US PGA TOUR PLAY-OFFS

Furyk leads by one from Donald, Goosen

FROM THE BBCSPORTS.COM WEBSITE
Luke Donald lies in joint second after round three of the Tour Championship in Atlanta after a costly double-bogey towards the end of his round.
Donald, who had held a share of the second-round lead, opened up a one-shot lead after nine holes and then carded five straight pars.
But a double-bogey 7 at the 15th saw the Ryder Cup player finish level with Retief Goosen on seven under 203.
American Jim Furyk leads the way on eight under 202 after a round of 70.

Donald got off to a perfect start with a superb tee-shot and 10-foot birdie putt on the par-three second, but dropped a shot on the fifth.

He then put together three pars before going in front with a birdie at the par-five ninth, which put him one shot ahead of Furyk, who began his round with nine straight pars.

Furyk blotted his copybook by dropping a shot at the 10th, but birdies at the 14th and 15th pushed him clear, although a bogey at the 17th meant he ended the day with just a one-shot advantage.

Donald admitted that overall he was fairly pleased with his day's work - apart from one obvious exception.
"I was in pretty good shape after two shots but hit a horrible wedge (into a greenside bunker) and three-putted to easily rack up a seven," he said.
"I'll try to forget that and other than that it was a pretty solid day. I'd rather be level with Jim than one behind, he's a very solid player, but it was one of those days where I had a few putts that hit the edge of the hole. But I am still in good shape."
Australia's Geoff Ogilvy lies fourth, three shots off the pace on five under.
He could hardly have chosen a worse start than a bogey at the first and double bogey at the second, but picked up shots at the fourth and fifth.
Although he dropped shots on the 13th and 14th, a birdie two at the final hole ensured he ended the day on a positive note.
Paul Casey, joint fifth on 206 after a 69, is four shots off the pace but could get scoop the pool if he finishes with a round like Nick Watney had on Saturday - a seven-under-par 63 which lifted him up to eighth place on 208. Justin Rose had a 72 for 214 while Martin Laird cannot get out of the doldrums. He is tailed off by three shots at the bottom of the heap after a third-round 74 for 222.
Sunday's final round will start earlier (9am local time) than originally planned because of bad weather forecast to hit the Atlanta area late afternoon.
THIRD ROUND TOTALS
Par 210 (3x70)
202 Jim Furyk 67 65 70
203 Retief Goosen 71 66 66, Luke Donald 66 66 71.
205 Geoff Ogilvy 66 67 72
206 Paul Casey 66 71 69, Kevin Na 69 68 69.
207 Charley Hoffman 71 67 69.
208 Nick Watney 71 74 63.
209 Phil Mickelson 69 72 68, Kevin Streelman 70 70 69, Jason Day 69 69 71.
210 Ryan Moore 70 72 68, Camilo Villegas 73 69 68, Steve Stricker 74 68 68, K J Choi 68 68 74.
211 Bubba Watson 75 69 67.
212 Zach Johnson 74 72 66, Bo Van Pelt 74 69 69, Robert Allenby 71 70 71.
213 Tim Clark 70 73 70, Ernie Els 71 71 71, Hunter Mahan 69 71 73.
214 Adam Scott 74 71 69, Matt Kuchar 72 70 72, Justin Rose 74 68 72.
216 Ben Crane 71 69 76.
217 Dustin Johnson73 71 73
218 Jeff Overton 75 70 73
219 Ryan Palmer 74 72 73.
222 Martin Laird 75 73 74.

Interview with Welshman who will be GB and I captain for Royal Aberdeen match

Walker Cup captain Nigel Edwards on caddie duties as the Welsh Golf Union's full-time director of player development over his home course at Whitchurch GC, Cardiff in the Women's Home Internationals earlioer this month. Katie Bradbury is the Welsh player on the left (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

