Any family would be tickled to have such a gem of a home as this one by Nordico, with cute-as-a-button accents like the deer head light adorning the master bedrooms wall, adding both ambiance and flare. The brick partition wall between the dining area and living space gives a splash of color within a vastly […]
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Leona Maguire with the Smyth Salver
Leona Maguire announced she will try for her LPGA Tour card at Q-School in the autumn after winning the leading amateur prize in the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Woburn.
The world amateur No 2 would have liked to have closed with something lower than a three over 75, but the Slieve Russell and Duke University player was still thrilled to win the Smyth Salver as he tied for 25th on four under behind winner Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand.
Asked if she had plans to turn professional despite having completed just two years of college at Duke, Leona said: “I think I'm going to go to Q-School, LPGA Q-School, later on this year. These events are good preparation for that.”
The 21 year old will be exempt into Stage II of the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament at Plantation Golf and Country Club, Venice, Florida from October 17-23 if she remains inside the top-3 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking by the August 1 entry deadline.
She may well be back to No 1 before long as she prepares to head to Rio for the Olympic Games later this month with her sister Lisa, who will caddie there having toted the bag for her twin sister over the Marquess Course.
“I’ve had a great week,” Leona said. "Would have liked to play a little bit better today, but yeah, the goal this week was to have as much fun as possible and play as well as I could, and I’ve done pretty much that.”
The Co Cavan star clearly relishes the challenge of going toe to toe with the top professionals and said as much afterwards.
“It’s been great,” she said. “I've had a lot of fun this week, and it's been great having my sister on the bag and enjoyed every minute of it."
As for winning the Smyth Salver awarded to the leading amateur, she said: "It’s a huge honour. I'm sure there are some great names on that that have been there before me.
“So it's nice to join them, and like you said, all the top amateurs in the world are here this week and it's not often that we all get to play in the same tournament.
“I think I showed that I can compete with the best of them and would liked to have had a little bit better finish today, but I'm very, very happy with the week."
Maguire prepared well by playing parkland golf on treelined courses and picked out the third round 69, which left her tied 10th with a round to go, as her highlight.
“That was a nice 69,” she said. "I played really, really nice yesterday to sort of jump up the leaderboard. But overall, it’s been a great week.”
Given her form, she’s clearly got a legitimate chance of contending in Brazil.
“Leave for Rio for the Olympics on the 11th of August, so really excited about that,” she said. “Can’t wait to get out there.”
Ricoh Women's British Open scores
Galway's Ronan Mullarney as he helped Maynooth University reach last year's Barton Shield final. Picture: Pat Cashman
Galway’s Ronan Mullarney has the game to win an amateur major and what better way to test himself than by taking a three-shot lead into Monday’s final two rounds of the Mullingar Electrical Scratch Trophy.
The Connacht interprovincial defied blustery conditions at the James Braid designed gem, carding five birdies in a morning 69, then adding another five in a four under par 68 to set the pace on seven under par.
Portmarnock’s Jack Pierse, who started with a 68 and add a 72 in the afternoon, is Mullarney’s nearest rival on four under par with South of Ireland runner up Rowan Lester from Hermitage a further shot back after rounds of 71 and 70.
Pierse played in the final group at the East of Ireland Championship and while he ended up tied 12th, he’s a dangerous prospect, especially if his putter behaves.
The same could be said for the rest of the top 10, including 20 year old Lester.
Looking for a big final day so he can to head to the Home Internationals in Scotland and then to college at Texas Wesleyan University in Forth Worth with a win under his belt, he said: “It would be nice to get a win. And it would also be nice to hole a few putts because it was really tough today with the pins on little knuckles and shelves.
“I haven’t had a win since I played Boys events but last week [at Lahinch] gave me a lot of confidence so I believe I will get a win sooner or later. I just have to keep playing the way I am playing and it will happen.”
A Mullingar player has yet win the famous old trophy but the drought could end in the event’s 54th year with Liam Grehan and Gareth Carr, a son of former Dublin footballer Tommy Carr, just five shots off the lead in joint fourth on two under par.
Just eight players broke par over the first two rounds with Newlands’ Jake Whelan, Galgorm Castle’s Jordan Hood and Charlesland’s Keith Murphy all at one under.
Irish Close champion Tiarnan McLarnon, recently handed his first cap for the Home Internationals, cannot be discounted either after a second round 68 left him on level par.
The cut for the top 51 fell at 11 over 155 with South of Ireland champion Conor Purcell one of four players to miss on that mark after disappointing rounds of 73 and 82.
The withdrawals of Colin Fairweather (68-80) and Woobrook’s Colm Crowley (75 77) were good news for Portmarnock’s Stephen Walsh and Athlone’s Thomas O’Connor, who moved up two spots and scraped in for the last two rounds in 50th and 51st.
