Swedes smell success as West of Ireland gets underway

WITH the Swedish Federation sending 10 of their leading players ranging in handicap from plus 3.3 to 0.5, there is every chance that the Standard Life West of Ireland Championship starting at Rosses Point, Sligo, this morning could well be for export for the second time in six years.

When the event was held at Enniscrone in 1999 while remedial work was taking place at the ‘Point’, the championship’s spiritual home, Mikko Ilonen of Finland came out on top.

The favourites this time round, based on handicap, are Swede Rikard Karlberg and Darren Crowe of Dunmurry, both plus 3.3, while there are a number of other Scandinavians in the field capable of making an impression over the next five days.

The championship committee reports that the qualifying limit for the event came in at 0.8.

However, Rosses Point at Easter has a tendency to make a mockery of at least some of these handicaps and by the end of qualifying tomorrow night, it is a certainty that there will be scores in the 80s and 90s.

Local followers hope to see their own Sean McTernan, fresh from finishing runner-up in the New South Wales Championship a few weeks ago, while considerable interest will centre on the fortunes of the remarkable 15-year-old Rory McIlroy (Holywood), the recipient earlier this month of the Irish Examiner junior golfer of the year award.

McIlroy plays off a handicap of 3.1 and has already indicated his intention of turning professional in the future. Indeed, he tried for a European Tour card last year, but failed to make the grade, a situation that should be soon rectified.

The West championship has produced a plethora of shock results over the years. Last year’s winner, Paul McDonald of UCD and Woodbrook, came out of the blue, as did Mark Ryan of Grange the previous year.

The country’s leading amateurs in addition to McTernan and McIlroy, are the northwest pair Brian McElhinney and Michael McGeady, who contested last year’s Irish Close final (won by the former); Mark Campbell (Stackstown) and Mark O’Sullivan of Galway.

Also in the Rosses Point field is the promising Aaron O’Callaghan of Douglas, Bandon, a plus 2 handicapper and winner of the Kinsale Scratch Cup last weekend with a splendid total of 137, and the 2003 South of Ireland champion Mervyn Owens.

The leading 64 players after tomorrow’s second qualifying round go forward to the matchplay stages on Sunday with the 18-hole final set for Tuesday.

A superbly refurbished Rosses Point opened recently and should add considerably to the enjoyment of the sporting and social weekend.