Quentin Carew came within inches of being the first player since Rory McIlroy to successfully defend the Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship last year, but the Tallaght-based Garda can still become the first player since McIlroy to hoist the trophy twice should he prevail at Dun Laoghaire this week.
After announcing his arrival on the Championship circuit with his incredible victory in 2022, coming from four down after nine holes to knock off Hugh Foley in the final match at Headfort, the Kildare native playing out of Castleknock had a putt for back-to-back victories only to be denied in a playoff by Robert Moran at Malone last year.
Now, with the Championship returning to Leinster once again, he’s again got eyes on one of the big prizes on the men’s amateur circuit and will be one of the pre-tournament favourites when he rolls into Dun Laoghaire and he can’t wait to get the action started.
“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it,” he said at a promotional event coordinated by tournament sponsors AIG. “After two years ago when it all happened, this is always going to be special every time we come to play it, so I’m really looking forward to it again. It’s on a great golf course in Dun Laoghaire, kind of similar to Castleknock in a lot of ways – it’s a long course, lots of water and big greens – so that will help as well.”
With four of the traditional championships – the North, South, East and West of Ireland Championships – always held on links courses, and the Irish Amateur Open also being held at Co. Sligo Golf Club in 2024, a return to Championship action in a parkland setting is one that Carew is relishing.
“Yeah, I find Parkland suits me better with the way I play,” he explained. “Even when I play well on links, it tends to when greens are softer and a bit more receptive as I hit the ball quite high – I’m a bit more of a target golfer – so when we get back to parkland golf it’s always a bit of a boost.
“But in the week ahead, I think you just have to stay in the moment, take it one shot at a time, and not get too far ahead of yourself. As the saying goes, you can’t win it on the first day but you can lose it.”
Whilst that 2022 win came in the old format of 36 holes of strokeplay and the top 64 playing off in head-to-head combat, last year and this year’s Championships are contested over 72 holes of strokeplay. Though the traditionalist in Carew would’ve always seen him lean towards matchplay as his preferred format, there’s more than a strong case to be made for suggesting strokeplay being the format that suits him best, even though he was the 64th-ranked qualifier in 2022 and scythed his way through the field to take overall glory.
“Not anymore,” he expressed when asked if he had a personal preference. “I would’ve traditionally preferred getting into the matchplay because it’s only one person to worry about and you can get more aggressive, but over time, I’ve adjusted more to the strokeplay and you have to learn that they are two totally different games. Strokeplay is a lot more about patience and limiting damage.”
Consistency is one of the keys to Championship golf, and Carew is one of the most consistent of the circuit regulars.
“Yeah, I probably rarely go out and shoot six- or seven-under,” he says, “but then I rarely shoot that the other side [of par] either, I always keep it kind of tight. Getting the most out of every round is something I always try to do, grind it out, so if I’m three-over standing on nine, that’s as far as it goes to me and I’m trying to get back the other way and get every little bit out of it because the one thing I’ve learned at these Championships down the years is that you never know what can happen or what’s important. You can give up halfway round and end up missing the cut by one or something like that, so you have to fight for every shot as anything can happen, especially with the weather we have in Ireland.”
As special as 2022 was, 2024 is special for different reasons with the arrival of daughter Lilly – an ode to his Lillywhite roots – so though he hasn’t quite had the results he’d have liked on the course, a four-month-old child and a full-time job with An Garda SĂochána means his hands are fuller than most.
“It’s tough,” he says of the balancing act. “I’m very lucky with the Gardai, they are very supportive and there’s a lot of flexibility there, but you’re dealing with people every day and it’s serious stuff so you can’t just sweep things under the rug. That’s not to dismiss anybody else’s job, but you have to be fully focused on the job when you’re there, but I am lucky that I get a lot of freedom from the job as well.
“And my first child was born four months ago as well, so that’s a bit of a shock to the system, so learning how to balance that with the golf and the job has been a bit funny.”
With the Championship being held nearby, it’s a welcome opportunity to stay at home and the advantages of being able to sleep in your own bed and enjoy home comforts can be considerable.
“It’s nice, everybody likes to stay in their own bed,” he said. “Because it can be tough, were all amateurs at the end of the day and the affordability to stay in nice places isn’t always there. So when you have that advantage of being able to stay in your own bed, you take it. You’re always looking for that little one percent that can make a difference and getting to stay in your own bed always helps.”
Of course, that’s providing four-month-old Lilly understands that her father has a big task at hand.
“That’s the only thing,” he laughs. “She’s playing ball the last week or two, so I’ll be giving her a gentle reminder or two that it’s the Close this week and Daddy needs his sleep.”