137 Ronan Mullarney (Galway) 69 68
140 Jack Pierse (Portmarnock) 68 72
141 Rowan Lester (Hermitage) 71 70
142 Liam Grehan (Mullingar) 70 72, Gareth Carr (Mullingar) 68 74
143 Keith Murphy (Charlesland) 75 68, Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) 74 69, Jake Whelan (Newlands) 69 74
144 Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene) 76 68
145 Jack Walsh (Castle) 72 73, Devin Morley (Oughterard) 70 75, Rob Brazill (Naas) 69 76
146 Karl McCormack (Portarlington) 78 68, David Reddan Jnr (Nenagh) 73 73, Robin Dawson (Tramore) 73 73, Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 71 75, Cian Healy (Ballyneety) 71 75, Quentin Carew (Edenderry) 70 76, Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) 70 76
147 John Hickey (Cork) 72 75
148 Robbie Pierse (Grange) 75 73, Joe Lyons (Galway) 74 74, Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) 72 76, Shane McDermott (Co. Cavan) 72 76, Colin Fairweather (Knock) 68 80
149 Brian Doran (Baltinglass) 73 76
150 Keith Egan (Royal Curragh) 77 73, Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little.) 77 73, David Brady (Co. Sligo) 73 77
151 Des Morgan (New Forest) 78 73, TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 76 75, Cathal Nolan (Galway) 75 76, Shane McGlynn (Portmarnock) 72 79
152 Anthony McDaid (Palmerstown Stud) 79 73, Stephen Watts (Cairndhu) 77 75, Nicholas Grant (Shandon Park) 77 75, Mark Shanahan (Castlemartyr) 77 75, Declan King (Tramore) 76 76, Robert Neville (The Links Portmarnock) 76 76, Jamie Knipe (Royal Portrush) 76 76, Robert Moran (Castle) 76 76, Colm Crowley (Woodbrook) 75 77, Matthew Grehan (Tullamore) 75 77
153 Paul Carey (Nenagh) 78 75, Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock) 77 76, Richard Knightly (The Royal Dublin) 77 76
154 Ian Lynch (Rosslare) 81 73, Declan Reidy (Co. Sligo) 77 77, Peter Kerr (Royal Portrush) 76 78, Shane Hogan (Nenagh) 75 79
155 Gary Ward (Kinsale) 81 74, Stephen Walsh (Portmarnock) 80 75, Thomas O’Connor (Athlone) 79 76
155 Colm Hughes (Galway) 77 78, Dave Lowry (Corballis Links) 76 79, Graham Nugent (Kilkenny) 76 79, Conor Purcell (Portmarnock) 73 82
156 Paul Burke (Mullingar) 81 75, P. O'Sullivan (Bray) 79 77, Ted Collins (Dun Laoghaire) 77 79, David McDonald (Old Conna) 77 79, Jamal Sabir (Moate) 74 82
157 James McVicker (Knock) 81 76, Colin Woodroofe (Blainroe) 79 78, Stefan Greenberg (Tandragee) 74 83
158 Ross Kenny (Millicent) 83 75, Sam Sweeney (USA) 80 78, Shaun O'Connor (Luttrellstown Castle) 79 79, Billy McGarry (Nenagh) 78 80, Hugh Foley (The Royal Dublin) 77 81, John Conroy (Portmarnock) 76 82, Colin Cunningham (Carton House) 76 82, Eoghan Long (Monkstown) 75 83
159 Stephen Brady (Galway) 85 74, Steffan O'Hara (Co. Sligo) 81 78, Shane Kearney (Esker Hills) 80 79
160 Cathal Butler (Kinsale) 81 79
161 James Monaghan (The Royal Dublin) 79 82
163 Kyle Dunne (Rosslare) 82 81
165 Gavin Flanagan (Mullingar) 83 82, Gareth Mann (Tullamore) 82 83, R. McKinley (Mullingar) 80 85
166 Neville Steedman (European) 84 82, David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 80 86
167 N. Pratt (USA) 80 87
168 Cillian Moloney (Fota Island) 87 81, Conor Byrne (USA) 85 83
DQ Michael Buggy (Castlecomer) 75 DQ,
WD Colm Crowley (Woodbrook) 75 77, Colin Fairweather (Knock) 68 80, Aaron Grant (Dundalk) 74 WD, Stephen Kinch (Hollystown) 82 WD.
Rolls Royce has always done its own thing. Even after being bought by BMW, the Goodwood-based brand has still kept its brand identity. And that brand identity has always been about making the most supremely luxurious and exceptional vehicles, regardless of any other influence. Rolls does Rolls and there’s never been any other way. Until now that is.
Rolls Royce has just developed a new Black Badge edition for its two-door Wraith. The Rolls Royce Wraith Black Badge is aimed directly at a younger crowd than the brand’s current middle-aged buyer. Think more Kim Kardashian than Helen Mirren. While this wouldn’t be surprising for BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz or even Bentley, it is actually surprising for Rolls Royce.
The team at Goodwood has always been about pure luxury, no flashy gimmicks. Rolls isn’t about trying to impress with numbers, boastful claims or fancy gadgets. Hell, for a time Rolls Royce engineers wouldn’t even disclose horsepower figures, they’d just claim it to be “adequate”. So it’s a bit shocking that Rolls is stooping to a level filled with DJs and Celebrities than actually developing the cars it feels are best.
