Paddy Morgan

Paddy Morgan takes a look back at Scottie Scheffler’s incredible year.

Ryder Cup

Scottie Scheffler first came onto the radar as he won the Rookie Of The Year for the 2019/2020 PGA Tour season. He was picked as a wildcard for the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. This week was massive for Scheffler’s development as he learned so much from fellow USA major champions Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and 2021 FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay. He played three games at Whistling Straits but his best performance came in the singles as he defeated world number one Jon Rahm. This win against Rahm done wonders for Scheffler’s confidence and this realised that his game is good enough to compete with the best.

End of 2021

The Texan gained momentum after participating in USA win at Whistling Straits as he finished fourth in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. He continued to play well as Scheffler finished tied second at the Houston Open. Scheffler showed in the Houston Open that he is capable of going low as he shot 62 in his second round. Scheffler finished runner-up to Viktor Hovland in the end of season Hero World Challenge. These good finishes in the rap around season set him up well for 2022.

Waste Management

Scheffler shot rounds of 65 and 66 to finish tied seventh at the Farmers Insurance Open. TPC Scottsdale is the venue for the WM Phoenix Open and it’s famous for it’s stadium build par 3 16th. The American shot a remarkable third round of 62 to give himself a chance of winning his first tournament on day four. Scheffler shot a final round of 67 to force a play-off against 2021 PGA Tour Player Of The Year Patrick Cantlay. Scheffler birdied the third play-off hole which was good enough to win his first title on the PGA Tour. March and April

Bay Hill proved to be a tough test for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Scheffler gave himself a chance of winning as he shot a third round of five under. Hovland and McIlroy were making bogeys for fun and Scheffler avoided the high numbers to win his second tournament on the PGA Tour. His first two wins were both on difficult courses at TPC Scottsdale and Bay Hill.

World number one

Winning in sport is a great feeling and becomes an addiction after a while. Scheffler was the best in a field of 64 at WGC Dell Technologies match play. This was Scheffler’s third win in two months and this brought him to world number one. His rise has been unbelievable and deserved to be number one going into the first major of 2022.

The Masters

Usually all the pressure is on world number one at The Masters but this year was different due to return of Tiger Woods to professional golf. All the talk was about Woods and Scheffler just went about his business without a fuss. Scheffler took a handsome lead into the third round but let the field back into the tournament after multiple bogeys on the back nine of day three. Scheffler played in the final group with 2020 runner-up Cameron Smith with The American having a three-shot advantage. Smith’s challenge came to an end as he put the ball into the water on the par 3 12th and Scheffler held his nerve down the stretch to win his first major.

Rest of 2022

Sometimes it takes a while to come back down to normality after winning a major but this didn’t happen to Scheffler as he has an old head on young shoulders. He unfortunately missed the cut at Southern Hills but bounced back immediately to lose in a play-off at Charles Schwab Challenge. It looked like that Scheffler was going to win his second major of 2022 after shooting a final round of 67 at Brookline but came up one shot short. Scheffler contended in the final major of 2022 at the Old Course after shooting two consecutive rounds of 68 and a third round of 69 but the wind went out of his sails after a final round of 74. A great year in the majors with a green jacket now in his wardrobe.

Tour Championship

He went into the Tour Championship at the top of the standings on ten under. He was impeccable for three rounds but a poor final round meant that he had to settle for a tied second finish. Some players get frustrated when they don’t win like McIlroy ripping his shirt off but you never see Scheffler doing that as he is very laid back. Scheffler’s best finishes of 2022/2023 PGA Tour season so far are a tied third at Mayakoba and a second at Houston Open.

Paddy Morgan investigates why Germany failed to qualify for the knockout stages at both 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

Brazil

Germany won the 2014 World Cup after beating Argentina one nil. Mario Götze was the hero for Germany as he scored the winning goal against Argentina in extra-time. Germany went into the 2018 World Cup as defending champions and were drawn in the group stages against Mexico, South Korea and Sweden. Germany also went into the 2018 World Cup as number one in FIFA rankings after their success in 2014. Germany were under pressure to qualify to the knockout stages of 2018 World Cup after losing their first match against Mexico.

South Korea

A good response by Germany as they won their second group game against Sweden. They needed to win against South Korea in their final group stage game to advance to the last 16. It looked like that Germany vs South Korea was going to end in a draw but that changed as Korea scored two goals in added time. A bad defeat for Germany as they failed to advance to the knockout stages of 2018 World Cup. My opinion is that it’s always difficult to play well in the following World Cup as defending champions.

Fallout

2018 was the first time since the 1938 World Cup that Germany didn’t advance to the knockout stages. Joachim Low confirmed in March 2021 that Russia was his last World Cup as he decided to step down as Germany manager after Euro 2020. Low has been in charge since 2006 and his biggest highlight was when Germany won the 2014 World Cup. My opinion is things got a bit stale and it was the right time for change.

Experience

Five-time Champions League winner Toni Kroos decided to retire from Germany in 2021. Kroos was very influential for Germany as he played 106 times for his country. Kroos scored 17 goals for Germany and 31 is very early to retire with fellow Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric 37 still showing that class is permanent in Qatar. Kroos was remarkable in Real Madrid winning the 2021/2022 Champions League and my opinion is that calling time on his national team was a shock.

Team for Qatar

Hasmi Flick won the 2019/2020 Champions League with Bayern Munich and was appointed Germany manager for 2022 World Cup. Manuel Neuer 36 is still number one for Qatar and 2020/2021 Champions League winner with Chelsea Antonio Rudiger is a leader in defence. Germany midfield for Qatar included 2014 World Cup hero & 63 caps Mario Gotze, 62 caps & four-time Premier League winner with Manchester City Ilkay Gundogan and 70 caps Joshua Kimmich who won the 2019/2020 Champions League with Bayern Munich. The spine of the team is still strong with Rudiger, Gundogan, Kimmich and Neuer.

Forward

Serge Gnabury has pace on the wing and was in good form going into Qatar with scoring eight goals for Bayern Munich in the 2022/2023 Bundesliga. Chelsea forward Kai Havertz is capable in scoring a big goal as he scored the winner in the 2020/2021 Champions League Final. Other players in the forward line for Qatar were two-time Premier League winner with Man City Leroy Sane and 2014 World Cup winner Thomas Muller. Strong forward line for Qatar but they are without former Chelsea striker Timo Werner.

Qatar

Germany were drawn against Spain, Costa Rica and Japan for the group stages in Qatar. They took the lead against Japan but capitulated in the second half to lose by a score line of 2-1. Like Russia, Germany needed to win their second game against Spain. Germany played much better in the second half against Spain and equalised thanks to Niclas Fulikrug on 83 minutes. Germany finished the game strong against Spain but didn’t do enough to win the game. Germany needed to score eight goals and hoped Spain went through as group winners. Germany scored four goals against Costa Rica but went out after Japan got a historic win against Spain.