A European Walker Cup team would be weaker,

not stronger - says 2011 captain Nigel Edwards

EXCLUSIVE By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Nigel Edwards, captain of the Great Britain and Ireland for the Walker Cup match at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club next September, could have passed for a human version of the mythical Welsh Red Dragon when I had the audacity to suggest to him - on our very first meeting - at the recent Women's Home Internationals at his home club, Whitchurch in Cardiff, that the time was coming when the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup matches would follow the example of the Ryder Cup in the late 1970s and become Europe rather than GB and I against the United States.
"After all," I said to the 41-year-old man who played in the 2001-03-05-07 Walker Cup matches and won four and drew three of his 12 games and was still ranked just outside the top 100 amateurs in the world until fairly recently, "like the women, the best male amateurs in the whole of Europe are now on the Continent.
"Romain Wattel (France) is No 3 and Andrea Pavan (Italy) No 5 in the World Amateur Rankings with Ireland's Paul Cutler and Scotland's James Byrne the best of our bunch at No 19 and 20 - and the Continent of Europe beat the GB and I team (captained by Edwards) 14-10 in Italy a few weeks back in the biennial St Andrews Trophy match.
"On top of that, the United States won last year's Walker Cup match by the comprehensive margin of 16 1/2-9 1/2 at Merion, Pennsylvania."
I was taking a big chance that Nigel would either turn on his heel and walk away or land a right hook to my chin because GB and I won the Walker Cup matches of  1999 (at Nairn), 2001 (at Sea Island) and 2003 (at Ganton) and were very narrow losers of the 2005 (Chicago) and 2007 (Royal Co Down)  matches - and he played in the last four of these encounters!
But it's often the silliest of questions that draw out the best answers and I was not disappointed with Nigel Edward's response once he had stopped snorting fire and brimstone down his nostrils!
"That's nonsense and you know it," he said. "I wouldn't waste my time arguing about whether or not it should be a European team in the Walker Cup but I can tell you that it would be a weaker team if that happened because the European Golf Association would pick it and it would not be done on merit.
"To keep all the member countries happy, it would be two players from Germany, two from France, two from Spain, two from GB and I, and so on.
"What I would rather spend time on is debating or finding out the reason why the GB and I team were a collective 64 over par in last year's Walker Cup match in the States.
"I don't know the answer to that because I wasn't there but it might help me if I did.
"My goal is to win back the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen and I will lead the team with great pride and enthusiasm.
"I will put all of my Walker Cup experience to good use in ensuring that the team selected prepares well and performs to the very best of its ability.

"The Walker Cup is a great sporting spectacle that conjures up moments and experiences that will live with players for their entire careers and I am really excited about continuing my involvement with the match."

Edwards is the Director of Player Development and Coaching at the Golf Union of Wales, taking responsibility for directing player development and managing the provision of coaching for elite players and national teams.
in the course of his distinguished playing career, Edwards has held nine amateur course records, including those of Royal Lytham and St Annes and the New and Jubilee courses at St Andrews.

O'Hara back in chase for Challenge Tour place

Colville Park's Paul O'Hara is back in the Germany EPD Tour race for a place in next season's European Challenge Tour.

The top five on the EPD Tour's final Order of Merit list after this weekend's tournament, the Fulda EPD Tour Championship at Golfclub Hofgut Praforst,  will automatically be promoted.
O'Hara is currently lying eighth in the Order of Merit - and joint fourth in the current 54-hole end which ends on Sunday.
The Scot pulled himself back into contention with a second-round 68 for a 36-hole tally of 139. For the second day in a row he had a double-bogey 6 but he was able to soften the blow with an eagle 3 at the long first a birdie at the short secone, a birdie at the long ninth, a birdie at the 10th, a birdie at the long 13th and a birdie at the 14th.
On the debit side he had a double bogey 6 at the eigtht and he also dropped a shot at the fourth.
Two Germans share the lead on 137, a shot ahead of Welshman Matthew Dearden and two ahead of O'Hara wo is one of five players haring fourth place on 139.
The winner of the 40,000 Euros event earns 6,099 Euros, the runner-up 3,526 and the third 2,058.

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Parry leads Vivendi Cup by one shot

FROM THE EUROPEAN TOUR WEBSITE
England's John Parry will take a one-stroke lead into Sunday's final round of the Vivendi Cup 2010 in Paris.Parry, joint leader at halfway with Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin, carded a third round of 70 at Golf de Joyenval to finish the day at 15 under par 201.

