Irish Open Diary: Lawrie hoping for fanfare
Peter Lawrie wants to thrill the Irish Open crowds but knows he has to stop hitting them with golf balls if they’re to get behind him this weekend.
The Dubliner has had a nightmare year, missing 22 of 26 cuts since he finished tied 10th at Carton House at last year’s Irish Open.
But he’s slowly getting back on track and just needs to generate more confidence off the tee after opting to change from a fade to a draw.
“I’ve had 12 months of horrendous stuff but hopefully I’m getting there,” Lawrie said. “I’m still hitting a lot of loose shots off the tee. It’s more confidence than anything.
“I’ve played well down the stretch the last two days, so in general it’s getting better.”
Asked if he could feed off the crowds, he said: “Well, it’s difficult when you are trying not to hit them and then moving them out of the way! “But in general my short game has been great and I’m putting well. When they are being hit, they aren’t cheering as much.”
Marcel Siem suffered a howler at Fota Island after getting just three hours’ sleep.
The German hit two balls in the water at the par-three third and took seven en route to 74 that left him back in the pack at two under.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Siem said. “I even went to the gym at three in the morning.”
With his wife set to be induced as they expect their second child on Monday, it’s still an exciting time for Siem, who will play in next week’s BMW International.
But it was certainly a day to forget in Cork as he struggled alongside Alvaro Quiros and Michael Hoey.
After starting with a birdie at the 10th, Siem double bogeyed the 12th and eventually turned in one over.
He bounced back from the quadruple bogey seven at the third with back-to-back birdie fours at the fourth and fifth but the damage had been done.
The statistics office next to the scorers hut drew a few smiles as the caddies popped in to record their players fairways, greens and putts.
The man on duty was tickled pink with one of the internet jokes making fun of England’s World Cup troubles in Brazil.
In the window of the portable building, he posted a sign that gave most a chuckle:
“The England team went to visit an orphanage in Brazil this morning. ‘It’s good to put a smile on the faces of people with no hope, constantly struggling and facing the impossible,’ said Emilio aged 6.”
Michael Hoey celebrated his daughter Erin’s first birthday with a battling performance.
After a grinding 71 left him on three under, Hoey said: “We’ll have some celebrations now down in the creche. I didn’t want to miss the cut here on her first birthday.
“I’m looking for more consistency so to make the cut easily when I’m not 100% is a good thing.
“Putting well and understanding my swing has really helped. I’ve got two coaches in Johnny Foster and Justin Parsons and it’s really made a big difference.”
Hoey still struggled at times on the greens, explaining: “The greens were a lot faster and I was probably too aggressive on a couple of putts and three- putted. At least I was aggressive.
“The pins were a bit tricky and tucked away today to defend the golf course. The fairways are pretty narrow and the rough is pretty thick. But with a good weekend, I believe I can still finish right up there.”
Delgany professional Mark Staunton had a true rollercoaster day in the second round of the Irish Open.
Winner of the Shell Pro-Am at Carne Links just last weekend, the Galway native was heading home on nine over with nine holes to play but then had a remarkable back nine.
He made three twos but still shot four over 40, mixing birdies at the third and seventh and an eagle two at the sixth with a bogey at the first, a double bogey seven at the fourth and a quadruple bogey nine at the ninth in a 79 that left him on 13 over.
Defending champion Paul Casey admits he’s not much of a football fan but with England’s World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, he’s keen to know what’s going on.
Following Thursday night’s 2-1 defeat to Luis Suarez’s Uruguay, he was intrigued to know how England could still have a mathematical chance of qualifying.
For the record, England fans needed Italy needed to beat Costa Rica last night and then hope they could beat Costa Rica by at least two goals next Tuesday. It didn’t happen.
Casey certainly is hoping that things end better than his second round 69, which he closed with three straight bogeys.
Asked if there were positives to take, he said sarcastically: “It’s not raining…. It means I get an early tee time tomorrow and hopefully I can post a number for these leaders to chase.”
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