Former Walker Cup star Mark Power is hoping that the use of the Trackman simulator will aid his bid to join the megabucks LIV Golf circuit.
Power is five Irish players playing in this week’s LIV Golf Promotions at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia where the winner will earn playing rights alongside the likes of US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm for the 2025 campaign.
With no full status on either the Challenge Tour or the DP World Tour for next season, Mount Juliet-attached Power – along with Max Kennedy (who recently narrowly missed out on his DP World Tour card but did earn exemption on to the Challenge Tour for next season), Alex Maguire, Liam Nolan and Matt McClean – will aim to take the route less travelled.
To familiarise himself with the course, which also hosted last week’s PIF Saudi International won in a playoff by Joaquin Niemann, Power has used the Trackman simulator and also watched rounds of the tournament on YouTube.
The LIV Promotions tournament has a $1.5 million purse (with $200,000 to the winner) but the real prize for whoever wins the three-day sprint (with 36 holes on Saturday’s final day) is status to play next season’s full LIV schedule. Aside from that golden ticket, the leading 10 players will earn cards for the International Series, which is sanctioned by the Asian Tour.
Conor Purcell makes his first appearance of the DP World Tour season
Finally, Conor Purcell will get to play his first tournament at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Championship as a full-fledged DP World Tour card carrying member.
The 27-year-old Dubliner earned his full tour card through this season’s Challenge Tour rankings and will kick-start his main tour campaign at the tournament at Leopard Creek (where Tom McKibbin is also in action). It will be the first of back-to-back weeks on tour for Purcell, who will also compete in next week’s Mauritius Open.
No LPGA Tour cards for Irish duo
As consolation prizes go, the Epson Tour cards claimed by both Lauren Walsh and Sara Byrne – after failing to earn one of the 25 LPGA Tour cards available at the Q-Series Final – will ensure a healthy playing schedule stateside for 2025 for the pair.
Walsh, who has just completed a fantastic rookie season on the Ladies European Tour where the Kildare golfer finished 18th on the final order of merit, and Curtis Cup star Byrne have got Category C status on the Epson Tour next season. The secondary circuit runs from March to October and offers 15 full cards to the LPGA Tour through its order of merit, which is the route Leona Maguire took to the main circuit.
Walsh will be able to juggle playing schedules on the LET and the Epson Tour, and Byrne will endeavour to do likewise when she takes part in next week’s LET Final Qualifying School but with the safety of the Cork player knowing that the Epson Tour is certainly on her scheduling.
Word of Mouth
“It’s surreal almost when you get in the same room with Tiger, but it’s definitely pretty surreal having him hand you a trophy at the end of the day.” – world number one Scottie Scheffler on successfully defending his title at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, an event host by Tiger Woods. The victory was Scheffler’s ninth of the year, which included the Masters and the Olympics.
By the Numbers: 9,000,000
That’s the amount – in euro – that next season’s Challenge Tour will offer in prize money, a record. The schedule (which includes the Irish Challenge at Killeen Castle in Co Meath from August 7th-10th) features 29 tournaments, starting with the SDC Open in South Africa in January and finishing with the 45-man Rolex Grand Final in Mallorca in November.
Social game
Gr8ful to have experienced #Qatar 4 the 1st time & #Saudi again for the 2 weeks. Thankful 4 my sobriety & #family & 4 any1 struggling with addiction & #MentalHealth ask urself the ? wat is the worst that can happen by trying to get help? Thankful 4 all the support this year – Anthony Kim provides some words of wisdom, after his comeback season on LIV.
There’s no feeling in golf like being part of @RyderCuEurope team! Such good memories from Rome captured in a new documentary out now on Ryder Cup’s YouTube channel – Tommy Fleetwood on the Una Famiglia doc which provides terrific behind-the-scenes insights to the win in Rome.
The number 1 ranked golf course in South Africa. Leopard Creek – the Sunshine Tour’s official account heralding this week’s return of the Alfred Dunhill Championship to the iconic course.
Know the Rules
Q: In stroke play, a player removes an out of bounds stake which interferes with their swing. What is the ruling?
A: The player gets two penalty strokes unless they replace the stake to eliminate any improvement and restore the original conditions. Definition of Boundary Object, Rule 8.1a and Rule 8.1c. A boundary object cannot be moved to improve the conditions affecting the stroke. However, the player can avoid penalty by replacing the stake to eliminate any improvement and restore the original conditions.
In the Bag: Johannes Veerman (Nedbank Challenge)
Driver: Ping G430 LST
3-wood: Ping G430 Max
5-wood: Ping G430 Max
Irons: Ping I230 (3); Ping Blueprint Forged S (5-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 (PW), TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 (50 and 54 degrees), Titleist Vokey SM10-WW Proto (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping PLD Anser 30
Ball: Titleist, Pro V1 (21)