The German carded four birdies, including at the last hole, to card a three over par 74 and to move into the third round lead.

“I really didn’t hit many great shots,” Čejka conceded. “I kind of drove it in play but had three, four really poor shots, cost me a bogey, but overall, I made a couple birdies. Three over is three over. It was a tough day for everybody. Still on top of the leaderboard, so I’m pleased.”

Pádraig Harrington and Englishman Phillip Archer were two of seven players to shoot a level par 71, the low round of the day. They moved into a tie for second place alongside New Zealand’s Steven Alker and three-time Major winner Vijay Singh on one over par.

“I didn’t feel I had done much wrong”

Following his third round, Pádraig Harrington said:

“I didn’t feel like I had done much wrong to be three over. In one sense I felt okay about how I was playing and the other sense, I wasn’t sure. You’re never quite sure how the rest of the field is going to go. I’m four over par, the leader is four under, and you’re kind of worried you’re going to get eight, nine shots at the end of the day, which is too much.

“Obviously a big break on the last. Hit 3-wood, 9-iron to five feet. It was inches. I was going to hit the putt left lip, and I was standing over and it was blowing and blowing. I ended up hitting it — tried to hit it left half, probably hit it straight and just got in the right side.

“You know, I’ve chipped poorly this week. That’s my strength and I chipped poorly. I had two big long weeks. You know, I didn’t finish as well as I would have wanted in Scotland, and then The Open, being a major, I was just working hard for two weeks. You know what, I put down a few down chips just to being mentally tired.”

Second round leader Alker struggled to a five over par round of 76 but still remains in the hunt for his second Senior Major title after recording an ace at the par three 15th hole, the 14th in Senior Open history.

Clarke and Mooney

American Jerry Kelly and Scotland’s Grieg Hutcheon share sixth place on two over par, while 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie, America’s Mario Tiziani and Australia’s Richard Green are a shot further back in a tie for eighth.

Darren Clarke shot a third round of 73, to go with round of 73 and 74 respectively. The Dungannon man is on 220, seven shots off the leader.

Damian Mooney carded his worst round of the competition so far, singing for a 75 on Saturday. He is a further two strokes behind his fellow Irish golfer Darren Clarke.

Germany’s Bernhard Langer remains in the hunt for a fifth Senior Open title – and third at Royal Porthcawl – as he sits in a tie for 11th on four over, alongside nine others including Welsh duo Bradley Dredge and Phil Price.

Scores after round three (select scores):

213 A CEJKA (GER) 68 71 74, 
 214 P HARRINGTON 75 68 71, P ARCHER (ENG) 73 70 71, V SINGH (FIJ) 69 72 73, S ALKER (NZL) 70 68 76, 
 215 J KELLY (USA) 73 71 71, G HUTCHEON (SCO) 72 68 75, 
 216 R GREEN (AUS) 72 73 71, M TIZIANI (USA) 68 75 73, P LAWRIE (SCO) 70 71 75, 
 217 J SINGH (IND) 69 77 71, M JONZON (SWE) 74 72 71, E MCINTOSH (SCO) 74 71 72, S KHAN (ENG) 73 71 73, T GILLIS (USA) 70 74 73, P PRICE (WAL) 72 72 73, B DREDGE (WAL) 71 72 74, T JAIDEE (THA) 73 70 74, B LANGER (GER) 73 69 75, 
 218 K CHOI (KOR) 75 72 71, K DUKE (USA) 71 73 74, C MONTGOMERIE (SCO) 72 70 76, A HANSEN (DEN) 72 69 77, 
 219 M MOLINA (ARG) 72 74 73, J HAEGGMAN (SWE) 74 71 74, C DENNIS (USA) 72 72 75, P SJ?LAND (SWE) 73 71 75, P STREETER (ENG) 73 71 75, J SANDELIN (SWE) 70 73 76, E CANONICA (ITA) 72 70 77, P BROADHURST (ENG) 70 71 78, 
 220 D CLARKE 73 74 73, G DAY (USA) 76 71 73, K TANIGAWA (USA) 73 72 75, D MCGUIGAN (SCO) 75 69 76, G ORR (SCO) 71 72 77, S BERTSCH (USA) 73 69 78, K HORNE (RSA) 70 72 78, S TINNING (DEN) 72 70 78, 
 221 R GONZALEZ (ARG) 73 73 75, M CAMPBELL (NZL) 77 69 75, T PETROVIC (USA) 74 72 75, H FRAZAR (USA) 73 72 76, D BRANSHAW (USA) 73 72 76, 
 222 D MOONEY 73 74 75, R CHAPMAN (ENG) 77 70 75, H FUJITA (JPN) 75 72 75, D MCKENZIE (AUS) 76 70 76, J KEMP (AM) (ENG) 74 71 77, J REMESY (FRA) 72 71 79, 

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The 20-year-old displayed maturity beyond his years as he battled home favourites Max Kieffer and Marcel Siem for the title at Green Eagle Golf Courses.

