Rory McIlroy ran up a triple bogey seven at the 10th hole when still ahead. (Pic: AP/Matt Slocum)

It was ecstasy for South African Charl Schwartzel in The Masters at Augusta — and total unmitigated agony for Rory McIlroy.

Schwartzel, 26, has grabbed his first major title after yet another amazing day of high drama that saw Tiger Woods charge into a share of the lead and McIlroy, four clear overnight, collapse to an 80.

The 21-year-old’s suffering was the biggest last-day collapse in a major since Jean Van de Velde blew it from five clear at Carnoustie in 1999.

Three years before that, of course, Greg Norman was six in front at Augusta and with a nightmare 78 lost by five to Nick Faldo.

Now McIlroy’s name will, for the time being at least, be grouped with theirs. He finished only 15th, an incredible 10 shots behind.

In contrast, Schwartzel shot a best-of-the-day 66 to beat Adam Scott and Jason Day by two and their fellow Australian Geoff Ogilvy, Woods and England’s Luke Donald by four.

Schwartzel chipped in at the first, pitched in for an eagle at the third and then, behind once again after playing the next 11 in one over, closed with a staggering four successive birdies.

He got up and down from just over the 15th, made 15-footers on the next two greens and, with two for it at the last, converted an 18-foot putt to end the week 14 under par.

PA

Rory McIlroy leads at Augusta after second round. Pic: PA

Rory McIlroy continued to roar at Augusta, taking a clear lead into the third round of The Masters.

The 21-year-old Northern Irishman, trying to become the second youngest winner of the title after Tiger Woods, added a 69 to his brilliant opening 65.

Now, from joint leader with Spaniard Alvaro Quiros after day one, he is 10 under par and two ahead of Australian young gun Jason Day.

So whatever happens over the closing 36 holes there will be no need in the future for McIlroy to fear a second round repeat of last summer’s Open when he followed a 63 with a nightmare 80.

Instead the prospects of a first-ever European Tour clean sweep of the majors is ever closer – and by Sunday night America could be without the four majors and the Ryder Cup for the first time in history.

Woods and Phil Mickelson, with seven green jackets between them, could yet force their way into the reckoning, but it is going to have to be from a long way back.

Not that McIlroy is carrying European hopes alone on his young shoulders.

England’s Luke Donald and Ross Fisher both stand four under as well, and when last year’s runner-up Lee Westwood eagled the 530-yard 15th he went joint-sixth on five under.

Koreans KJ Choi and YE Yang overtook McIlroy before he had teed off and Quiros got to eight under as well before taking two in a bunker at the 12th and double-bogeying.

But McIlroy continued on his merry way with birdies at the second, fifth and ninth to turn in 33.

His first bogey of the week came when he also found sand on the short 12th – the hole cost fellow Ulsterman Graeme McDowell a lost ball over the green and with a triple bogey six he was heading out.

But McIlroy came straight back with a birdie and even had a 10-foot eagle chance before parring his way in.

Donald equalled the lowest round of his Masters career with his 68.

After recovering from three over par after 10 holes to open with a level par 72 Donald said: “I’m in a good position.

“I think I’ve played enough here to know you can get on some runs and fortunately that happened. I didn’t make a great start, but I certainly didn’t panic.”

McIlroy said: “I played the front nine really nicely. I didn’t hole as many putts as I would have liked on the back nine, but I can’t really complain – I’m in the lead going into the third round of The Masters.

“I’ve been in this position before (at other majors) and I am relishing the fact I am in a good position again.”

Padraig Harrington shot a even par 72 and will miss the weekend while Graeme McDowell is battling to make the projected cup of +1.

Ireland's captain William Porterfield acknowledges the crowds after reaching a half century as Niall O'Brien looks on during an ICC Cricket World Cup league match between India and Ireland in Bangalore, India. Pic: AP/Gemunu Amarasinghe

Ireland’s World Cup campaign comes to an end when they face Holland tomorrow (Friday), but captain William Porterfield believes his men have demonstrated they can be big players on the world stage.

A shock win over England was the highlight of the minnows’ campaign – with the victory the result of the tournament in many spectators’ eyes.