What’s next

Captain

Henrik Stenson was appointed Europe Ryder Cup captain for Rome 2023. Stenson snubbed the chance to captain Europe as he joined LIV series in July 2022. My opinion is that he could of waited until after the Ryder Cup to join LIV but could not turn down the money they offered him. The DP World Tour announced in August 2022 that Luke Donald would step in to captain Europe in Rome. Due to LIV the Europe team will change in Rome as Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey all joined the rebel golf league.

Strong core

The core of Europe’s team for Rome 2023 will be strong which includes current world number one, 2022 FedEx Cup champion and DP World Tour rankings winner Rory McIlroy. 2019 Champion Golfer Of The Year Shane Lowry returned to form in 2022 as he won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Lowry’s performance at Wentworth was remarkable as he had no bogeys for the entire tournament. Jon Rahm was one of the rare heroes at Whistling Straits in 2021 and showed he is still one of the best players in the game as he won both the Spanish Open & DP World Tour Championship in 2022. McIlroy is not the only European in the top ten of world golf rankings with Rahm in fifth and two-time Hero World Challenge winner Viktor Hovland in ninth. My opinion is that Hovland, Rahm, McIlroy and Lowry will be massive if Europe want to win the Ryder Cup in 2023.

English

Tommy Fleetwood was outstanding in the last Ryder Cup to be held in Europe as he won four out of five matches at Paris National. Fleetwood won the Nedbank Golf Challenge in 2019 but held onto the title for nearly three years due to covid-19. The Nedbank returned to the schedule in 2022 were the Englishman won his second title at the Gary Player Country Club in three years. He finished in the top five at 2022 DP World Tour Championship and has finished second in two majors in The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019 & the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in 2018. My opinion is that 2023 will be a big year for Fleetwood with been involved at 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Fleetwood won’t be the only Englishman on Donald’s team as you also have 2022 U.S. Open champion at Brookline Matt Fitzpatrick and runner-up at 2022 DP World Tour Championship Tyrell Hatton.

Other winners

Robert MacIntyre returned to the winner’s circle at the 2022 Italian Open at Marco Simeone Golf Club. This is the same course were the 2023 Ryder Cup will be held. It was an impressive win for the Scotsman as he defeated Fitzpatrick in a play-off. In 2014 Stephen Gallacher played at the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles but there has been no Scottish player on the team since then. MacIntyre has a chance of making the team as either automatically or through a pick for Rome due to winning on the same course.

French Open

Guido Migliozzi finished in the top five at 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The Italian has been quiet but returned to the winner’s circle as he won the 2022 French Open. This was a good victory as winning on Paris National is not easy due to the course having plenty of water. If Migliozzi continues to impress in 2023, he might make the team as a wildcard due to been Italian.

Seamus

The Irishman won his second tournament on the PGA Tour at the 2022 Bermuda Championship. He has started the 2022/2023 season in great form as he is leading the FedEx Cup standings. He also has an outside chance of making Donald’s team next year.

Conclusion

Seven certainties in Donald’s team which are McIlroy, Rahm, Hovland, Lowry, Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick and Hatton. The other five places are up for decision and Donald will have all of next year to make up his mind. It’s between Power, MacIntyre, Migliozzi, 2022 Honda Classic winner Sepp Straka, 2022 Irish Open winner Adrian Meronk, Denmark brothers Rasmuis & Nicolai Hoejgaard. Also throw five points winner from Paris National Francesco Molinari and 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose if they both find form again in 2023. Maybe you might see 2018 Ryder Cup player Alex Noren come back into the fold as he finished tied second at the recent 2022 DP World Tour Championship. How can you forget big hitting Belgian Thomas Pieters as he won the 2022 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and played at 2016 Ryder Cup.

Finally

Paddy Morgan looks back at the 2022 DP World Tour Championship were it was double success for both Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. Both Europeans will be a huge part of Luke Donald’s team in Rome at 2023 Ryder Cup.

Jon Rahm

The Spaniard took a long break away from golf after winning the Spanish Open and finishing tied fourth at the CJ Cup in early October. A break has worked for Rahm before as he took seven weeks off and came back to win the 2019 DP World Tour Championship. The Earth Course changed for 2022 edition of DP World Tour Championship with a big aspect on hitting fairways due to Bermuda style rough. The 2021 U.S. Open champion got off to a sluggish start on day one of 2022 DP World Tour Championship with a round of 70. Rahm wasn’t the only European looking to finish the season in style as Rory McIlroy was looking to win both the FedEx Cup and DP World Tour rankings in the same year.

Rory McIlroy

It was a frustrating opening round in Dubai for the Northern Irish man with shooting a round of 71 which included five birdies and four bogeys. The 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick was third in the rankings going into the DP World Tour Championship and he had a chance to have the last laugh in Dubai. Fitzpatrick was number one in the rankings after round one after shooting a fantastic round of 65. All to play for with three rounds of the 2022 season to go.

Round 2

McIlroy was not at his best on day two but played the last three holes in four under which included an eagle on the par five 18th. Fitzpatrick was still in control of his own destiny as he shot a second round of 67 to be tied for the lead on 12 under with fellow Englishman Tyrell Hatton going into the weekend. Rahm brought himself back into contention after two rounds with shooting an impressive round of 66 to leave himself six behind. It was a three-horse race for the DP World Tour rankings going into the weekend with Fitzpatrick tied for the lead, McIlroy will not give up without a fight and don’t rule out Englishman Tommy Fleetwood as he loves coming from behind.

Day 3

This was a big day for MCIlroy as he hit 12 out of 14 fairways. Big accurate drives proved to be the difference for McIlroy on day three as he shot a round of 65 which included an eagle and seven birdies. McIlroy was back to number one on the rankings with one round to go as Fitzpatrick battled for a two under round of 70. The four-time major champion wasn’t the only player to shoot 65 on day three as Rahm took a one-shot lead into the final round on 15 under. The battle of U.S. Open champions with one round to go between Rahm and Fitzpatrick but McIlroy is quietly confident about winning two prizes with just been three shots behind.

Final round

McIlroy played the back nine in 33 to finish on 16 under. The consistency of McIlroy has continued to the end of the season as he finished fourth at the 2022 DP World Tour Championship. A fourth place finish was good enough for McIlroy to be crowned DP World Tour rankings winner as Fitzpatrick shot a disappointing final round of 73. My opinion is 2022 was McIlroy’s best season for a few years with winning both FedEx Cup, DP World Tour rankings and returning to number one in the world. McIlroy will be looking for the consistency to continue into 2023 as he will be anxious to end his nine year wait to eventually win a major.

The event

Rahm shot a remarkable round of 67 to win the 2022 DP World Tour Championship. Even though he didn’t win a major in 2022, it was a significant year for Rahm as he won three times. To win the DP World Tour Championship three times is incredible for Rahm in 2022. His iron game and improved putting was the difference for Rahm in the final event of 2022. Great to see return of form for Tyrell Hatton and Alex Noren as they both finished tied second at 2022 DP World Tour Championship. Fleetwood was quiet over the weekend but still finished inside the top five on 13 under.

