Too many Irish sportspeople still prefer part of underdog

There was a time, not too long ago, when Irish professional golfers were considered the underdogs when it came to winning events.

It wasn’t that they were uncompetitive, in fact, they were often victorious, but more often than not they preferred the outsider tag and any victory meant beating the odds.

The multiple Major championship successes of Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke have done much to change the attitude of the Irish professional players and especially how they are viewed by the media and public alike. But time and time again, it seems that the favourite tag still sits uncomfortably on Irish shoulders, regardless of the sport.

Is it something genetic or is it a case that players prefer to have their backs to the wall?

Golf is not an easy game. In fact it is technically complicated and mentally exhausting and if that were not already enough, it relies on the unpredictable bounce and roll of a ball.

Nor is golf an exact science, so attitude counts. Attitude wins tournaments.

Last week’s tournament course set-up at the beautiful Fota Island Resort gave the Irish players every chance to win. For tournament favourite and world No 6, McIlroy, the course was both long and perfectly conditioned. More importantly it was soft and still McIlroy wasn’t competitive. Why? We can of course blame fatigue from the exertions of the previous week’s US Open but fundamentally we have to address his attitude.

His game was almost too erratic for a player of his potential, exciting and all as it was. It begs the question: was he fully comfortable being the crowd and tournament favourite at Fota? It seems not.

To be fair, the Irish Open for the Irish players can be both a wonderful or horrible experience depending on the state of their game and performance. They want to win but they also want to do things on their own terms and that is almost impossible during an Irish Open week, when you are guaranteed enthusiastic supporter and media requests all day long. Intrusion is a given, so once again the right attitude counts.

When McDowell set out yesterday to play his final round, he was still the tournament favourite despite being two shots behind leader Mikko Ilonen. Around him were a bunch of talented but limited golfers, many of whom were more interested in the size of their pay cheque rather than winning the title honours. Many would have already made huge money in their careers to date but few had the urgency and ambition of their dreams that made them capable of winning. Yet for the top players, the opposite is true. Winning brings money. Winning is the catalyst for everything.

For McDowell being ahead of the final pairing meant that he could set the tone for the day. Given the course conditions, he would have to play to his strengths, his accuracy off the tee box coupled with great putting. The early holes were important in his quest to dominate the minds of his opponents but rather than laying down the gauntlet, he stuttered on from one hole to the next, gamely trying to find his touch.

For the second day in a row he failed to deliver. Why did he fail, why couldn’t he exert any more pressure? It is hard to say. Perhaps it was the pressure he had exerted on himself, given that this was by far his best opportunity to date to win his first Irish Open. It was hard witnessing him miss putt after putt after putt, but it must have been even harder for him as he is statistically and consistently one of the very best putters on both the PGA and European Tours.

!This week McDowell’s strengths (his driving and putting) broke down under pressure and if he is to have further tournament successes in the near future then these technicalities will have to be addressed as a matter of priority.

Much credit has to be given to the wire-to-wire winner Ilonen, who probably secured the softest victory of his four European titles.

All weekend we waited for fireworks from the leading players in the chasing pack but nothing ever materialised and with no pressure he controlled the outcome brilliantly.

Amazingly, it was only when he threatened to fall asleep (due to the lack of activity of the other players) on the back nine of the last round that he showed any urgency.

It would have been great to see him having to dig deep. Perhaps he might have cracked but I always felt that with such a great attitude he had enough in the tank game wise even then to fend off the challengers.

And so another great Irish Open has come to pass and great credit is due to Fota Island Resort and all the associated sponsors for hosting a terrific event that was appreciated by the players and spectators alike. It is wonderful to see the Irish Open back on such a strong footing and it is great to know that Cork has played such an integral part in its continued renaissance.