The three players shared the lead at one stage on the back nine. McKibbin, who made the turn three under par, recovered from dropped shots on the 11th and 13th holes with a birdie on the 15th to move clear on eight under par.

What a great win by @tommckibbin8. Not just a very talented golfer, he really is a nice lad. The future of Irish golf, European golf and Ryder cup golf is in good hands. So happy for Dave Mcneilly too, he did a fine job letting Tom play to his strengths. @DPWorldTour https://t.co/epz1GRDfxo

— Padraig Harrington (@padraig_h) June 4, 2023

Kieffer narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 18th which would have taken him to eight under, settling for a seven under par total. Siem joined him on that score with a birdie on the 72nd hole, as did Frenchman Julien Guerrier who also shared second place.

Big move up Race to Dubai Rankings

Tom McKibbin, who could now move to to 22nd on the Race to Dubai Rankings after this win, hit his drive on the 18th just right of the fairway, but then hit a nerveless five iron into the heart of the green, two-putting for birdie, a three under round of 70 and a nine under par total.

He joins Holywood Golf Club course mate Rory McIlroy as a winner on the 2023 Race to Dubai after the four-time Major Champion’s triumph at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January.

Reaction from new DP World Tour winner

Discussing his approach to today’s final round, the Co Down player, who could now move to a career-high 159th on the Official World Rankings, admitted;

“I approached it the same as the first three days. The course is hard, the way I played the first three days was good enough so I thought if I played the same sort of golf and shot three or four under it might be enough. I knew going out it was such a hard golf course that you didn’t have to force loads of birdies and there wouldn’t be too many people going too low. That helped a bit. I played it the exact same and fortunately played a little bit better.”

McKibben, who graduated from the European Challenge Tour by finishing tenth on the 2022 Road to Mallorca Rankings, become the second Ulster golfer to win the Porsche European Open following the success of Dungannon’s Darren Clarke in 2001.

Shot of the day. Shot of the week.

Take a bow, @tommckibbin8 #PEO23 pic.twitter.com/2JEOKs8gRj

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 4, 2023

“(My hands on 18) were alright actually,” McKibbin stated. “I hit five iron. I picked a club I knew wouldn’t go in the water. I hit it right edge of the green and if it turned over I knew it would go further, so I had no worries. But it was such a good shot, it felt pretty amazing.”

So happy to get my first win at the @PorscheEuropeanOpen on the @DpWorldTour.
A huge thank you to my Mum & Dad, my team, my caddie Dave McNeilly & my sponsors for all their support.
To everyone who has supported me – thank you, I really do appreciate it!! pic.twitter.com/XokrY6vlzS

— Tom McKibbin (@tommckibbin8) June 4, 2023

“I’ve learned that I’m good enough to win. I always thought I was, but to prove it today was pretty special. I guess I’ve learned a lot from failures, missing cuts by a shot and missing things slightly. So to take those things I’ve learned and put them into play was nice,” said the Irish golfer, whose best finish this season had been tied-12th at the Singapore Classic..

Select Final Scores:

283 T MCKIBBIN 72 69 72 70,
285 M KIEFFER (GER) 69 71 75 70, M SIEM (GER) 71 73 70 71, J GUERRIER (FRA) 72 74 67 72,
287 F LACROIX (FRA) 73 73 71 70,
288 J SMITH (ENG) 70 71 72 75, D LAW (SCO) 75 66 72 75, J AXELSEN (DEN) 77 67 69 75, A BJ?RK (SWE) 72 72 69 75,
290 R LANGASQUE (FRA) 73 75 74 68, R GOUVEIA (POR) 76 73 70 71, C SYME (SCO) 73 77 69 71, P WARING (ENG) 71 72 72 75,
291 B EASTON (RSA) 77 69 76 69, F LAPORTA (ITA) 74 74 74 69, P FIGUEIREDO (POR) 73 74 73 71, R MACINTYRE (SCO) 76 68 74 73, F SCHOTT (GER) 71 75 72 73, E FERGUSON (SCO) 71 72 72 76,
292 M PAVON (FRA) 75 74 72 71, S TARRIO (ESP) 71 72 73 76,

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The 25-year-old carded six birdies and eagled his final hole to take the outright lead after day one at Vierumäki Resort.