Conclusion

Paddy Morgan looks back at the 2022 DP World Tour Championship were it was double success for both Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm. Both Europeans will be a huge part of Luke Donald’s team in Rome at 2023 Ryder Cup.

Jon Rahm

The Spanard took a long break away from golf after winning the Spanish Open and finishing tied fourth at the CJ Cup in early October. A break has worked for Rahm before as he took seven weeks off and came back to win the 2019 DP World Tour Championship. The Earth Course changed for 2022 edition of DP World Tour Championship with a big aspect on hitting fairways due to bermuida style rough. The 2021 U.S. Open champion got off to a sluggish start on day one of 2022 DP World Tour Championship with a round of 70. Rahm wasn’t the only European looking to finish the season in style as Rory McIlroy was looking to win both the FedEx Cup and DP World Tour rankings in the same year.

Rory McIlroy

It was a frustrating opening round in Dubai for the Northern Irish man with shooting a round of 71 which included five birdies and four bogey’s. The 2022 U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick was third in the rankings going into the DP World Tour Championship and he had a chance to have the last laugh in Dubai. Fitzpatrick was number one in the rankings after round one after shooting a fantastic round of 65. All to play for with three rounds of the 2022 season to go.

Round 2

McIlroy was not at his best on day two but played the last three holes in four under which included an eagle on the par five 18th. Fitzpatrick was still in control of his own destiny as he shot a second round of 67 to be tied for the lead on 12 under with fellow Englishman Tyrell Hatton going into the weekend. Rahm brought himself back into contention after two rounds with shooting an impressive round of 66 to leave himself six behind. It was a three horse race for the DP World Tour rankings going into the weekend with Fitzpatrick tied for the lead, McIlroy will not give up without a fight and don’t rule out Englishman Tommy Fleetwood as he loves coming from behind.

Day 3

This was a big day for MCIlroy as he hit 12 out of 14 fairways. Big accurate drives proved to be the difference for McIlroy on day three as he shot a round of 65 which included an eagle and seven birdies. McIlroy was back to number one on the rankings with one round to go as Fitzpatrick battled for a two under round of 70. The four time major champion wasn’t the only player to shoot 65 on day three as Rahm took a one shot lead into the final round on 15 under. The battle of U.S. Open champions with one round to go between Rahm and Fitzpatrick but McIlroy is quietly confident about winning two prizes with just been three shots behind.

Final round

McIlroy played the back nine in 33 to finish on 16 under. The consistency of McIlroy has continued to the end of the season as he finished fourth at the 2022 DP World Tour Championship. A fourth place finish was good enough for McIlroy to be crowned DP World Tour rankings winner as Fitzpatrick shot a disappointing final round of 73. My opinion is 2022 was McIlroy’s best season for a few years with winning both FedEx Cup, DP World Tour rankings and returning to number one in the world. McIlroy will be looking for the consistency to continue into 2023 as he will be anxious to end his nine year wait to eventually win a major.

The event

Rahm shot a remarkable round of 67 to win the 2022 DP World Tour Championship. Even though he didn’t win a major in 2022, it was a significant year for Rahm as he won three times. To win the DP World Tour Championship three times is incredible for Rahm in 2022. His iron game and improved putting was the difference for Rahm in the final event of 2022. Great to see return of form for Tyrell Hatton and Alex Noren as they both finished tied second at 2022 DP World Tour Championship. Fleetwood was quiet over the weekend but still finished inside the top five on 13 under.

Conclusion

World Cup

Gareth Southgate was appointed as England senior manager in 2016. England reached the 2018 World Cup semi-final after knockout wins against both Columbia and Sweden. England went ahead against Croatia in the semi-final after a fantastic free-kick from Kieran Trippier. Croatia came from behind to force extra-time and England’s World Cup run was over after losing 2-1. As disappointing as it was to lose a World Cup semi-final they also lost the third place play-off game against Belgium. My opinion is that the third place play-off game at a World Cup should be scrapped.

Euro 2020

The 2020 UEFA European Championship’s was delayed until 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic. England were drawn against Scotland, Czech Republic and Croatia for Euro 2020 group-stages. They started with a one nil win against Croatia then followed it up with a disappointing scoreless draw against Scotland. England qualified as group winners after a one nil win against Czech Republic. Raheem Sterling scored two goals in the Euro 2020 group-stage games but no goals for 2018 World Cup Golden Boot Winner Harry Kane.

Knockout games

England laid down a statement of intent after beating Germany 2-0 in the last 16 of Euro 2020. Harry Kane finally scored his first goal of Euro 2020 against Germany. England gained momentum at Euro 2020 after a four nil win against Ukraine in the quarter-final. England played every game at Wembley in Euro 2020 bar for their quarter-final

Game against Ukraine in Rome.

Semi-final

England were drawn against Denmark in the semi-final of Euro 2020. England went behind on 30 minutes after Mikkel Damsgaard put Denmark one nil up. The lead didn’t last long for Denmark as England equalised through an own goal on 39 minutes. The match ended in a draw which resulted in it going into extra-time. England were awarded a penalty in extra-time and Kane dispatched from the spot which fired the home side into a lead. England held on and reached the Euro 2020 final after a 2-1 win against Denmark in extra-time.

Final

England only conceded one goal in their run to the Euro 2020 final. The Euro 2020 final was England’s biggest game since the 1966 World Cup win. It was great to see an attendance of 60,000 for this game considering crowds were missed for the majority of 2020/2021 Premier League season. England went ahead against Italy in the Euro 2020 final after a fantastic goal from Luke Shaw. England missed opportunities to score a second goal in the first half as they went into half-time one nil up. Italy were the better team in the second half and equalised thanks to a goal from Leonardo Bonucci.

Penalties

The score line stayed a draw throughout extra-time which resulted in the game going to penalties. Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho all missed penalties for England in the shoot out. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was outstanding in the shoot out as Italy won 3-2 on penalties. The amount of abuse that Saka received for missing a penalty was disgraceful.

Hangover

England struggled after the 2020 Euro final as they were relegated from their UEFA Nations League group. Their final two games before the 2022 World Cup were a defeat to Italy and a 3-3 draw against Germany. A lot of questions regarding England before the World Cup especially with Sterling & Harry Maguire out of form and bringing Kyle Walker with still recovering from an injury.  Delighted to see both Saka and Jude Bellingham perform brillantly in England’s big opening World Cup win against Iran. The big question was if they were able to back up their performance against Iran with a win against USA. Their performance was terrible with USA and didn’t look like scoring in a disappointing scoreless draw against USA.

