Luke O’Neill believes he has finally cracked the matchplay code as he looks to make a run at this week’s Connolly Motors West of Ireland Amateur Championship at County Sligo Golf Club as he makes his first appearance in the event since 2019.
A highly successful collegiate career with Kansas State over the last few seasons meant that the Connemara man was always Stateside at Easter time but since graduating he is home full time, part of the Golf Ireland High Performance Panel and ready to try and win “the one.”
“The West is the one. It’s the one for everyone really, everyone is ready to go because it’s the first one and everybody is excited to get going in that one,” said O’Neill who reached the semi finals of the Spanish Amateur Championship in February.
“My game is pretty adaptable, I like links a bit more, I grew up on it in Connemara and with the weather out here it can get pretty wild! I haven’t played Rosses in a while, especially that run from 14 in so I have to get used to that again.”
The format this week in Rosses Point will be 36 holes of stroke play qualifying before the top-64 progress to the matchplay stages.
O’Neill has always been a strong runner in the stroke play stages but had encountered matchplay struggles. But his Spanish Inquisition has given him the tools to compete in a knockout phase, a format that is key to individual and team golf at amateur level.
“I wouldn’t have a very good matchplay record, I didn’t like matchplay very much so I had to change my approach, starting with the South of Ireland last year. Always decent in the stroke play but just couldn’t get by those first few matches. So I just focused on playing stroke play in the matches and forgot about what my opponent was doing and just focused on my own game. Before that the round could be over before I even knew it sometimes.
“Sometimes you can get influenced if he hits a bad drive and you think he will be in trouble and then he’s not but you’ve laid back and all of a sudden you’re at a disadvantage. You should just play your normal stroke play shot it’s just another golf shot.”
It’s twenty years since now grand slam winner Rory McIlroy won the West of Ireland at Rosses Point while Shane Lowry’s name is also on the famous roll of honour inside the clubhouse door.
Like so many, there are always memories of attending the West for players and O’Neill is no different.
“I used to go up there as a child watching Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, I didn’t know much about it at the time but Sligo is a special place and a great place to go.”
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