Were it not for him earning an invitation to tee it up at the Amgen Irish Open in his hometown, at the club where he began as a starter and course ranger, and eventually an assistant pro, Simon Thornton would be joining Colm Moriarty at the PGA Cup at Sunriver in Oregon this coming week.
Thornton was part of the Great Britain and Ireland team who lost out to the United States at Foxhills in England back in 2022, and, having been a late starter who missed out on the team golf prior to turning professional, it was the first time he’d ever been in the team environment. He loved the week so much that starting 2024, making the team again was close to the top of his list of priorities. And victory in the PGA Playoffs in Cyprus in early March secured a berth on the team, but it also brought entry to the Betfred British Masters, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, and to the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down.
And he couldn’t turn the opportunity to tee it up in front of friends and family at the place where it all started.
“I loved that week in Foxhills, I really did,” he said. “And I would do anything to try to get there again, especially since I’d never played any team golf as an amateur, but we all know as professionals of a certain standard that DP World Tour invites don’t come around that often.”
Nevertheless, he’ll be keeping a keen eye on the action in Oregon and he’s backing Moriarty to be a key player for the GB&I team.
“We’ve had a few text messages back and forth about it and spoken a little bit about it,” Thornton said, “but he’s obviously played that sort of golf before in his amateur days. He’s a great professional and has had a great career in professional golf, so he’ll understand what it’s all about when he gets there.
“That week affects everybody differently. Some people enjoy it, some people like to be there, but some people thrive on it in an almost Poulter-esque way. And Colm will be one of those who thrive on it, he’s definitely in that category.
“He’ll be a great foursomes partner because he hits it so well, strikes it lovely and hits it long off the tee, and he makes a lot of birdies as well so he’ll be a great fourball partner too. So yeah, he’ll definitely thrive in that environment.”
Among those lining up in opposition will be Michael Block, the PGA club pro who shot to fame with his exploits in the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in 2023, where he finished inside the top 15 and made a hole-in-one while playing alongside Rory McIlroy in the final round.
The PGA Cup gets underway on Friday and you can follow Colm and the GB&I team’s progress at the following link.