Round-up: McIlroy set for Turkish Airlines check in; Mehaffey starts PING Junior Solheim with two wins
The Montgomerie Maxx Royal
Turkish Airlines Open — Rory McIlroy's worrying left ankle injury won't prevent him going to Turkey next month for the $7 million Turkish Airlines Open.
Having been advised where possible to avoid playing back-to-back events and had the rules bent so he doesn't have to play the required 13 events to qualify for the European Tour's Race to Dubai Final Series, the world No 1 is reportedly "tussling" for world number 1 with Jordan Spieth and "determined to make up for time lost through injury."
Despite the concerns expressed recently by the European Tour's Chief Medical Officer about the wisdom of McIlroy playing even one of the four events running up to Turkey that would allow him to fulfil his minimum commitment to the European Tour, the Race to Dubai leader has been given special treatment.
He is now allowed to take his place in the field for the third instalment of the showpiece tournament, now a key part of the European Tour’s Final Series, eve though he;s not going to play the 13 even minimum.
There was no mention of a financial incentive for his participation.
McIlroy is expected to play three successive events in the US over the next three weeks with this week's BMW Championship and next week's Tour Championship deciding the FedEx Cup, followed by a trip with Tiger Woods to the Frys.com Open at Silverado Country Club in Napa.
Perhaps forcing McIlroy to do his bit for the PGA Tour and play the Frys is Tim Finchem's way of punishing the European Tour for dropping the Bridgestone next season.
McIlroy appears to have argued with the European Tour to say he can now only play three more events in Europe in late October, the first two Final Series events and the DP World Tour Championship.
“I didn’t perform my best here in 2012, so had the weekend off to relax," McIlroy said of his play in the eight-man, Turkish Airlines World Golf Final in Antalya in 2012, which required a special release form the PGA Tour.
That release obliged him to add an event like the Frys last year but opted to postpone his "debt" to the PGA Toir until this year.
"It’s a really great holiday destination with a wonderful atmosphere but this time I’m hoping to be right in the running come Sunday as this it’s a tournament I would really love to win," McIlroy said. In a press release.
Turkish Golf Federation President Ahmet Ağaoğlu said: “It is an honour to have Rory McIlroy competing in Turkey once again. “This is part of my vision to grow the great sport of golf in Turkey.
"We had Tiger Woods at the first tournament in 2013, Sergio Garcia last year and now Rory in the third edition. Golf in Turkey continues to have a bigger and bigger influence on the global stage.”
Victor Dubuisson and Brooks Koepka are the previous winners of a tournament that has been brought forward this season as Antalya hosts the G20 summit from November 15-16
The Turkish Airlines Open takes place between October 29 and November 1, with 78 players competing for a prize fund of $7 million.
PING Junior Solheim Cup — Olivia Mehaffey won both her matches but the PING Junior Solheim Cup will start again on Tuesday with the result of the foursomes still to be decided after bad weather disrupted play at St Leon-Rot.
Europe and the USA tied the morning fourballs 3-3 with Mehaffey and Austria's Emma Spitz beating Mikka Liu and Haley Moore 1 up.
Thunder and lightning caused play to be suspended for an hour and a half during the afternoon and that in turn meant bad light brought play to a halt with three games left out on the course.
This year’s match goes into the final day with the visiting American team holding a slender one point lead at 5-4 and lead the three foursomes that remain incomplete.
Americans Mariel Galdiano and Haley Moore scored a decisive 6 & 5 victory over Sweden’s Elin Esborn and Norway’s Sandra Nordaas.
Then Nelly Korda and Megan Khang followed that up with a 2 & 1 win over Swizerland’s Albane Valenzuela and France’s Mathilda Cappeliez before Mehaffey and Spitz beat Liu and Hailee Cooper 3 and 2 to narrow the game.
