PÁDRAIG AND LOWRY FINISH WELL BACK IN PORTUGAL
THE search for that first tournament win in 2017 continues for Ireland’s professionals after Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry finished out of the frame in the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura. Both were well placed heading into the weekend but neither could make any inroads as Dane Lucas Bjerregaard scooped the €330,330 winner’s cheque. Harrington fared the better of the two yesterday with a closing 69 for a share of 25th place on 10-under par, which was worth €19,900. Lowry was a shot behind on nine under par after a final round of 72, one over par and won €17,200. Bjerregaard claimed his first individual European Tour title with an impressive display of front-running yesterday. The Dane took a one-shot lead into the final round and carded a closing 65 to finish 20 under par, leaving the 26-year-old four shots clear of Scotland’s Marc Warren, with England’s Graeme Storm and Eddie Pepperell sharing third on 15 under. South Africa’s George Coetzee had been Bjerregaard’s nearest challenger for much of the day, but drove into the water on the 18th and ran up a triple-bogey seven which dropped him into a tie for seventh. ‘It feels really good,’ Bjerregaard told Sky Sports when assessing his win. ‘It’s definitely not the year I’ve been looking for. To be honest it’s been really tough so to be in contention again. I felt really good and to come out on top feels even better.’ Bjerregaard made the ideal start with four birdies in the first eight holes to lead by four before a two-shot swing on the ninth, where a poor chip led to a bogey and playing partner Coetzee made birdie from six feet. However, Bjerregaard bounced back superbly with birdies on the 10th, 11th, 15th and 17th. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy believes ‘discussions have taken place’ about the PGA Tour merging with the European Tour and that it is ‘counter-productive’ for them to continue competing against each other. McIlroy says the US-based circuit could buy its European rival but then let it run the key events on its continent. ‘The World Tour — it’s going to happen one day and I think it has to,’ said the world No 8. ‘I think everyone has to come together. I don’t see any other way. ‘The easy thing would be for the PGA Tour to buy the European Tour and take it from there. They could still run the European events and we’ll have, say, 12 big events a year, outside the majors, a bit like they do in tennis. ‘I know discussions have taken place, so maybe one day.’ McIlroy plays the British Masters this week and then the Dunhill Links Championship before taking a break, to recover full fitness and source the services of a new full-time caddy. Since parting with JP Fitzgerald after The Open, McIlroy has used his friend Harry Diamond as a temporary bagman. But he knows he needs an experienced caddy on his bag for the 2018 season. ‘There is a value on them (a caddy), especially a really good one,’ he said.