Slip-ups against Bangladesh and the West Indies have hamstrung their hopes of qualifying, though, meaning the Dutch clash will be their curtain call.

“We’ve done a lot of good things in this tournament,” Porterfield said of his side’s time on the sub-continent.

“The result against England stands out, but the way we bowled and fielded throughout the tournament, especially our ground fielding, has been right up there with anyone.”

Ireland were in position to win the games against Bangladesh and the Windies, but were unable to get themselves over the line.

Porterfield is aware of their failings, but knows they will only iron them out through gaining big-match experience.

He added: “We got ourselves into a lot of winning positions. In the game against the West Indies we were right in the game. We should have won the game against Bangladesh in the end too.

“The more we play against [big] teams, the more we are learning as a unit. We are going to take a lot out of this tournament.”

Holland are the only team in Group B not to register a win, with their opening-game thriller with England the highlight of their campaign.

Apart from their 292 against Andrew Strauss’ men, they have struggled to adapt to the conditions, something captain Peter Borren accepts.

He said: “It takes time to get used to spinners on such wickets.

“We can’t get used to it if we don’t stay long enough on it. We keep losing wickets at crucial times.”

Champion jockey Ruby Walsh

Bookmakers were left singing the blues after a “Ruby Tuesday” with Irish ace Ruby Walsh completing his comeback from a broken leg in style with a near 75-1 treble that saw punters on top after day one of the Cheltenham Festival.

Ladbrokes were among the layers left reeling as Walsh lived up to his billing as favourite to be leading jockey at the four-day feast.

A year on from the worst Festival in living memory for punters, the crowds returned and set about emptying the satchels of the bookies – and Walsh was the one name that left them suffering.

David Williams of Ladbrokes said: “Ruby looked bruised when he arrived, but he’s left the bookies battered. Ruby Tuesday was a nightmare for us. We’ll be happy to leave day one behind us.”

Walsh scored with Al Ferof (10-1) in the opening Stan James Supreme Novices’ Hurdle before lifting the roof with 11-4 favourite Hurricane Fly in the Stan James Champion Hurdle and 5-6 banker Quevega in the David Nicholson Mares` Hurdle.

“We’re battening down the hatches with Walsh. When punters wake up and make their selections he’s going to be on every shortlist in the Cotswolds,” added Williams.

Stan James were happy to sponsor the Champion, but it proved a costly race for them as the first two home, Hurricane Fly and Peddlers Cross, far and away the two worst results in their book.

Spokesman Garry McGibbon said: “To make matters worse we’ve had to give away a shed load of free bets as a consequence of Hurricane Fly winning.

“We ran a Free Bet Giveaway last autumn saying we’d give away free bets if Binocular won the Champion Hurdle, but because Binocular never ran we replaced him – as a goodwill gesture to all customers who took part in the offer – with Hurricane Fly.

“Add that to the fact we refunded all ante-post stakes on Binocular, it’s turned out to be a very costly way to mark our first sponsorship of the Stan James Champion Hurdle!”

Whether Cue Card won the opener was thought to be a marker for day one as a whole. Bookmakers raised a huge sigh of relief when the heavily-backed favourite was turned over, but their joy was short-lived.

Victory for Walsh on the Paul Nicholls-trained grey Al Ferof kick-started the Irish jockey`s red-letter day.

Paddy Power estimated they were saved from a paying out a total in excess of 1.5million euros had Cue Card obliged. After breaking even in the opener, they won on the Arkle Trophy due to Medermit’s demise and Captain Chris (6-1) coming out on top.

The tide turned, however, in the Spinal Research Handicap Chase when 5-1 shot Bensalem made amends for a fall in last year’s race when landing the spoils and costing the Irish firm a million.

That amount was mere chicken feed as Paddy Power were another 3.5million down with Walsh driving home Hurricane Fly in the Champion.

Paddy Power said: “We began well with Cue Card getting beaten but Irish hot-pot Hurricane Fly flying up the hill has definitely swung things in favour of punters.

“But it’s a long haul flight to the winning post on Friday and may the best side win.”

