Honourable defeats? No, you need to move it on

FOR the first two days spectators scampered around Killeen to catch a glimpse of Irish golf’s market leaders, but it’s the new breed who carry a share of the expectation into the Irish Open weekend.

With Pádraig Harrington and Darren Clarke slamming car boots last night, the galleries will flock around Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell in today’s third round. But it has been a significant couple of days too for Damien McGrane and Michael Hoey and another arc in the learning curve for the likes of Michael Collins, John Kelly and Noel Fox.

Collins, 31, who plays out of the Mallow Golf Range in north Cork, battled admirably yesterday before bowing out on four over par. His demeanour said it all walking off the 18th.

“At this moment I am not happy. I’d be fairly sick. I brought it back to level par after two holes today (after starting at one over), I doubled the (par three) sixth. I hit it in the water. I hit a poor shot on number eight up to the right and took double again. It is so frustrating after getting the birdie back on seven to have a couple of chances and not get them. Just that run on numbers six, eight, and nine was a killer. It was all over then.

“I played well on day one and, overall, I putted fairly well the two days without holing a lot.”

Collins feels he is more competitive than this. He has the game and he is determined to keep going.

“I turned professional in 2001 and qualified in 2005. I’m improving all the time. If you look at my results it is a steady improvement. The competitions I am winning are a little bit better every year.

“They say the best years in golf are between the ages of 35-45. I haven’t even got close to that yet. For Tour School at the end of the year I will take a lot of positives.

“2011 thus far has been good. I won the Irish Club Professional Championship in Dundalk from the front and got a lot of confidence from that. But, at the end of the day, that is the Irish Region. This (European Tour) is where you want to be performing. Experience only takes you so far. Honourable defeats — you need to move it on.”

He spoke highly of the other Irish golfers who played so well.

“There are a lot of good Irish guys out there. You have Colm (Moriarty) doing well. Young Paul Cutler is doing well today. Darren McWilliams shot one under yesterday (Thursday). The standard of golf is good. The problem is to get more chances. We only got one or two. At the same time I am around long enough now to take these opportunities and to know how.”

Collins’ positivity is commendable. He has great belief and proved this week he is very near taking that big step forward. He, and a lot of others are entitled to look ahead with conviction.

“I qualified for the Irish Open through the Irish Region. I’ll go back to Tour School again. I have got to the second stage the last two years. I felt I could have got through.

” I need to step it up. I’m 31 years of age and I’m determined to keep going.”