Denmark's Mark Haastrup fired a 66, the lowest round of the day, to move into a share of second place on 202 alongside Sweden's Johan Edfors, who was round in 67.

Sandelin briefly led on his own after birdies at the eighth and ninth, but the former Ryder Cup player bogeyed the last two holes to fall back into a four-way tie for fourth on 203

Parry, a team-mate of Rory McIlroy at the 2007 Walker Cup, led after 36 holes in Austria last week but slipped back to 20th.

The Challenge Tour graduate, who is in his first full year on The European Tour, was confident he would have learned from that experience and certainly kept his nerve after a stumble on the back nine to stay at the top of the leaderboard.

After going to the turn in 34 with three birdies and one bogey, Parry dropped shots at the tenth and 12th but regrouped superbly with birdies at the next two holes.

At 116th on The Race to Dubai he needs a good end to the season in order to avoid Qualifying School in November, but a win on Sunday to complement his Challenge Tour victory in Toulouse last year, would secure him an exemption.

"Obviously I'm going to try and win, but I'm just going to try to play the right shots, if it's good enough to win ... " said Parry, when asked about the prospect of keeping his card.
"If I hit the shots, it will be good enough to win. That's all I can do really is concentrate on my own game. Whatever shot I saw today, I tried to play it. I didn't second guess, I just went for it.
"I think that getting used to the pressure, as well, in that position, I think the more and more you do it, the more you get used to it, so that helps."

Edfors, who recovered from a bogey at the second with four birdies and an eagle at the par five ninth after holing a 20ft putt, said: "I think I have a good chance. Definitely I have a good chance this week.

"I was hitting the ball pretty nicely but didn't get it really close, 12 and 15 footers, and hit some good putts but they didn't fall. I'm still happy with the way I played after yesterday, and roll a few putts tomorrow, who knows."

Haastrup is enjoying his first season on The European Tour after coming through last November's Qualifying School.

At 123rd on The Race to Dubai, a good performance in the final round could propel him into the all-important top 115 that keep their cards at the end of the season.

He birdied five holes out of six from the ninth, and after a three-putt bogey at the 15th, nailed his approach on the 16th before closing with his eighth birdie of the day for a 66.

"I played really, really good," he said. "A little shaky tee shot on the first, but then really played good from there. I hit a lot of good shots, and made a little bit of putts in the end and happy days."