Ireland's John Mooney walks back to the pavilion after his dismissal as South Africa players celebrate in the background during a Cricket World Cup match between South Africa and Ireland in Calcutta, India. Pic: AP/Gemunu Amarasinghe

Ireland skipper William Porterfield was left with mixed feelings after his side’s exit from the World Cup was confirmed with a 131-run defeat to South Africa on Tuesday.

The Irish, who produced the tournament’s first upset – a three-wicket win over England – nearly two weeks ago, today saw a below-par batting performance undo what was an otherwise respectable performance with the ball.

Chasing 272, Ireland were all out for 141 as Morne Morkel and Robin Peterson grabbed three wickets each, while Jacques Kallis took two to condemn Ireland to defeat in the 34th over.

There may be questions asked of Ireland about letting their opponents fight back from a tight spot, when some disciplined bowling and tight fielding had left the Proteas at 117 for five, but Porterfield said: “We started off pretty well.

“We got a couple of wickets up front. It’s always important to get wickets to peg them back. I thought we did that pretty much throughout.

“We were happy enough at half-time as chasing 270 wasn’t out of our reach. But it’s just that we lost wickets.”

A dead-rubber tie against Holland beckons on Friday but Porterfield remained pleased with Ireland’s performances throughout the tournament, which has seen them gain many admirers and has raised calls for them to be included in the next edition.

“We’ve shown a lot of competitive spirit,” he added.

“A lot of the games have come down to last 10 overs. We’ve put ourselves in winning positions, which is what we’ll take from this tournament.

“Today we lost a lot of wickets and were always behind. But the tournament has been good and we’ll take a lot of positives from it.”

JP Duminy was South Africa’s hero, smashing 99 off 103 balls, and his captain Graeme Smith refused to let the initial setbacks mar a result that sees them progress to the quarter-final.

Smith said: “We put ourselves under pressure with some stupid run outs but the guys responded really well after that, especially JP who batted really well under pressure.

“He really held things together, and then Colin Ingram, who hasn’t played for a while, came in and batted well.

“I think you can always nitpick, but there were some good signs today.”

Ireland's Kevin O'Brien hits the ball for 6 runs during the ICC Cricket World Cup match at the at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India. Pic: Rebecca Naden/PA Wire

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson insists his team are taking nobody lightly as they prepare to take on Ireland later today (Friday).

West Indies have won two of their three games to sit third in Group B and Gibson is happy with their application so far.

“Nowadays you can’t be complacent,” he said. “We can’t take any opponent lightly. We have to approach every game with a must-win attitude and go and put up good performances every time.

“We have been working very hard and I like what I’m seeing from our players. We are moving forward with every day and the players have a very positive outlook. We have to continue to put together those good performances as we build towards the business end of the tournament.”

Gibson watched with interest as Ireland beat England earlier in the tournament, and says that shows the danger in underestimating teams.

“I don’t like calling them minnows”, he said.

“I am not surprised by what Ireland have done. They have a very good coach, Phil Simmons, a strong competitor. We played against Ireland in April last before the Twenty20 World Cup and they did pretty well. They have been showing signs of improvement and we certainly won’t be taking them lightly.”

Ireland earned the attention of the world when they claiming a thrilling win over England thanks to a superb 113 from Kevin O’Brien, who brought up his century off 50 balls.

However, O’Brien could not follow it up days later when he managed only nine in the loss to India, and his wicketkeeper brother Niall believes the avalanche of attention he has received has taken its toll.

“What Kevin did was amazing but I think it was a bit of a struggle for him for a few days after the England game,” Niall said.

“He’s not really used to that level of expectation and all that attention from the media and the public, who have been great to us out here.

“I think it was a little bit difficult for him against India because he came out to a huge cheer and, even though it was against India, everyone in the crowd wanted him to hit every ball for six right from the start and that’s never going to happen.

“I’m over the moon for him but it’s something he’ll have to get used to now.”

While their batsmen seek some consistency, Ireland’s main concern heading into the game is the fitness of top bowling threat Trent Johnston, who suffered a knee injury after taking two wickets in five overs against India.

Medium-pace all-rounder Nigel Jones is on standby if Johnston cannot play.

The West Indies have no injury concerns, but may add seamer Ravi Rampaul given the conditions in Mohali.