Obviously, being a Rolls Royce, the Wraith Black Badge is built with nothing but the highest quality. Despite its “all black errthang” styling that is so popular nowadays, it’s still a classy thing to behold. While the interior is more nightclub than it is english smoking room, it’s still superbly built. However, it just fails to evoke the idea of Rolls Royce to me.
A Rolls Royce is supposed to be filled with wood, leather and metal, not strange aluminum and carbon fiber composite. That isn’t a Rolls Royce. If you want carbon fiber in your luxury car, buy a Bentley. Top Gear claims it feels of the highest caliber and is incredibly well made composite. We have no doubt that that’s true. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Now, the Black Badge edition Wraith isn’t just some fancy trim and a new badge. The folks at Goodwood have made some mechanical changes as well. Torque has increased to 642 lb-ft, up 52, a new driveshaft has been added, as well as new suspension suspension tuning, and the transmission has been made more aggressive. All of this means that the new Wraith actually handles better than before and can seriously embarrass sports car. While Rolls still refuses to call it a sports car, and it’s still very much a pure-bred luxury car, it was still the sixth fastest car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Top Gear also recently tested the Wraith Black Badge on a race track in Las Vegas, as strange place to test a Rolls. They away impressed with the big brute and how it was far more capable that expected. While it isn’t a track monster, it’s more at home going quickly than any other Rolls in the past. But, again, that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Maybe I’m just old-fashioned and maybe I’m stubborn, but a Rolls is supposed to be that old-world luxury car. It’s supposed to think it’s better than you are, because it probably is. It’s supposed to seem like something men and women of the highest caliber drive, not DJs. Now, obviously, athletes and musicians who can barely read do own Rolls Royces, but that doesn’t mean Rolls should stoop to their level.
This doesn’t mean the Rolls Royce Wraith Black Badge isn’t impressive, because it is. It’s just not the sort of thing I’m used to Rolls Royce making.
[Source: Top Gear]The article Top Gear drives the Rolls Royce Wraith Black Badge appeared first on BMW BLOG
Hybrid SUVs are supremely popular among wealthy consumers with a green image to uphold. However, the problem is that those customers are more focused on image than how green they actually are. Hybrid SUVs aren’t the most sensible vehicles out there, as they’re so heavy that they aren’t the economical at all and the hybrid gear hurts their ability to be utility vehicles. So they’re somewhat contradictory. In this latest video from Carwow, Mat Watson explains such things in the BMW X5 xDrive40e.
We actually drove the X5 xDrive40e and we came away impressed with its powertrain and how well it was calibrated. The switch between gasoline and electric power is imperceptible and it’s probably one of the smoothest hybrid powertrains on the market. However, we also were unimpressed by its fuel economy, despite lofty claims from BMW, and its lack of utility over the standard X5. Watson expresses the same sentiments.
In this video review, Watson does have high praise for the X5 overall. It’s brilliant to drive, which we also agree with, as it’s far more nimble and enjoyable than its size would suggest and it’s also extremely comfortable and luxurious. It also still looks good and has a very solid and high-quality interior.
Although, Watson does admit that these great qualities are found on all BMW X5s. And because of that, the xDrive40e isn’t the model to get. In fact, he says that the xDrive35d diesel model is the one to get. It’s faster, gets better fuel economy and the diesel engine is more suited to the car. We couldn’t agree more and claimed so in our review.
However, overall, the BMW X5 xDrive40 is a great car on its own. Without comparing it to other X5s, it is an very impressive SUV and one that’s lovely to drive. It’s only when you compare it to its fellow stable mates that its reasoning starts to fall apart. While the X5 xDrive35d or ever xDrive35i might be the better choice, the X5 xDrive40e will be a favorite among those with a green image.
The article VIDEO: Carwow drives BMW X5 xDrive40e appeared first on BMW BLOG
Ask most BMW fans which M3 is the best M3 and they’ll almost all in unison say the E46 generation M3. While the E30 is considered by many to be the best BMW of all time, objectively, the E46 M3 is the better car overall. So most fans will go with that car as their perfect M3. However, Alex from Car Throttle specifically bought an E36 BMW M3 over an E46 M3, despite it technically being the worse car of the two.
Why would he do that? Well, he gives us five reasons in this video.
1. Looks – While the E46 M3 is probably the better looking car to most people, Alex fancies the E36 M3’s styling better. Personally, I’m an E36-lover myself, so I can see what he’s talking about. There’s something very cool about its boxy, ’90s styling that draws me to it. The E46 M3 is the better looking car, I think, but there’s something very tantalizing about an E36. Plus, looks are subjective, so Alex likes his E36 M3 more.
