Claret connections run deep in Westport
Josh and Alex Marks and Sebastian Robinson, great-great-great-grandnephews of Bob Martin, twice Open winner in 1876 and 1885, with the Claret Jug on its visit to Westport Golf Club this week. Pictures: Conor McKeown
Golf: Although the setting of Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick was initially considered in itself a trump card for Paul O’Neill and the staff at Westport Golf Club for hosting the Claret Jug, perhaps a conversation last week on some history and local family connections put the arrival of the famous Golf Champion Trophy to the Co Mayo course on a whole different level.
The honour of hosting the famous Claret Jug at Westport Golf Club on Tuesday evening last had added significance because for Marks and Robinson families, members at Westport Golf Club Josh and Alex Marks and Sebastian Robinson are great-great-great-grandnephews of Bob Martin, twice Open winner in 1876 and 1885.
It was truly amazing to see how this family history and legacy lives on through his great-great-great-grandnephews. But not stopping there, the golfing heritage runs even further within the families, with both of the boys’ grandmothers Margo Carmichael and Evelyn McDonald, hailing from St Andrew’s, Scotland – a place synonymous with the history of golf.
“What a beautiful connection was present between family, history and the game for all to witness in person at Westport Golf Club on Tuesday night last,” said Paul O’Neill Bob Martin was born in Cupar, Fife, Scotland, in the 1850s. He was a frequent competitor in The Open Championship in the late 19th century. In total, he had ten top-10 finishes in the Open Championship tournaments.
As part of its R&A and Golf Ireland’s trophy tour of‘selecte’ golf clubs around Ireland ahead of the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in July this year, members and visitors to Westport Golf Club on Tuesday evening got the opportunity to see up close one of the most prestigious trophies in sport.
The Trophy rested on a special plinth with the spectacular panorama of the 18th green for over an hour while the many in attendance posed for photos and selfies with the glittering Jug. So maybe when this major golf trophy is being presented to this year’s winner in July, perhaps the photos and memories captured on Tuesday last will resonate more significantly with the members and friends of Westport Club.
