Golf: News in Brief 06/03/2012

Rory McIlroy ‘best ever’ claims Graeme McDowell

Graeme McDowell has congratulated Rory McIlroy on becoming No 1 in the world, saying: “He’s the best I’ve ever seen.”

McIlroy held off a challenge from the sport’s previous big star, Tiger Woods, to win the Honda Classic in Florida at the weekend and replace Luke Donald at the top of the rankings.

“He deserves it,” said fellow Northern Irishman McDowell. “I think he’s the best player on the planet right now. He’s the best player I’ve ever seen tee-to-green, period. I didn’t have a chance to play with Tiger early-to-mid-2000s when Tiger was the man, but Rory McIlroy is the best player I’ve ever seen.”

Official world rankings: 1 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 9.29pts, 2 Luke Donald (Eng) 8.97, 3 Lee Westwood (Eng) 8.19, 4 Martin Kaymer (Ger) 6.02, 5 Steve Stricker (USA) 5.71, 6 Webb Simpson (USA) 5.07, 7 Jason Day (Aus) 5.03, 8 Dustin Johnson (USA) 5.02, 9 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 4.99, 10 Hunter Mahan (USA) 4.97, 11 Adam Scott (Aus) 4.96, 12 Phil Mickelson (USA) 4.96, 13 Bill Haas (USA) 4.62, 14 Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.56, 15 Graeme McDowell (NIrl) 4.40, 16 Tiger Woods (USA) 4.40, 17 Nick Watney (USA) 4.36, 18 Sergio Garcia (Spa) 4.09, 19 Brandt Snedeker (USA) 4.07, 20 Keegan Bradley (USA) 4.06. Others: 34 Martin Laird (Sco) 3.20, 44 Paul Lawrie (Sco) 2.96, 89.

Strong inward nine lifts Paul O’Hara’s spirits

PAUL O’Hara moved up from Morocco at the weekend to Spain’s Costa Dorada - and it was a move that paid a handsome dividend in the first round of the Hi5 Pro Tour event, the Lumine Hills Open over a Greg Norman-designed course an hour from Barcelona.

The Motherwell man shot a two-over-par 74 in very windy weather to share the lead with Patrick O’Neill (Denmark).

Conditions were so testing that only a handful of the field broke 80 and one dispirited professional even decided to walk in from the turn, having taken 45 shots to get that far.

O’Hara didn’t quite fare as badly as that, limiting the damage into the wind to 40 shots, and his perseverance paid off as he birdied the long 11th, 13th and 15th with only one bogey, at the short 14th, in an inward 34.

The joint leaders are two shots clear of England’s William Harrold in what is a two-day 36-hole event.

Lengthy lay-off on cards for Martin Weigele

AUSTRIAN golfer Martin Wiegele has been ruled out of the European Tour for at least seven months as he needs surgery on both hips.

The 148th-ranked Wiegele said yesterday he will undergo treatment later this month and that “if everything goes well and I manage to recover quickly, I might be able to get back on the European Tour in October.”

The 33-year-old Austrian is ranked 148th in the Race to Dubai and has won one career European Tour title – at the Saint-Omer Open in France two years ago.