Final round of three under par 69 sees Padraig finish in the top 30 of the Horizon Irish Open. He got off to a whirlwind start as he birdied the first five holes before adding another at the par five 8th hole to be out in 30 shots. But it all came to a grinding halt with a double bogie 7 on the par five 10th hole from which he never recovered. It was still a solid weeks work after the euphoria of last weeks Major win and he now has two days at Adare Manor for the JP McManus Pro-Am which has a who’s who of golf playing including Tiger Woods!
A third round of one under par 71 was dominated by a beautiful shot on the par three 14th hole which came up one foot short of winning a very expensive BMW car! Three bogies did the damage as he recorded four birdies and it leaves him in a tie for 45th place going into Sundays final round. He tees off early at 9am with Joakim Lagergren.
Padraig had an inspired finish to make the cut by a shot as he struggled to shake off the effects of last weeks win in America. Starting on the back nine, he had an early birdie on the par four 12th before dropping a shot at the short par three 14th. Two birdies followed at the short par four 16th and par five 17th to turn in two under par. Another dropped shot at the 4th hole sandwiched in between par golf still left him well inside the cut line but a double bogie six on the par four 7th hole left him in trouble with just two holes to play. Thankfully he birdied both and will tee off Saturday with big hitting Sami Valimaki at 8.57am local time.
Padraig opens his account at Mount Juliet with a two under par round of 70 which leaves him in a tie for 56th place and six shots off the leader. Shaking off jet lag, he got off to a steady start with four opening pars before picking up a couple of shots in his next four holes. Four more pars followed in what was looking like a very clean card as he added another birdie on the par four 13th where he holed a long putt. Two dropped shots in his last three holes sandwiched in between a birdie on the par five, 17th, was the first indication of tiredness but he will be out early tomorrow on fresh greens and will be hoping for a low round!
Padraig plays this week at his 5th Major, the Horizon Irish Open. It is being held at the scenic Mount Juliet Estate and promises to be a cracking tournament with the home support cheering on an Irish winner. The course plays to a par of 72 and just over 7,200 yards and will provide a stern test depending on the weather. Lucas Herbert is your defending champion but Padraig will be bouyed after last weeks win in the States!
Tee Times – Padraig plays with Thomas Pieters and Lucas Herbert at 1pm Thursday and 8am Friday!