“I drove the ball very well and putted well” the Corkman said. “I think I had eight putts through nine so I one-putted every green and holed out from a bunker, so I didn’t have to use the putter too much on the front nine!”

Sugrue used borrowed clubs

Like a number of his fellow professionals across the men’s and women’s game, Sugrue’s golf clubs were lost in transit but the Irishman managed to secure a loan set from a former DP World Tour player.

“The clubs aren’t mine, I lost my clubs coming here, so I got a set off Mikko Illonen and they are very nice, I might have to hold on to them!

“Just more of the same tomorrow, I’m really comfortable with that driver, every time I tee it up I think it is going to be a good one. We’ll just see where it takes us.”

Three-way tie for second spot

Finland’s Antii Ahokas and Italian’s Fillipo Bergamaschi and Michele Ortolini are in a three way-way tie for second place after the first round after the trio carded six under par rounds of 66.

Ahokas who won twice on the Challenge Tour in 2008 before struggling to maintain consistent form for much of the follow decade gave the leader board a home flavour.

”I haven’t played in front of a crowd for a while, so I was just trying to stay in my own bubble’ he admitted.  It was something I enjoyed but at the same time I focused on my own thing, but obviously it gives you energy.

“Quite a few people here now, this tournament is a couple of weeks earlier than normal, people are still on holidays, it is a warm week.  I think we’ll get some more crowds here, which is fantastic.”

Martin Simonsen of Denmark, ranked tenth in the Road to Mallorca standings, is the pick of a bunch of players one stroke back on five under, with Spaniard, Alejandro Del Rey, the highest ranked player in the field, also well placed after an opening three under par 69.

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The event is tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour.

The great and good of the men’s and women’s game will compete for the second mixed event on the 2021 Race to Dubai. The first was June’s Scandinavian Mixed hosted by Henrik and Annika.

The victor that week in Sweden, Jonathan Caldwell, happens to be the leading home hope this week. It was the 37-year-old’s maiden title in a roller-coaster career which saw him work in a golf superstore just to keep his European Tour dreams alive.

288 players in the field

Caldwell is sure to get a hero’s welcome when he tees it up at Massereene Golf Club on day one. The 288 players – 144 men and 144 women – will each play a round at Massereene and a round at Galgorm Castle Golf Club over the opening two days, in the separate men’s and women’s 72-hole strokeplay events.

A second round cut will reduce the field for each event to 60 and ties, and then to 35 and ties after the third round, before a male winner and a female winner are decided on Sunday.

Among those joining Caldwell in the men’s field for the second event of the UK Swing are four-time European Tour winner Andy Sullivan, the most recent winner on tour Nacho Elvira and John Catlin – who won the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Galgorm last September.

The women’s field – split evenly with LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour players – is also a strong one, boasting former Major winner Georgia Hall, World Number 14 Jeongeun Lee6 and local rising star Olivia Mehaffey, among others.

Caldwell looking forward to playing at home

Looking ahead to this week’s action on home soil, Jonathan Caldwell admitted:

“It’s going to be great. I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces, family and friends out there throughout the week. I’m hoping I can find some form and give them something to cheer about.

“I’m more familiar with Galgorm obviously, having played quite a few events over the years there. It’s certainly playing different this year than it has in years past, a little firmer, less rough. I can see the scoring being better than it was last year at the Irish Open with the rough being so thick and playing softer and longer.”

The action in the ISPS HANDA World Invitational presented by Modest! Golf Management, the 24th of 42 Race to Dubai events, gets underway on Thursday.

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The golf venue is the Kasumigaseki Country Club on the outskirts of Tokyo city, and the tournament runs from Thursday 29 July until Saturday 7 August 2021,

Players picked to represent Ireland

The men’s event is the first to start and will feature Stars Rory Mcllroy and Shane Lowry. In the women’s event, Leona Maguire and Stephaine Meadow will compete in their second official Olympic Games after their 2016 Rio journey. Both are coming off the Women’s PGA Championship with Maguire boasting her highest finish in a major championship, finishing fifteenth.