2. Noise – This one is kind of a toss up. While the E46 M3 isn’t the most beautiful sounding car of all time, it does make a fantastic raspy wail. It almost sounds metallic, like a typical BMW I6 should. Alex isn’t a fan. However, he’s comparing it to his E36 M3, which has an aftermarket exhaust. So it’s not really apples-to-apples in this situation. Admittedly, though, the E36 M3 does sound freaking fantastic.
3. Engine – While here in America, we only got the 240 hp 3.0 liter I6 engine for the E36 M3, the Europeans got the 321 hp 3.2 liter engine. The Euro motor was far superior in every singly way and the first BMW engine to crest the 100 hp/liter mark. That not only makes it powerful and fast, but gives it a bit of history as well. So not only is the car fun to drive, but it’s interesting to own.
4. Body – While Alex has had some issues with the body of his car, as he found several broken bits and some rust in the video, it’s still a very good looking car. But he likes it even more because, even though his car is a coupe, the E36 M3 came with three different body styles. This is something that the E46 M3 did not do. The E36 M3 was available as a coupe, cabrio or sedan.
5. Rarity – The final reason, and probably the more important, is its rarity. While it’s easy to find an E46 M3, it’s hard to find an E36 M3. The reason is that, at least in the UK, BMW only sold 1,700 vehicles by 1999 when it went off sale. Currently, only 421 of those cars remain on the road, with 400 of them being “off the road”. That means that the 400 cars exist but aren’t registered to drive on the road. So that only leaves 21 E36 M3s in the UK, making them very rare. That rarity will also drive the value up, making it a good investment.
Overall, the E36 M3 is a great car and one that can still compete with its successor. While it’s not as pretty, as nice to drive or as fast as the E46 M3, the E36 M3 is still great car that could be had instead.
The article VIDEO: 5 Reasons why the BMW E36 M3 is better than the E46 M3 appeared first on BMW BLOG
The BMW M6 GTLM Endurance Race car just won its first major endurance race at the 24 Hours of Spa today. Alexander Sims drove the No. 99 BMW M6 GTLM for the ROWE Racing Team and beat out the No. 88 AMG-Team AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Felix Rosenqvist for the win. Sims won by just 1 minute 55 seconds, making this a thrilling finish.
For most of the race, the BMW M6 GTLM battled Bentley and its factory team No. 8 car. It was a close battle until the end of the race, when Bentley was forced to pit for the minimum pit time requirement of 2 minuted and 15 seconds. This caused the Bentley to fall from second place and ultimately out of a podium finish. It was a rough blow for Bentley, who had competed well throughout the entire race.
28.07.2016 to 31.07.2016, 2016 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, Total 24 Hours of Spa, Spa Francorchamps, Spa (BEL). Alexander Sims (GBR), Phillipp Eng (AUT), Maxime Martin (BEL), No 99, Rowe Racing, BMW M6 GT3.
In fact, both the No. 8 Bentley and No. 99 BMW exchanged leads throughout there race. But the Bentley’s right rear tire puncture caused it to pit and lose it the race. It isn’t all good news for BMW and the ROWE Racing team. The N0. 98 BMW M6 GTLM was forced out of the race with gearbox failure.
However, this is great news for BMW and its M6 GTLM, as the brand’s new race car gets its first major endurance victory. Ironically, the car the M6 GTLM replaces, the BMW Z4 GT3, won the 24 Hours of Spa last year. So that makes back-to-back victories for BMW at Spa with two different cars.
The BMW Z4 GT3 was one of the most successful endurance cars in the sport’s history, so when it came time for BMW to replace it, fans were nervous of the results. However, it seems that the M6 GTLM has been doing the Z4 GT3 proud and this win at Spa cements that.
The article BMW wins 24 Hours of Spa with M6 GTLM appeared first on BMW BLOG
Winner Ryan Fox. Picture: Golffile
Olympics-bound New Zealander Ryan Fox equalled the Galgorm Castle Golf Club course record as he stormed to victory at the Tayto Northern Ireland Open in partnership with Ulster Bank.
His nine under par 62 equalled Joakim Lagergren’s score in the 2014 edition of the Northern Ireland Open, but Fox threatened to go one better down the closing stretch as he secured his second European Challenge Tour title.
Starting the day on ten under par, three shots behind the lead, the Kiwi wasted no time in making up the deficit as he registered a birdie and an eagle on the first two holes to draw level.
Four more birdies followed on the front nine as he made the turn in just 29 shots.
Fox made four birdies in the next six holes, but a bogey on 16 scuppered his hopes of shooting a round of 59 and so emulating the achievement of Nicolo Ravano in the recent Fred Olsen Challenge de España.
However, a 19 under par total was enough to secure victory by four shots from overnight leader Dylan Frittelli (69), Dominic Foos, Max Orrin and Bernd Ritthammer (all 65).
In so doing, Fox became the 15th different winner from 15 events on the 2016 Challenge Tour Schedule.
“To be honest, I played exactly how I played all week,” said Fox. “But I got really hot with the putter. I played solid from tee to green the whole week, and today I left myself a lot of makeable putts.
