Asian Tour

Turner middle of the pack in Japan

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Niall Turner3Niall Turner carded a final round 73 to finish in 44th place at the Panasonic Open in Japan this morning.  On Friday Turner made birdie on the final hole to get inside the cut, this event is his first in seven weeks after he played in the Maybank Open in Malaysia in February.  Turner had a 69 yesterday to jump up to 30th place but dropped back today as a result of his two over par 73.

Turner takes away almost $4,500 which see’s him jump up to 62 in the Asian Tour order of Merit.  Turner nee to be inside the top 60 to retain his card and he’ll be encouraged that this weekend makes it three cuts in a row after missing the cut in the first two events of the season.  The Waterfall native has a total of $15,000 in tour earnings from his five events.  Turner has entered the Yeander Heritage event in Chinese Taipei next week and although this is only a $300k event (the Asian Tour minimum prize-fund) it’ll give Turner a chance to get inside the top 60 before the tour takes a break in May.

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Great start for Turner in Malaysia

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Niall Turner

Niall Turner

Niall Turner turned up the heat in Malaysia this morning, shooting an opening 68 in the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur.  Starting on the 10th tee, Niall opened with a birdie and followed that with five pars before he struck with three more birdies on the bounce.  His only bogey happened on the 4th (his 13th hole) but he bounced back with a birdie on his 17th hole.  A final par meant he signed for a 68 and the -4 total sees him 11th place alongside Robert Karlsson and six others.

The Muskerry member is playing the event which is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the European Tour.  He is best placed Irish golfer going into day two, and has an early tee time tomorrow, 1.20am Irish Continue reading →

Injuries behind Turner as 2017 Season Starts

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niall-turner-jan-2017

Niall Turner pictured with his dad Pat at Muskerry over Chistmas

Niall Turner starts his 2017 campaign this week and he’s hoping for a good start as he makes his return from an injury ridden 2016. After losing most of the 2014 season after surgery on his hip, Turner had a very strong 2015, but he suffered a re-occurrence of the injury again early last season. In 2014 Turner had surgery to correct a condition called femoral acetabular impingement (FAI) that he had suffered from for a few years. Unfortunately for the Waterfall native, the bone spur involved grew back causing the same mobility problems. 12 months ago Turner was fully fit and full of hope, he had retained his tour card in Asia and started in a far better category which assured him of plenty of top level starts. That’s where the good news Continue reading →

Turner makes the cut in Thailand

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Niall Turner3Niall Turner made a positive return to tour golf after spending three months on the sidelines.  Turner suffered a recurrence of his hip injury which saw him miss several start on the Asian and European Tours.  He returned to action this week in the Kings Cup in Thailand and made the cut for the weekend.  The Waterfall native opened with a 69 yesterday and he added a 72 today to stand on +1.  Turner made the cut right on the mark but that won’t bother him too much as he now has two more rounds to sharpen his game.

While injuries are never welcome, it did give Turner plenty of time to focus on his wedding to his fiancee Rachel and they celebrated the big day at the end of June. Turner now has several big tournaments ahead to make an impression on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and consolidate his tour card.  Prior to the recurrence of his injury, he had a positive start to the season, making the cut in his first three events and earning $15,000 in prize money.

The Kings Cup is Continue reading →

Turner ready for Maybank, O’Driscoll on learning curve

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Niall Turner has recovered from illness and is ready for his fourth event of the Asian Tour as he tee’s it up in Malaysia tomorrow.  The Waterfall man narrowly made the cut in Bangladesh last weekend, having to wait until the second round was complete to see if he’s be playing for the weekend.  Despite making the cut, he was forced to retire before the start of the third round due to illness.

Niall Turner Malaysia

Niall Turner pictured on the 1st tee in Royal Selangor GC in Kuala Lumpur, picture Kenneth Quillinan

Turner has made the journey south to Kuala Lumpur for the Maybank Championship Malaysia.  This is Niall’s first event of the season which is co-sanctioned Continue reading →

Quillinan’s Muskerry Heritage Uncovered

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Everyone know’s that current Asian Tour member Niall Turner is a Muskerry man, and most will know that his Dad Pat is also a Muskerry man.  However not a lot of people will know that Niall’s current caddie also has a strong Muskerry heritage.

Niall Turner Singapore KQTralee Man Kenneth Quillinan is currently on the bag for Turner.  Kenneth is a university lecturer in Korea and is spending his summer holidays keeping the Cork man company as he travels across Asia in the opening weeks of the 2016 Asian Tour.  Quillinan is also a freelance golf writer and his golfing pedigree traces back to Cork in the middle of the last centuary.  Ken’s grandfather was the Captain in Muskerry Golf Club in 1951. Not only that, Ken’s Grandmother on Continue reading →

Hot putter ensures another paycheck for Turner

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Niall Turner is safely through to the weekend at the Leopalace21 Myanmar Open in Yangon, Myanmar.  Two sucessive 69’s saw the Corkman finish on -6, well inside the cut mark of -3.  Turner was having a reasonably steady round, he was +1 for the day at the turn but was losing ground on the field.  The was until until the 14th, he birdied that and three of the next four holes to climb back up the leaderboard.  The bounceback was needed as Turner was in danger of missing the cut halfway through his second round.  Turner’s putter was hot on the greens again Continue reading →

Impressive Closing 68 from Turner

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Niall Turner

A final round 68 from Niall Turner saw him jump 21 places from 44th position into a tie for 23rd place.  The Corkman had a nervy start, he missed the first five fairways and bogeyed the par four 6th hole, but he recovered before the turn and birdied 8 & 9 to get back to level par for the tournament.

There were no signs of fatigue for Turner or his caddie Kenneth Quillinan who had played 34 holes on Saturday after a rain suspension on Friday.  The Waterfall native parred the first seven holes of the back nine before chipping in for birdie on the 17th.  The big hitting Turner then reached the 542 yard par five 18th in two shots, and took two putts to birdie the hole and sign for a 68.  The two birdies saw Continue reading →

Good Start for Turner in Singapore

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Niall Turner signed for an opening one under par 70 at the SMBC Singapore Open, the first event on the 2016 Asian Tour.  Turner is competing at the $1,000,000 alongside Darren Clarke and Jordan Speith and host of other stars from the three major professional tours.

Niall Turner Singapore KQTurner opened with a bogey but steadied and added back to back birdies on the 4th & 5th to go into the red.  With Irishman Kenneth Quillinan on the bag, he completed the second loop in level par with two birdies and two bogies.

Turner is currently T17, with the final players on the back nine on the course.  He’s in a group of 16 on -1 while leader Keith Horne (RSA) is on 0-5.

The Waterfall native is heading back on tour in full health this year after suffering from hip related injuries for the past three years.  He secured a full card on the Asian Tour thanks to a top 55 finish in the order of merit last year which included two top 5 finishes.  Turner also plans to play in up to 6 European Tour events which Continue reading →

Busy Season Ahead for Niall Turner

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Niall Turner

Niall Turner

Golfer Niall Turner is a busy man, but he still manages to get in the important things done.  Niall and his fiancée Rachel are just finished in Keane’s after purchasing an engagement ring.  After that it’s more wedding plans but it all needs to be done now as in two weeks’ time the Ballincollig native will start his 2016 Asian Tour campaign.  And this year Turner is full of confidence after a great finish to his 2105 season.  Niall Turner is Cork’s only full time touring professional and he’s embarking on his sixth season in Asia.  The talented amateur turned pro in 2008 after representing Muskerry, Munster and Ireland at all levels.  After spending three years on mini-tours in North America, he Continue reading →