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry have been confirmed as Ireland's two-man golfing team for the Olympics

A duo fit to take on the world's best pic.twitter.com/oPPZ0PRqrJ

— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 22, 2021

When discussing her role for Tokyo, Maguire added;

“Rio was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. The Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world, and to represent Ireland on the stage like that is an incredible honour. I’m really looking forward to Tokyo. Golf is massive in Asia and particularly Japan. It will be my first time in Japan, and hopefully, I can take the experiences that I had in Rio and build on them. In Rio, I played well, but I think I was caught up in the experience of it and was happy to be there. But I’m a little more dialled in for Tokyo, and I’m trying to finish as high up that leader board as I can.”

Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow are heading to Tokyo!

After an exciting few weeks on the LGPA tour, they will represent Team Ireland at this year's Olympics.https://t.co/iKfL6DF3vr

— Her Sport (@HerSportDotIE) July 5, 2021

Team Interviews

David Kearney, Team Coach for the Women’s Team said;

“Whilst the Olympics is very different to a normal LPGA Tour week, our players have done a great job preparing and planning as if it’s the same and we’re delighted to finally have the team formally selected. With Covid-19 considerations, there are more potential performance disablers but we will be prepared to be agile and acceptant of not everything being as it normally is. This agility will help create the optimum performance space. 

 “All players have shown some great form this year and both Stephanie and Leona already have an Olympic Games under their belt at Rio. Personally, I’m very proud to have known them both since they were 9 and 11 years old respectively and am looking forward to supporting them in Tokyo, along with everyone else in Ireland.”

“It is starting to be real. We played the US Open recently, so we’re really focused on that. And then all of a sudden, it is ‘wow, the Olympics is actually pretty close,’ so it’s very exciting. It is such an exciting experience to go through all the gear – everybody knows how patriotic I am, so to have your own gear with our team logo on it is pretty cool!

Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Tokyo, Tricia Herberle admitted to being excited about the team;

“We are very excited to have a full contingent of Golfers representing Team Ireland at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. All four players are world-class with Leona and Stephanie already having a multi-Games experience in Rio. It’s also very special to have globally recognised players like Rory and Shane competing for the first time at an Olympics.  There are medals for the taking and while no doubt this is a different type of tournament to what they normally play, it will be great to watch the competitions unfold..”   

TEAM IRELAND GOLF TEAM:

Men’s Team

Shane Lowry – Men’s Individual Stroke Play

Rory McIlroy – Men’s Individual Stroke Play

Women’s Team

Leona Maguire – Women’s Individual Stroke Play

Stephanie Meadow – Women’s Individual Stroke Play

Team Ireland Officially Selected Athletes to date: CLICK HERE

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It was a fitting finish to the co-sanctioned European Tour and Ladies European Tour event as Englishwoman Hewson had an opportunity coming down the home stretch to force a play-off with her male counter-part Caldwell.

The 37-year-old Caldwell had set the clubhouse target at 17 under after equalling the best round of the week with an eight under 64 – also the best round of the final day – which was rounded off in style thanks to a remarkable second shot from the rough for a tap-in closing birdie.

For Caldwell, who partnered Rory McIlroy while representing Britain and Ireland at the 2007 Walker Cup as an amateur, it is a life-changing victory having struggled to make his mark on the professional game for 13 years and even working part-time in a golf store to fund his European Tour dreams.

He became just the eighth Ulsterman to win on the European Tour, rising to 43^rd in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex in the process.

Speaking after his victory, the Bangor, Co. Down-born player said:

“My immediate feelings are probably a bit of disbelief if I’m to be honest, it’s been a dream of mine for quite a long time obviously. A lot of hard work goes into it so it hasn’t quite sunk in yet but hopefully more to come.

“In 2009 I played my first year, lost my card, played mini tours and Challenge Tour down the years, worked as well in a local golf store so it’s been a long road. But finally I’m here.

“I missed a short putt at 17 and didn’t know where I stood at that point and I said to my caddie let’s make birdie down the last. I hit a pretty poor tee shot and got away with a good lie and somehow managed to get it up to two feet and make the putt.

“It’s been a tremendous week, what they’ve don’t this week is fantastic. I hope we have more weeks like this, the golf course was tremendous, I played with some great girls this week. I got a fist pump from Annika when I came off the 18^th green which was pretty incredible – probably the greatest ever women’s golfer so that was pretty special.

