Italian Open. Three Tied at the Top.

Henrik Stenson, Sweden, Kalle Samooja, Finland and Min Woo Lee from Australia lead the Italian Open after the first round at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome, Italy.

Henrik, bogey free today, Kalle and Min Woo all carded opening rounds of -7 under par 64 to top the Italian Open leaderboard on day one.

Henrik rolled in some good putts, in his quest for a wild card pick for the European Ryder Cup Team;

“Once again I think I played a good round of golf.” 

“I don’t want to make any mistakes in terms of missing fairways and greens, but the few times I did I managed to keep a clean card and made some lovely putts to keep it tidy, so very happy with that.”

“More than anything I feel like I am in a good frame of mind to play golf and to try and get the best score out of my game.”

“There is still more to wish for, but we’ve got to take the positives and keep on working on the rest.”

Min Woo was also happy with his round;

“It was really good. I hit it really good off the tee, didn’t really give myself position to make bogey.”

“I made one but other than that I played solid and made my up-and-downs when I needed to.”

Kalle enjoyed his early morning stroll around the course, playing good golf;

“There was some good golf today. Comparing to last week, I was really struggling with everything and today I wasn’t struggling with anything, so it was a nice morning walk.”

“I was missing everything last week with the putter and the driver. I had a few good practice days, and this course seems nice, and the greens are pure.”

“You need to play some good golf here, hit some good shots to go low and that’s what I managed to do today.”

Another three players are tied in fourth place at -6 under following opening rounds of 65; Edoardo Molinari, Italy, Eddie Pepperell, England, and Scott Hend of Australia.

European Open. Marcus Armitage Wins.

Marcus Armitage of England win his maiden European Tour title the Porsche European Open at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg Germany.

Marcus had a -7under par 65 final round to win the Porsche European Open by two shots at -8 under par;

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, it’s a new feeling I suppose.”

“When I had a practice round the other day I’ve never lost so many balls in a practice round in my life. To be stood here being Porsche European Open champion is pretty cool.”

“I’m an emotional guy, I’m struggling to keep a lid on it here. I was just trying to breathe and be calm, not touch my phone because that will be going berserk.”

“But then you start thinking about everybody at home like my fiancée. 20 years ago I lost my mum and I’ve dreamt about this since that day, being a winner, and you have days where you think it might not happen but I just stuck at it.”

“Today is a great day and I’m sure she would be proud, and everybody in my team that’s helped me, this one’s for me.”

“All those days on my own dealing with life and I’m sure a lot of people do, all those lonely days on my own working on my dream and I think I’ve got to take a lot of credit for it myself.”

Four players finished in second place at -6 under par, Thomas Detry, Belgium, -3 under 69 today, Edoardo Molinari, Italy, -2 under 70, Darius Van Driel, Netherlands, -2 under 70 and Matthew Southgate of England with -1 under 71.

Czech Masters. Thomas Pieters Leads.

Thomas Pieters of Belgium has the 54 hole lead in the Czech Masters at Albatross Golf Club in Czechia.

    Thomas / getty

Thomas put together a third round -6 under par 66 to lead the Czech Masters by one shot at -16 under;

“I think the key to that front nine was the driving. I hit it really far and straight so that was presenting a lot of birdie opportunities and a lot of short clubs into the holes.

“To convert the putt on nine after a wonderful six iron in was great, and it’s the closest I’ve come to a two on a par five.”

“I’m still learning all the time. I’m just trying to do the same things now. If I keep driving it well I’ll keep giving myself plenty of chances and then hopefully a couple of putts can drop.”

Sitting in second place, that one shot back at -15 under is Adri Arnaus, Spain, with a marvelous bogey free third round score of -7 under par 65;

“I felt pretty comfortable, obviously. It seems like this course is a good thing for me.”

“I go out there and enjoy myself, give myself good chances and I was able to take advantage of some of them.”

Four players are then tied in third place, all at -14 under for the tournament; Edoardo Molinari, Italy, -2 under 70 today, Hugo Leon, Chile, -5 under 67, Rikard Karlberg, -6 under 66  and Robert Karlsson, -5 under 67, both from Sweden.

Czech Masters. Edoardo Molinari Has Half-way Lead.

Edoardo Molinari of Italy has the half-way lead at the Czech Masters on the Albatross Golf Club course in the Czech Republic.

    Edoardo / getty

Edoardo carded another round of -6 under par 66 to sit on top of the Czech Masters leaderboard at -12 under, after 36 holes;

“I’m definitely playing differently on the course, I’m giving myself lots of chances.”

“Even today I could have made a few putts more and it’s just the way it is at the minute.”

“I’m playing very consistently, the equipment change helped me a lot at the beginning of the year.”

“I’m picking my spots, there’s a bit of engineering behind it, I’ve been doing it for a few months and it’s definitely paying off.”

“At the moment I’m very comfortable, I’m enjoying playing golf. I’ve been going through a tough few years so at the minute I’m just really enjoying myself on the golf course, I’m playing well so life is good at the minute.”

