Weekend to produce an Irish champion

As someone who has been closely involved with the Irish Open for a number of years, it is heartening to see the Irish Open has already broken all sorts of European Tour records, most notably that the event has been sold out before a ball has even been hit.

It’s hard to imagine that just five short years ago, the Irish Open, historically one of Europe’s greatest professional tournaments, was fighting for its very survival on the Tour’s calendar. Hard work has paid dividends and everyone should now take credit but none more so than our own professional golfers, who during that same period have grabbed the professional game of golf by the collar and firmly established our small island as one of the two most dominant countries in the world (the other being USA) in terms of producing major champions.

This week the Irish Open returns to Northern Ireland for the first time since 1953. Royal Portrush is a course that demands accuracy from the tee and precision with your approach shots. It’s very testing, but it gives something back as well. Most of all it is a very fair test of golf. The large galleries will witness shot-making of the very highest calibre — not just from the 10 major champions in the field but also from anyone lucky enough to be in contention come Sunday.

Personally, I cannot see past an Irish man and most probably a northern Irish man winning this week. Why? Because much like the famous rugby match between England and Ireland in Croke Park in 2007, there is simply too much history associated with the return of the event to Northern Ireland. For too long now, quality Irish Open venues in the north have been overlooked primarily due to the laziness of our politicians and our all-Ireland tourism authorities and that frustration has grown amongst the northern players, each of whom, as former amateur internationals, have proudly represented the island of Ireland.

Sceptics might suggest that the selection of Northern Ireland as this year’s venue has only happened because of the major championship success of Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, but hopefully the powers-that-be will now realise that whatever the reason, it has proven an inspired choice and it should now be the catalyst for the creation of a rota of courses throughout the island of Ireland for the Irish Open.

That aside, the crowds and the whole atmosphere this week will guarantee that this is a tournament to remember for everyone so fortunate to be participating in the event. As is the case at every Irish Open, that atmosphere is even more special if you are an Irish man in contention come Sunday afternoon.

This week there are plenty of players more than capable of spoiling the Irish party, none more so than Keegan Bradley, the current USPGA champion, but I fully expect an Irish contingent — who are all familiar with this course from their amateur days — to rise to the challenge and feed off the passion and the emotion of the crowds to deliver an Irish champion on this most historic of occasions.