“The golf club at home will probably be going bonkers so put a tab on guys and go bonkers. My parents have been with me the whole way so I’m looking forward to talking to them.”

A Special Week

The Irish golfer, who shots rounds of 70, 67, 70 and 64, added:

“Obviously to win is special enough but to be doing the winning presentation there on the 18^th green with Annika and Henrik – two absolute icons in the world of golf – is quite unbelievable to be honest.

“I’d made a lot of birdies this week so it was a matter of keeping the bogeys of the double-bogeys off the card or whatever it may be. I sort of tried to post a number in my mind. If I got it to 15 it would be a pretty good week but obviously I bettered that by two.

“I know if I play well enough I can contend. Those two weeks last year, seventh and fifth, were my two best previous results. I think in Italy I might have missed out by two or three shots and in a week’s golf that’s not a whole lot so I knew I could compete and give myself chances of winning on Sunday to win, it was just a matter of when are they going to come and can I take it.”

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The tournament returns to the Road to Mallorca International Schedule this year. It will take place on a links course for the first time in the event’s history at the prestigious Portmarnock Links.

McBride made only one Challenge Tour start last season but has been keeping sharp by playing on the Alps Tour. He is excited by the prospect of teeing it up in Dublin at the end of the month.

“It’s great to have a Challenge Tour event in Ireland,” he said. “I’ve played a few events now in Ireland since I turned pro. This year’s event at Portmarnock Links is only five minutes from where I live so it’s great to have it on the schedule.

“We have such a great array of golf courses in Ireland and it’s great to be able to showcase them. This one will showcase everything that people stereotypically know Ireland for.”

Portmarnock provides a real test

The Championship course at Portmarnock Links was designed by two-time Masters Champion and former World Number One Bernhard Langer. It traverses the North Dublin dunes, a natural terrain to please the most ardent of links purists.

It will provide a true test of golf to the stars of the Challenge Tour and McBride believes it is incomparable to any other course on the Road to Mallorca.

“It’s going to be different. It all depends on the conditions,” he said. “If it’s calm, it plays completely different to if there’s wind.

“Portmarnock Links is a great links, it really is. You can’t really compare it to any other course on the Challenge Tour because we don’t play anything like it. It is a proper links golf course; there’s no half-links. It’s fully on the coast, there’s hills, there’s undulations and it’s firm and fast. It’s a really good course.

“You’d love to win the Irish Challenge. You’d love to win anytime on the Challenge Tour, I wouldn’t mind if it was in Italy, France, wherever, I’d like to win one way or another. If I had to pick, I’d pick Ireland but I’m certainly not limiting it to just that.”

The Irish Challenge is the sixth event on the 2021 Road to Mallorca International Schedule. It comprises 26 tournaments in 16 countries across the world.

The top 20 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings at the conclusion of the Challenge Tour Grand Final at T-Golf & Country Club, Mallorca, will earn full playing privileges on the European Tour in 2022.

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The event will take place over a links course for the first time in its history at the Dublin course.

The Portmarnock Links is set in the grounds of the old Jameson Estate St Marnocks. The course is a true test of golf which regularly features in lists of Ireland’s best golf courses.

The Championship course was designed by two-time Masters Champion and former World Number One Bernhard Langer. It traverses the famous North Dublin dunes, a natural terrain to please the most ardent of links purists.

Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca International Schedule

The visit to County Dublin forms part of the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca International Schedule. The Schedule comprises 25 tournaments in 15 countries across the world. It begins with a three-week stretch in South Africa. It then returns to Europe for events in the Czech Republic and Spain, then Ireland.

The top 20 players on the Road to Mallorca Rankings at the conclusion of the Challenge Tour Grand Final at T-Golf & Country Club, Mallorca, will earn full playing privileges on the European Tour in 2022. The last player from the island of Ireland to graduate from the Challenge Tour was Cormac Sharvin.

Reaction to the announcement

Jamie Hodges, Head of Challenge Tour, said: “We are incredibly excited to be taking the Irish Challenge to Portmarnock Links in May.

“We have never hosted an Irish event on a true links course before and I know the players will relish the opportunity to compete on the Championship Course.

Conor Russell, Director of Golf at Portmarnock Links, said:

“The team here at Portmarnock Links are delighted to welcome the Irish Challenge to our magnificent Links. The course will represent a wonderful challenge for the players and will give our own home-grown talent an opportunity to shine on the bigger stage.”

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