Moynihan seeks Valderrama drama; Brendan Lawlor returns
Gavin Moynihan
Gavin Moynihan is looking forward to kick-starting his season as he returns to Valderrama with Cormac Sharvin and Jonny Caldwell for the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.
“I’m delighted to be back,” said the Dubliner (25), who tied for eighth behind Sergio Garcia and Shane Lowry at the classic Sotogrande layout two years ago.
“It’s one of my favourites to come back too. Amazing track. Tough off the tee and the greens this week are firm and very quick. It will be very windy all week too, so will be very tricky I’d imagine.”
While his form does not look encouraging on paper after five successive missed cuts, he knows that he is not that far away from clicking again.
"A few things have just been a bit off," said Moynihan, who tees off with Alvaro Mueller-Baumgart and Lorenzo Scalise at 10.10. "It's been pace putting and few loose shots each round. But I am playing a lot over the next two months so I am just going to try and enjoy golf and forget about swing or score the best I can."
Graeme McDowell became the third Irish winner at the famed Cadíz track in 2005 and Sharvin and Caldwell can both dream of adding their name to a list that also features Ronan Rafferty and Paul McGinley after encouraging signs of good golf post-lockdown.
Brendan Lawlor
They have their work cut out, however, with Danish teenager Rasmus Hojgaard the favourite to add to his win in the ISPS Handa UK Championship at the Belfry last week and beat a field that boasts two-time Major winner Martin Kaymer, former world number one Lee Westwood and world No 30 Bernd Wiesberger, the top-ranked player in the field.
Sixteen Irish golfers are in action in the Challenge Tour's €200,000 Northern Ireland Open at Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort in Ballymena, which will host the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open from September 24-27.
Players will use different tees on the par-70 track to protect the course with disability golfer Brendan Lawlor back in action following his historic, European Tour debut last week.
"This week I have a new focus, I'm trying to play well and shoot good scores," said Lawlor, who is joined in Ballymena by JR Galbraith, David Carey, Stuart Grehan, Conor Purcell, Gary Hurley, Ruaidhri McGee, Conor O'Rourke, Michael Hoey, Robin Dawson, Paul McBride, Ronan Mullarney, Niall Kearney and amateurs Tom McKibbin and Josh Hill.
"I played well here last year so hopefully I can go out and do the same again this year. Last week at the Belfry was huge. The coverage I got helped get the message across for disability golf."
