Thornton Talks Straight at Concra Wood

European Tour player Simon Thornton has warned competitors playing the Kingspan Concra Wood Open that straight hitting will be required to succeed at the Christy O’Connor Jnr designed course in Castleblayney.

Newcastle Co Down based Thornton, who recently finished 33rd at the Irish Open at Royal Portrush, holds the course record at Concra Wood; a 68 carded in a PGA Sprint event in 2010.

“Concra Wood is one of the best courses in the country – full stop. It is absolutely fantastic,” said Thornton.

“The players will have to find the fairways off the tee. The fairways are not very wide but at the same time there are bail-out areas. It is important to know where you cannot hit it off the tee.

“The second shots are not overly difficult but there is often no point in hitting with the driver all the time. Sometimes you are going to have to lay back and hit full shots into the greens which are superb putting surfaces.”

Elliot Saltman’s stunning final round of 61 at Fota Island last week saw the Scotsman surge to the top of the Order of Merit, with Hampshire’s Martin LeMesurier just £8.33 behind in second.

Paul Reed is currently third on the Order of Merit and will be looking for further success in Ireland after previous Tour wins at Fota Island (2011) and Galgorm Castle earlier this season.

Entry is free for all spectators and young golfers can avail of free coaching lessons courtesy of Junior Golf Ireland, who will be on site during tournament week.

The Open Prize Money Unchanged

The winner of next week's Open Championship at Royal Lytham will earn £900,000 - the same as Darren Clarke at Sandwich last summer.

The total purse of £5million has also been kept the same, with the runner-up picking up £520,000 and the top 10 also walking away with six-figure cheques.

Everybody surviving the halfway cut will earn at least £9,000, which is more than double the amount Tony Jacklin won for lifting the Claret Jug on the course in 1969.

Seve Ballesteros' two victories in 1979 and 1988 were worth £15,000 and £80,000 respectively, while David Duval collected £600,000 on Lytham's last staging of the championship 11 years ago.

American Webb Simpson is still officially in the field for next week even though he has been saying ever since his US Open triumph last month that he does not intend playing with his wife due to give birth just afterwards.

There could be more than the usual 156-strong field this time and because of all the exempt players current first reserve Ben Crane would not automatically replace Simpson if he does pull out as expected.