Disappointment

Cr7

Cristiano Ronaldo re-signed for Man United after signing a two-year contract in August 2021. Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions for Man United throughout the 2021/2022 season. Ronaldo was the only player that had a successful season which resulted in Man United finishing way off the pace in 2021/2022 Premier League. Ronaldo has set ridiculous records as a striker with scoring 20 goals for 12 consecutive seasons in a row. Man United went out of the 2021/2022 UEFA Champions League after losing their last 16 game to Athletic Madrid but wouldn’t made to the knockout stages without Ronaldo’s goals.

Ten Hag

Erik Ten Hag started his reign at Old Trafford in the Summer of 2022. Straight away he had a headache with Ronaldo missing Man United’s Summer pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia. For the majority of the Summer it looked like that Man United were looking to sell the greatest goal scorer in the modern era due to Ronaldo wanting to play in the Champions League. Cr7 didn’t get his move and was involved in Man United’s game against Leicester City on Transfer Deadline Day.

Since then

Ten Hag has answered multiple questions in press conferences both before and after matches about Ronaldo’s involvement. It has been a constant sideshow even when Man United beat Arsenal 3-1 in September 2022 and the reaction was about Ronaldo not starting rather than focusing on an outstanding performance from the home side. Ronaldo can’t accept that he is on the decline and stats show that Man United’s performances are better without him playing on the counter attack with Marcus Rashford and new signing Anthony. My opinion is that Ronaldo is the greatest goal scorer of all time but he doesn’t have the sharpness anymore with getting on with age.

Attitude

His reaction to not starting at the Etihad Stadium for the Manchester derby wasn’t great by having his hands over his head as he was watching Erling Haaland score a hat-trick from the bench. My opinion at the time that this was the right decision as Man United’s best way of scoring a goal against Man City is on the break. Ronaldo came back into the limelight a week later as he scored his 700th club goal against Everton. Ronaldo started for Man United in their home game against Newcastle and would of scored only for a bad offside decision by VAR. Man United were outstanding in beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Old Trafford but yet again Ten Hag had to reflect on Ronaldo as he stormed out of the stadium before the final whistle.

Punishment

Ronaldo was left out of Man United’s squad for their visit to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea just three days after the Spurs game. If Ronaldo was available for this game, my opinion is that he still wouldn’t of started due to catching Chelsea on the counter attack. A great debate between ex Man United players Gary Neville and Roy Keane on Sky Sports after the Chelsea game at Stamford Bridge regarding Ronaldo and would recommend for you to watch it. Ronaldo was given another chance when coming on against West Ham but was a frustrated figure in front of goal.

Final straw

Man United signed off with alate win against Fulham at Craven Cottage before the break for 2022 World Cup. The world of sport blew up just 24 hours after Man United’s win against Fulham due to Ronaldo’s extraordinary interview with Piers Morgan. My opinion is that you go on a show like that with something up your sleave and you don’t just go onto Piers Morgan for the sake of it. Ronaldo said that Man United betrayed him and was sidelined since Ten Hag took over at Old Trafford. A sad ending to Ronaldo’s time in the Premier League as his reputation is sabotage due to been selfish.

The Glazers

Ryder Cup

Padraig Harrington was Europe Ryder Cup Captain for the 2021 Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup was delayed until 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic. The Ryder Cup got the go ahead to be played at Whistling Straits in September 2021. Harrington made controversial picks with bringing The Postman Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia as wildcards but that backfired as Europe were destroyed by a score line of 19-9 to USA.

Golf

Harrington could not concentrate on his own game in 2021 due to all the distractions as Europe Ryder Cup Captain. The Dubliner turned 50 in August 2021 which meant that he would qualify for the senior’s tour in both America and Europe. Harrington’s schedule was massive for 2021/2022 with been able to play on DP World Tour, PGA Tour and PGA Champions Tour. The amount of travel and different time zones would be a big challenge for Harrington throughout 2022.

2021/2022

Harrington started 2022 by playing on the DP World Tour in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He finished tied 20th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and continued his good form with a tied ninth finish at the Dubai Desert Classic. He went from Dubai to Florida to compete at the Chubb Classic on the Champions Tour but finished well down the leaderboard in tied 56th position. He played in both The Honda Classic and Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour but his best performance was a tied 42nd at Bay Hill. His final tournament before The Masters was a tied second finish at the Rapiscan Systems Classic.

Augusta

The three-time major champion qualified for the 2022 Masters after finishing tied fourth in the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Ocean Course. He was leading The Masters early on but unfortunately missed the halfway cut at Augusta. He finished the month of April at the Insperity Invitational with a tied 25th finish. The 2008 PGA Championship winner qualified as a past champion for the 2022 edition at Southern Hills but also missed the cut.

Big Summer

The Dubliner shot a final round of 64 to finish tied second at 2022 Mitsubishi Electric Classic. He continued his improved form as he finished second at the Regions Tradition which was the first seniors major of 2022. A disappointing final round of 74 by Harrington which meant that he would finish tied 20th at the Kitchen Aid Senior PGA Championship . Saucon Valley Country Club was the venue for the third seniors major of 2022 which was the U.S. Senior Open. Harrington shot two consecutive rounds of 66 and held on with a final round of 72 to make history by winning his first major in the senior’s game.

July & August

Harrington returned to Ireland to play at the Horizon Irish Open and made it to the weekend to finish tied 30th. He missed the cut at both the Genesis Scottish Open and The 150th Open at St Andrews. The Seniors Open was rain delayed at Gleneagles but Harrington impressed with four rounds in the 60s to finish runner-up to Darren Clarke. August was a significant month for Harrington with a win at DICK’S Sporting Goods Open and two top five finishes at The Ally Challenge & Shaw Charity Classic.

Remainder of 2022 season

The Dubliner unbelievable consistency in the senior game continued as he won his third tournament at the Ascension Charity Classic with three rounds of 65,66and 68. Harrington went into the final event of 2022 Champions Tour in great form after three good finishes at Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS tied sixth, Dominion Energy Charity Classic tied third and TimberTech Championship fourth.

Charles Schwab

The 2021 RSM Classic was played at Sea Island Seaside with Taylor Gooch winning with a score of 22 under. Two players that finished in the top five Taylor Gooch and Cameron Smith will not be able to play in the 2022 edition due to signing for LIV series. The 2022 RSM Classic will be played on the same course as the 2021 tournament. The field is not appetising as the highest ranked player playing is Brian Harman which is currently number 26 in the world rankings.

Seamus Power is looking to continue his great form as he is currently 37 under for his last eight competitive rounds. The Irishman has played at Sea Island before as he finished tied fourth in 2021 RSM Classic. Power is looking to continue at the top of 2022/2023 FedEx Cup rankings with a consistent finish this weekend. My opinion is that Seamus Power will win his third PGA Tour event at the 2022 RSM Classic.

