An all Walker Cup Irish team of Matthew McClean, Liam Nolan and Alex Maguire will head for the World Amateur Team Championships in Abu Dhabi this week, all looking to cap off an amazing year on a high.
All three players won a point for Great Britain and Ireland at last month’s Walker Cup and although they came up short against the USA, they will be gunning for a first Eisenhower Trophy success for Ireland since 2016.
Malone star McClean is Ireland’s highest ranked player this week at 57th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings having continued his fine form this year following his US Mid-Amateur Championship win in 2022.
The Belfast based optometrist has had some unbelievable experiences this year, playing in the Masters and US Open before earning a maiden Walker Cup bow and he hopes he can cap off a ‘once in a lifetime’ year with some silverware for Ireland.
“It’s been a phenomenal year, more than likely a once in a lifetime experience, it’s been a long year, there’s been a lot of travel, a lot of golf but at the same time a very enjoyable year,” said McClean who has performed well abroad, particularly the United States with two third place finishes at the Western Amateur and the Crump Cup Memorial.
“I’ve taken a lot from this year and the experiences through some of the tournaments, this will be a great tournament to cap off the year in Abu Dhabi in one of the best amateur fields in the world. Looking forward to getting out there and testing ourselves against the other guys.”
Understandably, McClean has been keen to rest over the last few weeks but he insists it won’t take him long to rediscover his form when the Eisenhower Trophy kicks off on Wednesday.
“I’ve had a bit of rest the last few weeks which has been nice but I’m still eager to get out and play some competitive golf. A couple of weeks is enough rest and I’m ready to go. Being the last tournament of the year I’m pretty excited to get out there.
“I feel OK, not played much over the last few weeks. I played well in September I had a few nice scores in tournaments then played a few rounds the last few weeks and played decent. Hitting the ball OK so I’ll keep practicing and use the warm up days and I’ll be back into competition mode.”
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