Irish golf still punching above its weight

Some 16 years ago, in June of 2009, there was carnage on day one of the Irish Close Championship at Enniscrone. The country's top players descended on the links for one of the big events in the amateur calendar, but on arrival to West Sligo, they were greeted by truly horrendous conditions.

Members were dispatched to various places on the course as ballspotters to help keep things moving in gale-force winds, and at my position alongside the fourth fairway, the frustration was evident for just about every player. I remember one, in particular, duffing his 80-yard wedge shot about five yards in front of him; just four holes in, he was already struggling with the elements we are more accustomed to in this part of the country.

One player who did catch the eye in the midst of those challenging conditions on day one was Paul Dunne, then still under-18 and tipped to achieve great things. The 16-year-old Greystones native posted a very commendable six-over 79 on day one, but later years would bring even greater prosperity.

Dunne shot to international prominence in 2015 when, as an amateur, he led the Open Championship after three rounds at St Andrews. In the end, he finished in a tie for 30th but, in 2017 he managed to hold off Rory McIlroy to take a superb victory at the British Masters as a professional. With the potential to go to the next level, Dunne rose to a career-high of 65 in the world rankings and played in three of the four major championships.

Still only 32, Dunne's form tailed off due to a series of different circumstances. Injury – and a total loss of form with the driver – meant he was consistently battling for survival on tour.

Last week, he was back in the news as Dunne was caddying for his girlfriend, Georgia Hall, at the Women's Irish Open at Carton House near Maynooth. The event in Kildare included sixteen Irish players – seven professionals and nine amateurs – which reflects the depth in talent in Irish women's golf at present.

Leona Maguire may be the only one of that group plying her trade at the highest level on the LPGA Tour but Aine Donegan, the amateur from Lahinch in county Clare, contended at the US Open in 2023. Olivia Mehaffey has shown some positive signs on the professional circuit, while Lauren Walsh has also achieved some good results on the Ladies European Tour.

While the presence of sixteen players in a tour event is an outlier, it still shows there is a depth of talent there in the women's game that has never been there before. Many of those still amateur will look to the professional arena in the years to come, with Maguire having blazed a trail for them to follow. Stephanie Meadow, too, has also done well on the LPGA Tour in recent times.

On the men's side of things, however, a golden era would appear to be coming to something of an end, or certainly flatlining.

Rory McIlroy's recent elevation to Grand Slam winner will provide a glow on Irish golf for some time to come, and as the Open Championship arrives to these shores next week, the world’s eyes will again focus in on golf here.

At the top end of the game, thanks to Messrs McIlroy and Lowry, things are in rude health but, in the tiers below the upper echelons, the signs are not so encouraging.

On a weekly basis now, there is usually only one regular participant on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour), namely Conor Purcell from Portmarnock. Several players, including the likes of Dunne, Niall Kearney (who is a regular visitor to Enniscrone and Jonathan Caldwell, have been in and around the tour over the last six or seven years, but none have been able to establish themselves to the extent that they have full playing rights this season. This is in stark contrast to the 1990s, when Padraig Harrington was one of about a dozen Irish players regularly on the continental circuit week-to-week. Harrington himself has spoken about the benefit that was to him as a younger player away from the golf course, when he was able to socialise and chat with the likes of Des Smyth and others.

Indeed, speaking to Brian Keogh early last year, Harrington surmised: ”We had fifteen Irish guys on tour my first year, but I don't think that's anything to do with Ireland. I think that's more to do with the development of the world game and the European game in particular when it comes to occupying the European Tour membership.” And he probably has a point. Golf is a much more global game now and that is reflected in the distance players cover travelling from tournament to tournament. It’s a worldwide sport, especially on the DP World Tour. That means there's more demand for spots in the tournaments from players beyond the traditional countries that would have provided the bulk of the players in years past.

Similarly, we probably didn’t know how good we had – and still have it – for so long. Harrington’s major breakthrough in 2007 provided the spark for other Irish players to do likewise.

Of course, Rory McIlroy remains the world’s most compelling player and Shane Lowry is also in amongst the best players in the world. Seamus Power is a regular on the PGA Tour too. Indeed, Power’s progress on the PGA Tour can serve as reason for Irish golf to be optimistic about the future. The dearth of players on the DP World Tour at the moment can change quickly, particularly with the narrow margins at play. In 2017, Power regained his tour card by a margin of $287 dollars; he then went on to win his first tour event in 2021 at the age of 34. As they say, the good times can’t last forever.

But, while Irish golf’s depth chart isn’t what it once was, as a country, we still punch above our weight.