John McHenry: It's hard to sell the game of golf without fan interaction

Padraig Harrington of Ireland chips onto the 18th green during day one of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Golf Championship at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort in Ballymena, Antrim. The event is being played with no spectators due to Covid-19 restrictions. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The Irish Open will always hold a very special place in my heart. Like many others before and after, it was the Irish Open that gave me my first professional start and with it so many lasting memories down through the years.

Champions of this great event are the very elite of the professional game. Langer, Ballesteros, Faldo, Olazabal, Harrington, McIlroy and Rahm, to name just a few. They are players who honed their early games on great Irish golf courses and to a spectator audience that were knowledgeable, high spirited, and fully appreciative of the depth of talent on show.