Mount Juliet in mint condition for championship

“WE could not be happier.” The words last night of Eoin Cotter, director of Mount Juliet, as he oversaw the final touches being put to his magnificent Co Kilkenny complex in the build-up to the $5.5 million American Express World Golf Championship beginning here on Thursday.

It is easy to see why Cotter and his team should be thrilled with the way their hard work has been rewarded, as they prepare to come under the scrutiny of millions of television viewers and the thousands who will flock here over the coming days.

Course superintendent Aidan O’Hara has proved himself one of the great masters of his craft, both at Mount Juliet and at Fota Island which has successfully staged the Murphys Irish Open over the past couple of years.