Sandelin, Australian left-hander Richard Green, Dutchman Robert-Jan Derksen and home favourite François Delamontagne are tied for fourth on 203
Meanwhile Ireland's Padraig Harrington climbed into a tie for 40th with a three under par 69.
The three-time Major winner looked to be rediscovering his best form ahead of next week's Ryder Cup after producing eight birdies in his round.
"Eight birdies would be nice to have in any round of golf," said Harrington. "I four putted the fourth hole, three putt from two feet, so that didn't help me.
"But it was nice to come back with plenty of birdies after that and created plenty of chances. I played nicely from that onwards, so it was a little bit like yesterday, I seemed to play a little bit better when I had to."
THIRD-ROUND TOTALS
Par 216 (3x72)
201 John Parry 64 67 70
202 Mark F Haastrup (Den) 66 70 66, Johan Edfors (Swe) 61 74 67
203 Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 66 69 68, Jarmo Sandelin (Swe) 65 66 72, Francois Delamontagne (Fra) 66 69 68, Richard Green (Aus) 68 66 69
204 Soren Kjeldsen (Den) 65 70 69, Kenneth Ferrie 65 72 67, Pablo Larrazabal (Spa) 69 67 68
205 George Coetzee (Rsa) 68 66 71
206 Andrew McArthur 66 69 71, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 64 72 70, Julien Guerrier (Fra) 65 69 72, Pelle Edberg (Swe) 65 70 71
207 Chris Gane 65 71 71, Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 71 67 69, David Dixon 63 73 71, Paul Waring 66 73 68, James Morrison 66 68 73, Thomas Levet (Fra) 68 72 67
208 Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 68 72 68, Mikael Lundberg (Swe) 70 71 67, Robert Coles 71 70 67, Tano Goya (Arg) 71 70 67, Manuel Quiros (Spa) 76 64 68
209 Liam Bond 72 69 68, Soren Hansen (Den) 71 65 73, Raphael Jacquelin (Fra) 67 69 73, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 68 69 72, Jamie Elson 71 69 69, Callum Macaulay 70 72 67, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 68 70 71, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 73 65 71, Paul McGinley 68 73 68
210 Gary Lockerbie 70 72 68, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 70 72 68, Phillip Archer 68 71 71, Benjamin Hebert (Fra) 73 69 68
211 Rick Kulacz (Aus) 70 70 71, Richard McEvoy 71 71 69, Julien Quesne (Fra) 73 67 71, Clodomiro Carranza (Arg) 69 71 71, Padraig Harrington 68 74 69, Anthony Snobeck (Fra) 71 71 69
212 Martin Wiegele (Aut) 68 71 73, Chris Wood 74 68 70, Peter Whiteford 67 70 75, Joost Luiten (Ned) 69 67 76, David Howell 70 68 74, Peter Baker 69 72 71, Todd Hamilton (USA) 65 72 75, Rafael Echenique (Arg) 73 67 72, Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 71 71 70, Steven O'Hara 70 71 71, Gary Clark 69 70 73, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spa) 73 69 70, Gregory Havret (Fra) 68 72 72
213 Sam Hutsby 69 70 74, Marco Ruiz (Par) 70 70 73, Sion E Bebb 71 70 72, Scott Strange (Aus) 67 70 76, Alastair Forsyth 69 72 72, Steven Jeppesen (Swe) 72 70 71
214 Robert Rock 70 69 75, Fabien Marty (Fra) 67 72 75, Adrien Bernadet (Fra) 71 71 72, Francois Calmels (Fra) 70 72 72
215 Gary Murphy 69 72 74, Jeppe Huldahl (Den) 68 74 73
216 Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 67 69 80, Marco Soffietti (Ita) 75 67 74, Benn Barham 69 73 74
219 Christian Nilsson (Swe) 73 69 77

Russ Cochran leads US Senior Tour event with 64

CARY, NORTH CAROLINA (AP) -- Russ Cochran shot an 8-under 64, making six birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of the round and eagling No. 17, to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Tom Pernice junior on Friday in the Champions Tour's SAS Championship.
Cochran, coming off his first victory on the United States' 50-and-over tour two weeks ago in South Korea, had the best first-round score in the history of the tournament.
"I think that's probably the reason I played good today because I've been on a high from the last three or four weeks," Cochran said "I was certainly a little shaky starting off. I had a lot of par saves, so really a lucky round. But I played some really good golf the last 12 or 13 holes."
Pernice had a hole-in-one on the 188-yard 11th hole.
"I hit it right at the hole, and I thought it was going to be short," Pernice said. "I turned away to put my club away, and the next thing I know, they're screaming that it went in the hole. So I didn't get to see it, but that's OK. ... The hole-in-one was great, really got me going. But the save for birdie on 12, since I hit it out there and had a pretty simple shot to reach and missed the green and then got up and down, really, was really the key to the round."
Bob Gilder and David Eger opened with 66s, and Nick Price and Ted Schulz followed at 67.
Bernhard Langer, the tour leader with five victories, and Fred Couples had 71s.
Mark James had a 77 and Sandy Lyle a 78.

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Lloyd Saltman, Hendry and Bain advance to Stage 2

FROM THE SCOTSMAN.COM WEBSITE
By NICK RODGER
Lloyd Saltman led three Scots through Stage 1 of the European Tour's Qualifying School at Wychwood Park near Crewe last night.
The former Open silver medal winner slipped to a closing two-over 74 but still progressed with ease in a share of eighth on a two-under 286.

Saltman, who will now head for Stage 2 of the q-school marathon in Spain in November, finished six shots behind leading qualifier, James Heath of England.

Elgin exile Joel Hendry grabbed one of the 28 stage two places on offer with a 288 after a 71 while Ross Bain, the top Scot in the 2007 Open, also hit a 71 and squeezed through on the 291 limit.

