Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images Europe
The news in day two of the Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland was about Portstewart’s Paul Cutler, another up and coming Irish golfer shooting up the score board on the lake shores of Killarney on Friday. After signing for a round of four under par, Cutler may not have had the words to fully sum-up his achievement on the day, but was well able to convey his gritty self belief and will to win, when speaking after his day’s work to the press. Without wanting to get ahead of himself, winning was clearly one of the thoughts he held.
Last year, Cutler played the opening rounds in a group that included two tournament invites local player Daniel Sugrue and European Tour and Ryder Cup veteran, Philip Walton, with a tee off time early on the Friday. What was clear from the outset was Cutler’s ability, distance and ball striking. Despite the obvious nerves, the company in the group was settling, and when he hit off the old first tee box on the Killeen course, his ball landed safely on the left side of the fairway, setting up a straight forward second shot on to the green.
With Walton and Sugrue both slightly off line, the memory that morning was of the surprise from the early spectators when Cutler walked up to the best placed ball of the group to ready himself for his approach shot. From that moment his name registered as a future prospect, albeit over the two days his putting prevented him from improving on rounds of 73 and 75.
On returning this year his second round of 67 benefited from that experience twelve months ago, along with a number of other events, including the Eisenhower Trophy last year In Buenos Aires. Clearly coping with the hullabaloo of a major event is less of a distraction in 2011, as the scorecard shows, and has earned Cutler a weekend stay.
The leading Irish challenger after round one, Colm Moriarty, had a more business like second day, carving out a one over par round of 72 to finish well inside the cut mark and earning a pairing with Simon Khan.
The chance to play with the Englishman could prove inspirational for the Glasson professional given Khan was for a number of years a journeyman in the game battling season after season to keep his card. Losing it once again in 2009 and considering other career options.
That same year back at the European Tour School Final Qualifying Kahn had a fairytale finish securing first place to regain his playing rights for the year. But more came from his Q School exemptions, including the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May 2010 where Kahn walked away with the winners cheque for €750,000. In addition there was a tour card ensuring five Q school free years. For Moriarty, who has been waiting to match his expectations in the professional game since playing in the 2003 Walker Cup for GB & Ireland, it could prove a timely meeting
Following a number of hit and miss years the Athlone golfer has been unable to make the breakthrough, despite much support from the Team Ireland grants. Indeed, as one of the early players to join the embryonic days of Horizon Sports in 2005, along with Stephen Browne, Michael Hoey, Justin Kehoe and David Higgins, undoubtedly there have bee frustrating times. However the self confidence gained from Thursday and making the cut at Killarney cannot be underestimated. Hence a chat with Simon Khan and with the memories of Darren Clarke’s long major wait still hanging over Irish Golf, Moriarty should get a boost which may trigger that much overdue breakthrough.
For Clarke though, in the short term it was a drive in his Ferrari back to Portrush that faced him on Friday after a second round of 74 put him a couple of shots beyond the cut. His golf not helped this week by a recent cold and the mental fatigue of his win at Royal St. George. These few days at home will now allow him more time to check the weather forecast for Akron, Ohio, where he flies to next week for the Bridgestone Invitational and back into the big time once again.
But even in his early departure the goodwill that his Open win has generated will not doubt linger over Irish golf for some time to come.
That can only bode well for other Irish European Tour regulars, amongst which Damien McGrane has been a consistent contributor, along with Peter Lawrie, both of whom on Friday were 6 under par overall. The Meath man carding a 67 and the Dubliner a 66.
Joining that group is Michael Hoey, who signed for a round of 67, and who already has one win under is belt this year. It is his second in as many years and the Madeira Islands Open in May also came with a valuable cheque for the Race to Dubai.
Rory McIlroy’s work on the practice range might just have been the right antidote to Twitter Thursday’s poor finish as he returned to the clubhouse with a three under par 68 - ahead of the weekend. Albeit six shots off the leader Marcel Siem of Germany. His World Cup team mate Graeme McDowell shook off more than his demons on Friday racing home on the Killeen course in 66 strokes to stay in the mix for weekend. Following a few discouraging weeks it was what his mind coach would have ordered no doubt.
