The first year of the Elavon sponsorship of the PGA in Ireland Order of Merit was a memorable one, taking in events in all four corners of the island and everywhere in between, with record participation from professionals and amateurs and delivering a standard of competition rarely seen on the Irish PGA circuit.
Having finished third in each of the last two seasons, Tim Rice had unfinished business but displayed unrivalled consistency and more than occasional brilliance to hold off Niall Kearney who finished runner-up, with Michael McGeady in third, Simon Thornton in fourth and Richard Kilpatrick rounding out the top five.
Rice won a total of six times (five solo, one shared), finished runner-up four times, and was third on an additional four. In 27 total starts, he was outside the top 10 on just five occasions and set new course records at Newlands (64) and Bellewstown (65).
“It’s very pleasing,” said Rice. “I found something in my swing at the start of the year and I stuck with it and that really helped me throughout the year.
“The standard was so high this year. Colm Moriarty set the tone in the first event in Lucan when he shot seven-under, so everyone else had to get up to speed pretty quickly. You couldn’t make a couple of birdies and stop, you had to keep going and it made all of us lift up our games.
“It was a great schedule as well. We got some new courses, and I’d like to give a mention to Seamus McKibben for organising the Pro-Am in Royal County Down.
“A special thanks to the team at Elavon. Their enthusiasm and support all season were incredible. As sportspeople, we need support like that, and we thrive on it and hopefully it can continue to grow in the coming years.”
Chief Executive Officer at Elavon Declan Lynch was thrilled with how the season unfolded and felt that Rice was a more than worthy winner.
“Elavon is delighted to sponsor the PGA Ireland Circuit, it’s great to see the level of support across the country at all the events including the Pro-Ams,” he said. “Huge congratulations to Tim Rice for his fantastic win, showing such consistency over the season, resulting in him being crowned Order of Merit champion. The season has been a great success for many, both professional and amateur who turn out to play our amazing courses around the country.”
PGA Ireland Regional Manager Conor Dillon also paid tribute to the Elavon support and to Rice for his achievement.
“I’d like to thank Elavon for making this one of the most successful seasons in many years,” Dillon said. “We’ve had record participation from both professionals and amateurs all over the country, and we visited some of the top courses in the country which meant that players got to experience top-class playing conditions and increased exposure for all of the golf courses involved.
“Tim was outstanding all season. His consistency was incredible, but the standard across the board was so high, and that’s great for the region and also great for the sponsors.
“Elavon have been amazing supporters, and we’re absolutely delighted to have them on board.”