Paul Dunne - 2017 British Masters Champion!!!

paulos53

He played the easier of the 2 courses in use, so it will be a big challenge tomorrow to stay in the top 10.

23 of the current top 29 played the same course as Dunne. I can't find any scoring averages but that indicates tomorrow's course will play a shot or two tougher

ASBO

He’s +5 for his round today with 6 to play.. we’ll outside the cut line now.

abff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118866332#Comment_118866332

Not entirely unexpected, but still sad to see.

amlinopta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118866452#Comment_118866452

+6 on the harder course for level par total. -5 cut. Hard to see him getting back to anything like where he was based on the last couple of years.

dublin49

well if he does make it back he will have earned it as there are no easy routes back once the wheels come off,Stenson to an extent and westwood both fought back from a slump but they had more of a profile and less distance to travel but it is possible,Come on Paul ,

Salvadoor

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/paul-dunne-open-st-andrews-hero-struggles-as-pro

From Golf Digest this week

dublin49

When I read about Paul Dunne I think of past players whose game deteroriated dramatically very quickly ,Duval ,Michael Campbell,Trvor Immelman, Nick Dougherty and more ,and they all were saying the same stuff but none of them made it back to their previous standard.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119040517#Comment_119040517

Agreed. In the end of the day though, what else can he say?

The most important thing is that he actually changes things up rather than keeping going and hoping something clicks. Because even one day with a top 20/top 10 etc. there's nothing to say that'll just become a trend unless things are changed drastically.

paulos53

A familiar story again this week for Dunne on the Challenge Tour.

A round of -5 yesterday put him in 5th place. +8 today and he is missing the cut by at least 4 shots.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119215709#Comment_119215709

He obviously still has the talent and skills to play golf as seen in his first round, is it psychological at this stage? Lots of young Irish golfers seem to hit the same problems, despite having very successful amateur careers.

amlinopta

Paul has been given a late invite for the Irish Open. Hopefully a change of luck for him after a couple of tough weeks on the Challenge Tour. Has missed 20 cuts out of his last 23 tournaments, having reached 65 in the world four years ago.

boardise

Paul looks done

His race is run

His golf is quite atrocious;

He should dump the clubs

Head off to the pubs

And drink until he's stocious.....😛

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119259444#Comment_119259444

he is such a slow robotic player. I couldn't bear following him around.

That said, I would love to see him throw off the shackles and become a bit more of an instinctive player.

Motivator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119259575#Comment_119259575

It’s so frustrating watching him. Even the time of the British Open on the last day Oosthuizen was fuming but couldn’t say anything at the time. I followed Paul for a few holes in the Irish open last year and couldn’t take it after 3 or 4 holes I had to go follow other players.

abff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119259543#Comment_119259543

Criticism of someone for slow play in one thing; making fun of someone who has had a torrid time over the past few years is another thing altogether.

daithi7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119259949#Comment_119259949

Yeah, that's what I thought too, just bad form. Kicking a dog while they're down & all that.

slave1

I saw a couple of live feeds of him at the Spanish Open when he should have won but capitulated to Rahm over the closing holes, it was a hard watch. I honestly thought there was something wrong with him, he would be kicked out of any 4ball or society I know, no one could bear playing with someone that tedious

Mantis Toboggan

Luckily for Paul he probably made enough money in his good years to last him. From following his scores he can still shoot a 67 and then follow it up with a 77. Maybe a trip to Bob Rotella would be a good investment.

DuckSlice

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119260210#Comment_119260210

From what i read on this thread before i think, he isnt that well off financially. Having bought his parents a house after his Masters win and his own or somethign like that was mentioned.

dublin49

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119260210#Comment_119260210

I think the problem for golfers whose game disappears is they burn through their resources trying to get back up there,those 20 missed cuts alone would cost a small fortune to play in with not a bob coming in.

SeeMoreBut

It says career earnings of 3 million.

36k over last 3 seasons isn't going to pay the bills.

His sponsors won't be giving him a huge amount going forward on that form.

Really depends on what he has done with his money apart from buying homes.

