talking about how you came close to not playing this week. What was the thinking behind that, and how close did you come to not even teeing it up?
DANIEL GAVINS: Yeah, it’s been a pretty long season so far on the Challenge Tour, so I was going to have a week off because there was obviously a week off for the Challenge Tour, and then go for the next kind of nine in a row on the Challenge Tour. But I came because one of my mates was going to caddie for me. So yeah, we just came and really — we treated it like a week to have some fun really. So yeah, that’s what we did. We came and had a little bit of fun, and yeah, here we are.
Q. Given the overwhelming emotions that you’re feeling from a win this week, it’s sometimes difficult to take a 30,000-foot view and put things into perspective, but can you speak about the format, having men and women playing together in this event. You shot 13-under; the winner there ends up shooting 16-under, so it appears like they acquitted themselves quite well.
DANIEL GAVINS: I mean, I think it’s great. I think it moves a lot quicker, so it kind of speeds play up. So I’m all for it. I’ve played it a few times now. We played an event in Australia where it was the same, and that went really well. So yeah, it’s really positive for golf, I think.
THE MODERATOR:
Daniel, thank you very much and congratulations then.
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Yeah, played very well. Played very solid tee to green. I think I only missed three greens, so I played very well and holed the putts and kind of hit it quite close, as well. Yeah, overall a very good day.
Q.Your lowest round since the 2019 Meijer Classic. Has something clicked recently in your game?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Well, I’ve actually been playing quite well recently, just nothing has kind of clicked. Putts haven’t been dropping. So it’s been quite frustrating to be honest. But I’ve kind of had to stay patient, and I knew a round like this was coming, so it was good to see it come out today.
Q.How about conditions out there at Galgorm because it’s different today to earlier in the week?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Yeah, I played here on Monday, and it’s very different. It was much firmer. It was much softer out there today. It was still running actually more than we anticipated after all the rain yesterday. But it was still, yeah, very different to Monday’s practice round. Just had to adjust.
Q.Massereene tomorrow; what’s the tactics going into tomorrow and how will you have to adjust tomorrow?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Yeah, so Massereene was even bouncier than here, so played there on Tuesday and we obviously had a lot of rain yesterday and a little bit this morning. Yeah, it will be a bit different. I’m not really sure what to expect to be honest, so I just have to kind of play it a little cool the first few holes and see how it’s bouncing and just kind of do the same as today.
Q.You played in the 2014 Curtis Cup with Stephanie Meadow, who obviously won here a couple years ago. You didn’t happen to speak to her about this event, did you?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: I didn’t actually but probably should have, got a few tips. But I heard the last time it was here it was really quite soft, which obviously it’s a bit softer now, but on Monday it was playing quite firm, so playing a bit differently I’m sure to a couple years ago.
Gemma comments on what it’s like to be with the guys
Q.How did it feel out there, just being at a tournament with guys? What’s it like?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Yeah, it’s very cool. I obviously played the Vic Open a few times, so it’s kind of similar format to that. But it’s really cool actually to see the guys in front of us and behind us. It’s nice to see an innovative event like that.
Q.You shot bogey-free today, which I haven’t seen that on a scorecard yet today.
GEMMA DRYBURGH: I haven’t done that in a while actually.
Q.Do you remember the last time?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: I don’t. Probably maybe when — Josh mentioned the Meijer, 64 there. I think that was bogey-free, so that might have been the last time.
Q.Can you start us out on 1? You opened up with a nice eagle.
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Yeah, so that was actually my 10th hole, but yeah, I hit 7-wood in there, just kind of 10 yards on, just a bit left, left center, and rolled nicely to six or seven feet, rolled in for a 3, which was nice.
Q.And then you had five other birdies the rest of the day at 3, 8, 10, 15 and 17. Any one of those in particular that you look back on and that kind of helped the round get going?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: I think — well, the first was nice. We had a bit of a delay on the first hole so I kind of had to refocus a little bit on that hole, so it was nice to get the birdie on that one to start off quite well.
