Joining pro game not always rosy
Sadly, for every Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, there have been countless others who came through the same Golfing Union of Ireland system and have long since faded from memory.
Cian McNamara is one of those who could have fallen into this trap but is now back on track. He is the new club professional at Monkstown while also testing the current status of his game on the Irish PGA Regions. He recently led the Irish qualifiers for the PGA Glenmuir Club Championship and is through to this month’s Irish Open at Carton House.
McNamara became the youngest South of Ireland champion in 2004 (at 18) and also counted victory in the Junior British Open among a series of underage successes which earned him a scholarship to East Tennessee State University. He loved life and golf and if everything seemed to be plain sailing. However, as the months and years went by, the doubts began to creep in. Looking back now, even the four-year sojourn in the States wasn’t all it i seemed likely to be. He recalled: “While the university was the best I could have gone to and the coach was 10 out of 10, I didn’t improve and was putting pressure on myself and getting harder and harder on myself.”
It was on returning home, however, that he believes he may have made a major strategic error and those with their sights set on life as a touring professional would do well to heed McNamara’s words.
“I turned pro and played the EuroPro Tour and the mini tours in the US when I probably should have started with my PGA training straight away. The way I look at it now, if you can’t be the best player in the region here, there’s no point in playing the EuroPro and Challenge Tours. That is something I have learned now but it’s something I wish someone had told me before.”
He speaks of “spending too much of the parents’ money” and not making the anticipated progress before accepting while still in his 20s to change the course of his life and opted to work under Lee Harrington at his home club, Limerick.
“Going the PGA route is the most positive thing I have done,” enthuses McNamara. “There are no drawbacks or anything that I look on as a negative and I only wish that from day one I had been pointed in this direction.
“After my last year at college, I felt I was going to jump on and excel on the circuit when I should have said, ‘right, let’s get the PGA under our belt, play the Region events and develop my game from there’.
“I’m delighted I came to this decision a few years ago instead of getting by and getting by before reaching an older age, and wondering, ‘jeez, what am I going to do now’?”
He worries for similarly talented young golfers, many good friends, who have stuck to their guns in the hope of making the big time.
“People wonder why they keep going and the answer is that when you get down that road, you don’t really know any other road. You’re so far down there, you can’t stop, you can’t let go. They know they can play to a decent level, they see the money that can be made and it’s very hard to let go, but I’m glad I have my qualifications and financially I’m not putting myself under too much pressure. I don’t feel much different now than I did when I was playing on the EuroPro Tour except that I was spending a €1,000 a week more.”
There’s no keeping Rory McIlroy out of the news these days and after his behaviour in Sunday’s final round of the US Open, he is sure to be the focus of considerable attention when he turns up at Carton House next week for the Irish Open.
It is understandable for the world’s No 2 to be bitterly disappointed at failing to perform in a Major, but to submit to his frustration by bending a nine iron out of shape in the final round is regrettable. The action suggests he is close to allowing numerous other factors on and off the course — most notably changing to Nike clubs and balls in return for a massive payday at a time when he was by some distance the leading player in the game and more recently the controversy over his management team intentions — to seriously afflict his performance.
The Irish Open marks Rory’s next return to action and the questioning of where he stands in the game is sure to be the dominant topic when he faces the media. He should be careful to avoid doing any further damage to his equipment and instead let the clubs do the talking.
He can blame whoever he likes and make all the excuses in the world but perhaps he should also ponder whether all too often he has been the architect of his own misfortunes.
The BMW International, beginning over the Eichenried course outside Munich on Thursday, was a happy hunting ground for two Irish golfers when it used to be the last tournament on the European circuit before the finalisation of the Ryder Cup team.
In 1999, Pádraig Harrington came to the long 18th convinced he needed a par-five at least to be sure of squeezing into Mark James’s team for the infamous Battle of Brookline.
Obviously nervous, Harrington left himself with a five-footer for his par and having been reassured by wife Caroline that he had to hole it to make the team, somehow found the bottom of the cup. He waved his cap in a combination of relief and exultation — only to quickly realise that in fact a bogey six would have been sufficient!
Paul McGinley suffered similar anxieties at the hole a couple of years later. Once again, he needed to make a five to clinch his debut place, but had to take a penalty drop after finding water with his approach.
He got down with a chip and putt and history tells us that he went on to sink the victory putt at The Belfry a few weeks later.
The BMW has lost some of its attraction since moving to a mid-season date immediately in the wake of the US Open, but has still attracted a strong entry this week including Ernie Els, Martin Kaymer, Matteo Manassero and Sergio Garcia and Ireland’s Shane Lowry, Peter Lawrie, Gareth Maybin, David Higgins and, not unexpectedly, McGinley.
We’re all familiar with golf classics to aid charities and various sporting clubs and organisations.
This week near Marbella and Malaga in the south of Spain, two such outings are planned.
The first Ferrari Owners’ Challenge is set to take place at Aloha while over at Lauro, near Alhaurin de la Torre, is a fundraiser for the English Cemetery in Malaga. Most of us couldn’t afford the first, while it might be wiser to pass comment entirely on the second!