“It got hot and it was nice to keep seeing the ball go in. I thought I was flirting with the magical number for a while, but a three-putt on 16 didn’t help that.
“My start was a bit better than Saturday; I was one over after those two holes. I holed a nice putt on the first and I was perfect on the last on the green. Yesterday, I went too far right, but I hit a great shot today and rolled in a nice putt from eight or nine feet.”
Winner of the Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge in 2015, Fox had previously played in four Challenge Tour events in 2016, finishing second, tied fourth, tied seventh and tied 18th.
As he prepares to represent his country in Rio at the 2016 Olympic Games, Fox said he could not have asked for better preparation for the tournament, which starts in less than two weeks.
“I couldn’t have played any better and it’s nice to go into the Olympics with some form,” he said. “It’s always a good feeling to win.
“It’s hard to get your first win and sometimes it seems harder to keep doing it. It’s great to be a two-time winner on the Challenge Tour and build on the experience I had last year.
“It’ll be great in Rio, I’m looking forward to being part of the New Zealand team; we don’t get the opportunity very often in golf.
“There are three Challenge Tour players and a lot of ex-Challenge Tour players there. It shows the quality of this tour, and hopefully I can join the upper echelon of the guys who have graduated from the Challenge Tour.”
Defending champion Clément Sordet carded a final round 68 to finish in a share of sixth place alongside Wil Besseling on 14 under par.
Tournament host Michael Hoey closed with a round of 68 to take eighth place on 13 under par, two strokes clear of European Tour champions Tom Lewis and Damien McGrane.
265 R Fox (Nzl) 66 68 69 62,
269 M Orrin (Eng) 70 66 68 65, D Foos (Ger) 70 65 69 65, B Ritthammer (Ger) 65 71 68 65, D Frittelli (RSA) 65 70 65 69,
270 C Sordet (Fra) 71 64 67 68, W Besseling (Ned) 68 65 68 69,
271 Michael Hoey (Nir) 68 67 68 68,
273 T Lewis (Eng) 69 70 66 68, Damien McGrane (Irl) 65 71 69 68,
274 D Perrier (Fra) 68 68 68 70, B Stow (Eng) 65 69 71 69, M Tullo (Chi) 70 67 72 65, Chris Selfridge (Nir) 71 67 67 69,
275 S Hutsby (Eng) 65 71 67 72, B Hellgren (Swe) 67 68 72 68, R Kellett (Sco) 69 70 68 68, J Dantorp (Swe) 69 71 68 67, R Saxton (Ned) 66 72 74 63, A Saddier (Fra) 66 71 67 71, Chris Moriarty (Irl) 70 66 70 69, D Van Driel (Ned) 68 73 68 66,
276 A Rai (Eng) 68 72 69 67, G King (Eng) 72 68 68 68, A Knappe (Ger) 67 73 70 66, J Loughrey (Eng) 68 68 71 69, S Fernandez (Esp) 70 71 67 68, S Hodgson (Eng) 67 73 69 67, Rory McNamara (Irl) 65 76 67 68, J Guerrier (Fra) 70 68 71 67, D Gaunt (Aus) 65 72 70 69,
277 M Nixon (Eng) 70 67 70 70, R Santos (Por) 67 73 71 66, P Mejow (Ger) 68 69 70 70, D Stewart (Sco) 72 69 66 70,
278 S Soderberg (Swe) 72 69 72 65, Jonny Caldwell (Nir) 70 71 68 69, P Maddy (Eng) 67 67 77 67, S Tiley (Eng) 69 70 70 69, M Kinhult (Swe) 67 73 67 71, S Heisele (Ger) 71 69 69 69,
279 W Harrold (Eng) 67 72 72 68, Simon Thornton (Irl) 70 71 68 70, R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 72 66 67 74, S Henry (Sco) 68 70 73 68, T Tree (Eng) 71 67 72 69,
280 J Stalter (Fra) 68 72 69 71, Gary Hurley (Irl) 67 69 76 68,
281 J Lima (Por) 69 69 70 73, Kevin Phelan (Irl) 73 67 72 69, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 70 71 70 70,
282 M Keskari (Ger) 74 66 71 71, M Armitage (Eng) 68 72 71 71, J Senior (Eng) 69 69 70 74, A Pavan (Ita) 74 66 69 73, Colm Campbell Jnr (am) (Irl) 73 68 68 73,
284 M Delpodio (Ita) 70 70 73 71, A Maestroni (Ita) 71 70 74 69, H Joannes (Bel) 72 66 73 73, C Bouniol (Fra) 68 71 74 71, O Farr (Wal) 72 68 71 73, B Rusch (Sui) 72 69 72 71, V Riu (Fra) 67 72 73 72,