Top five contenders

Justin Rose returned to form as he finished tied ninth at the recent 2022 Houston Open. The Englishman has played at Sea Island in 2021 and finished inside the top 15 on tied 12th position. Mackenzie Hughes came second in the 2021 RSM Classic and has played well on the PGA Tour in the past as he held the lead after 54 holes at 2021 U.S. Open. My opinion is that Rose and Hughes will finish inside the top five.

Top ten contenders. Denny McCarthy finished tied 10th at the 2021 RSM Classic. McCarthy is capable to play well on difficult courses as he finished tied seventh at 2022 U.S. Open. Trey Mullinax finished tied fourth at the recent Houston Open. Mullinax will be looking to finish inside the top ten for a second week in a row. My opinion is that both Mullinax and McCarthy will finish inside the top ten.

My preview for the final event of 2021/2022 DP World Tour season. In 2021 it all went wrong for Rory McIlroy as he ripped his shirt in frustration after Collin Morikawa won the final event on the European Tour. It has been a troublesome year for the DP World Tour due to the rise of breakaway golf league called LIV series. LIV players can currently play on the DP World Tour as the tour is waiting for a court hearing regarding the future of golf in 2023.

Rory McIlroy is currently number one in the DP World Tour rankings with one event to go. He made history by winning the FedEx Cup for a third time and is looking to win both tours in 2022 for the first time. His consistency has been unbelievable in 2022 as he returned to world number one in October. McIlroy has fine success on The Earth course as he has won the DP World Tour Championship three times but revenge will be on his mind after not winning the event in 2021.

Even though that McIlroy deserves to win the season long rankings, he won’t have it all his own way due to 2022 U.S. Open Champion and two-time DP World Tour Championship winner Matthew Fitzpatrick third in the rankings. Fitzpatrick is not the only U.S. Open winner in the field as2021 champion Jon Rahm will be looking to use past success to his advantage as he looks to win the DP World Tour Championship for a third time. Tommy Fleetwood will be looking to win for a second week in a row after winning the 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge for the second time in three years. Shane Lowry is also capable of winning a big event on the DP World Tour after winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

My predictions for the DP World Tour Championship are as follows. Fitzpatrick finished ninth in 2019, won in 2020, tied second in 2021 and his record is fantastic at the DP World Tour Championship

Over the last three years. Fitzpatrick has added distance in 2022 due to the work he does with speed sticks in practice. My opinion is that Fitzpatrick is going to have a remarkable finish to 2022 by winning the DP World Tour Championship this weekend.

Contenders for top five. Ryan Fox is second in the DP World Tour rankings and will want to continue his good form after finishing second at 2022 Nedbank Golf Challenge. Min Woo Lee is coming into this event in good form after finishing tied eight at the recent Nedbank Golf Challenge. Lee finished inside the top 20 at the Earth course last year and will be looking to improve on this finish this weekend. My opinion is that both Fox and Lee will finish inside the top five.

Top ten finishers. Robert MacIntyre won in 2022 on the DP World Tour at the Italian Open after beating Fitzpatrick in a play-off. Even though the Scotsman finished well down the leaderboard at the recent Nedbank Golf Challenge but he will want to finish in the top ten for a second year in a row after his tied fourth display at the 2021 DP World Tour Championship. Shane Lowry is currently eight in the rankings and finished tied ninth at the 2021 DP World Tour Championship. My opinion is that Lowry and MacIntyre will finish in the top ten this weekend.

My preview for this weekend’s Premier League games. This is the last weekend of Premier League before it pauses for 2022 World Cup. They could of very easily done without Premier League games this weekend with it been so close to the start of the World Cup. With England squad just announced for the World Cup, the players will not want to get injured this weekend.

Manchester City vs Brentford

Man City will be looking for another home win this weekend but will have to do it without Kyle Walker as he is still out of action. It will be similar to their last game against Fulham as Man City will have all the possession and Brentford will be tough to breakdown. Erling Haaland will be looking to improve on his incredible tally of 18 Premier League goals against Brentford. Brentford will have Ivan Toney back from suspension for their trip to the Etihad. Brentford’s plan will be to frustrate the home side and take advantage of Toney’s height at set-pieces. Score prediction 2-0

AFC Bournemouth vs Everton

Gary O’ Neill was disappointed after they let two goal leads slip in their last two Premier League games against both Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United. They have been scoring a lot of goals lately with scoring five goals in their last two Premier League games and scoring four in their third round EFL Cup game against Everton in midweek. Everton changed their whole team for their defeat in the EFL Cup but will be looking for an improvement at the Vitality Stadium this weekend. Everton were poor in their last Premier League game against Leicester City and will need to start picking up points soon before been dragged into a relegation fight. Score prediction 1-1

Liverpool vs Southampton

After partnering company with Ralp Hasenhutl, it is now a new era under Nathan Jones at Southampton. They will be looking for the bounce of a new manager as they try to hit Liverpool on the counter attack this weekend. Liverpool won three games in a row in three different competitions after beating Derby County in the third round of EFL Cup in midweek. Mo Salah returned to his best after scoring twice against Spurs and will be looking for another double against The Saints. Trent Alexander-Arnold is brillant going forward and will look to hit Andrew Robertson with his incredible Crossfield passes again this weekend. Score prediction 3-1

Tottenham Hotspur vs Leeds United

Spurs are in bad form and keep going behind in matches before they start performing. Spurs are light in attacking options as they are without the remarkable Son Heung-min until after the World Cup. Leeds have won their last two Premier League games which includes a fantastic comeback win against Bournemouth at Elland Road last weekend. Leeds will look to play on the counter attack against Spurs through the pace of Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto. Score prediction 1-2

Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace

Palace will be looking for their second away win in a row after winning late on against West Ham last weekend. Palace will be looking to finish in the top ten of the Premier League before the break for World Cup. Forest got a great win against Liverpool have struggled since then by getting beating 5-0 against Arsenal and got a late draw against Brentford last weekend. With been at home they will be looking for the extra home advantage and support. Score prediction 1-2

Newcastle United vs Chelsea

Newcastle have been fantastic this i due to the transformation of Eddie Howe as manager. He has got the best out of his players as Miguel Almiron has scored eight goals in 2022/2023 Premier League. Chelsea need a result after conceding five goals in their last two Premier League games against both Brighton and Arsenal. Raheem Sterling has been up and down since joining Chelsea but he needs to have a good performance if The Blues want to win at St James Park. Score prediction 3-1

Wolverhampton Wanders vs Arsenal

Wolves have appointed a new manager in Julen Lopetegui but will not take charge until after the World Cup. You might remember that he left Spain on the eve of 2018 World Cup to take Real Madrid job. Wolves are still in the relegation zone and have a tough match against Arsenal this weekend. Arsenal have been remarkable and have got some great results at tricky grounds such as Elland Road, Stamford Bridge and Selhurst Park. They are more resilient this season due to the arrival of William Saliba and this weekend will be another win for The Gunners at Molineux. Score prediction 0-2

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Aston Villa

The bounce of a new manager has worked as Unai Emery won his first Premier League match as manager against Man United. Ollie Watkins is Villa’s best striker and Emery will do well if he gets the best out of him in front of goal. Brighton got their first big win under Roberto De Zebri as they beat Chelsea 4-1 in their last home game. Lisandro Trossard has been outstanding this season as he has scored against Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea. Score prediction 2-1

Fulham vs Manchester United

Paddy Morgan sits down with four-time World Snooker Champion John Higgins to reflect on his amazing career in snooker since turning professional in 1992.

