Lahinch line-up will be strongest ever field
Athlone’s Colm Moriarty, who shot a 63 in the first of the qualifying rounds for the Open Championship last week, boasts a figure of plus 3.6 while holder Justin Kehoe is playing off plus 2.3.
In all, there are 56 plus handicappers in the field including nine Frenchmen and 14 of the 16-strong Irish national panel.
Quite clearly, the South remains the glamour event in Irish amateur golf. In all, there were 252 entries for the 192 places and only two of those on 0.1 were exempted into Sunday’s second round. Those fortunate enough to be accepted will have the extra pleasure of tackling a Lahinch links that has been superbly remodelled to a plan presented by British architect Martin Hawtree which will be both fair and testing.
The presence of the French squad lends enormous additional interest to the 101st Championship, all the more so because of the exploits of Thomas Levet in the Open last week, not to mention compatriot Jean Van de Velde in 1999.
Some time ago the French Federation expressed an interest in entering their top players in the event and originally nominated eight players, Eric Chadouey (plus 3.2), Philippe Lima (plus 2.7), Gregory Bourdet (plus 2.5), Cedric Munet (plus 1.7), Raphael Pellicoli (plus 1.6), Christophe Brazillier (plus 1.5), Anthony Snobeck (plus 1.1) and Bertrand Coathalen (plus 1.0). They later added Julien Duclos Grenet (1.1) to that list.
It is anybody’s guess how the visitors will cope with the many questions invariably posed by a Lahinch links that can now justifiably claim to possess all the very best in what ancient and modern golf has to offer.
It may be recalled that Mikko Ilonen of Finland (now a member of the PGA European Tour) captured the West of Ireland Championship at Enniscrone in 1999 and it is no exaggeration to suggest that the top amateurs on mainland Europe can now hold their own with the best in Britain and Ireland.
The validity of that claim may well be strengthened once the French go into action on Sunday. Chaudoeuy and Lima are in the top quarter of the draw where they pose a threat to Kehoe, who emerged such a brilliant champion 12 months ago when playing the 14 holes of the final against Stephen Browne (now a professional) in a staggering eight under par. Andrew McCormick, another Irish squad member, is also in this section.
John McGinn, the Greenore golfer who emerged a shock winner of the Irish Close at Carlow last month, will have his mettle tested in the second quarter by, among others, 1999 champion Mark Campbell, current international Tim Rice, Galway’s emerging Mark O’Sullivan and another Frenchman, Bertrand Coathalen.
The reigning East and North of Ireland champions, Noel Fox and Gareth Maybin, are in the third quarter, populated by three more of the French contingent, Cedric Menut, Anthony Snobeck and Raphael Pellicoli.
Last year’s Close champion, Gavin McNeill of Waterford and Karl Bornemann, the Douglas golfer who recently captured the inaugural Irish Mid Amateur Championship, are among the more favoured players in the final quarter where the French interest is supplied by Julien Duclos Grenet and Gregory Bourdet.
The championship gets under way today with the first round confined to the so-called higher handicaps. However, as only two players on 2.0 had their entries accepted, a number of well known names will be involved before the action really swings into action to morrow. The 18 hole final is scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon.
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