Cocktail hour cock-up annoys McGinley

By Brian Keogh

Paul McGinley is blaming the demon drink for the course design cock-up that’s turned Adare Manor into a monster.

Despite firing a 69 to move into contention on two-under, the fiery Dubliner refused to take back his criticism of the course changes.

McGinley has a major beef with the 481-yard eighth, where a new tee was built 62-yards back after he recommended lengthening the hole during post-Irish PGA drink with owner Tom Kane five years ago

The tee even features a stone plaque reading “McGinley’s Tee” and the Ryder Cup star is raging about being associated with it.

McGinley rapped: “I’m really annoyed. We had a drink after the Irish PGA and I told them the tee box should have gone back 20 yards, not 70 yards. It is a big lesson for me. I won’t give any unsolicited advice again.

“There’s no way me, Paul McGinley, with everything you know about my philosophy on golf course design, would make a hole 480 yards with a green like that. I wouldn’t do it.”

Eight new tees were built two years ago, stretching the course by more than 300 yards to a massive 7,453 yards.

And McGinley is disappointed with the result, despite firing six birdies and three bogeys in a second round 69 that could have been at least three shots better.

McGinley said: "I stand by what I said. When the greens are rock hard and slopey it makes it so difficult. The difference this was that the greens had moisture in them and they were soft.

“Professional golf is not about length, length, length, it is about firm greens. That’s what makes it tough for us. Some of the tee boxes have just gone back too far, instead of going back 20 yards, they’ve gone back 50 yards and that’s what makes it so difficult.

“On No. 8 yesterday, it was a four iron into that green. There is no way Trent Jones designed that golf course to hit a four iron into it. It annoys me to be honest.”

After an opening 73, McGinley raced into the red with birdies at the 13th and 15th before rattling off three in a row around the turn to get to five under for the day.

But he bogeyed the third and the sixth and while he birdied the long seventh, he missed a two and a half foot birdie putt at the eighth and a three-footer for par at the ninth.

He said: “I was a little untidy at the end and my iron play not as good as it should be.

“But I’m right there, so let’s see what happens. I need to be tidier over the weekend, and I can be there or thereabouts.”

Darren Clarke had a “grinding” 69 to sit nicely in contention but confessed that he was simply hanging on to playing partner McGinley’s coat-tails.

But he also refused to back down on his criticism of the course, adding: “I stand completely by what I said. Length on this golf course doesn’t necessarily make it better.”