285 T Pulkkanen (Fin) 70 71 73 71,
289 R Roussel (Fra) 71 68 75 75, Cormac Sharvin (Nir) 72 69 74 74,
297 G Migliozzi (am) (Ita) 67 74 76 80.
142 Joe Dillon (Irl) 74 68, Ruaidhri McGee (Irl) 73 69, Dermot McElroy (Nir) 70 72,
143 Neil O’Briain (Irl) 73 70, Brian Casey (Irl) 73 70,
144 Gareth Shaw (Nir) 74 70, Gavin Moynihan (Irl) 73 71, Jack Hume (am) (Irl) 73 71
145 John Ross Galbraith (am) (Nir) 68 77
146 Reeve Whitson (Nir) 76 70, Noel Murray (Nir) 75 71
149 Michael McGeady (Irl) 80 69, Jamie Fletcher (am) (Nir) 78 71
150 Jeff Hopkins (Irl) 76 74, David Carey (Irl) 71 79
151 Niall Kearney (Irl) 73 78
156 David Rawluk (Irl) 80 76 0, Tom McKibbin (am) (Nir) 80 76
159 Alan Dunbar (Nir) 85 74
161 Richard Bridges (Irl) 81 80
Stephan Jaeger's record total
You know scoring is good when he fire rounds of 65, 67 and 68 and find yourself 13 off the lead. But that's the scenario facing West Waterford's Seamus Power as Gemany's Stefan Jaeger continues to smash records in the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stoneware.
Power shares 15th place on 10 under par with Jaeger seven ahead on 23 under after smashing the 54-hole scoring record on the Web.com Tour.
He broke Martin Piller's record by two shots with rounds of 58-65-64—187.
Through three record-setting loops, Jaeger has penciled in his name for the 18, 36, and 54-hole Web.com Tour scoring records. With a blemish-free, 6-under 64 in the third round, Jaeger’s wire-to-wire lead grew to seven shots Saturday, and he’s within striking distance of adding Steve Wheatcroft’s 72-hole Web.com Tour record of 255 to his collection on Sunday.
“There’s one more. I guess I’ve got to break the record for 72 holes,” Jaeger said. “It’s been a good week, it really has. I’m going to try to keep it going. The game plan doesn’t change.”
Will Stephan Jaeger break Tommy Armour III's 72-hole record score (@PGATOUR/#WebTour) of 254? He needs 66 or better.
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) July 31, 2016
Dylan Frittelli. Picture: Golffile
Tournament ambassador Michael Hoey is just three shots behind leader Dylan Frittelli heading into the final round of the Tayto Northern Ireland Open in partnership with Ulster Bank.
As South African Frittellii shot a bogey-free 65 at Galgorm Castle Golf Club to lead by one from Wil Besseling of the Netherlands on 13 under par, Hoe’s 68 leaves him tied for fourth.
Frittelli, a former European Challenge Tour winner, had to complete his second round in the morning as a six-hour rain delay from Thursday’s first round carried through to Saturday.
The 26 year old carded a one under par 70 for his second round, but came out firing in the third round as he shot an eagle on the par four second hole.
Four more birdies followed and he overtook Wil Besseling at the top of the leaderboard with a total of 13 under par.
Holland’s Besseling led by one shot at the start of the third round and carded four birdies in his round of 68. He sits just one shot behind Frittelli.
Defending champion Clément Sordet shot a blemish-free 67 and takes sole ownership of third place on 11 under par.
“I’m very happy. My short game is great and I hit the ball really well,” said Sordet. “I hit 18 greens today, so I didn’t have to chip once. My game is solid and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
Sam Hutsby, tournament host and local favourite Michael Hoey, and Ryan Fox, who will represent New Zealand in the Olympics next month, sit a shot further back on ten under par.
Damien McGrane (69) and Chris Selfridge (67) got to within five if the lead with Colm Moriarty (70) six back while amateur Colm Campbell showed that he has oodles of quality with a second successive 68 leaving him on four under
200 D Frittelli (RSA) 65 70 65,
201 W Besseling (Ned) 68 65 68,
202 C Sordet (Fra) 71 64 67,
203 Michael Hoey (Nir) 68 67 68, S Hutsby (Eng) 65 71 67, R Fox (Nzl) 66 68 69,
204 M Orrin (Eng) 70 66 68, B Ritthammer (Ger) 65 71 68, D Foos (Ger) 70 65 69, D Perrier (Fra) 68 68 68, A Saddier (Fra) 66 71 67,
205 Damien McGrane (Irl) 65 71 69, Chris Selfridge (Nir) 71 67 67, R Sciot-Siegrist (Fra) 72 66 67, T Lewis (Eng) 69 70 66, B Stow (Eng) 65 69 71,
206 Colm Moriarty (Irl) 70 66 70,
207 D Stewart (Sco) 72 69 66, M Kinhult (Swe) 67 73 67, B Hellgren (Swe) 67 68 72, J Loughrey (Eng) 68 68 71, R Kellett (Sco) 69 70 68, P Mejow (Ger) 68 69 70, D Gaunt (Aus) 65 72 70, M Nixon (Eng) 70 67 70,
