Irish Golfer's Top 10 moments from 2024

Ronan MacNamara casts an eye back on 2024 and, for better or worse, picks out the 10 moments that will live longest in the memory bank.

It was another hectic year for Irish golf at both professional and amateur levels and it feels like each season is getting more dramatic than the last.

Our professionals enjoyed their fair share of highs and lows, and you could write an entire magazine about Rory McIlroy’s 2024 which eventually ended on a positive note as he gained some closure after a string of major near misses.

Tom McKibbin enters the new year with immense possibilities on both sides of the Atlantic as he begins his first season of dual membership on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

Shane Lowry played the golf of his life in 2024 but despite making it to the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career and winning the Zurich Classic team event alongside McIlroy, his year was a frustrating one still as he was unable to pick off his first individual win since 2022.

As McKibbin waves a partial goodbye to the DP World Tour, Conor Purcell’s continuous career progression took another step forward as he earned a full card on Europe’s top tier via the Challenge Tour last year while Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy will be dipping into Challenge Tour life after some success at Q-School.

Leona Maguire had a year to forget in many respects, missing three cuts out of five major championships, a Solheim Cup debacle and parting ways with Dermot Byrne.

Behind her though, Irish women’s golf took another huge step in the right direction as Lauren Walsh enjoyed an excellent rookie campaign on the Ladies European Tour while Sara Byrne, Anna Foster and Annabel Wilson have enjoyed bright starts to their professional careers.

At amateur level we had widespread success not just individually but in terms of tournaments as three of the biggest amateur events came to Ireland with the Amateur (Ballyliffin), Women’s Amateur (Portmarnock) and Arnold Palmer Cup (Lahinch) putting Ireland firmly in the spotlight.
There was also glory for Sara Byrne, Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan at the Curtis Cup as they starred for Catriona Matthew’s side as Great Britain and Ireland won for the first time since 2016. Brendan Lawlor also broke new ground for disability golf as he hosted the G4D Invitational in Carton House as players played for a prize fund for the first time.

No doubt 2025 will have plenty of thrills and spills but the rankings below are Irish Golfer Magazine’s top 10 moments from Irish golf in 2024, not necessarily the best moments or the worst moments specifically but some of the moments that got the world talking the most will be included.

In no particular order…

1. Rory McIlroy loses the 2024 US Open to Bryson DeChambeau

Usually when writing a match report at a football game, there is the danger that you could be forced to do some deleting in anticipation of the dreaded re-write after a late goal.
Never did I think I would be doing one for the US Open at Pinehurst when Bryson DeChambeau lifted the title and not Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy had delivered a performance on a major championship Sunday that was as close to perfection as you could get, until it wasn’t.

The inexplicable short miss on the 16th and the agonizing lip out on 18 for par – a putt that will be replayed more and more throughout this year as he enters an eleventh season without that fifth major title – has defined his season.

This was his best chance. Yet somehow, he came away empty handed.

McIlroy has had plenty of close shaves in major championships since winning his fourth title so fabulously at the 2014 PGA Championship, particularly since 2022 when he has been a guaranteed fixture at the business end.

But the reason this loss felt so significant was because he hadn’t been beaten by a better player on the day or over the course of a week, he actually had the 2024 US Open title within his grasp, and he relinquished his grip in heartbreaking fashion.

This was a moment many feared would finally finish off McIlroy who has become one of the most resilient characters in the game just for his sheer ability to keep coming back.

It also sparked widespread debate over who was really at fault. Was it McIlroy himself? Or was it Harry Diamond who has manned the bag for his best friend to win just about everything else, except a major title.

Here’s Bryson demolishing a golf ball at Pinehurst pic.twitter.com/Rsv9IlJQb9

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) November 15, 2024

2. Tom McKibbin earns PGA Tour card

After 27 tournaments, played across 20 different countries, Tom McKibbin rolled in a three-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole of the DP World Tour Championship which saw him overtake Jordan Smith into 18th place on the Race to Dubai rankings and earn a PGA Tour card by just 10-and-a-half points.

“Yeah, very exciting,” McKibbin said. “Yeah, it would be great to be over there on the PGA TOUR, a tour I’ve watched alongside, and it will be great [to go] over there and play some golf.”
The 21-year-old Holywood star won for the first time on the DP World Tour in 2023 and while he wasn’t able to add to his winning tally last season, he enjoyed a very consistent campaign registering 10 top-10 finishes.