Then yeah, just holed a nice few putts on the other ones. Nothing too long, to be honest. Just kind of the putts that haven’t been going in recently. It was nice to see that.
Q.You talked about just some frustration with the game, but you won back-to-back events last year.
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Yeah.
Q.When you did that and then you have some frustration, what’s it been like to be competing and to have those ups and downs?
GEMMA DRYBURGH: Yeah, it’s been — obviously with COVID it’s been a bit — and with my schedule, I’ve not got into every event, so I think I’ve had six starts on the LPGA so far and just kind of have to take opportunities when you can. It’s hard to get kind of a rhythm going almost when you don’t get into every event. That’s been a bit frustrating. Yeah, I felt like my game has been going in the right direction, so I just kind of had to stay patient, so it was nice to see it pay off today.
Andy Sullivan on the ISPS HANDA World Invitational 2021
July 28, 2021
Andy Sullivan
Northern Ireland
Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: Andy, it’s great to have you at the ISPS Handa World Invitational. First of all, you played the Open Championship a couple of weeks ago, put yourself in the mix in the first couple of days. It wasn’t your best result at the Open, but did it feel like a kind of a week, maybe your best performance at an Open where you really put yourself in the mix at Royal St George’s?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
Yeah, I think it was one of them where, as I said out there, I didn’t have any expectations going in because I got in last minute and I felt like it was just all right. I almost took it as a normal tournament. It was laid back that week. I played nine holes Tuesday, nine holes Wednesday, so I wouldn’t say I had the best preparation going into it, but I felt really relaxed. I was playing nice golf leading up to it. In a way I felt probably more relaxed than I’ve ever been going into a major. It was quite refreshing, and obviously the first two days was amazing. Obviously with the crowds there and being with Blandy on the first tee, hitting the first tee shot, it’s always good fun.
Yeah, it was an amazing week. Obviously it didn’t pan out quite the way I wanted to at the weekend, probably got at little bit cold, but I felt like I almost come of age a little bit, in like mental-wise I felt like I was really patient, really disciplined when normally I get a little bit frustrated at the weekend and try and chase things down. I really stuck to my game plan, and I think going forward that’s probably massive for me.
Q. You obviously got a good reception down in Sandwich but you’re kind of a fan favorite here on the island of Ireland, as well, and you’ve played well here a couple of times, notably in 2019 at Lahinch but also you played well at Royal County Down a number of years ago, as well. Are you looking forward to playing in front of the Northern Irish crowds this week and hopefully give them something to cheer about?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
Yeah, definitely. I don’t know, it maybe is my last name, Sullivan, maybe they just take me as one of their own. But I always get a great reception here, and it’s brilliant. I love the fact you come to Ireland or Northern Ireland and the banter they throw at you on the golf course, I love feeding off it. I really enjoy it, always really enjoy it. Like you said, I’ve always seemed to play quite well in Ireland and Northern Ireland so it’s actually nice to come back to places where you feel comfortable and it feels like home. No, it’s good.
Q. I know you’re a big supporter of inclusivity in golf and you do a few things off the golf course in that regard, but are you proud to be part of an event such as this where male and female players are playing for equal prize funds and over the same golf courses and are you enjoying the atmosphere this week with the various tours?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
Yeah, it’s fun. I did a golf day on Monday with Alice Hewson and obviously she’s fourth in Sweden, and she was just saying how much she learnt from playing with the men, and I said to her, I said, you’d be surprised that probably a few of the men probably learned a lot from the ladies, as well. I think it’s great that we can have these events, and we all get together and we can sort of learn different things off each other because I love it. I think it’s great, and I think it’s the way things should be where we’re playing for equal prize funds and going against each other.
At the end of the day we’re all competitors. We all want to beat each other. It doesn’t matter if you’re disabled, lady, male, we want to win.
