Leona Maguire is the headline act — and only Irish professional in the field — for next week’s KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland Castle, but an indication of the conveyor belt of talent following (hopefully) in her footsteps can be gauged by the list of amateur invites into the championship.
Teenagers Olivia Costello, Katie Poots, Rebekah Gardner, Marina Joyce Moreno and Kate Lanigan have all been extended invites into the Ladies European Tour event, which returns to the calendar for the first time in 10 years, along with Irish international Aideen Walsh, a schoolteacher in Ennis.
“It’s very exciting,” said Walsh of the Irish Open’s return. “I’m only playing golf about 12 years so I never really had an Irish Open to look up to but I hope that something like this, if we can push on and make it a really good tournament for the younger Irish girls coming through, like 13, 14, 15 years that are really talented, it’s only right that they have something to they can aspire to in the future, a home professional event,” said Walsh.
Walsh, who is 24 and concentrated on golf after also playing Gaelic football and camogie in her youth, harbours no ambitions of turning professional in claiming to have the “best of both worlds” in combining her teacher position at Chriost Rí school in Ennis with her busy amateur schedule.
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And while being a competitor to Maguire next week, the Clare woman is also looking forward to what the Solheim Cup star will bring to Dromoland Castle: “Everyone looks up to Leona. She is doing so well. Personally, I can’t wait to see her playing and see how she gets on,” said Walsh.
Maguire completes a three-week stint stateside on the LPGA Tour at this week’s Portland Classic in Oregon as she consolidates her standing on the Race to CME Globe standings before returning home to Ireland for next week’s LET event, which will be her fourth straight week of tournament duty.
Word of Mouth
“I don’t think I’ve ever stood over a pitch from 40 yards and thought ‘don’t knife this into the hospitality’ in front of me, but that crossed my mind. I suppose anytime you’re trying something that’s out of the ordinary, it sort of makes it a little tougher. And the one thing you don’t want necessarily in a final round is drama, but if you get it, you have to put up with it and just get on with it”
Pádraig Harrington of opting to play over a tented hospitality to reach the green on the 13th hole of his win in the Ascension Charity Classic on the PGA Champions Tour at Norwood Country Club in St Louis, Missouri. Harrington’s third win of the season consolidated his second place position behind Steve Alker in the Charles Schwab order of merit.
McKibbin aiming for DP World Tour card
Tom McKibbin will be aiming to maintain his good form of late when he competes in the Portugal Open on the Challenge Tour this week, as the Northern Irish teenager seeks to lock up his full tour card for next season.
With just five regular events left of the season before the cards for next season’s DP World Tour are divvied up at the Grand Final, McKibbin — currently 13th on the order of merit with the top 20 earning full playing rights on the main circuit for 2023 — is in a strong position.
Also in the field in Royal Obidos are John Murphy (28th in the Race to Mallorca standings), Ruaidhrí McGee (40th), Conor Purcell (74th), Gary Hurley (146th) and Gavin Moynihan (258th).
By the Numbers
6: Shane Lowry’s win in the BMW PGA Championship brought to six his number of career European Tour successes, adding the prestigious title to the Irish Open (2009), Portugal Masters (2012), WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (2015), Abu Dhabi HSBC (2019) and the British Open (2019).
On this day .. 13th September 1998
“That last hole probably aged me 10 years,” quipped Billy Andrade, after an unorthodox finish to the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey where the American purposely pitched his shot from greenside rough into a bunker.
Andrade — with rounds of 68-69-69-69 for 11-under-par 275 — was forced into a playoff with Bob Friend in his quest to lift the famous trophy, and at that first hole of sudden-death both players had missed the green and were forced to negotiate a bunker to find the green.
Playing first, Friend used a sand wedge and then watched in horror as the ball rolled through the green and into the water. To shouts of “whoa, whoa, whoa….”, the ball didn’t listen to his pleadings. Not wanting the same fate, Andrade pitched his shot into the bunker from where he blasted out to five feet and made the par-saving putt that earned him a cheque for $396,000 and a first win on tour in seven years, dating back to the 1991 Buick Open.
“When you don’t win for a while, you don’t know if you’re ever going to win again,” said Andrade of his relief at getting over the line.
Twitter Twaddle
What a win @ShaneLowryGolf and doing it bogey free, that’s some playing at the @BMWPGA Enjoy this one Shane — Europe’s Ryder Cup Luke Donald suitably impressed by the Offalyman.
Yes @ShaneLowryGolf A weekend to be an #Offaly golfer — Another Offaly man, Stuart Grehan, who won his maiden title on the Euro Pro Tour over the weekend. Grehan won the Spey Valley Championship at the seventh hole of a sudden-death play-off which moved him to ninth on the mini-tour’s order of merit.
Thanks again as always to @BMWPGA for an awesome week! Felt like the best one I have been part of (despite difficult circumstances). Thanks for the continued support and well done to @ShaneLowryGolf ... Delighted for you — Eddie Pepperell tipping the cap to Lowry.
Know the Rules
Q: In stroke play, Player A’s ball lies on the out of bounds line after his tee shot. Although no part of his ball touches or overhangs the course, he plays his next stroke from where the ball lies. What is the ruling?
A: The player must return to the tee and gets a total of three penalty strokes (Rule 6.3c and Rule 18.2).
In the Bag
Shane Lowry, BMW PGA
Driver — Srixon ZX5 (9.5 degrees)
3-wood — TaylorMade SIM 2 Titanium (15 degrees)
5-wood — TaylorMade M5 Titanium (19 degrees)
Utility iron — Srixon ZX5 (4-5), Srixon ZX7 (6-PW)
Wedges — Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50, 58 degrees)
Putter — Odyssey White Hot Pro 2-Ball
Ball — Srixon Z-Star XV