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ACE SENDS RYO ISHIKAWA SOARING

IN PANASONIC OPEN

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ASIAN TOUR
Kobe, Japan. Japanese teenage superstar Ryo Ishikawa shot a hole-in-one en route to a second round one-under-par 70 to lie one shot behind leader Ryuchi Oda at the Asia Pacific Panasonic Open today.

The 19-year-old produced the magical shot with a seven iron at the par-3 187yd sixth, his 15th hole of the day, at the Rokko Kokusai Golf Club’s East course to give himself a chance of winning the ¥150,000,000 (approximately US1.7 million) event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
Oda, who missed his last two cuts and bidding for his second victory in Japan , bogeyed the last hole for a 70 to lead on four-under-par 138, with the final round to play on Sunday.
Late blemishes left Korea ’s stand-out Noh Seung-yul, who leads the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, two shots off the pace as he battled to a 70 for tied fourth place with amongst others, title holder Daisuke Maruyama, Shingo Katayama , Australia ’s Scott Hend and S.K. Ho of Korea .
The 33-year-old Oda, who shot three birdies against two bogeys, said: “I had a good lesson from my coach recently and I feel comfortable with my swing. I’m trying to not force extra power on the upper body and it seems to be working,” said Oda.
Buffeting winds made life difficult for the field, with joint overnight leader Gaganjeet Bhullar of India amongst those who were blown off course. The 21-year-old Bhullar, a two-time winner in Asia , shot a 76 to fall five off the pace with one round to play.
Bad weather on Thursday forced organisers to reduce the Panasonic Open to a 54-hole affair.
The story of the day belonged to the dashing Ishikawa. After shooting nine straight pars, he endured a roller-coaster homeward nine with the ace, two birdies and three bogeys.
“Tough day, tougher than yesterday,” said Ishikawa, who is nicknamed the Bashful Prince. "The hole in one is the second in my career but the first time in a tournament. This is something to treasure.
“It was a good shot into the wind which was blowing right to left. The shot was following the wind and it pitched one meter and then rolled in,” added Ishikawa, who earned ¥1 million (approximately US$12,000) for his ace.
He got his wish of forcing his way into the final group tomorrow as he chases a ninth Japan Tour victory. “I’m going to try to play three or four under tomorrow. It’ll be tough conditions again and the first two holes are very tough holes, so if I can keep par on those holes, it will be very good,” said Ishikawa.
Noh, 19, was kicking himself after dropping three shots late in his round after misjudging the winds on the sixth and eighth holes. “I just couldn’t get the wind right and dropped three shots there,” said Noh, who was four under through 13 holes with an eagle and two birdies.
He hit it out of bounds at the par-3 sixth hole and then drove into trouble on the eighth. However, the teen titan was confident of challenging for his second victory of the season.
“The game is feeling better than yesterday but the score is the same. I’m a few shots behind but it’s not a problem. The game feels better and I’ve got my confidence back. I can’t afford to drop any bogeys tomorrow,” said Noh, winner of the Maybank Malaysian Open in March.
Australia’s Marcus Fraser, trying to keep up with Noh in the merit race where he is ranked second, shot a 73 to lie one behind the Korean. “I just didn’t play well although I only missed one fairway. It was pretty tricky with the winds which came up and down. It was frustrating to make some ordinary mistakes.”
Bhullar, who won the season-opening Asian Tour International in Bangkok , was disappointed he fell off the pace. “Conditions were quite tough. I didn’t hit the ball as good as yesterday and the iron play wasn’t up to the mark,” said the young Indian.
The cut was set at five-over-par 147.
LEADING SECOND-ROUND TOTALS
Par 142 (2x71)
138 Ryuichi Oda (JPN) 68-70
139 Ryo Ishikawa (JPN) 69-70, Shintaro Kai (JPN) 67-72

140 Daisuke Maruyama (JPN) 68-72, Shingo Katayama (JPN) 69-71, S.K. Ho (KOR) 67-73, Michio Matsumura (JPN) 69-71, Michael Hendry (NZL) 70-70, Noh Seung-yul (KOR) 70-70, Scott Hend (AUS) 72-68