Ireland's Kevin O'Brien celebrates scoring his century during the ICC Cricket World Cup match at the at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, India. Pic: Rebecca Naden/PA Wire

Even Kevin O’Brien thought Ireland were down and out against England – before he started one of the most memorable innings in World Cup history.

O’Brien (113) smashed England to every corner, and over most, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in a 50-ball century which turned tonight’s Group B match on its head.

He hit 10 fours and six sixes on his way to three figures faster than any other batsman in the 36-year history of this tournament, dominating a stand of 162 with Alex Cusack as Ireland completed the World Cup’s highest-ever run chase.

Yet asked whether he thought Ireland had any chance when he came in at 106 for four – soon to be 111 for five – he said: “Honestly, no.

“But we just took a chance. You cannot write yourself off in any one-day cricket.”

O’Brien, who will be 27 on Friday, made England’s first-choice attack look horribly exposed – albeit on a wonderful batting pitch which had seen Jonathan Trott (92) and Ian Bell (81) help their team post 327 for eight.

Watched by his father Ginger, a former Ireland captain, and mum Camilla – as well as brother Niall, one of the four batsmen out before him – O’Brien reflected with entirely justified pride on his achievement, and Ireland’s three-wicket win.

He has always been a natural big hitter, but did not usually get the same plaudits when he kept losing the ball as a child.

“That’s a long way the best innings I’ve ever played,” he said.

“It even eclipses playing in the back garden with Niall, where hitting it out of the garden was out.”

That was not the case tonight, as the Irish contingent in a modest crowd lapped up every moment.

“I think anyone is going to struggle to beat that innings. It doesn’t get any better,” Ireland’s hero added.

“I’ll take that – a World Cup 100 off 50 balls in front of a billion people under lights against England.

“I score pretty quickly – and in the last three games I’ve backed my own ability.

“If it’s there to be hit, I’ve tried to hit it as hard as I can.”

O’Brien had a parting shot for England too, just in case they were thinking up any mitigation for conceding a 300-plus total for the second match in succession at this venue.

“I don’t think England had any answers.

“They didn’t know what they were up to with their bowling plans.”

O’Brien is sporting an unmissable pink and blond hairdo, having dyed his natural redhead two days ago when Ireland decided a team makeover was in order to support a cancer charity.

After his innings of a lifetime, he is tempted to keep the new look – even though he admits it is not to everyone’s taste. “My girlfriend doesn’t like it too much – she’s begging me to shave it off,” he said.

“But it’s a tremendous day, and we’re all very proud.”

O’Brien’s captain Will Porterfield made a first-ball duck – hardly an auspicious start to the run chase – but unsurprisingly, he too was all smiles at the sensational outcome.

After Ireland’s first win over England in any format, he said: “I think it’s the biggest win Irish cricket has ever had.

“Beating England in any sport is a fantastic occasion, and I’m sure a lot of people back home have been given something to smile about.

“It shows what we’ve been threatening to do for a while.

“Doing it is a different story to thinking about it.

“We’ve had that belief for a couple of years – and we firmly believe we can beat anyone.”

BOY RACER: Robert Cregan will fly the Irish flag at V8s

Ulster’s Robert Cregan will become the first Irishman to compete in a V8 Supercar when he joins the Fujitsu Series at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide next month.

The 22-year-old will race for Matt Stone, the son of Jim and nephew of Ross, who is entering a team in the Fujitsu Series for the first time.

V8 Supercar Chairman Tony Cochrane said having Cregan in the Series was an important step for the sport.

“Hopefully, in a few years time, this will lead to a full-time V8 Supercar drive for Robert,” Mr Cochrane said.

“For us, it’s an important step, as we keep growing our influence outside Australia and spread our message around the world.”

Cregan is the son of Richard Cregan, the former team manager of Toyota’s Formula One outfit who now heads up Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management.

“It’s been a long goal for me to get there. I’ve been racing since 2002 and the ultimate goal has been to make a living out of it and race V8 Supercars. It’s a big step but I’m really excited,” Cregan said.