He’s naturally excited to get the opportunity to test himself against the best players in the world on a more frequent basis, and he feels that the PGA Tour will be well suited to his game.
“I think so,” he replied when asked if he was intending to do ‘damage’ in the United States. “Seems like I like to play on some of the harder courses and that suits my game a little more, so it will be exciting to get over there and see how it goes.”

McKibbin brings the total of Irish golfers playing on the PGA Tour to four and hopefully we will see him in the same group with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Seamus Power very soon.

Tom McKibbin tells Rory McIlroy that he’ll be joining him on the PGA TOUR 🥹

The 21-year-old claimed the final dual membership spot.#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/c6cUFdBfvm

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 17, 2024

3. Irish triple threat lead GB&I to Curtis Cup glory

Sara Byrne, Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan all played starring roles in Sunningdale as GB&I beat USA to win the Curtis Cup.

It was just the ninth GB&I success in 43 contests and a first win since Leona Maguire, Maria Dunne and Olivia Mehaffey were part of the winning team in Dun Laoghaire in 2016 – an event all three girls were at.

It was a moment where Irish women’s golf came full circle and showed the impact Leona Maguire has had on the next generation.

“I think I’ll start to cry a little bit later,” said Byrne having signed off on her final amateur round with a 3&2 victory over Catherine Park to get an early Sunday singles point on the board as she ended the competition unbeaten.

“It kind of hit me on 15 when I went 3-up. I kind of had in my head for a split second, I was like, oh, I think I’ve just gone undefeated here no matter what. I knew I needed that crucial point, not half point, so I was really able to lock back in and make a stress-free par on 16, which was really, really nice. But honestly, coming into this week, if I was told I was going to go undefeated, I probably wouldn’t have believed you, to be honest. It’s a really special feeling to end my amateur career just like that. So yeah, it was pretty special.”

Sara Byrne adds to her Curtis Cup highlight reel with this eagle to double her lead 🇬🇧🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/36NhqWOWc8

— Curtis Cup (@CurtisCup) September 1, 2024

4. Conor Purcell secures promotion to the DP World Tour

Conor Purcell has had to do it the hard way, but he’s done it his way. Having turned professional during Covid-19, Purcell was a rare survivor of that torrid time, and he has gone on to reap the rewards ever since.

The Portmarnock man’s career really took off in 2022 when he came through the Alps Tour, earned some Challenge Tour invites and played well enough in those starts to get a full Challenge Tour card for the following season. In his first full season at that level, he made the Grand Final and came close to earning a DP World Tour card but last season he took the next step and secured promotion to the DP World Tour.

Nobody can say he does not deserve it.

2024 was a breakthrough campaign for the 27-year-old who backed up a maiden victory at the NI Open last July with a second title in China, a double points event which sealed his promotion.
“I’m over the moon, it’s an amazing feeling. It’s been a year to remember for sure to get my card, get my first pro win and get my second soon after.”

What it means 🙌

Conor Purcell secured a breakthrough victory in front of friends and family on his way to graduation to the DP World Tour 🏆#Classof24 pic.twitter.com/flNikvwDaZ

— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) December 19, 2024

5. The success of the Women’s Amateur Championship in Portmarnock

The recent announcement that Portmarnock Golf Club will likely host both The Open and the AIG Women’s Open is fantastic news for Irish golf.

But there is no doubt that the Women’s Amateur hosted last summer also played a role in potentially rubberstamping the deal.

Great golf, great crowds, and great pure links conditions on a great golf course.

What an audition.

What it means 🙌

Conor Purcell secured a breakthrough victory in front of friends and family on his way to graduation to the DP World Tour 🏆#Classof24 pic.twitter.com/flNikvwDaZ

— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) December 19, 2024

6. Rory McIlroy wins sixth Race to Dubai title

Rory McIlroy may not have won the fifth major championship that he so desperately desires but he was able to add another crowning moment to his legacy last season. McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship to win his third straight Race to Dubai title and sixth overall as he moved alongside the great Seve Ballesteros in the roll of honour for the European order of merit.

The 35-year-old is now just two Race to Dubai titles shy of Colin Montgomerie’s total of eight and who is to say he won’t be the record order of merit holder by overtaking Monty in the future?

The Race to Dubai, however, has undoubtedly lost its shine, McIlroy needed just twelve events to secure the title with the bulk of his points coming in the major championships.

