The early signs are good for Gary Murphy at the NI Legends at Galgorm Castle, as the Kilkenny man lead his Pro-Am team to a 30-under-par tally but came up just shy in the curtain-raiser to the main event.
“Yeah, we had a lovely day. I was playing with Willie [Park], the Captain, Ian [Henry], the President, and Brian [Watt], the Secretary, and we had a great day, and played lovely,” Murphy said.
“The course is in spectacular condition. It’s phenomenal how good the fairways, greens and tees are, especially considering the amount of the rain we’ve had recently. So the course staff have done an amazing job to have it looking as good as it is.”
The team finished with a score of 30-under-par, but were beaten on countback from third place, but it was Murphy’s driving which set them up to score well.
“I got a new Titleist driver and I hit it really well today,” he explained. “Tour scramble is a great format, but if I can hit it like that for three days then I’d be delighted. So with the shots that the lads had and able to use my drives, we had a good score.
“And I’d obviously take 30-under on Sunday evening.”
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Playing on limited status, Legends Tour starts have been few and far between this season, but playing on home soil is sure to add a little pep to his step.
“I’ve only played three events this year so far and I’ve been pretty dreadful,” he laughed. “So the only way is up really. But I’m excited to play. I’ve done a lot of work – as much as I can – and it’s the excitement value in trying to play.
“The standard’s great on the Legends Tour, but I still feel there’s something in there. So it’s trying to bring it out and you know, to do it at home as well it’d be fantastic.
“There’s always extra spice playing at home.”
The golf course presents itself a little differently as there’s been significant tree removal in certain parts, but it’s still a golf course that has to be played from the fairway and inaccuracy will still lead to lost balls and punching out sideways.
“I think that the driver is certainly a key around here and there’s going to be a good bit of wind too, so trying to control distance when the air is a lot heavier is tricky,” Murphy said.
“Even on Wednesday when we played the practice round, it was very humid so the ball’s not traveling as far as normal. So trying to dial all that kind of stuff in and be comfortable over shots and then you’ve got to really commit to the shot.
“But like everything else, you’ve got to enjoy it too.”
The K Club Head Professional is in the field for next week’s European Legends Cup in Spain, and then goes to China a fortnight after that, but each week is an opportunity to make a significant move up the Order of Merit and cement his status for 2027 and that’s very much the goal this week.
“Yeah, I’m actually in the next event in Spain, which is a bit of a novelty, and then China a couple of weeks after that, so, you know, I’m trying to have a big week and get up the Order of Merit,” he explained. “That’s the goal for sure. And I can take a break from writing letters begging for an invitation.”
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