September seems a long way away but the month of May presents a fantastic opportunity for our Irish hopefuls to get some sustained early momentum in their respective bids to qualify for the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team in Lahinch.
The 60th Lytham Trophy gets underway this May Bank Holiday weekend at Royal Lytham & St Annes and this writer can tell you that if you want to win you must avoid the bunkers at all costs. Please send your £80 plus gratuity to ronan@irishgolfer.ie or give it to him next week at the Irish Amateur.
With the Lytham Trophy set to be followed by the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Championship, the North of Ireland Championship, the Brabazon Trophy and the East of Ireland Championship, it’s a great chance to catch the eye of GB&I skipper Dean Robertson, albeit it is hard to see how anyone will play in every tournament listed. But Lytham is certainly a biggie in that regard and it is no surprise that sixteen Irish players are teeing it up on Friday with the first major amateur event of the year sure to catch the eye of selectors.
Provincial champions Mark Cadden (West of Ireland), David Howard (East of Ireland) and Jonathan Keane (South of Ireland) are in the field as Caolan Rafferty (North of Ireland) sits this one out. Irish Amateur champion Stuart Grehan, four-time Irish major winner Colm Campbell and former West of Ireland champion Keith Egan (debutant) round off the heavy Irish hitters.
“I’ve never played the Lytham Trophy,” said Egan ahead of the stern test of the par-70. “I don’t know how many years I have left of playing this type of schedule, so I’m keen to play in as many of those as possible. I feel like I’m playing well enough to do well in them, which is key because if you’re not playing very well or if you’re struggling with an aspect of your game, Lytham is the last place you want to be on the planet.”
Grehan of course will be looking to make a swift return to Walker Cup action having made his long overdue debut in Cypress Point last year as GB&I came undone by a rampant home US team. Junior Ryder Cup star John Doyle emerged as a left-field Walker Cup tip for last year and he will be hoping that the Leaving Certificate exams don’t hamper his bid of a debut appearance in Lahinch, the teenager can land an early first impression this week and he is in form following his Lee Valley Scratch Cup success last weekend.
Can Thomas and Liam Abom follow in the footsteps of their sister Anna this weekend and add more silverware to an already glittering trophy cabinet at home? Former West of Ireland champion Dylan Holmes will be looking to upset the odds again while Eoin Sullivan, Conor Hickey, Conor Clarke, Aodhagan Brady and Patrick Curran are also competing.
Dylan Keating had two top-4 finishes in Irish championships last season as he took a timely step forward in his amateur career. The Seapoint man has a big date with another home Irish Amateur next week but he won’t fear the challenge of a debut appearance in the Lytham Trophy as he looks to further his own Walker Cup ambitions.
Events abroad are very important in a Walker Cup year with the Lytham Trophy, Brabazon Trophy, Amateur Championship and European Amateur Championship carrying a lot of weight.
England’s Eliot Baker is the highest ranked GB&I hopeful in the field at 36th in the absence of Tyler Weaver (7th) and Luke Poulter (18th) while Grehan (50th) is the highest ranked Irishman and second highest GB&I rep in the field. Harley Smith (79th) is another Walker Cup hopeful inside the top-100 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings. However, due to the popularity of U.S. college golf, where the playing season ends in late May, many notable names will unfortunately be missing.
The Lytham Trophy is a 72-hole stroke play event. 18 holes are played on the first two days before a top 40 and ties cut is made. 36-holes are then played on the final day by the leading competitors.
Paul Cutler (2010) is the last Irish winner of the Lytham Trophy. West of Ireland champion Cadden will be the first Irishman to get underway at 7.10am on Friday alongside Christian Johnson and Boys Amateur Champion Guus Lafeber.
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