Thomas Peters, Belgium, has second place, with his second round score of -5 under 67, for a -11 under total, a four birdie finish grabbing his attention;

“I think on fifteen I told my caddie I was a bit bored today.”

“I was playing well but I wasn’t making anything. I was two under and a few back so it was nice to finish that way.”

Four players are then tied in third spot at -9 under par. Sam Horsfield, England, -6 under 66 today, Robert Karlsson, Sweden, -4 under 68, Hugo Leon, Chile, -3 under 69 and Matthias Schwab of Austria with his second round score of -7 under par 65.

Scottish Open. 4 Way Tie at the Top.

Thee is a four-way tie at the top of the Scottish Open after round one at The Renaissance Club in Scotland. Edoardo Molinari and Nino Bertasio from Italy are joined by Romain Wattel, France and Matt Kuchar from the USA.

     Edoardo /  getty

All four players carded first rounds of -8 under par 63, to top the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open leaderboard by one shot.

Edoardo is happy with his performance and being at the top;

“I’m in a good place at the minute, it seems like every week I’m playing better.’

‘I’m building something every week and when you play golf like this, it’s quite easy but then everything can change in a very short amount of time.’

“You just have to be careful and keep doing the same things and hopefully the results continue to improve.”

Romain is also happy with his progress

“It feels really good, really happy with the way I played.”

“It hasn’t been a really good year for me so far. I changed my coach last year and it takes time to rebuild the golf swing so I’m working and trying my best.”

Nino went round bogey while Matt mixed a couple of bogey’s with two Eagles.

Six players are then tied in fifth place at -7 under par after rounds of 64 on the rain softened links course, making it play more like target golf.

World Number Three Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland shot -4 under to be in a huge group T29, while defending champion Brandon Stone from South Africa is another shot back at -3 under.

Made in Denmark. Five-Way Tie at the Top.

There is a five-way tie at the top of the Made in Denmark leaderboard, with Edoardo Molinari, Italy, Alejandro Cañizares, Spain, with Tom Murray, Matthew Southgate and Paul Waring all from England.

Edoardo / getty

All five players scored opening rounds of -5 under par 66 at a very windy Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort course, to top the Made in Denmark leaderboard by one shot.

Edoardo said he played well in the wind;

“I had a good round of golf today, it was quite windy, I hit the ball very solid. I made a few putts on my front nine, missed a couple of putts coming in when it was very windy.”

“Overall it’s been a good day.”

“I wasn’t trying to make that many birdies, it was so windy I was just trying to hit greens and give myself good looks at birdies.”

Defending champion Matt Wallace of England, coming back from finishing third at the US PGA Championship is in the group of six players at -4 under par.

Paul Lawrie Match Play, Record Breaking Mikko Ilonen

Mikko Ilonen, from Finland had a  Paul Lawrie Match Play marvelous record breaking victory of 8 & 7 over Matthieu Pavon, France, to cruise into the second round at Golf Resort Bad Griesbach.

Mikko Ilonen / getty

Mikko had a great day, with a fast start;

“It was a fast start, definitely, I hit my three wood on the third hole to about a foot, kept the gas on the floor and I think it was eight under when I finished.”

“Match play anything can happen.”

“Even if I was three up after three I could be one down after nine, you never know how it goes.”

“Today was my day and Matthieu didn’t get anything going.”

History was also recorded in the morning session when  Edoardo Molinari, Italy,  beat Robert Karlsson, Sweden,  on the 24th hole of their contest,  the longest match in tournament history.

It was a good day for hosts Germany as, Marcel Siem,  Florian Fritsch, Maximilian Kieffer and Alexander Knappe all won their matches.

Matthew Southgate, England, the top seeded player, and tournament host Paul Lawrie, Scotland, also progressed to the second round.

Get in the Hole

 

Trophee Hassan 11. Play-Off Win For Edoardo Molinari.

Edoardo Molinari earned a play-off win at the Trophee Hassan 11 tournament in Morocco, at the first play-off hole, beating Paul Dunne.

Edoardo Molinari / getty

Edoardo, from Italy, fired a final round -5 under par 68, to get into the play-off for the Trophee Hassan 11 title at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, with a -9 under par total. A par at the first extra hole, the par five 18th earned him his third European Tour title.

An Eagle putt on the par five last to get into the play-off;

“It’s fantastic. I’ve been through some very hard times with injuries and bad form.”

“To be able to win this week deletes a lot of bad memories and hopefully I can keep going down this road.”

“After the 12th hole I thought I had a chance, then I missed a short putt at the 13th. I had another chance on 15 – didn’t make it – then when you bogey 16 you think it’s almost over because on the 17th today you’d be happy with a par.”

“I managed to hit a great five iron to seven or eight feet and I made the putt. That gave me a boost going down the last – I still had a chance.”

“I thought ‘if I can make a three here then suddenly it’s wide open.”

“It just shows that you should never give up, you should always keep trying, keep working hard.

