ICYMI: Rory ties the knot, Poulter fails to deliver, chocolate stops play

Rory gets hitched

According to a variety of reports Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll got married over the weekend at Ashford Castle in Ireland.

If you’re wondering who Rory’s real golfing mates are then those on the guest list included Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Shane Lowry. Away from the golfing world One Direction’s Niall Horan, actor Jamie Dornan and Coldplay’s Chris Martin also got the nod.

And why haven’t we seen any photos of the big day? Well, the McIlroys apparently used anti-drone technology to ensure the ceremony was kept completely private.

And while the rest of us have to make do with a bored middle-aged man who is trying to earn a few extra quid by trotting out Sweet Caroline at midnight McIlroy jetted in Stevie Wonder and Ed Sheeran to provide the music for the 200-strong guest list.

The party is expected to continue until Monday and McIlroy, now 27, will make his first start as a married man at The Players on May 11.

Poulter exemption runs out, loses PGA Tour card

While Ian Poulter won’t be struggling for invites any time soon – he is playing this week in New Orleans – he has now lost his card after missing the cut in Texas.

The Postman was playing in his 10^th event of a medical exemption and needed to earn at least £23,905 last week but failed to get beyond the first two rounds after rounds of 75 and 71. He could have done it last week at Hilton Head but a closing 73 made a mess of those plans.

Poulter can still play on the European Tour and can go through qualifying for the US Open and Open Championship.

“What’s the most frustrating thing for the next few months is, you know, I can’t plan a schedule,” he said. “So, I have to be ready to go any given Monday to go to an event and, you know, obviously I’ll try and qualify for the US Open, I’ll try and qualify for the Open, I’ll play some events in Europe. I’ll play some more events over here, and obviously I’ll do what I need to do.”

Italy’s Got Talent

There was a time when you wondered what last week’s winner in Morocco Edoardo Molinari was going to do after golf such was his dip in form.

Maybe it was all that time off but the Italian has quite a skill – he can memorise an entire pack of cards. You might think that there is a mirror at work here or a trick of the camera but it seems that ‘Dodo’ can genuinely recall all 52 playing cards.

Hidden Talents: @DodoMolinari

Could you memorize an entire, shuffled pack of cards? pic.twitter.com/Tj14jr3kl1

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) April 19, 2017

Walker struggling with Lyme disease (includes explanation of what that is)

PGA champ Jimmy Walker has been battling a bacterial infection since October which has left him lacking in strength, energy and, at times, humour.

Lyme disease affects around 300,000 people each year in the States and tests taken on the Wednesday of the Masters have shown that Walker is one of them.

He first noticed that he wasn’t feeling right back in November and it seems that got it from a tick bite. The 38-year-old thought he had the viral illness, mononucleosis.

Walker had further blood tests last week and when all the information is in he will begin the recovery process which will include antibiotics. The six-time winner hopes to keep on playing through his recuperation.

“I heard it can take it out of you pretty bad for four, five days,” he said. “Anybody knows me, rest isn’t something I’m really good at doing.

“It feels like you’ve got the flu. No strength. Just got nothing. And it comes and goes in waves. You never know when it’s going to pop up.”

Walker has still made the majority of his cuts this year and managed a top 20 at Augusta where he felt OK but still had to rely on Advil and other anti-inflammatories to get through the week.

“It puts you in a bad mood. I think everybody out here would say I’m kind of a happy-go-lucky guy, smiling, having a good time. Some of my close friends have seen a little decline in that.”

What’s In The Bag? Chocolate

Look away if you’ve got golf bag OCD. Defending champion in Texas Charley Hoffman’s opening round was briefly interrupted by a piece of chocolate.

Hoffman, who led the Masters for the first two rounds, began to feel some unwanted residue on his irons so his caddy Brett Waldman had to get to the bottom of the problem.

“I guess the Easter bunny hid a little chocolate in my bag,” Hoffman. “I had some residue on my club and I smelled it, and it was definitely a Reese’s egg.”

1 chocolate snack = 1 big problem ?#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/NFQ4fCJ4wi

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 20, 2017

The proverbial goalkeeper in there…

The next time your ball hits the pin and spins off the green (no, it’s never happened to me either) you might want to spare a thought for Scotland’s Jimmy Gunn who had this happen to him on the Web.com Tour.