I’ve always loved competing in Ireland. For any professional or top amateur, there are few things better than playing in front of a crowd. You get that buzz, that excitement, that burst of adrenaline, and if you’re playing well and eliciting cheers, you feel on top of the world.
And when you add playing in your home county and hometown to that, it’s even better still. So, you could safely say that I’m looking forward to playing in the OFX Irish Legends at Mount Juliet this week.
When it opened in 1991, I was just coming off the Irish Boys team and they were extremely generous in allowing me to use the fabulous facilities, so I played there a lot in the early ’90s and it was a great help to me because it was a more American-style golf course, similar to what I’d play in college in the States and when I turned pro.
It had been a while, but I played there again about six weeks ago and though it’s matured a lot and grown out, the layout hasn’t changed. It might not be overly long now by modern standards, but it’s still a fantastic course, asks all the right questions, and is an ideal venue for the Legends Tour.
And I’d encourage anybody who can to come… come to Mount Juliet this year to watch the Legends Tour players play, because I can assure you, the standard is still incredible. Unless the weather is horrendous, it’ll probably take 15-under to win, and given that that’s over three rounds, that should tell you everything you need to know.
Each year, a fresh group turn 50, many of whom have been competing on the DP World Tour until very recently, so they’re game sharp, they’re focused, and they’re there to win. It’s no holiday camp! And that means that the players who’ve established themselves as some of the best on the Legends Tour have to keep rising to the challenge year after year or else they’ll get left behind.
There’s nothing I’d love more than to get into contention again, to be back in my hometown with a few old pals and a lot of support, but I’m under no illusions – I’ll have to bring my best.
What’s more, I have to play well. Due to a recent back injury, I wasn’t able to play in the recent event in Barbados, and with limited status, that makes things tough. Since only 20 players get full status, if you want to be free to pick and choose your schedule next year, you have to hit the ground running.
And I’ve got some unfinished business with Mount Juliet. I played in the Irish Open there when I was still an amateur back in 1994 and I got stage fright, played terribly, and missed the cut by miles.
The venue has a rich history with the Irish Open and the American Express WGC and the likes of Tiger Woods and Ernie Els winning there. It would be something special to add my name to that list anyway, even I didn’t have the nostalgic reasons as well.
I still love playing golf – that’s never changed. But I know that I only have three or four years left where I’m able to compete at this level, so I want to make the most of it. Social golf is great, but nothing beats playing tour golf. Putting a scorecard in your pocket and testing yourself against others who are on or around the same level is like a drug.
For tickets to the OFX Irish Legends CLICK HERE
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