All eyes will be on Ireland this summer as it welcomes a trilogy of top class amateur events starting on Monday.
First up will be the 129th Amateur Championship in Ballyiffin, Donegal as one of the biggest amateur competitions visits Irish soil for the first time since 2019, when Mallow’s James Sugrue was the winner.
Sugrue edged Euan Walker in a thrilling 36-hole final in Portmarnock, becoming the first Irishman since Alan Dunbar in 2012 to lift the trophy.
The Cork man survived a gallant fightback from the Scot as he capped off a decorated amateur career in style which included reaching a career-high 5th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and playing on the 2019 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team.
“Winning the Amateur is definitely the highlight of my amateur career. I’ve had so many great days as an amateur winning team events with Ireland, winning Boys Homes was brilliant over in England but yeah I would have to give it to the Amateur Championship,” explains Sugrue who plies his trade as a professional on the Alps Tour.
“It was just unreal and it makes it even better that it was at home in Portmarnock. To have so many friends and family there to support and watch was very special.
“It was a brilliant match, it would have been a desperate one to lose from being 5UP in front of a home crowd but thankfully I came out on the right side of the result. It was a massively memorable week in front of my family.
Coming into the championship, few expected the 22-year-old to etch his name into Irish golfing folklore but home comforts rang true for Sugrue that week and plenty of Irish players are hoping for the same in Ballyliffin this month.
“I was comfortable up there,” he admits. “I almost felt like I was playing in Mallow. I had Conor on the bag, three very good friends up with me for the week-Eoghan, Liam and Greg-and they followed me for the whole thing so it felt like the Senior Cup almost.
“Every day we had a great laugh. We’d finish up at the golf, go to Five Guys in Swords Pavilions for a feed. I was staying in my cousins house in Portmarnock and we went down to the beach every day, had a kick around, a puc around and went to bed early every night–just got into a really nice routine.”
Speaking to a host of Irish players on the amateur circuit, the interviewer need not mention the Amateur Championship in Ballyliffin this month, they bring it up themselves such is the excitement.
It’s the gold ribbon event of the season, with plenty dreaming of a glorious home win including Donegal’s own Ryan Griffin.
The Ballybofey man has secured his passage into the championship having won the R&A Student Tour Series Order of Merit and now a member of Ballyliffin, he is looking forward to a dream week.
“I would have been on the cusp of things with my world ranking, I might have had to play the qualifier. I’m a member of Balyliffin this year, so getting to play there at an amateur championship is amazing,” says Griffin.
“The pro up there Gareth McCausland is a top man so shout out to him, getting a membership up there was no problem.
“The people in Donegal, they love their golf. I work in McGuirks in Letterkenny and the people who come in, you are the floor staff and just talking to people. Everyone is so nice and they are delighted to see someone from Ballybofey do so well because it’s been so long since anyone has made big moves on the international stage from up here.”
Roganstown starlet Seán Keeling spearheaded Europe’s charge to Junior Ryder Cup glory last year in Marco Simone, Rome.
His big goal for the year is to win a men’s event having achieved so much at Boys level. The Amateur Championship in Ballyliffin, where he holds honorary membership is at the top of the list.
“That was last October, so the Amateur being there would be a great one to do well in,” said the 17-year-old.
“The golf courses we get to play on in Ireland. Being Irish perhaps we don’t appreciate it as much as we should. There are some class courses and Ballyliffin is one of them so hopefully it will be a great week.”
Flogas Irish Amateur champion Matthew McClean was a first reserve when the Amateur last docked in Ireland in 2019 and he will be taking inspiration from what Sugrue achieved five years ago.
“The Amateur in Ireland is the gold ribbon event of the year so everyone will be trying to have their game in great shape for that. A couple of great events in America too with the US Amateur and Mid-Amateur.
“The Amateur is the number one amateur event for someone from GB&I. It’s the one everyone would take. It’s number one by a distance. Being in Ireland for the first time since Sugrue won in 2019, every Irish golfer is trying to use that as inspiration and trying to follow what he did. It’s certainly possible for somebody to repeat that.”
26 Irish players will be competing in the field with West of Ireland champion Keith Egan getting proceedings underway on the Glashedy course at 06:45am.
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