Hugh Foley doesn’t have a favourite win alongside Matthew McClean in foursomes and fourball but he does have a favourite loss, at the hands of Rory McIlroy’s father, Gerry.
Gerry Mc rolled in four birdies in a fourball betterball as he and Seminole Head Professional Matt Cahill took the money. And given the record of Foley and McClean as a pair, that is no mean feat. A notable scalp to take.
“Gerry rinsed us with four birdies in fourball betterball! That was great craic,” laughs Foley as he and McClean made it two wins from two foursomes matches in the Concession Cup to give Europe a 7.5-4.5 lead over the USA as Caolan Rafferty secured a half point heading into the final day singles.
Foley and McClean were 1UP winners over Stephen Behr and Andrew Price as they went under par in foursomes for the umpteenth time and bowed out in style in their last match together as a pair before Foley enters the pro ranks at next week’s Alps Tour Q-School.
“It sort of did dawn on me that this was our last match together,” adds Foley. “We didn’t talk about it today because it was raining so much we just focused on the golf. It did dawn on me this week and maybe at breakfast I was thinking about it and how I didn’t want to lose and keep the record going. Glad we did. Again we were under par and playing really well.”
Foley (Royal Dublin) and McClean (Malone) began their incredible partnership in 2022 and starred at the Octagonal matches and Home Internationals and have ended their three year run with just one defeat coming at the 2023 Octagonal matches where Foley was floored with a stomach bug.
But their partnership has turned into an equally strong friendship and the pair have toured the world together playing in some of the biggest amateur and mid amateur events in golf. They even locked horns in the 2023 US Mid-Amateur Final in Erin Hills, the first time two Irish players contested a USGA final.
McClean took the spoils that day to become the first Irishman to win a USGA amateur title and the starts at the Masters and US Open that came with it but Foley feels that tournament put them onto a path that has seen them become an all star pairing in mid amateur team events as well as being a stalwart duo for Ireland.
“It’s been great playing with Matt over the last few years, it helps having a travel buddy when you are going long distance, to the States, going long distance. It is good to have someone to play practice rounds with, have dinners with, share car and accommodation costs so it’s been great,” Foley explains.
“Summer 2022 we locked our eyes on the Mid-Am in Erin Hills and from then really it kind of shaped our next couple of years. It’s been great and we’ve had a great time playing some great events off the back of that. Unfortunately Matt’s a bit nicer than mine with the majors! I’ve just about forgiven him for that after three years but we’ve played some great events and it’s been a great time that I am sure we will look back on what a great time we had playing all these golf courses and travelling the world.
“Not sure if we have a favourite win together. They are all quite similar and foursomes are generally early on in tournaments or in the morning so they don’t end up winning an event. We had a good win in the Bridges Cup against two top Americans.”
To those who know Foley and McClean they are both very laid back people off the golf course and that is something the 27-year-old feels has helped them form such a formidable partnership.
“We have a similar minded approach to how we see golf, how we see shots. We are quite good on game management, we know each others games very well. Matt is very straight off the tee, has a great short game so it’s really easy to play foursomes with.
“I try to be aggressive with my irons I can probably free up a bit more having his short game there for the next shot. Putting as well we are both good green readers and sometimes help each other. We don’t bother each other too much. We are under par a lot. In a lot of matches even in tough courses.”
Foley is one of eleven Irishmen exempt for next week’s Alps Tour Q-School Final Stage which will include John Murphy and he will be trying to free up like he does in foursomes and play more aggressively when it comes to his own ball.
“It’s been weird, sometimes I feel like I need to play in singles strokeplay like the two of us do in foursomes.”
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