141 Dinesh Chand (FIJ) 69-72, Jang Ik-jae (KOR) 69-72, Brendan Jones (AUS) 71-70, Tony Carolan (AUS) 71-70, Kazuhiko Hosokawa (JPN) 67-74, Marcus Fraser (AUS) 68-73, Sushi Ishigaki (JPN) 74-67

142 Komei Oda (JPN) 69-73, Liang Wen-chong (CHN) 70-72, Kim Kyung-tae (KOR) 70-72, Tomohiro Kondo (JPN) 70-72, Hiroyuki Fujita (JPN) 71-71, Yoshikazu Haku (JPN) 70-72, Peter Karmis (RSA) 71-71
143 Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND) 67-76, Tadahiro Takayama (JPN) 71-72, Shinichi Yokota (JPN) 71-72, Hirofumi Miyase (JPN) 69-74, Cho Min-gyu (KOR) 69-74, Anthony Kang (USA) 69-74, Adam Blyth (AUS) 72-71

Monty won't repeat Faldo mistakes -

Graeme McDowell

FROM THE HERALDSCOTLAND WEBSITE
By DOUGLAS LOWE
Graeme McDowell, one of the few successes among the defeated European Ryder Cup team two years ago at Valhalla, is confident that the mistakes made with captain Nick Faldo in Kentucky will not be repeated under Colin Montgomerie’s charge at Celtic Manor, Wales, next week.
Little has been revealed about what happened in the team room at Valhalla, where Paul Azinger’s Americans ended a run of three defeats in a row with an emphatic 16½-11½ victory. But McDowell has talked about a lack of passion and energy, a collective sense of dismay at the dropping of Lee Westwood on the Saturday morning, and preparation that was far too rushed.

McDowell, talking from his home in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in a Ryder Cup conference call, said he was confident that not only would the organisation be better this time, but there would be a strong team dynamic that was missing two years ago.

Montgomerie has told McDowell and his team-mates that they must be at Celtic Manor by Monday lunchtime to begin preparation for the matches that begin on Friday.

“At Valhalla we arrived on the Tuesday,” recalled McDowell. “Wednesday and Thursday were very busy days and, by the time Friday came around, everything was a bit of a blur. This time our build-up is going to be more relaxed, more organised and without having to travel to the States that makes it a lot easier anyway.

Jose Maria Olazabal made a great speech on Saturday night. That was the first emotional speech we had the whole week Graeme McDowell
“Monty is running a good ship and the backroom staff are going to make a big difference this time as well. Having guys like Thomas [Bjorn], Darren [Clarke] and Paul [McGinley] – and wee Sergio [Garcia] as well – is going to be unbelievable. We’re definitely a lot more organised.

“At Valhalla, maybe just that extra spark in the team room was missing. Sergio had been sick the week before and was on antibiotics. Westwood got dropped on Saturday morning, and a guy like that needs to be playing every game. We just didn’t have that x-factor in the team room, someone to stand up and rally the troops.

“Jose Maria [Olazabal, Faldo’s only assistant] got up on Saturday night and made a great speech when the singles line-up came out. That was the first emotional speech we had the whole week. I think we’ll have the extra dynamic in the team room this time round. Our backroom staff will help to make sure we have that passion and really get guys up from it from the word go.

“We had a great team at Valhalla; we just were outplayed by a great US team. If everything had been perfect and we had that extra dynamic we could still have lost. I’m really excited to have another go. It was an amazing experience. The only thing we missed was the Ryder Cup trophy on the flight home.”

McDowell won 2½ points out of four in Kentucky in what was his rookie Ryder Cup experience. This time he comes into the match with his US Open triumph at Pebble Beach behind him and a much bigger role to play, especially having won the Celtic Manor Wales Open over the Ryder Cup course in June.

“I feel I’m a more integral part of the team, and I’m expecting to play, if not five games then three or four. I’ve always enjoyed team golf up to Walker Cup and college.

