It’s been a year of firsts for Galway’s Liam Nolan and he will tick off another debut this week when he tees it up in the World Amateur Team Championships for the first time.
Nolan is part of a very strong Irish team which includes his Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup teammates, Alex Maguire and Matthew McClean ahead of the Eisenhower Trophy in Abu Dhabi Golf Club from October 18-21.
The 23-year-old has come of age in 2023, winning for the first time in Ecuador before backing it up with a thrilling victory at the Brabazon Trophy which set him on his way towards a Walker Cup debut in St Andrews last month. Now, he is looking to end a brilliant year on a high as he prepares for another debut.
“I’m buzzing, it’s my first one, lovely to get over to Abu Dhabi, go far away and play on an incredible course in another part of the world so really looking forward to it and the game is looking good, playing nicely and hopefully we can go over and do a job.
“I feel good I’ve had a lot of rest the last few weeks being back in college so not fully resting! It’s been nice but I have a hunger to get back to playing tournament golf again which is really nice so I can’t wait to get going.”
Temperatures are set to be in the high thirties in Abu Dhabi but Nolan believes his experience in Ecuador’s South American Amateur Championship and his regular voyages to South Africa at the start of every year with Golf Ireland will hold him in good stead for the testing conditions.
“I’ve played in warm climates before so I won’t be unfamiliar with the heat but it’s a different type of golf everywhere you go in the world so it will take a few days of getting used to but by the time the tournament comes round we will be ready to go.
“It brings different challenges, you have to fuel up and I remember playing in South Africa and it was the realisation that you won’t have your best stuff in the last few holes but hopefully the experience of playing in temperatures like that will stand to me and I can finish off my rounds well.”
With an all Walker Cup team heading to the UAE it does seem that Ireland are best placed to mount a challenge and replicate the success of 2016 when the men’s team of Stuart Grehan, Jack Hume and Paul McBride finished tied third with Leona Maguire, Olivia Mehaffey and Annabel Wilson also teaming up for a bronze with the women that year.
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