John Higgins was talented grown up but did not realise that snooker could be his living until his late teenage years “I think it was when I was 15 when I won under 16 World Amateur Championship.”  Higgins rise in the amateur game was down to leaving his local town Wishaw to join a club in a main Scottish city “I moved into a snooker club in Glasgow and then went into Glasgow to play all the top boys.”  Higgins realised that he was good enough to make it as a professional in snooker after winning some of the biggest Pro-Am tournaments in Scotland, England and Ireland “in fact one over in Dublin when I was 15 I beat Ken Doherty in the final he was given me 10 points of a start I played him just off O’ Connell Street in the Mint Snooker club and managed to beat him in the final of one of the big Pro-Amsaround that time.”  Higgins finally turned professional when he was 17 years old.

Higgins impressed in his first year as professional as he reached the quarter-final of the British Open. He won his first professional tournament in 1994/1995 season after beating Dave Harold 9-6 in the final of the Grand Prix but 1998 was a significant year for the Scotsman as he won his first World Championship at the Crucible “I think it have to be when I won the World title for the first time and I think that was the realisation of all my dreams coming through.” Funny enough the Scotsman was drawn against his friend from his amateur days in 1998 final “I played Ken again and the Dubliner was hoping to defend the World Championship because he won it the previous year in 1997 but when I beat Ken in the final that was my ultimate dream.”  Higgins announced himself onto the big stage in sport after winning his first big tournament in 1998.

Higgins has won three more World Championship titles since his maiden win in 1997 and the Scotsman gives an insight into his practice in the run up to the Crucible “I would just put in a bit more time in the practice room and I would play a few more players.” Winning a World Championship at Crucible is like taking part in a marathon “matches at crucible are extreme with it been either the best of 19 or 25 frames to progress to the next round.”  This is a routine that Higgins does every year and has been successful due to winning four times at the Crucible “I would just play a few more matches I have always done that every year by try to sharpen yourself up before the biggest tournament in snooker.”  Practice is crucial to sharpen the mind before a big tournament regardless whether it’s the World Championship in snooker or The Masters in golf.

With snooker been an individual sport it is difficult to keep patient “it probably happened to me at the World Championship this year as it was only one of the handful times were I was losing to Ronnie O’ Sullivan 13-9.”  It was unlike Higgins to get frustrated especially playing in a semi-final of the World Championship at the Crucible “I was really getting down by the way I was playing and I missed a long red at the start of one frame.”  The Crucible is not a place were you let your frustrations get the better of you “I really wanted to smash my cue in and I was thinking that that I could not win this game playing like this.”  Higgins lost his 2022 World Championship semi-final by a score line of 17-11 to O’ Sullivan and possibly getting down on himself stopped the Scotsman from advancing to the final.

Professional sport is currently up in the air since the rise of potential European Super League in football and rise of LIV series in golf “Barry Hearn came back into the game in 2010 and he has managed to ramp the tournaments up by increasing prize money every year.”  Higgins revealed that most tournaments went ahead during covid-19 pandemic but missed out on travelling to International tournaments “most of our tour is in the far east but not managed to get out there due covid-19 pandemic but it has been a tough time in general.”  The world of sport has returned to normal in 2022 with full crowds at the biggest sporting events again which included the World Championship in Sheffield.

Higgins has really looked after himself in having a successful professional career that has lasted for over 30 years “I never really got too up or down in my whole career and I have always kept a steady level.”  Higgins has not lost his love for snooker in recent years “I have always enjoyed playing and touch wood I don’t have any physical issues like my eyes going by maybe wearing glasses.”  The Scotsman is still passionate about the professional game “I still love getting up most days but I don’t practice as much as I used to as I still put in a solid four hours of practice a day.”  It is remarkable that Higgins is still passionate as ever after 30 years in the professional game.

Professional

Seamus Power is an Irish professional golfer from Waterford, Ireland. Power attended East Tennessee, State University while living in America. Power turned professional in 2011 but found it hard to maintain his card on PGA Tour for many years. Power changed everything as he won his first PGA Tour tournament at the Barbasol Championship in 2021. Power won on his 106th start and confirmed his card for 2021/2022 & 2022/2023 PGA Tour season.

Events

Having a tour card on the PGA Tour is massive as you can select what tournaments that you want to play in each month. Power jumped to 113th in world rankings after his breakthrough win and 69th in FedEx Cup rankings. Power qualified to play in 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions after winning in 2021. He started 2022 in good form after finishing tied 15th at Sentry Tournament of Champions. He continued his great start to 2022 with a tied 3rd finish at Sony Open and a tied 14th finish at American Express Open.

Pebble Beach

Power’s next start was at 2022 AT& T Pebble Beach Pro-Am which is played over three golf courses. Power got off to a fantastic start at this tournament as he led at the halfway stage of 2022 AT & T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Power struggled over the weekend but still finished in the top ten on 9th position. Power was 42nd in the world rankings after Pebble Beach but needed to stay inside the top 50 to qualify for Augusta. Power confirmed his place at 2022 US Masters after making it to the last 16 of WGC Dell Technologies Matchplay.

Summer

He held his own at Augusta as Power made it to the weekend. To get four rounds under your belt is a fantastic experience at Augusta as Power finished tied 27th on four over. Southern Hills was the venue for 2022 PGA Championship. Southern Hills was a tough venue with Justin Thomas winning 2022 PGA Championship on five under with Power putting in a fantastic finish in tied 9th. Another week were Power raised his profile as a golfer on one of the toughest courses in America.

Irish Open

Power followed up his good finish at Southern Hills with a tied 12th finish at Brookline in 2022 U.S. Open. Mount Juliet was the venue for 2022 Irish Open and Power made his well deserved return to Ireland. He gave the crowds plenty of highlights at Mount Juliet as Power shot three rounds of four under par. Power got a fantastic draw for the first two rounds of 150th The Open playing alongside four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and 2022 The Players winner Cameron Smith. He had a bit of bad luck as Power missed the halfway cut at St Andrews.

2022/2023

It’s important to start the season well with events counting for FedEx Cup in both 2022 and 2023. Power went into the Butterfield Bermuda Championship as the highest ranked player in the field on 48th. Power shot three consecutive rounds of 65 to be tied for the lead going into the final round. The final round conditions were difficult due to a strong breeze and Power went into the lead after a birdie on 14th hole. Power played the final four holes in one under to seal his second victory on PGA Tour.