Q. I think it was four tournaments in a row culminating with the Open and obviously being up there for the first couple of days at Sandwich, how much does that take out of you and did you have a good week off last week to top off the energy levels?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
Yeah, I was quite lucky in the sense of sort of managed my time really well, so I wasn’t at the event the whole week, sort of a full seven days. I felt like I managed my time really well at the event knowing I was going to play three on the spin and then going into the Open I felt pretty good going into the Open energy levels wise. I didn’t feel tired at any point. I felt like I managed my time really well.
Had a good week off last week, yeah, enjoyed being back with the kids, back with the missus, seeing a few of my mates and stuff, and picked up the practice sort of the end of the weekend and did a golf day on Monday. No, it was good, and obviously just looking forward to getting this UK swing on the road. Absolutely love playing back in the UK. It’s always a pleasure, and like I said, the crowds and the fans are amazing, so it’s good.
Q. You’re the top ranked player in the men’s tournament this week. Does that bring any extra pressure or is it just internal pressure on yourself to do well?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
Again, I’ve got no expectations of myself. I feel like my game is in good shape. I feel like me and Rich have come up with a game plan and we’re just going to stick to that game plan like we did at the Open, and I feel like when we do get the game plan right, it’s going to be our week. I think it’s just a matter of biding our time and we will get it right at one event.
The Open it just didn’t quite pan out for us, but I was really proud of how disciplined I was and how much I stuck to my guns with it and it’ll be the same this week. Like I said, I felt like it was a bit of a coming of age for me at the Open. It’s been a long time where it’s time for me really to take in and not be ultra aggressive and be a bit more patient, be a bit more diligent of what I’m doing, and it really paid off.
Again, that will be probably one of the reasons why I didn’t feel so tired is mentally it takes it out of you when you’ve got so much going on and you’re trying to push. I felt like, yeah, I felt good all week, so it’ll be more of the same this week.
Q. Just what are the sort of goals and ambitions for the rest of the season?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
I haven’t any really. Literally just working towards my stats and trying to improve them, all of them. I don’t know if I can edge in the areas that are not quite up to the standard that I want them to be. That’s going to be give me the best chance of winning. Not really expectations or any goals set in terms of outcome, just trying to work on the process, even though it sounds ultra really boring and not much for you to write about. Unfortunately that’s what I’ve got to stick to, trying to keep myself sane for as long as possible.
Q. You talked about the game plan and stuff, so what do you think the secret to good scoring is this week?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
I walked the other course, I walked it yesterday. I didn’t play it. Seeing how fiery it was on the fairways, greens were still quite soft, though. For me it will just be about getting it in the fairway. I forgot what the other track is called now.
Q. Massereene?
ANDY SULLIVAN:
Massereene. I think just getting it in the fairway around there is key. It’s going to give yourself the best chance of getting it right and as soon as you start putting it in the rough you’re bringing in fliers and all sorts. Fairways are going to be key, which might not necessarily be driver everywhere at a tight golf course. That seemed to be what came out of yesterday.
Then you’ll have to ask me that question later because I haven’t actually played this course yet, so we’ll find out later.
Olivia Cowan on the ISPS HANDA World Invitational 2021
July 27, 2021
Olivia Cowan
Northern Ireland
Galgorm Castle & Massereene Golf Club
Quick Quotes
Q. The pandemic postponed this a year, but we’re finally at Galgorm in the ISPS Honda World Invitational. What is it like to be finally at this tri-sanctioned event?
OLIVIA COWAN:
Yeah, it’s great to be back. Obviously I was here two years ago in 2019, and it was a really fun event then. It’s really fun to be back. Obviously it’s great playing with the men here, as well. It’s great to see them practice and just chat, as well, because we don’t see them that often. So yeah, it’s good to be back.
Q. What makes an event like this where you’ve got a men’s group, you’ve got a women’s group, kind of alternating each round, what makes it unique and special when you’re competing?
OLIVIA COWAN:
Well, I played the Vic Open a few times, and it’s basically the same format, so I think it’s just cool to mix. I think it’s great for fans, as well. Obviously you can watch the men and you can watch the women at the same time. I think that’s really good.