“I’ve been watching the series my whole life. As a racing fan, I think V8 Supercars is the best series in the world to watch. As a young driver, it’s the perfect championship to aim for.

“It’s a big step. I know it’s going to be tough and a big learning curve but I can’t wait for it to start.

Cregan began his racing career in Formula Ford in Ireland and England before moving into Porsche racing in Europe.

His V8 Supercar experience is limited to one test day at Winton Raceway last year with MW Motorsport where he competed 80-90 laps.

Matt Stone said Cregan looked to have the goods.

“He’s a rookie, but I’m optimistic. I think he’ll go pretty good.”

“Looking over his CV, he’s done a lot of good things and he’s always been top three or four in whatever he has done. V8s will be a big jump for him, but we’re aiming to be up the front.”

Cregan has competed in a number of different sportscar classes over the past few years. He tested a V8 Supercar back in September last year, driving a Matthew White Motorsport Falcon at Winton Motor Raceway.

MAN ON A MISSION: Ireland’s star batsman Ed Joyce will be determined to get one over on an England side that discarded him, when the two sides meet in the World Cup on March 2.

When Ed Joyce takes guard for Ireland against England on March 2 he will have the chance to make his mark in a fixture that has thus far caused him disappointment.

It will be Joyce’s third appearance in a one-day international between the two sides but, unusually, his first for the country of his birth. Having starred for Ireland early in his career he shifted his allegiance to England on residency grounds in a bid to make his name at the highest level.

Those plans never quite came to fruition for the talented left-hander, who managed 17 ODIs and two Twenty20s for his adopted country before being despatched back into the county circuit. He did manage one notable high, compiling a wonderful 107 against Australia in 2007, but failed to impress enough to become a regular.

In fact, it was the two outings against his countrymen that defined his short England career.

A quirk of fate meant his debut came in Stormont against his former team-mates and, unsurprisingly, saw him placed front and centre in the pre-match hype. Selected as an opener, and with captain Andrew Strauss opting to bat first, there was no hiding place for Joyce.

When he was dismissed by Dave Langford-Smith for a 21-ball 10, his much trailed ‘defection’ had already started to go wrong.

Better times followed, his 47 from number four was by some way the top score when England were rolled over for 120 by New Zealand and he led the way again with 66 against the same opponents soon after.

So it was that Joyce earned his place in the 2007 World Cup squad and was then selected to open the innings alongside Michael Vaughan. Knocks of 66 and 75 against the lesser lights of Canada and Kenya made up for a duck in the first group match and saw him approach the Super Eights phase in decent touch.
Ireland had over-achieved to also progress from the group stage, despite not being able to call on the man who was still deemed their most talented cricketer.
Unsurprisingly, Joyce was the target when the sides met soon after in Guyana and once again the underdogs got their man cheap, Boyd Rankin bowling Joyce for just one run in the second over of the day.

He was to play just once more for England, scoring 10, before being jettisoned.

Having accepted his dream of playing Test cricket was over, Joyce decided last year to return to the Ireland ranks and was cleared by the ICC to feature in the World Cup despite being a couple of months short of his requalification.

As a talented player with a proven first-class pedigree, Joyce will doubtless be welcomed back into the side by his compatriots and a big innings against England will be the dream outcome.

Indeed, he may look at fellow Dubliner Eoin Morgan – a man who has grasped his chance in England’s colours with the kind of authority that evaded Joyce – and decide it is his turn to fall cheaply against his fellow Irishmen. Either way it is a date Joyce, and any fan of Ireland cricket, will have marked down in his diary as a special day.

GIANT-KILLERS: Ireland’s squad will hope to ruffle some feathers against the world’s best at the 10th Cricket World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19 to April 2 this year.

WILLIAM PORTERFIELD
(26 years, 44 ODIs, captain)
The Gloucestershire batsman has flourished in recent years into one of his country’s finest ever performers, with five one-day centuries and four additional fifties on his CV. A solid opener with a good temperament, his runs are crucial to Ireland’s hopes. As skipper he must be inventive against the world’s best in the group stages.