Simon Thornton showed that a year out of the European Tour may not be such a career set-back. Although he will no doubt be disappointed with his 72 on Friday having sneaked around in 3 under the previous day. But a mixed five holes running up to the turn were the cause and no doubt on Saturday Thornton will be more efficient in his execution. But so far the facts suggest that playing the Challenge Tour and the Irish PGA Region events has not tarnished his appetite or lessened his skills.
Although any testament to the strength and depth of the Irish PGA Region can only be borne out by facts and for the second successive season only one player from the 2010 Lexus Race to Mount Juliet made the cut. That was John Kelly, with last year’s candidate Barrie Trainor disqualified on Friday.
Kelly dropped a shot on the 17th , to fall back to one under par, which must have made playing the eighteenth nerve tingling for the North Dublin professional given it was only one shot better than the projected cut. In the end par on the last was enough for a one under par total and inside the cut. An improvement on last season where his opening day 77 went a long way to contributing to a +9 finish and a missed cut.
In a twist for irony his mentor Padraig Harrington was packing up earlier than planned from the Aghadoe Heights after his round of 72 was not enough to improve on his 3 over par total.
For two other Irish players level par totals were one shot shy of the cut leaving Paul McGinley out after he signed for a 71, despite his recent from at the Barclays Scottish Open. But in the relatively benign conditions in Killarney over the first two days the scoring needed to be more aggressive to get into contention. To make the cut it also needed a bit more than two level par rounds, as PGA Region champion David Higgins found out as well on Friday.
Gareth Maybin’s season has also failed to reignite over recent months following his 5th place at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and a 71 by the Ballyclare golfer was not enough at the Irish Open either. But there is a lengthy list of names to be included in that group, above and beyond the major winners, Clarke and Harrington, which could be discouraging for those developing the sport in Ireland.
But in truth the cut is a Darwinian tool which can only make the domestic players stronger , especially if they have enjoyed the flavour of the big time all during the week.
For them the message is clear, it takes hard work, hard work and more hard work to earn a card, with even more hard work needed to keep it, even once you have reached the professional ranks Added to that is the need for some good fortune and as recent history shows, that can come when a player is 22. Or even 42.
Indeed, we also now know that a major win can even come within seventy odd days of throwing one opportunity away. Such is golf, as the likes of Gary Murphy will tell you. Or Mark Murphy. Both veterans of the games good and bad sides.
Or indeed the 2009 Irish open winner, Shane Lowry, who crashed out with a 78 on his card on Friday. But with the help of the earnings of a fourth place at the BMW PGA Championship last May, his two year automatic exemption earned with the win in Baltray will not be needed this season to keep his card.
For PGA Order of merit qualifier, Darren McWilliams the hope of making the breakthrough is aided by youthful years, as it is for Kevin Phelan, Alan Dunbar, Niall Kearney and Dermot McElroy. Although for Kearney it is undoubtedly another disappointment in what has been a tough season thus far. But with time on their side they will have many more chances in the future
For the likes of 2003 Walker Cup player, Noel Fox, PGA Irish region duo of Eamon Brady and David Mortimer, it was a chance to savour where it is they aspire to earn their keep week-in and week-out. Their feelings on Friday night however maybe more a case of - “be careful for what you wish for - as all three ended ten strokes off the cut mark and twenty off the tournament leader - on 10 under par.
For Mortimer it is a contrasting twelve months as last year he won the Glenmuir PGA Championship at The Oxfordshire and the Irish PGA Championship at Seapoint Golf Club. In fact an eagle putt on the eighteenth sealed the title after his playing partner, and rival for the trophy, Damien McGrane, birdied his putt – with a view to forcing a play-off. On that day the gods favoured the Renvyle man and McGrane went home empty handed.
This weekend McGrane remains in contention in Killarney and Mortimer watches the remaining two days on television – in between giving lessons perhaps.
Such is cruelty and beauty of golf.