I think it’s good for women’s golf, as well, because I think obviously us playing alongside the men, it will push the women’s golf, as well, so I think that’s a great thing, as well.
Q. You’re a Modest Golf ambassador, client. What’s it like to have been working with them and when did you first start working with them?
OLIVIA COWAN:
So I started working with them last year, and it’s been really good, to be fair. I’m really happy with Modest Golf. The team is amazing. They put a lot of work into helping me become the best, and yeah, they’re just all in all really great.
Q. When you looked at signing with them, what was it about the organization that made you feel comfortable or maybe some values that they had that align with yourself?
OLIVIA COWAN:
What I really liked about Modest is that they weren’t just trying to help their players but they were in general trying to do more for golf, more for women’s golf, which I really liked. They obviously tried to always help in some aspect somewhere, obviously putting on these events, and just supporting us really well, like all the players. That’s what I really liked.
And then just talking to them, like they’re all really friendly, and yeah, it was just like a no-brainer really.
Q. Does being a part of the Modest Golf family make this week even more special for you?
OLIVIA COWAN:
Yeah, definitely, because it’s basically like playing at home kind of because you’ve just got all the support. Yeah, I definitely feel very comfortable here.
Q. I talked with Angel Yin earlier today and she mentioned the story of how she got in touch with you and how you convinced her to join the team. Can you take us through your side of the story, just kind of how Angel became involved with Modest, as well?
OLIVIA COWAN:
So basically she sent me a message on Instagram — obviously when I announced that I’m now with Modest, she then sent me a message straight away and said, “take me with you.” I then basically said, Yeah, what’s happening with your management, and I basically said you should get in touch with Modest, and she did, and Modest were interested, and that’s how it basically came about, so now we’re sisters, same management.
Q. Have you ever been to Northern Ireland besides two years ago?
OLIVIA COWAN:
I think I’ve played an amateur event here, as well.
Q. Do you remember the amateur event at all?
OLIVIA COWAN:
It might have been like a British Open.
Q. Am?
OLIVIA COWAN:
British Ladies Am.
Q. You won this year on the LET, the inaugural Aramco in London?
OLIVIA COWAN:
Yeah.
Q. Take us through your team and just kind of the excitement of that event and how you found your way to the top of the leaderboard.
OLIVIA COWAN:
Yeah, so I was actually really lucky that I could pick one of my friends, so my strategy this time was just a lot different. I wasn’t going on who was playing well. I was just basically I just wanted to pick a friend and just have a good time out there, and it worked out, so I picked Serena, Serena Schmidt, who’s one of my good friends, and then we just got really lucky with our third pick, as well, Diksha. She’s obviously a great player, and we just got on really well as a team, and I think that’s what really helped us win. We weren’t thinking about the individual event, we were all just trying to help each other win the team event, and it helped out.
Q. Was there an individual aspect to it or just a whole team?
OLIVIA COWAN:
There is an individual event besides the team event, but the team event is the bigger event. Yeah, we were just going out there to have some fun and basically just try and win the team event.
Q. How does an event like that or a win like that help you as the season goes on?
OLIVIA COWAN:
I think it’s helped massively. I think it’s given me some confidence, as well. Obviously I’ve been close on the LET for a few times now over the past five years, and yeah, I think coming down that stretch we needed to obviously score some more birdies, and yeah, I think that’s definitely helped winning that, as well, building up my confidence going forward.
Q. Speaking of confidence, I would imagine you have some having competed in a major championship last week. What was it like to be at Evian, to play in the Evian Championship, and how did that boost the engines for this event?
OLIVIA COWAN:
Yeah, obviously it was my first Evian major, so that was really cool. The weather was amazing, so that helped. Definitely made the week good.
Yeah, it was just a really good experience, obviously, to play with the LPGA girls and just basically see how they set it up. Obviously they would set it up very different to how we would play it on the LET, which I think was — it was difficult in some places, but it was a challenge for sure, and it was just really cool to play there.