SeeMoreBut

Got a spot on Euro tour this week and 7 on his 2nd hole

Salvadoor

and a 6 on his 14th

callaway92

Three double bogeys on his card after 16 (+9)

No birdies

Trampas

Bogey, db start. Db from a slice which went ob

Fair play to him still going out there week in week out. Most be gone I say by now

benny79

He must be close to losing his card sadly

SeeMoreBut

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119398357#Comment_119398357

Lost his card already on european tour. He is also playing on challenge tour and not going well there also

Gusser09

29 years of age. Sad to see in a sporting context. At the same time if the lads has a few properties owned outright or even his own home owned he won't go hungry. Hearing about his slow play and frustration of playing partners there must be something psychological there too. I just don't think he is that poor a golfer.

benny79

Is he still slow? Jesus taught this would of been addressed by now!

amlinopta

Recovered to level par but the scoring is really low, cut looking at 4 or 5 under. Will likely be a 24th missed cut from 27 starts going back to last spring. Very sad.

callaway92

Yeh it's essentially awful scoring even with the few shots pulled back

He's actually the tied lowest ranked OWGR in the field which surprised me - which is sick because he's genuienly an elite golfer

abff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399812#Comment_119399812

Unfortunately, it’s almost 3 years since Paul last picked up any world ranking points, so his current world points average is zero. He proved that he can play to a high standard by his performances in 2017 and 2018 and it’s distressing to see how much he’s lost his way.

It’s probably unfair to speculate on what has caused this, but it seems likely that it’s linked to whatever causes him to play so slowly and methodically. As Arnold Palmer said “Golf is a game of inches. The most important are the six inches between your ears.”

amlinopta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119410751#Comment_119410751

Had a hand injury in 2019 which is probably a contributory factor at least. 65th in the world only four years ago, not many have had such a swift decline.

amlinopta

1 under par 70, 2 birdies and 1 bogey, decent round on a tough scoring day at Celtic Manor.

big_drive

If he could have one week where things click I wonder would it turn everything around again

callaway92

Bogey, Par, Bogey start

Hopefully doesn’t have a mare

Mantis Toboggan

Very happy to see he's made a cut, followed him for a few holes in Adare and to me he still has the game, well dunne to him.

abff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119434867#Comment_119434867

Great to see him make the cut with a few shots to spare. Currently in a tie for 18th, only 4 shots off second place. Let’s hope he has a decent weekend and at least holds onto a top 20 spot. A top 10 would be fantastic.

callaway92

Good stuff

slave1

Jesus he needs this

amlinopta

Decent today again, 2 birdies and 1 double bogey for a level par 71. Tied 11th heading into the last round, big day ahead in the context of such a bad run. Presumably no exemption for next year.

big_drive

Hopefully a good round tomorrow and a decent finish, would give him great confidence I'm sure going forward

Trampas

Great to see him have a good tournament. Wonder if the course not a birdie feast helping him? No pressure to shoot the lights out.

out with Howell and pepperell. I say it could be a relaxed happy group which could help him as all kind of in the same boat bar Eddie until last few weeks

Xander10

Steady 4 days. Might give him a bit of confidence.

Anyone know prize money for 20th ?

€19,810

Looking at Paul's stats for this week, he was 144th overall in driving accuracy, once again driving it less than 40%. His greens in regulation stats were 52%. Only for outstanding putting and a phenomenal short game, he would have faced another missed cut. I have followed Paul on the shotlink they do in the DP World Tour app. He seems to have lost a bit of distance recently (hopefully not a sign of an injury).

His ball striking stats in the last few years have been terrible. In fact his ball striking stats are getting worse, year on year. While a top 20 finish in Wales the week gone by, is a welcome development as Paul seeks to return to the top form that saw him win the British Masters nearly five years ago now. However I remain convinced if this result is a sign of better things to come in the short and medium term for Dunners, as the ball striking is getting quite close to yips territory still.

Hope that Paul can turn it around, he is still a very young man and one thing that is on his side is his outstanding short game and putting, that continues to be a shining light for the pride of Greystones.

callaway92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119446105#Comment_119446105

Those stats probably say the Top 20s will be unsustainable given the type course they played allowed for it

Really needs to tidy up

The payouts seem brutal for a Top 20

More green shoots for Paul today, a two under 68 leaving him tied 23rd after round one in Galgorm Castle today. Great to see. Playing Massereene tomorrow morning in round two.

callaway92

Could really do with getting thru the last 3 holes level par or maybe -1

Struggled a bit today (+3 thru 15)

It might have been another missed cut for Paul Dunne this week in the Czech Republic, but there is one very important statistic in round two, that leads to me believe that Paul might be on the way to recovery. Dunners hit 16 out of 18 greens in regulation in his second round in the Czech Masters. Only for poor putting and a few double bogeys mixed in aswell, he may have shot a round in the mid 60's today. It must be a long time since Paul hit as many greens in a round. Paul playing next week at Switzerland in the Omega European Masters.