 “I’ve probably been the player who has spent the most time on the driving range over the last three years. This is a great reward for so much hard work.”

Paul, from Ireland, bravely sunk a birdie putt on his last hole to get into the play-off, a last round -1 under 72

Paul Waring, England  was alone in third place on -8 under par, after carding four birdies and a bogey in his final-round -3 under 70.

Get in the Hole

Joburg Open. Local Lads Lead.

Local Lads Lead the Joburg Open, with Thomas Aiken and Justin Walters setting the pace at the Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club.

Thomas Aiken / Getty Images

Thomas carded a -9 under par 63 over the East Course, which included one bogey, for a total of -17 under par at the end of play on day 3. He said he has been in final groups before and knows how to deal with the pressure;

“I’ve been in a lot of final groups, won twice in Europe and seven times on the Sunshine Tour, so I know what pressures there are going to be. If you just go and do what you do best, stick to your gameplan and take it shot by shot then the best golfer will win at the end of the day.”

I am not sure I believe the best golfer wins, sometimes Lady Luck has a hand, a good bounce or a bad one can make all the difference between winning and losing. As we have seen recently, the best time to put in a 63 is the last round.

Justin shot a -8 under par 64, with one bogey for his -17 under par total, and is aware that the last time he was in this position going into the final round he did not play too well. On the upside he was very happy with his Eagle at the last;

” I hit the ball so well today. Going into the day I just wanted to move forward a little bit, because my last attempt from this position I went quite backwards. I was aware of that and I made a strong effort to be aggressive today. I’ve got one more round tomorrow and I’m so happy that I’ve put myself into a strong position. I’m super excited for tomorrow, because it’s what we play for.”

” To hit a close one in there on the last and to hear the grandstand roar from way back down the fairway gives you the goosebumps, and that’s why we play. It’s nice to give people something to cheer about. Considering the situation I am in it was pretty vital, because giving him  a nice lead on this course will make him hard to catch. Tomorrow is certainly a good opportunity, and I will be nervous, but hopefully I can improve on my record in South Africa.”

Jin Jeong is in third place at -15 under par for the tournament, a winner in Perth at the end of last year. Jin had five birdies, an Eagle and just one dropped shot in his round of  -6 under par 66.

Overnight leaders Edoardo Molinari and Craig Lee could only manage rounds of 72 and 74 respectively and lost ground on the leaders. Edoardo now at -11 under par and Craig -9 under.

There are three Open Championship places on offer tomorrow for those not already exempt so the contest also looks set to go down to the wire.The only player in the top ten already qualified for Royal Liverpool France’s Grégory Bourdy.

Joburg Open. Edoardo Molinari & Craig Lee Share the Lead

Edoardo Molinari and Craig Lee share the lead of the Joburg Open at  Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club.

Edoardo Molinari / Getty Images

Edoardo feels his game is in a good place as he continues his return to form by claiming a share of the Lead at the Joburg Open with a second round -4 under par 68 on the tougher East Course, for a total of -11 under par;

“It was another very good round of golf, and I hit the ball very well, maybe not as well as yesterday, but I gave myself a lot of chances, which is what you have to do around the East Course. I am very pleased with four under today. You just have to play your best. There are a few less birdie chances on the East Course, but all of the par fives are reachable, so you can make a good score.”

“I think I drove the ball really well. I’ve been driving the ball like that for the last few months and it’s making a big difference, because I am hitting a couple of clubs less than I am used to and most times I am on the fairway. It’s still two rounds to go, but I like the way I am hitting the ball. I made a few putts today, but the most important thing is to keep hitting the ball like this. I’m very happy with pretty much everything. I am very happy with my position and my game right now.”

Craig shot a -4 under par on the easier West Course to also get to -11 under par, and stay at the top of the leaderboard;

“The goal was to not fall back and there’s a strong field behind you, so it was important that I didn’t slip back. I had a pretty good chance early on to distance myself from the rest of the field, but I didn’t really capitalise on the back nine.”

 David Horsey -8 under par 63 on the West Course and the home town favorite George Coetzee -4 under par on the East Course, share third place, both just one shot back at -10 under par for the tournament.

David enjoyed the conditions and the easier course, he also mentioned this new qualifying system for The Open;

 “The conditions were a bit breezier than yesterday, but they were made for scoring out there today. I’m very pleased with the day’s work. I was a little bit more aggressive, but I made a whole lot of putts and that was it, hey presto!

“It’s an added bonus, I think it’s a good system, a good change from the R&A to do that. It makes the qualifying a bit fairer and spreads it out over a longer period rather than making it a 36-hole sprint. It’s at the back of my mind at the moment, but it’s certainly a bonus to consider near the end of the week.”

George knows the East Course and knows what to expect;

“I know what to expect and tomorrow I’ll try to stay patient and make a few putts on the way home.”

 The whole field have now played both courses during the first two rounds, and will now revert to the more demanding East Course for the conclusion of the tournament at the weekend.