“We play so much individual golf. The Ryder Cup gives you that opportunity to share it with 11 other guys, wives and girlfriends, backroom staff and everyone involved. It’s just a completely different experience. Valhalla was an amazing week. I thought I had a great week personally but I was disappointed not to be on the winning team and I can’t wait to get to Celtic Manor.

“It’s not that I wasn’t excited about Valhalla, but I was probably more anxious about what to expect when I got there. This time round we’re going to a familiar venue and a course where I’ve won. I’m one of three major champions on the team. I’m feeling more comfortable about what to expect and I’m playing in front of home fans this time round.

“The thing about the Ryder Cup is that it’s Sunday afternoon pressure right from the gun on Friday morning. Generally when you’re in contention on the weekend you’re there because you’re playing well, but at the Ryder Cup you have that pressure right away. That’s one of the unique things about the Ryder Cup. I’ll take a lot more confidence in this time than I did at Valhalla.”

So much so that McDowell echoed likely partner Rory McIlroy’s comment that he would love to go head-to-head with Tiger Woods. That’s big talk, and McDowell knows what he is risking pointing out that the Canadian Stephen Ames suffered a 9 and 8 defeat in the world matchplay four years ago at La Costa after suggesting the Woods’ driving was so erratic that anything could happen.

“I agree with Rory that he is more beatable nowadays but you never know with Tiger Woods. I fully expect him to be back to form,” he said. “He’s been playing a lot better the last few weeks. I’d love to play him in the Sunday afternoon singles with the Ryder Cup on the line. It would be an amazing experience. I’m only wary that he tends to bottle these things up and take it out on you on the golf course.”

The converse must also be true, even though McDowell himself has been on a downturn of form since Pebble Beach, after which he played five tournaments in a row, including the Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, the Open Championship at St Andrews, and the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

But he declares himself refreshed after four weeks off and very much looking forward instead of back to the US Open. Moreover, he regards himself as one of the latest in a long line of passionate Irishmen in the history of the Ryder Cup, naming Christy O’Connor Jr, Eamonn Darcy, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke, particularly four years ago at the K Club.
“There something about Irish players and how much passion they have. They seem to embrace the team environment and I’m no different when it comes to that. Of course major championships are what define a player, but to me it’s about Ryder Cups as well, teams you have played on and the experiences you have had.
“Sharing this with 11 other players is just so different from what we’re used to. Players don’t understand it until they’ve done it for the first time. I’m definitely a big fan of it.”

Furyk and Donald share halfway lead

FROM THE GOLF.COM WEBSITE
ATLANTA (AP) — This should serve as a wake-up call for Jim Furyk: He's tied for the lead at the Tour Championship, and very much in the hunt for the $10 million FedEx Cup prize.
Furyk played bogey-free on the back nine at East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta for a 5-under 65 on Friday, giving him a share of the 36-hole lead with Luke Donald heading into a weekend of dwindling possibilities.
A two-time winner on the US PGA Tour this year, Furyk began the play-offs at No. 3 in the standings. But in the opening event at The Barclays, he was disqualified for missing his pro-am when the alarm didn't go off. He slipped six spots, and didn't scare anyone the next two weeks to fall to No. 11.
But with the top players in the standings starting to fade, Furyk only has to win at East Lake to collect the biggest pay-off in golf.

"It's a bunch of money," Furyk said. "The only thing I can really control is to go out and play well on the weekend, try to win the golf tournament. And at that point, there's nothing else I can do about it."

Furyk has a chance to join Tiger Woods as the only FedEx Cup champion to skip the first play-off event, although it wasn't by choice.

"I'd like to join him with about 16 majors, too," Furyk said. "But that doesn't look like it's in the cards."

Going into the weekend, the deck is stacked in the American's favour.

Englishman Donald did a great job scrambling whenever he struggled off the tee, and pieced together another 66 to join Furyk at 8-under 132. One shot behind was Geoff Ogilvy, who had seven birdies in his round of 67.

Ogilvy's biggest concern was the Australian Rules Football grand final in Melbourne with his beloved St. Kilda going for only its second championship. He planned to watch the game and worry about sleep some other night.