208 S Fernandez (Esp) 70 71 67, J Senior (Eng) 69 69 70, J Dantorp (Swe) 69 71 68, Rory McNamara (Irl) 65 76 67, J Lima (Por) 69 69 70, G King (Eng) 72 68 68,
209 S Heisele (Ger) 71 69 69, J Stalter (Fra) 68 72 69, A Rai (Eng) 68 72 69, Jonny Caldwell (Nir) 70 71 68, D Van Driel (Ned) 68 73 68, Simon Thornton (Irl) 70 71 68, J Guerrier (Fra) 70 68 71, S Tiley (Eng) 69 70 70, M Tullo (Chi) 70 67 72, S Hodgson (Eng) 67 73 69, A Pavan (Ita) 74 66 69, Colm Campbell Jnr (am) (Irl) 73 68 68,
210 T Tree (Eng) 71 67 72, A Knappe (Ger) 67 73 70,
211 R Santos (Por) 67 73 71, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 70 71 70, S Henry (Sco) 68 70 73, H Joannes (Bel) 72 66 73, W Harrold (Eng) 67 72 72, P Maddy (Eng) 67 67 77, M Armitage (Eng) 68 72 71, M Keskari (Ger) 74 66 71, O Farr (Wal) 72 68 71,
212 V Riu (Fra) 67 72 73, R Saxton (Ned) 66 72 74, Gary Hurley (Irl) 67 69 76, Kevin Phelan (Irl) 73 67 72,
213 S Soderberg (Swe) 72 69 72, M Delpodio (Ita) 70 70 73, C Bouniol (Fra) 68 71 74, B Rusch (Sui) 72 69 72,
214 T Pulkkanen (Fin) 70 71 73, R Roussel (Fra) 71 68 75,
215 Cormac Sharvin (Nir) 72 69 74, A Maestroni (Ita) 71 70 74,
217 G Migliozzi (am) (Ita) 67 74 76,
142 Joe Dillon (Irl) 74 68, Ruaidhri McGee (Irl) 73 69, Dermot McElroy (Nir) 70 72,
143 Neil O’Briain (Irl) 73 70, Brian Casey (Irl) 73 70,
144 Gareth Shaw (Nir) 74 70, Gavin Moynihan (Irl) 73 71, Jack Hume (am) (Irl) 73 71
145 John Ross Galbraith (am) (Nir) 68 77
146 Reeve Whitson (Nir) 76 70, Noel Murray (Nir) 75 71
149 Michael McGeady (Irl) 80 69, Jamie Fletcher (am) (Nir) 78 71
150 Jeff Hopkins (Irl) 76 74, David Carey (Irl) 71 79
151 Niall Kearney (Irl) 73 78
156 David Rawluk (Irl) 80 76 0, Tom McKibbin (am) (Nir) 80 76
159 Alan Dunbar (Nir) 85 74
161 Richard Bridges (Irl) 81 80
Leona Maguire speaks to TV after her third round 68
Leona Maguire has yet to announce publicly when she will turn professional but she looks ready to make the money at any time after a third round 68 left her tied for an impressive 10th place with a round to play in the Women's British Open at Woburn.
At seven under par, the world amateur No 2 might be nine stokes behind Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn, who leads by two from Mirim Lee on 16 under par, but she looks so at ease and accomplished that Irish golf can look forward to plenty of big days.
"It was a great day out there today," Leona said." I enjoyed every minute of it. Played some really nice golf out there. Gave myself a lot of chances.. I'm going to try to make as many birdies as I can tomorrow, do what I did today and see what happens.
"It's so much fun. I've had a blast this week so far. Really good day out there today. I suppose it's just a bonus being here this kind of week being able to play against the best golfers in the world. And to play alongside them is something that's special that I don't get to do often, but it gives me a taste of what I want to do."
On the Marquess Course, she added: "It's a great golf course. It's pretty tree-lined, so definitely hitting the ball straight off the tee is a premium. It really rewards good golf. You hit a lot of good irons and you have a lot of chances. That's what I've been trying to do all week."
The Co Cavan star is looking forward to representing Ireland in the Olympics, where she will have twin sister Lisa act as her caddie, as she does this week.
"Yeah, I can't wait," she said." It's going to be a dream come true for me to go out there and represent Ireland on that stage.
"I've watched the Olympics enough times. Usually sit up in front of the TV watching it every four years, so it will be great to be a part of it this year. We're staying in the village, get to soak up the whole atmosphere and cheer on the rest of the Irish athletes out there."
As for her caddie, she added: "She's been great. She's kept me calm. She's kept me going all week. She's been great on the bag. She's doing everything that a top professional caddie does, so I couldn't ask any more."
Pádraig Harrington rolls in one of his five birdies on Saturday
Pádraig Harrington shot 65 for only the second time in 226 major championship rounds to give himself an outside chance of a fourth major win at the US PGA.
The 44 year old’s bogey free, five under par round left tied for 10th on four under par, five behind leaders Jimmy Walker and Robert Streb, as the prospect of a Monday finish loomed large.
Approaching thunderstorm forced play to be suspended at 2.15pm local time (7.15pm BST) and no more play was possible, which meant the leaders never got to start.
