Rory: "Nonsense" That "Strained" GMac Friendship An Issue

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Martin Dempster reports on Rory McIlroy shooting down any tensions with Graeme McDowell over his claims against Horizon Sports Management. He also denies that the lawsuit's timing was orchestrated to put a damper on GMac's wedding.

However, he needed to come up with a more believable excuse than this...

It is also claimed McIlroy’s team referred to McDowell’s marriage in emails as “D-Day”. McIlroy’s team has denied this, insisting the “D-Day” references related to the day when the lawsuit would be filed and that the date was selected due to a “simple gap” that emerged in his busy schedule.

McIlroy did use the strained word, so take his assurances that this is not a tension-creator with a grain...

“I am still as close to him (McDowell),” said McIlroy on a visit to East Lothian yesterday to officially open the world’s first Nike’s performance facility at Archerfield Links, where he stayed during last year’s Open Championship at Muirfield. “There’s obviously been a few things that have gone on that have strained the relationship, but I still talk to him regularly and catch up with him.

“He has stayed out of everything as much as he can and there’s no ill feeling towards him in any way from my side. He’s been one of my best friends on Tour and showed me the ropes. I will always be grateful for what he’s done and for going out of his way to make me feel comfortable out here.”

The Guy Who Defeated Michelle Wie When She Was 11

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Scott Lipsky leads off some U.S. Senior Open notes with an item on Doug Williams, making his Senior Open debut and who, at 43, faced an 11-year-old Michelle Wie in the Hawaii State Amateur Match Play Championship.

Lipsky writes:

“At 11 years old, she had an unbelievable swing, she hit the ball farther than any woman I had ever seen, and almost as far as the guys,” said Williams of Wie, who had already won the state women’s stroke-play championship and had made her USGA championship debut a year earlier in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at age 10. “It was a bit of a circus, there were about 50 people watching. Her family was there, Hawaii press, national press.”

Wie tees off Thursday at Royal Birkdale in the Ricoh Women's British Open as the reigning U.S. Women's Open champ.

Factory Worker Cleared For Vacation Time To Play The Open!

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Open Championship qualifier and factory worker John Singleton has been given the two weeks off he needs to prepare and play in The Open, reports Rob Pattinson of the Liverpool Echo.

Even better, Singleton's co-workers will get the day off to cheer their man on during Thursday play at Royal Liverpool according to his boss.

Mr Tweddle said: “Because we cut John some slack we thought we ought to cut everybody else some. We gave them a day’s holiday and said if they want to take it on Thursday and go to the Open we would buy them tickets.

“I think John’s still got his feet on the ground, he’s such a nice guy, he really is.

“We have the same passion, if only I could play as well as he can!

“It’s just amazing. Who would ever think that the guy from the shop floor would make it to the pinnacle of his chosen sport? I just hope he enjoys it.”

We talked about Singleton on Morning Drive Monday and what a fantastic story this is in the day of dwindling opportunities for genuine open qualifiers.