Ranking

Success

Jurgen Klopp has been extremely successful since he took over as Liverpool manager in 2015. Klopp had an immediate effect as Liverpool reached the 2015/2016 Europa League Final were they lost to Sevilla. Liverpool also lost 2017/2018 Champions League Final to Real Madrid. Liverpool went one better the following year as they beat Tottenham Hotspur in 2018/2019 Champions League Final. The holy grail for Liverpool is the Premier League and Klopp ended their 30-year drought as The Reds won the 2019/2020 Premier League title.

Signings

Sadio Mane was one of Klopp’s first signing as Liverpool manager. Klopp’s man management skills were unbelievable as Mane scored 120 goals for Liverpool. Mane departed from Liverpool as he signed for Bayern Munich on a fee of £35 million this Summer. Mane normally played wide left for Liverpool before playing as a central striker in the 2021/2022 Premier League season. Mane scored 20 goals on average each season and this was massive in Liverpool nearly winning both the Premier League and Champions League in 2021/2022 season.

Additions

Mane left a big gap in the forward line as Liverpool were forced to sign Darwin Nunez for £85 million. Liverpool dreaded losing both Mohamed Salah and Mane in the same transfer window but broke the bank to make the Egyptian the highest paid player at Anfield. Roberto Firmino, Salah and Mane was Liverpool’s front three for many years as they scored a combined 346 goals. There was a new look front three for 2022/2023 season due to the rise of Luis Diaz and new signing Nunez.

The season

Liverpool scored two goals in their opening Premier League game against Fulham but only had three shots on target which ended in a 2-2 draw. Liverpool misfired in their first home game of 2022/2023 Premier League against Crystal Palace as they only had four shots on target which resulted in 1-1 draw. Nunez had a moment of madness against Crystal Palace as he got sent off halfway through the second half. Liverpool had a better day against Manchester United with having five shots on target but could not cope with the home side at Old Trafford as they lost 2-1. Liverpool best day so far this season was when they scored nine goals against AFC Bournemouth.

September/October

Liverpool was drawn against Napoli, Ajax and Rangers for 2022/2023 Champions League Group Stage. Liverpool scored three goals on two occasions in September & October against both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion. Liverpool are very light in attacking positions after losing Luis Diaz to injury after their game against Arsenal. Salah scored a great goal in Liverpool’s win against Manchester City but has struggled this season as he has only scored four goals in 2022/2023 Premier League. A lot of pressure is on Salah’s shoulders when it comes to scoring as Liverpool got another blow after losing Diego Jota to injury in their win against Man City.Positives & negativesLiverpool are being forced to play three games a week due to the Champions League Group Stages been completed before 2022 World Cup starts. Liverpool had seven shots on target in their first Champions League game but had a nightmare at the back as they conceded four goals against Napoli which included given away two penalties. Liverpool have won four Champions League games since then and qualified for the last 16 after beating Ajax 0-3.

Premier League

My preview to this weekend’s Premier League games on both Saturday and Sunday. There are three games left in the Premier League before it breaks for the 2022 World Cup. Eight games are scheduled for Saturday 29th October which includes the clash of Liverpool vs Leeds United at Anfield. The amount of games in quick succession is unbelievable due to the World Cup scheduled halfway through the club season along with 13 games cancelled due to Queen Elizabeth II passing away.

AFC Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur

Bournemouth come into this game after losing their last two matches against both Southampton and West Ham. Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke went off injured against West Ham and missing him will be a big blow for Gary O’ Neill’s men. Spurs manager Antonio Conte is under pressure after losing his last two Premier League games against both Manchester United and Newcastle. Harry Kane scored a winner for Spurs in their midweek Champions League game against Sporting CP but after three minutes of discussion VAR disallowed the goal which meant the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Spurs are without attacking player Dejan Kulusevski & Richarlison for this game and it will be tough to get a result with been away from home. Score prediction 1-1

Brentford vs Wolverhampton Wanders

The Bees good run came to an end as they lost their last Premier League game 4-0 to Aston Villa. Brentford have been good at home this season especially when they scored four goals against Manchester United and five against Leeds. Wolves were forced to give caretaker manager Steve Davies the permanent role after QPR boss Mick Beale turned down Molineux. Wolves are currently in the bottom three of the Premier League due to terrible performances this season. Score prediction 2-0

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea

Ex Brighton manager Graham Potter takes his Chelsea side back to his former club. Potter has done an impressive job so far at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea are currently unbeaten in the Premier League. Brighton got a great draw against Liverpool but have struggled since then as they have only scored one goal in the Premier League. Brighton were given a headache in the last couple of months as they lost their talented manager Graham Potter to Chelsea. Score prediction 1-2

Crystal Palace vs Southampton

Southampton are currently in good form after their home draw against Arsenal. Ralph Hasenhuttl has done a remarkable job with The Saints as they have stuck with him through thick and thin. Palace have played well lately but have struggled for results which included a 3-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. Palace will look to play on the counter attack with their pace and The Saints will look to use James Ward-Prowse accuracy through set-pieces. Score prediction 2-1

Newcastle United vs Aston Villa

Eddie Howe has transformed himself as a manager as Newcastle are currently in the top four of the Premier League. Newcastle have got some great results at home this season which included beating Tottenham Hotspur and a draw against Manchester City. Aston Villa recently parted company with manager Steven Gerrard and the Villa players took the shackles off as they scored four goals against Brentford. Villa have paid £6 million to bring Villarreal manager Unai Emery to the Premier League. Score prediction 2-0

Fulham vs Everton

Fulham have performed brillantly in their last two Premier League games after beating both Aston Villa and Leeds. Fulham are currently in 7th position on 18 points and Marco Silva will be looking to beat his former team Everton at Craven Cottage. Everton boss Frank Lampard was relieved after beating Palace at home last weekend. Everton striker Dominic Calwert-Lewin has returned to full fitness and will be looking to score for two games in a row against Fulham.

Liverpool vs Leeds United

Liverpool lost their last Premier League game 1-0 against Nottingham Forest but won their midweek Champions League game 0-3 against Ajax. Mo Salah was ineffective against Forest playing in a centre striker role and needs to revert to his natural wide right role. Leeds have only won two points since beating Chelsea 3-0 in August. Leeds conceded six against Liverpool last season and Jesse Marsch will be in trouble if that happens again this weekend. Score prediction 3-0

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest

Arsenal are still top of the 2022/2023 Premier League but dropped two points after drawing against The Saints last weekend. The transformation of midfielder Granit Xhaca has been remarkable this season and manager Mikel Arteta deserves a lot of credit for that. Forest showed that they are very organised in their 1-0 win against Liverpool and will need a repeat of been well-drilled at The Emirates this weekend. Dean Henderson will need to be on top form again this weekend in goal for Forest. Score prediction 1-0

Manchester United vs West Ham United

The final game of the weekend is at Old Trafford. Former Man United manager David Moyes returns to Manchester with his West Ham side. West Ham are in good form as they won their third home Premier League game in a row against Bournemouth on Monday evening. Man United played very well last week against Chelsea but will need to be more clinical this weekend. Cristiano Ronaldo scored in their Europa League game against FC Sheriff and it will be interesting to see if he will start against West Ham. Erik Ten Hag has done well to get Man United back into the race for top four considering how poorly they started the season and will be looking to continue their winning home run this weekend. Score prediction 2-1

The past number of years has seen a rise in the development and success of young Irish footballers. In the past, many young Irish players sought to further their career by moving across the Irish Sea to the UK in their early teens. A gamble at a very young age that had limited chances of success and placed young footballers in a professional world somewhat underprepared. The demands of professional football abroad can be a fierce reality check for young men away from home for the first time chasing a dream making a living playing football. But in the modern game the FAI have developed comprehensive pathways that allow young Irish players to sample the professional environment before taking the step to leave Ireland for shores elsewhere.