ED JOYCE (32, 17)
The headline pick in the Irish party, the World Cup marks Joyce’s return after a brief and unsatisfactory England career. Granted his spot after special dispensation from the ICC, the left-hander will be keen to show his quality. As a consistently heavy scorer in county cricket and the owner of a superb hundred against Australia during his spell with England, he should do just that.

ANDRE BOTHA (35, 40)
The Transvaal native arrived on the international scene with a debut knock of 52 against England in 2006 but has added just one more ODI half-century in the proceeding 39 matches. He nevertheless offers versatility in the batting order and a medium pace option that may prove useful on slower sub-continental pitches.

ALEX CUSACK (30, 31)
Brisbane-born Cusack returns to the Ireland fold for the tournament having been absent for the recent series against Zimbabwe. He has been used as a number three for Ireland. Despite occasional flourishes, he has lacked a weight of runs but has taken 34 wickets with his seamers.

NIALL O’BRIEN (29, 40, wkt)
A feisty and sometimes confrontational figure behind the stumps, O’Brien is the fire in Ireland’s belly. He famously enraged the legendary Brian Lara in a 2004 meeting but his showings at the last World Cup – his 72 played a big part in the memorable win over Pakistan and was followed by 63 against England – proved he had the game to back up his words.

KEVIN O’BRIEN (26, 52)
The younger brother of Niall, Kevin O’Brien has perhaps made more of less obvious gifts than his sibling. Something of an over-achiever with the bat, he has a top ODI score of 142 to go with seven fifties. A burly seamer too, he chipped in with important wickets in the recent Zimbabwe series.

GEORGE DOCKRELL (18, 16)
The 18-year-old Dockrell could be a key figure for Ireland on the dusty decks of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. His left-arm spin has already brought him plenty of success for one so young – including 20 ODI wickets at 26.60 and a professional contract at Somerset – and helpful conditions could see him take another big step.

TRENT JOHNSTON (36, 47)
The big-hearted former captain may be reaching the end of his career at the top level but will fancy adding a final chapter to his Ireland story during the World Cup. A New South Wales contemporary of Brett Lee, Michael Slater et al, he continues to bring a winning mentality to a side who have not always had one. Naggingly accurate with the new ball and a powerful late-order hitter, he remains a central cog.

NIGEL JONES (28, 11)
A New Zealander by birth, Jones quickly progressed into the national set-up after moving to Ireland in 2007. Has yet to make his mark as a lower-order batsman and his bustling seamers are unlikely to be enough to win him a place in the first XI.

JOHN MOONEY (28, 29)
Mooney did his case no harm with 55 runs and figures of two for 27 in his last outing against Zimbabwe in September. His bowling may be too tame to hurt the bigger sides but he has experience, having appeared twice in the 2007 tournament.

BOYD RANKIN (26, 23)
A physically imposing new-ball bowler who stands 6ft 8in, Rankin is the man most likely to derail opposition sides with a match-turning spell. He posted 12 wickets at a good average in the competition four years ago and spells at Derbyshire and Warwickshire have seen him develop as a bowler. Injuries have caused him problems.

PAUL STIRLING (20, 23)
Perhaps the brightest youngster to have made his way through the ranks since Eoin Morgan, Stirling has a pleasing array of strokes and no shortage of confidence. His statistics, an average north of 40 and a brutish best of 177 against Canada, suggest he has the ability to make major scores when Ireland need him to.

AL VAN DER MERWE (31,
An off-spinning all-rounder who learned his cricket in his native South Africa, Van Der Merwe is a new addition to the Irish ranks. He took five wickets in an innings against Canada last year but his lack of runs and occasional tendency to leak runs may count against him.

GARY WILSON (24, 25, wkt)
Although a wicketkeeper-batsman by trade, Niall O’Brien’s presence in the squad means Wilson must earn his place as a specialist run-getter in the World Cup. His experience at Surrey, where he has played first-team cricket, means he is unlikely to be in awe of higher-rated opponents and an impressive sequence of 60, 113, 48 not out and 69 in successive games last year make him a likely pick.

ANDREW WHITE (30, 49)
Although one of the squad’s most experienced campaigners, White has never nailed down a regular spot. A lower middle-order batsman with just one half-century and an occasional finger spinner, White is more likely to play a back-up role than take centre stage.