‘I’ve had many a dark day wondering what I was doing out there’

THE more putts that dropped, the more the crowd swelled around Colm Moriarty. This, he said to himself, is where he wants to be.

Of course, he acknowledged that the thousands lining the Killeen Course at Killarney weren’t there to watch him. Major champions Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell were in the groups immediately ahead and were the focus of almost all the attention. However, as the Athlone man’s name appeared on the leader board and inched towards its summit, spectators took more and more notice until a great roar exploded over the 18th green as his sixth birdie putt of the day dived into the hole.

It meant Moriarty had made it to four under par and was tied for the lead in his own national championship. Hard to take in but it helped that Moriarty had been in a similar position previously. In 2005 at Carton House, he opened with a 69 to stand in second place before eventually going on to tie for 13th and earn €30,100, the biggest cheque of his career.