Marc Boucher (Carton House) continues to knock on the door of the winner’s enclosure and he is determined to break it down this summer and add a championship win to his CV.
Boucher enjoyed a decorated junior career before attending UNC Charlotte and upon his return from the States he has been a regular feature on Irish championship leaderboards. Since 2021 the Dubliner has five top-9 finishes on home soil including a semi-final appearance at the West of Ireland championship in April.
Boucher ended 2022 in fine fettle, coming sixth at the European Men’s Club Trophy and second at the Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship. He has carried that form into 2023 and his main goal is to etch his name onto a trophy this season.
“First and foremost I want to get a win this year. I really want to get a men’s championship under my belt I think that will help me a lot going forward,” explained the former Irish International. “I came close at the West and at the Island a couple of things didn’t fall into place but it was still a very solid week. The confidence is pretty high at the moment and then with a busy few weeks ahead there’s nothing to say I can’t go ahead and get the job done.
“I have been close a couple of times over the last couple of years. To get a senior championship would be a great achievement,” he added.
Boucher will make his fourth appearance at the Brabazon Trophy on Thursday after finishing 14th at the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship a fortnight ago at the Island and he feels his game is good enough to contend to win over the next few weeks with some big dates at the Ulster Strokeplay, Scottish Amateur, St Andrews Links and British Amateur championships to come.
“I built up a score at the Island until a certain stage and then I made bogeys at bad times instead of kicking on from two or three-under to four I was going back the other way, that was a momentum killer. My game is in good shape if I can get a few more putts to drop here and there then there is no reason why I can’t contend over the next few weeks.”
Boucher came through a qualifier for Thursday’s Brabazon Trophy last week alongside Padraig O’Dochartaigh and Patrick Keeling and the trio will link up at Sunningdale with the eight-man Irish squad of Hugh Foley, Rob Moran, Alex Maguire, Sean Keeling, Liam Nolan, Matthew McClean, Joshua Hill and Robert Brazill.
“The Brabazon is one of the biggest events of the year for us really, in the Irish men’s calendar so to learn that I was going to be in a qualifier was one of those things where I was willing to go over and try to qualify for it because it’s such a prestigious event,” said Boucher.
“I felt good about my game I have been playing well and I came off a couple of good results as well in the West and Irish Amateur Championships so I was expecting myself to qualify and it was satisfying to go over there and do it.
“Sunningdale will be lovely. The event itself always attracts a top field but the golf course being Sunningdale is an opportunity nobody wants to miss so for that reason I was also delighted to get through the qualifier and I hope I can have a good week.
“Sunningdale is up there with the best courses in the UK and Ireland so I’m really looking forward to it.”
The Brabazon Trophy is a stroke play format and will be contested by 144 competitors, consisting of exempt players and those who have progressed through qualifying. The competitors will play 18 holes on each of the first two days. Thereafter, the leading 60 players and ties will play a third round the following day, before a re-draw and a final 18 holes on the fourth day.
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