Saturday's third round, with tee times moved up because of NBC Sports' obligation to Notre Dame football, could determine whether this FedEx Cup finale is a three-man race.

Ogilvy, at 7-under 133, was the only player within four shots of the leaders. K.J. Choi did well to stay close by knocking in a 45-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th, one of only seven birdies on that hole through two rounds.
Phil Mickelson's hopes were fading. He had a chance to become the first repeat winner of the Tour Championship, and even a runner-up finish would be enough to replace Woods at No. 1 in the world ranking. Mickelson, however, had a 72 and was tied for 13th, nine shots out of the lead.
Paul Casey, getting plenty of attention for his Ryder Cup snub, had a share of the lead at various times during the hot afternoon until a sloppy finish, making bogeys on this last three holes for a 71. That put him in the group at 3-under 137.
Casey is No. 5 in the standings - the highest-seeded player without a victory this year - and he could wind up a FedEx Cup champion with a runner-up finish depending on how top-seeded Matt Kuchar fares.
"If I want to get up there and challenge those guys, I'm going to have to hit it a lot better than I did today," Casey said.
Furyk was in that spot a year ago - a chance to win the FedEx Cup without winning on tour that year. He was a stronger contender this year with his victories at Innisbrook and Hilton Head. But then he lost ground with his pro-am blunder. Furyk headed home to Florida, making no excuses for his battery dying in a cell phone that he used for an alarm.
The tour changed its pro-am policy a week later after an outcry by just about every player except him.
"It was my fault," Furyk said. "If I whined or complained or anything about the rule, it's just going to make me look worse. My peers actually did plenty of that for me."
He got plenty of sympathy, followed by plenty of grief.
"Hundreds of people told me that I was going to get alarm clocks for Christmas," Furyk said.
He could afford plenty of those depending on how the rest of the week goes. He has made only one bogey through 36 holes, that coming on the seventh hole Friday when he missed the green to the right and missed a 7-foot par putt.
All he is thinking about his a good round Saturday, another one Sunday then figure out where he is.
"Yesterday I said all I want to do was think about the next day, try to shoot a round in the 60s," Furyk said. "I'll be doing the same thing tonight - try to shoot another round in the 60s and put myself in the hunt."
That's not a simple task at East Lake, which is such a stern test that it doesn't take much for a round in the 60s to wind up over par. Kuchar had to play one shot on the 17th hole with his feet in the water and scrambled for a 70, leaving him in a tie for 15th at 2-over 142.
Charley Hoffman, the surprise winning in Boston to get to No. 3 in the standings, rallied with a 67 and was among the nine players still under par. He was at 2-under 138. The other players in the top five in the FedEx Cup - they only have to win to capture the prize - were Dustin Johnson (71) at 144 and Steve Stricker (68) at 142.
Donald hasn't won on the U.S. tour all year, but he is showing great form with the Ryder Cup looming. It wasn't the fairways-and-greens golf for which Donald is known, but it was good enough for a share of the lead.
"The short game on the back nine kind of kept my score together," he said.


HALFWAY SCOREBOARD
Par 140 (2x70)
132 Jim Furyk 67 65, Luke Donald 66 66

133 Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 66 67

136 K J Choi (Kor) 68 68

137 Kevin Na 69 68, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 71 66, Paul Casey 66 71

138 Charley Hoffman 71 67, Jason Day (Aus) 69 69
140 Hunter Mahan 69 71, Ben Crane 71 69, Kevin Streelman 70 70
141 Phil Mickelson 69 72, Robert Allenby (Aus) 71 70
142 Steve Stricker 74 68, Justin Rose 74 68, Ernie Els (Rsa) 71 71, Camilo Villegas (Col) 73 69, Matt Kuchar 72 70, Ryan Moore 70 72
143 Bo Van Pelt 74 69, Tim Clark (Rsa) 70 73
144 Dustin Johnson 73 71, Bubba Watson 75 69
145 Nick Watney 71 74, Adam Scott (Aus) 74 71, Jeff Overton 75 70
146 Zach Johnson 74 72, Ryan Palmer 74 72
148 Martin Laird 75 73