Hugh Foley loves golf history and he’s bidding to make some this weekend when he tries to become the first man to complete the provincial “grand slam” with victory in the East of Ireland Championship at County Louth.
None of the greats of yesteryear managed to win amateur golf’s North, South, East and West of Ireland titles.
But Foley will have a chance at Baltray when he tees it up in one of the strongest fields assembled in recent years for the Kingspan-sponsored 72-hole classic at Baltray.
While the great Joe Carr won the East and West 12 times each and the South three times, he never managed to complete the set by winning the North, mainly due to a clash with the Open Championship, which he played frequently between 1951 and 1971.
Eight players have won three of the four legs. But Carr, Barry Reddan and Mark Gannon never won the North,
David Long (like Foley) missed out on the East, Darren Clarke drew a blank in the West, while Arthur Pierse and the great Garth McGimpsey failed to win the South.
It’s little wonder Foley is doubly motivated for this year’s East of Ireland, which begins with the first of two strokeplay qualifying rounds today (Sat).
“It would be really fantastic,” said the Dubliner (27), who won the West in 2021 and North and South in 2022 as well as the Irish Close in 2020.
“I’d be a big follower of golf history and Irish golf history. Obviously, Joe Carr didn’t play the North that often because of The Open, and the North-South divide might have played a part as well.
“But with my interest in history, it’d be fantastic to do something like that. But we all know that talking about it won’t won’t do it. You have to go out and earn it.
“Mike Tyson used to say everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. So hopefully Baltray doesn’t punch me in the face this time.”
Foley will be teeing it up in Baltray for the first time since 2019 and he believes he’s a far stronger player now than the man whose best finish in three appearances is a tie for 23rd in 2019.
As it’s a non-Walker Cup year, he’s opted to change his usual routine and skip the clashing Scottish Amateur Open at Muirfield to tee it up in the field that features the top three Irish players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings in his Royal Dublin clubman Max Kennedy, Malone’s Matt McClean and Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty.
Kennedy returns to domestic action after graduating from the University of Louisville as McClean looks to add the East to his win in the Flogas Irish Amateur Open at Co Sligo.
As for Rafferty, he was runner-up to Alex Maguire, now a professional, in 2022 before losing out to the Laytown and Bettystown star in a three-hole aggregate playoff that also featured Portumna’s Sam Murphy last year.
With the likes of West of Ireland champion Keith Egan, Ulster Strokeplay champion Adam Buchanan, Luke O’Neill, Jack Hearn, TJ Ford, Peter O’Keeffe, Quentin Carew, Joshua Hill, David Shiel and Co Louth’s Gavin Tiernan joined by the likes of past winners Colm Campbell and Paul O’Hanlon, Foley knows he will have to produce great golf to complete the slam.
But he feels confident he can play well after regaining some confidence in recent weeks by finishing fifth in the Irish Amateur Open and tenth in last week’s Brabazon Trophy.
“My performances in the East haven’t been great but my excuse is that I just wasn’t a good enough player to compete back in 2017, ’18 and ’19,” he said. “Since then I’ve done well in local qualifying for The Open there. I think I’ve qualified twice out of Baltray.
“I love the course and I love the greens. So if you play well, you’ll make a lot of birdies. It shows its teeth in the wind like most links courses. But the forecast looks good, so the scoring might be low.
“You also get a great crowd. I know Caolan and Alex were in the late groups last year when there were two or three hundred people in the gallery. So it gets great support as well, which is something you don’t get at the UK events.”
The 132-strong field will play 18 holes on Saturday and Sunday with the top 42 and ties after 36 holes qualifying for the final two rounds on Bank Holiday Monday.
Former Walker Cup player Rafferty certainly believes he’s due some luck after finishing third in 2018 and joint runner-up for the last two years.
“There’s no point in lying; it’s one I would definitely love to win, but at the same time, I don’t go there thinking I have to win,” Rafferty said.
“I obviously want to win but I don’t go out saying it or even in my own head I just go out and try and play my best golf because you can play it really well like I’ve done and come third, second, second it just depends what the lads do around you, it’s out of your control.
“I generally score half decent in it, so all going well, hopefully we can continue it on and make that step, getting the win.”
