How afternoon tees lead to fairway fairytales
A dozen men had already set out to navigate the course by then but for the majority of those in attendance, and the rest who would pour in throughout the morning, it was the sight and sound of McIlroy’s red driver that truly signalled the start of the 2013 Irish Open.
There were less then 150 people knocking about the vicinity when the man from Holywood, Clara’s Shane Lowry and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark began their day’s work at that ungodly hour but the gallery grew as the morning gained legs and a duck line of punters funnelled down the main road towards those chosen few, undaunted by the insistent rain.
Some of the most enthusiastic, like children torn between cake and chocolate, divvied their time between the McIlroy group and the one before it where another Ulster man, Gareth Maybin, was putting together a respectable round of 71. More again squeezed every last drop out of the day by latching on to Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell as they swept around Carton House later in the afternoon.
All that is perfectly understandable and yet golf tournaments are sporting onions in that there are multiple layers to be peeled back and the law of averages states that, no matter where you choose to be, the odds are that the day’s biggest story will unfold somewhere else.
Back in 2009, this punter decided to follow Graeme McDowell around on the Friday of the Irish Open despite an opening 77 and felt pretty smug when the Ulster man delivered a sparkling 61, only to discover that Shane Lowry had shot to the head of the leaderboard with a stunning 62 that would lead to an historic title success for the then amateur.
The lesson, then, is to either stay put and watch it all unfold on TV or roll the dice on arrival at ground zero and pray the golfing gods are in benevolent mood. Yesterday was a case in point with a plethora of subplots on which to gamble, even for those determined to look at this European Tour event through unapologetically green-tinted shades.
Much has been made of how the tournament has been backed by this island’s star names but this is an event which is showcasing the breadth of talent coursing through the veins of the Irish game right now — amateur and professional — from 46-year-old Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley to the 18-year-old Gavin Moynihan.
No-one’s story bettered that of Moynihan, a young Dub who has already made a name for himself having claimed the Irish Amateur title last year and coming within a play-off from defending that title at Royal Dublin last month.
Not a bad launch pad for his first stab at an Irish Open, you might think. Not at all but there was the added complication of the Leaving Certificate which he sat in between and only ended last Tuesday week.
“They weren’t too bad,” he shrugged when asked how the exams went. “I was happy enough. There was just one or two hard papers but there are always going to be the one or two that you don’t like. I got through it alright. They’re done.”
He delivered that last line with a smile that spoke volumes for his release at having escaped the exam hall for the wide open expanses of Carton’s grounds and he celebrated school being out in a style that few teenagers could ever imagine.
Two birdies on the last two holes left him signing for a 73, one-under total and a shot better off than McIlroy. This despite the fact he hadn’t swung a club in anger since that appearance at Royal Dublin.
Moynihan’s was just one story among 158 in yesterday’s field. Three of the others were told by fellow amateurs, such as Waterford’s Kevin Phelan who shot a level-par 72 two weeks after finishing the first round of the US Open at Merion just four shots off overnight leader Luke Donald.
Not everyone has a story to match Moynihan or Phelan but they’re sure worth looking out for.
Email: brendan.obrien@examiner.ie
Twitter: @Rackob