As agencies reported:
Persistent heavy rain then left parts of the course flooded before play was finally abandoned for the day shortly before 6pm local time, with a resumption set for 7am on Sunday.
However, similar conditions were forecast and any further delays would force the final major of the year into a fifth day, just as they did the last time Baltusrol staged the US PGA in 2005.
One man actually hoping for history to repeat itself was Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who had earlier carded a flawless 65 to finish four under par, matching Phil Mickelson's winning total of 11 years ago.
Mickelson's second major title was sealed on a Monday after bad weather disrupted the final round, the left-hander eventually making a birdie on the 72nd hole to finish a shot ahead of Thomas Bjorn and Steve Elkington.
Harrington was overtaken for the clubhouse lead by one by American Kevin Kisner, who also recorded a 65 before the suspension.
The 44-year-old Dubliner, who successfully defended his Open title in 2008 and won the US PGA a month later at Oakland Hills, said: "In my head I'm hoping the scoring goes the same it did the last time the PGA Championship was here, when the leaders came under pressure on the golf course and maybe some guys behind, namely me, get a bit of momentum early on and can push on.
“If you do get momentum in the early holes you feel good and feel there are opportunities to make birdies.
Harrington overshadowed Masters champion Danny Willett, who shot 74, and he was very pleased to get so much out of his round and take advantage of his breaks.
"There was definitely a score on the golf course," Harrington said. "I probably made the most of the round today. I played average, but made the most of it, took my chances. Hit the right shots at the right time, and any of the shots that I didn't hit well didn't do me any harm. So it was one of those days. It's nice when you score better than you play."
He added: "In my head, I'm hoping the scoring goes a little bit like it did the last time the PGA Championship was here and the leaders come under a bit of pressure on the golf course, and maybe some guys behind, namely me, get a bit of momentum early on and can push on.
As for his bid to make the Top 125 who qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, where he is currently ranked 140th, Harrington's trip to Rio for the Olympics means he has this week and next week's Travelers Championship to clinch his place.
"This is very unusual for me, even if I'm not in the FedExCup, I normally come back and would play Wyndham (in Greensboro, North Carolina)," Harrington said. "But I think so much of the Olympics, I'm going to take a week's holiday and go to a number of events.
"It's an opportunity of a lifetime to really have a great week's holiday the second week. The first week will be all business, but hopefully the second week we'll have a good week and hopefully I'll do enough this week and next week to get myself up in the FedEx points."
Harrington is taking his entire family to Brazil and hoping to see as much as he can the week after the men's golf event.
"Table tennis, gymnastics, diving, velodrome, boxing," he said. "I'm sure I'm missing out on one or two. This is all the second week. So I'm trying to do two things a day the second week."
After some three years on the market, the BMW 4 Series is getting its first mid-cycle update. Much like most recent BMW facelifts, the changes are limited to certain exterior updates, but with more upgrades happening under the hood. Recent spy photos show the front and rear bumpers been slightly redesigned, along with tweaks to the headlights and taillights. And that’s exactly what the rendering embedded here is based on.
Inside, we expect to see an updated infotainment system with a redesigned user interface, along with upgrades in the tech department. New upholstery and trim options are also on the table. A few upgrades to the exterior color pallet are also expected.
There should also be some upgrades to powertrain offerings and there’s a possibility a new three-cylinder engine is added to the range, giving the 4 Series a new entry-level model. Arguably the most important upgrade will be the new, twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter, inline-six engine. The B58 powerplant will crank out 320 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque and will be offered in the 440i model. The new denomination will replace the 435i.
A new 430i model will replace the previous 428i and will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-four with a 10-horsepower and three-pound-feet boost for a new output of 250 horses and 258 pound-feet.
BMW is expected to unveil the update to the 4 Series in the upcoming months.
[Source: Indianautosblog]The article 2017 BMW 4 Series Facelift – Rendering appeared first on BMW BLOG
Along with the 5 Series Sedan and Touring, BMW will debut later the second-generation 5 Series Gran Turismo. The current model has been often criticized for its quirky design, but it was equally liked for its versatility and driving dynamics. We even took the 5 GT to the track a few years back and came back impressed with its athletic abilities.
But now BMW wants to give the buyers a better looking car to match all the other positive attributes.
Previous reports said the future 5 Series GT – or now potentially 6 Series GT – will feature a more aesthetically pleasing design than the current model with the same proportions as the first generation, but with design cues imported from current BMW models – the headlights flow into the kidney grille, the sporty character line sits across the side of the car, while the slopping roof line meets an appealing boot design.
READ ALSO: The New BMW 5 Series Spy Shots
Furthermore, judging by the spy photos seen here, the new Gran Turismo will sport the same retractable spoiler – with an active aerodynamic component – as the one seen on the 3 Series GT.
The new 5 Series family will have its public debut at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, previewed by a web debut in October.
[Source: Autojunk]The article New 2017 BMW 5 Series GT with retractable spoiler appeared first on BMW BLOG
