McIlroy eyes ‘awesome’ triumph

RORY McILROY said winning the World Cup for Ireland with his good friend Graeme McDowell this week would be an “awesome” way to end a brilliant season.

The two Irishmen fired a 14-under-par 58 to take a three-shot lead over Argentina after the first-round fourballs yesterday, the perfect way for McIlroy to show he was over the disappointment of narrowly losing the race to be Europe’s number one last week.

“I got over it by the time I woke up on Monday morning to be honest,” the 20-year-old told reporters.

“I’m looking back at it now, and I’ve had a great season. I mean, it’s been brilliant. It’s been a great, almost like a breakthrough, year. Twelve top-fives, a win, played well in the majors and everything.

“This was a week obviously I wanted to do well because I’m playing with Graeme and it would be great to win together. It would be awesome.”

Despite both being from the once-troubled, province of Ulster, McIlroy and McDowell are representing the whole island of Ireland this week under the auspices of the Golfing Union of Ireland.

“It’s obviously a very sensitive issue,” said McDowell, 30. “I’m not really sure of the history of why certain sports are two separate teams and golf is an all-Ireland team.

“When I grew up I wanted to play golf for Ireland and I wanted to wear the green blazer. I hate what politics has done to the country really, in a way, you want to get as far away as possible from that. It’s an honour to represent Ireland and an honour to represent your country doing anything.”

If McIlroy were to take part when golf makes its Olympics bow at the 2016 Summer Games it would almost certainly be as part of the British team.

The prospect of teeing off in Rio de Janeiro is something the world number 10 finds appealing.

“I think golf’s inclusion in the Olympics has been great for the sport,” he said. “It would be a great honour to play in the Olympics one day, for whoever that may be.”

Although separated by a decade in age, the two players clearly have a close relationship, fostered when McDowell took McIlroy under his wing when he joined the European Tour and continued through frequent practice rounds together.

“We just don’t play for money any more because he beats me all the time,” joked McDowell, adding that he considered the younger man a “phenomenon”.

The close friends combined with devastating effect to shoot a superb 14-under-par total yesterday.

And after winning three out of four matches in September as Great Britain and Ireland claimed the Vivendi Trophy, Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie certainly has a firm contender for a pairing at Celtic Manor next year.

Each contributed seven shots to the impressive total, which was just one shot shy of the World Cup fourballs record, ahead of today’s testing alternate shot foursomes.

The eagle three from world number 10 McIlroy at the heavily bunkered par-five 15th was the highlight as the 20-year-old reaped the rewards for his big-hitting style.

Argentina’s Rafa Echenique and Tano Goya lead the chasing pack at 11 under par with Hiroyuki Fujita and Ryuji Imada a further shot adrift for Japan.

Italy, Canada, YE Yang’s Korea and defending champions Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson of Sweden sit six off the pace with China and South Africa and seven under.

“Obviously it was a good start, but that’s all it is and we are very aware of that,” said McDowell, who finished 16th last year with Paul McGinley.

“Better-ball is quite an important part of the format. You’ve got to play well in better-ball, but obviously foursomes is a tougher format.”

Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher carded a disappointing six-under 66 for England despite promises of an aggressive start and sit well down the leaderboard alongside Martin Kaymer’s Germany in a group eight adrift.

But after Poulter and Fisher only managed a three-under first round 12 months ago before charging up the leaderboard over the weekend to claim sixth, confidence in the England camp remains high.

“We were playing catch up all week last year and caught up very well. So hopefully foursomes golf can be our speciality again this year,” said Volvo World Match Play Championship winner Fisher.”

Surprisingly, Spain prop up the leaderboard alongside Scotland, Chile and Pakistan at three-under-par as world number eight Sergio Garcia failed to fire in his partnership with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.