Denis Hyland and Paul Breen are co-ordinators for the FAI Football and Fitness Transition Year Course which has been running since 2016 and has gone from strength to strength in Corduff Sports Centre. Denis Hyland told us “The objective of the programme is to develop a pathway for talented footballers and marry in education with real time football for fifteen and sixteen year olds; it’s the only course of its kind in the country.”

While the course aims to develop the talents of highly skilled young players, it also offers a lot more than a road to the Premier League. Given that players such as Andrew Omobamidele at Norwich, Ross Tierney at Motherwell, Kevin Zefi at Inter Milan and Danny McGrath at Sampdoria have come through the course, it would be easy to believe that the end goal is big time football. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

Paul Breen told us “We are trying to develop them as footballers and also trying to develop them as people.”  “They all leave this course as qualified gym instructors with a world recognised qualification.”  Hyland also chatted about the outline of the programme “We guide them to a culture of no excuses and encourage that whatever you want is all about the correct attitude. We are trying to get the correct mentality out of them while on the programme. There is more to it than just playing football.”

This approach to personal and player development promotes other avenues of opportunity within football that may not be as obvious to the students as the dream of playing in the top flight.

The structure of the programme is quite intense with a jampacked week of activities involving football and education. Breen said “They do transition year maths and English while on the programme” while Hyland added “we focus on many different attributes such as tactical, technical, passing, dribbling, pressing from the front, futsol and they are given time each day to work on an individual learning plan.”  The individual learning plan is a daily plan to work on your weakest aspect while attending the programme. Breen also said “we have a Strength & Conditioning coach and he does a session with the footballers for one hour of (S &C) every day.”  The structure of the programme gives teenagers a good idea whether football is for them or not.

The selection process is demanding with having multiple trial sessions to gain entry to the programme for the following year. Hyland revealed “we had over 80 kids in for trial this year and we’ll be narrowing it down to 25.”  School performance is a large part of entry requirements for the programme as Hyland also said “they have to send in their school report forms before speaking with schools.”  Players will have more chance of progressing onto the programme if they are either playing in the Dublin District Schoolboy League (DDSL) or for a League of Ireland (LOI) team. The parents are significant when it comes to applying as Hyland said “we have a parents night every year where we go through the guidelines to let them know before their kids apply because we need them to understand what it is we expect and how we intend to develop these players as people outside of football too.” With the pressures of modern life young players have a lot to contend with aside from honing their talent.

The ubiquitous presence of social media has positives and negatives when it comes to the mental health of a young footballer. Hyland revealed “I’m not a fan of it at all, it puts them under severe pressure and I think that it’s false.” Social media takes over people’s lives. Hyland gave an interesting fact “50% of kids spends over five hours a day on their phone.”  A positive for footballers being on social media is when it comes to growing their brand as Breen said “Cristiano Ronaldo makes more money from Instagram than football.” The down side of social media is horrible when it comes to negative comments and this can affect the mental health of a footballer.  Young players announce about going to England and it’s hard to accept when you don’t make it as Hyland also revealed “98.8% of players don’t make it to a second contract as a footballer in England.” With this fine a margin for success, the possibility of potentially failing coupled with the pressure and will to succeed are a lot for young players to handle.

Sawgrass

Rory McIlroy was the best golfer in the game going into 2020 The Players at Sawgrass. The tournament was forced to stop after one round due to a global covid-19 pandemic. At the time there was a lot of uproar in the world of sport as the 2020 Cheltenham horse racing festival was allowed to go ahead with full crowds in the same week as The Players. Professional golf stopped for a couple of months and returned in June at the Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Crowds

It was great that professional golf returned in June 2020 but unfortunately without crowds. It was a weird feeling without crowds at professional golf tournaments and it was hard to get motivated for tournaments. This affected McIlroy as he was overtaken as world number one in July 2020 as Jon Rahm won The Memorial tournament. There ended up been three majors in 2020 which were PGA Championship in August, U.S. Open in September and US Masters in November.

Major results

Two of the majors in 2020 were played without crowds and the US Masters played in front of a small crowd. TPC Harding Park was the venue for 2020 PGA Championship and this was a venue were McIlroy won in the past at 2015 WGC Matchplay. McIlroy finished tied 33rd at PGA Championship and a collapse of five over in the final round at Wing Foot resulted in him finishing tied 8th at 2020 U.S. Open. McIlroy kept his best major performances in this year until 2020 US Masters as he finished in the top five on 12 under after a final round of three under.

2021

Throughout 2021 the world returned to normal as crowds returned to professional sport and golf tournaments. McIlroy admitted after the 2021 Players Championship that he went chasing extra distance due to Bryson DeChambeau’s performance at Wing Foot in 2020. He missed the cut at 2021 US Masters after shooting rounds of 76 and 74. It was time for McIlroy to go back to basics and this worked as he won the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship for the third time. His best chance of winning a major in 2021 came at the U.S. Open as he was two shots behind the leader going into the final round. McIlroy’s chances of winning the 2021 U.S. Open came to an end as he played two holes in three over and had to settle for a tied seventh position.

CJ Cup

The 2021 CJ Cup came at the right time for McIlroy. Rory McIlroy won the 2021 CJ Cup and his consistency has been remarkable over the last 12 months. He went into the 2022 CJ Cup at Congaree Golf Club, South Carolina as defending champion. McIlroy has been very vocal against LIV series and my opinion is that he has used this as a motivator on the golf course in 2022. Congaree was a good test for the players with fast fairways and undulated greens.

On the course

McIlroy got off to a great start at 2022 CJ Cup after shooting a round of 66 which included reaching the green on the short par 4 15th. Jon Rahm stole the show on day two of 2022 CJ Cup as he shot a round of 62. McIlroy was still in contention at the halfway stage after going three behind Rahm with a second round of 67. McIlroy’s highlight on day three was holing a long putt on the par 5 12th for an eagle and held a one-shot lead going into the final round. He made three birdies in the first seven holes of his final round.

Final 5 holes