Jake Whelan hopes a good showing at the West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship can lead to some improved performances on links golf courses as he eyes up Flogas Men’s Irish Amateur Open Championship success.
The Grange golfer has been in impressive form this year with three-top-3 finishes on the Toro Tour and a last-16 defeat at the West of Ireland at Co. Sligo Golf Club.
Whelan felt spending the late winter and early spring period alongside professional Ronan Mullarney on the Toro Tour had him sharp heading into the opening event of the Irish championship season.
“The Toro Tour was good. It was good to play something early on in the year. I went over with Ronan Mullarney so it was good to play and practice with him and learn from him and get him to bring me on a bit,” said Whelan.
The Dubliner has a Mullingar Scratch Cup and a Munster Strokeplay title on his CV, but when it comes to championships on links courses, he has flattered to deceive with his best links finish last year 12th at last year’s Irish Amateur Championship in the Island.
Both the Irish and East of Ireland Amateur Championships are 72-holes of stroke play – a format that plays to Whelan’s strengths.
“I’d like to improve the links form this year. The Irish Amateur Open at the Island is coming up and of course the East which are both stroke play. You can kind of get a better gauge out there and I can play some good golf this year in the big events.
“Played well in the West and just came up against a tough guy on the day, Shane McDermott played the better golf and made a lot of birdies. Played well in the stroke play but didn’t putt well for the the first two rounds but started holing putts after the third round.”
Whelan romped to a seven-shot win at Cork Golf Club last year to take the Munster Strokeplay and he returns to the site of that win looking to defend in a new format and new tournament name – The Munster Men’s Amateur Open Championship.
The event begins on Saturday and will consist of 36 holes of stroke play with the top-16 advancing to the match play stages on Sunday. The quarter-finals will be played on Sunday afternoon with the semi-finals and final commencing on Bank Holiday Monday.
“Happy to be going back to Cork this week as defending champion, obviously it’s a different format this year so it’s just a qualifying and see how you get on in the match play,” explained Whelan. “It’s about trying to get through qualifying and hopefully you can get into the match play and get a run together.”
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