East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by Kingspan, County Louth GC
Tee times
Saturday/Sunday
1st tee/10th tee
7:30/12:30 Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock), Evan Farrell (Co Louth), Eoin O’Carroll (St Anne’s);
7:41/12:41 TJ Ford (Co Sligo), Keith Egan (Carton House), Robbie Cannon (Balbriggan);
7:52/12:52 Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk), Luke O’Neill (Connemara), Gavin O’Neill (Malahide);
8:03/1:03 Jack Hearn (Tramore), Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin), Gavin Tiernan (Co Louth);
8:14/1:14 Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas), Mark Cadden (Roganstown), Joe O’Neill (Berehaven);
8:25/1:25 Edward Reed (Royal Birkdale), Simon Walker (Roscommon), Lucas McKeen (Co Louth);
8:36/1:36 Dylan Keating (Seapoint), Stephen Grant (Birr), Jake Foley (Elm Park);
8:47/1:47 Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle), Jonathan Keane (Lahinch), Paul Coughlan (Castleknock);
8:58/1:58 Matthew McClean (Malone), Mark Doogue (Castleknock), Darragh Flynn (Carton House);
9:09/2:09 David Kitt (Athenry), Ruairi O’Connor (Co Sligo), Tom Cafferky (Ballinasloe);
9:20/2:20 Matthew Grehan (Tullamore), Jake Whelan (Grange), Charlie Denvir (Elm Park).
10th tee/1st tee
7:30/12:30 Aidan Dooley (Carton House), Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin), Eoin Murphy (Dundalk);
7:41/12:41 Stephen Walsh (Baltusrol, USA), Paul O’Hanlon (Carton House), Jonathon Keith (Inverness);
7:52/12:52 Gary Collins (Rosslare), Thomas Abom (Edmondstown), Max Kennedy (Royal Dublin);
8:03/1:03 Liam Abom (Edmondstown), Donal O’Reilly (Farnham Estate), David Lally (Blainroe);
8:14/1:14 David Shiel (Enniscrone), Morgan Cain (Cork), Kevin LeBlanc (The Island);
8:25/1:25 Paraic McGrath (Galway Bay), Calum Ward (Carton House), Quentin Carew (Castleknock);
8:36/1:36 David Howard (Fota Island), David Keenaghan (Mullingar), David Reddan (Nenagh);
8:47/1:47 Charlie Cooley (Belvoir Park), Darren McCormack (Corrstown), Adam Smith (Mullingar);
8:58/1:58 Mark Feenan (Mourne), Edward Rowe (Belvoir Park), Dwayne Mallon (Dungannon);
9:09/2:09 Lewis Gowdy (Bangor), Matthew Giles (Greenore), Ben Phipps (USA);
9:20/2:20 Colin Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire, James Stenson (The Island), Gerard Dunne (Co Louth).
1st tee/10th tee
12:30/7:30 Shea Dorman (Bangor), John Cleary (Elm Park), Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell);
12:41/7:41 Eoin Rogers (Ardee), Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock), Jack Blake (The Island);
12:52/7:52 Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle), Craig Kelly (Grange Castle), Shane O’Neill (Malahide);
1:03/8:03 Conor Hickey (Dooks), Adam Buchanan (Royal Portrush), Dean O’Riordan (Fermoy);
1:14/8:14 Ryan McNelis (Fintona), Aaron Marshall (Lisburn), Simon Ward (Belvoir Park);
1:25/8:25 Sean McAufield (Ardee), Jordan Boles (Charleville), Seán McLoughlin (Co Sligo);
1:36/8:36 Rory McConnell (Belvoir Park), Mark Shanahan (Rosslare), Brian Doran (Millicent);
1:47/8:47 Ian O’Connell (Castleknock), Jack Phipps (Ardee), Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu);
1:58/8:58 Oscar Murphy (Royal Portrush), Gareth Bohill (Co Louth), Ian Lynch (Rosslare);
2:09/9:09 Jamie Butler (Naas), Lee O’Meara (Tullamore), Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park);
2:20/9:20 Shane Gannon (YBrig, SUI), Seamus Cullen (Slieve Russell), Adam Doran (Co Louth).
10th tee/1st tee
12:30/7:30 James Temple (Portmarnock), Ciaran Dunphy (Killeen Castle), Evan Monaghan (Tullamore);
12:41/7:41 Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin), Cian O’Connor (Roscommon), Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little);
12:52/7:52 Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden), Daniel Werner (Nilsson Oslo, NOR), David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown);
1:03/8:03 Mark Mullen (Rosslare), Robert Walsh (Douglas), Sean Murphy (Grange);
1:14/8:14 Adam Cromwell (Co Armagh), Ross McCormack (Palmerstown House Estate), Luke Kelly (Dunfanaghy);
1:25/8:25 Harley Phipps (Co Louth), Adam Fahey (Portmarnock), Samuel Gammell (Naas);
1:36/8:36 Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock), Cian Harkin (Letterkenny), Theodor M Bjørge (Aalesund Golf, NOR);
1:47/8:47 Jason Law (East Cork), Marcus Goosen (Sunnfjord, NOR), Fridtjof Farhang (Oslo, NOR);
1:58/8:58 Stephen Healy (Royal Dublin), Gordon Sillett (Ballykisteen), Sean Reddy (Douglas);
2:09/9:09 Mikkel Bergum Johansen (Drøbak GK, NOR), Sean Cooper (Enniscorthy), Seán Desmond (Monkstown);
2:20/9:20 Cornelius Farhang (Oslo GC, NOR), Mark Gazi (Tralee), Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint).