SIMON LEWIS: Irish Open offers extra incentive
You remember the Irish Open? A European Tour event that actually takes place in Europe, albeit at various points from year to year dependent, seemingly, on the position of the moon in relation to Capricorn or some other sort of nonsense.
Regardless, whenever it is staged, and in 2014 it will be the week after the US Open from June 19-22, the Irish Open remains the highlight of our golfing calendar outside of the Majors. Golf lovers in Ireland are rightly proud of its continuing existence and the annual opportunity to see our best players and brightest talents on parade on home, soggy soil.
Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell have already signalled their participation in 2014 despite the scheduling requiring a change of continents after their exertions at Pinehurst in the second Major of the year.
Furthermore, McIlroy revealed at the weekend during the BMW Masters in Shanghai and ahead of his money-spinning exhibition yesterday with Tiger Woods at the aforementioned Mission Hills, that next June’s Irish Open would be returning to its 2013 venue.
“I’ve heard it’s going back to Carton House,” said McIlroy, whose commitment to his home tournament will see him break his normal routine of taking a week off after the US Open.
And yesterday came a more subtle but important boost in the shape of announcement from the R&A regarding next July’s Open Championship at Hoylake.
Organisers of the oldest Major have decided to do away with International Final Qualifying over 36 holes at specific one-day events on five continents and instead make those places available through existing tournaments, including the Irish Open.
R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said the move to The Open Qualifying Series comprising 14 events in nine countries on the major tours will make qualification more rigorous being played over 72 holes while Pádraig Harrington believes having three places for a Major to the leading three players not otherwise exempt at the Irish Open, will provide an extra incentive for top golfers to enter his home championship.
“I really do think it will attract more players to the Irish Open, especially those who are not already exempt for The Open Championship, and some quality players will be in that category,” said two-time Open champion Harrington. “The Scottish and the French Open are also going to be involved which will also make those events stronger, whilst ensuring that The Open will have the strongest possible field. It’s a nice boost for the European Tour from The R&A.”
European Ryder Cupper and 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie also saw the upside for tour events included in the qualifying series: “It’s going to strengthen the tournaments where those places are going to be coming from and that it is qualifying over a 72-hole event, which I think is fairer for the players trying to qualify.”
Proponents of the more cut-throat, less predictable one-day events to reach The Open will be heartened to know there is still a chance for someone to strike it lucky and produce the golf of a lifetime to get into a Major.
Final qualifying will continue to offer three places at each of four events in the UK, although for next year they will be played at courses spread around Britain rather than concentrated around the Open Championship venue.
The spoils may have eluded them but there were heads held high among the Irish contingent following a strong showing at the 17th Faldo Series Grand Final in West Virginia.
The prominent junior golf competition founded and organised by six-time major winner Nick Faldo has been won by many stars of the future in its 17 years, not least a teenage Rory McIlroy, U15 champion in 2004.
Yet while similar titles evaded the six Irish qualifiers for the series showpiece at The Greenbrier, there were still some impressive pointers to successful futures.
Most prominent was Royal County Down’s Olivia Mehaffey, whose closing one-over-par round of 71 saw her secure the runner-up spot in the U16 girls category and tied for 14th overall in the 99-player mixed invitational event for 21s and under.
The age-group finish was all the more encouraging because the girl ahead of her, American Megan Khang, won the Grand Final outright. Khang shot a one-under 69 in her final round to win by two shots from 19-year-old overnight leader Paul Kinnear of England, who was crowned boys’ champion.
Khang becomes the first female Faldo Series Grand Final winner, eclipsing even the great Yani Tseng who was an age-group winner en route to ruling the LPGA Tour as a pro.
“I did not know I was the first girl winner until I reached the green,” Khang said. “I knew about Yani Tseng but thought she must have won the whole thing, it hasn’t really sunk in yet. To be one of only three American girls competing against all these great players from around the world, it is cool.”
Khang is also Faldo’s first American winner and both she and Kinnear will be offered a start in a professional Tour event.
Skibbereen’s Kieran Lynch, a Paddy Harrington Golf Scholar at NUI Maynooth, finished as Ireland’s leading male, tied for 34th.
And if it’s nearly November, then it must be time to start thinking about Christmas pressies. In which case, may I recommend a lovely new book from the pen of esteemed writer John Hopkins, the former golf correspondent of the London Times and Sunday Times.
Fore! The Best of John Hopkins On Golf is published by Elliott & Thompson and is a wonderful collection of golf writing encapsulating Hoppy’s nearly 40 years of covering the biggest and smallest stories in golf and it is arranged month by month, thereby giving the book a lovely rhythm to take the reader through the golfing year.
Each month of published works is prefaced by an introduction as insightful as the pieces it precedes.
It is an exquisite collection I would recommend to anyone as a perfect gift for the golf nut in their lives.
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