However, it was clear by his reaction that despite a year of near misses, emulating Seve meant a huge deal to him.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I’ve been through a lot this year professionally, personally. It feels like the fitting end to 2024. You know, yeah, look, I’ve persevered this year a lot. Had close calls. Wasn’t able to get it done.

“Yeah, it’s really cool. I think everyone knows what Seve means to European golf and to Ryder Cup players. European Ryder Cup locker room, all we have are quotes of Seve. We had a changing room with Seve’s shirt from ’95, the last Ryder Cup he played (tearing up). He means so much to European golf and for me to be mentioned in the same breath, I’m very proud.”

Rory wins his THIRD DP World Tour Championship title 🏆#DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/D2Bogy7kVz

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 17, 2024

7. Leona Maguire becomes the first Irish woman to win on Ladies European Tour

Leona Maguire made history last July after she came out on top of a dramatic final day at the Aramco Team Series in Centurion Club London, becoming the first Irish woman to win on the LET circuit.

It was the highlight of a disappointing season for Maguire, the first poor season of her professional career. But she managed to come away from the 2024 campaign with a victory and her first in Europe.

The Cavan star sunk an eagle putt on the final hole to pip Alison Lee to the title.
“I was just trying to hit a good putt! It was a little bit like a Solheim Cup, I knew no Irishwoman had ever won on the LET before. That putt was for me, that putt was for my family and that putt was for Ireland. It was a proud moment.”

WHAT. A. SHOT.

World class from @leona_maguire 🌟#RaiseOurGame | #SEETheImpact pic.twitter.com/eHkZM7eHsE

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) July 5, 2024

8. Pádraig Harrington inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame

Pádraig Harrington, arguably Ireland’s greatest sportsman, was inducted into the 2024 World Golf Hall of Fame prior to the US Open in Pinehurst.

Harrington was proud to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and his latest accolade was recognition of what he has achieved in the game and what he has inspired others to do.

Harrington won The Open in 2007 at Carnoustie, ending a 60-year wait for an Irish major winner. The Dubliner became the first European golfer since James Braid in 1906 to retain the Claret Jug, a feat that hasn’t been repeated since, before he won the 2008 PGA Championship.

A golden period for Irish golf followed as Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke all won their maiden majors before McIlroy added three more between 2011 and 2014 as Shane Lowry broke through at the Open in 2019.

9. Seán Keeling makes the cut at the Amgen Irish Open

This is a top-10 moment because from the outside looking in any 17-year-old making the cut on his debut in a DP World Tour event should be sending ripples around the golfing landscape and raising countless eyebrows. But for 17-year-old Seán Keeling, it was water off a duck’s back. After making the cut at the Amgen Irish Open on debut at Royal County Down in September, Keeling was even talking about having a chance to win! Such was the confidence of the teenager.

The Roganstown star left Newcastle with the belief that he has the game to make it on tour.

“Yeah, a good week,” Keeling said. “I learnt a lot and played a lot of good golf, but just over the weekend, I made a lot of mistakes.

“I didn’t play my best, but making the cut was a good achievement, and then I take a lot with me from the weekend, positives and learnings. All together, I enjoyed the week. Really good experience.”

A product of the Made in Holywood Golf Academy in Roganstown, where Geoff Loughrey rules the roost with some casual influence from Michael Bannon who is Rory McIlroy’s long-time coach, McIlroy was clearly impressed with Keeling.

This story from the 2007 Open 😅@Padraig_H credits his caddie, Ronan, for calming him after hitting two shots in the water on the 72nd hole.

Little did he know, Ronan also thought they had blew it. pic.twitter.com/NyT0YpCcjt

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 11, 2024

10. Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy win the Zurich Classic

Rory McIlroy won’t win any awards for his singing, but aside from his ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ encore this was a cool moment for Irish golf. In no way is the Zurich Classic the most important event in the world and it teeters dangerously towards being an exhibition but to see Shane Lowry and McIlroy team up to win was very fun.

And it was at a point in the season where both players needed some good will.

McIlroy endured a disappointing Masters tournament while Lowry had briefly fallen out of the top 50 in the world before playing his way back in.

Lowry was also without a win of any kind since 2022, so it was a timely pick me up for both players.

It was also McIlroy’s 25th career PGA Tour win while it was Lowry’s first regular PGA Tour win having won the Open and WGC Bridgestone previously.