Unique GUI Irish Open Offer

Members of the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI), the Irish Ladies Golf Union (ILGU) and the general public attending the Irish Open at Carton House next week will have a unique opportunity to play the showpiece par three 17th hole on the Montgomerie Course as part of the ‘Open House@17’Challenge.

Anyone visiting the Tented Village at Carton House can register to compete in the challenge at the GUI National Academy stand. Spectators can then use the shuttle service provided by The European Tour to access the challenge which takes place at the GUI National Golf Academy adjacent to the championship course itself.

The challenge involves a 170-yard tee shot to a green in the short game area of the Academy - replicating the testing challenge that the world’s top professionals will face during the Irish Open from next Thursday to Sunday in Co. Kildare.

Each day, the six players closest to the flag will be invited to play the actual 17th hole in front of packed grandstands and galleries with prizes on offer for the winners including vouchers for the National Golf Academy and discounts on insurance from the GUI’s main sponsor AIG.

Albert Lee, Hon. Secretary of the GUI said: “The 17th at Carton House is a magnificent hole and to have the chance to play it in front of the grandstands is one not to be missed. The GUI is delighted to support the Tour in promoting the ‘Open House@17’ initiative and I hope that the stands are full each day to see some great golf”.

Antonia Beggs, Championship Director for the Irish Open, commented: “We are excited to be working closely with the GUI on this unique opportunity for the average golf fan to play such an iconic hole as the 17th on the Montgomerie Course.

“It will be a big thrill for the lucky winners and also for the spectators in the grandstand to cheer and encourage the prize winners as they stand on that tee with the 1500-seater grandstand surrounding the hole itself. It promises to be great fun for all concerned.”

Meanwhile, fans can reserve their seat in the 17th hole grandstand for just €10 per day, ensuring that in the year of The Irish Gathering they are part of this exhilarating crowd experience. Big screens will also be erected at the 17th hole allowing spectators to watch all of the action from elsewhere on the course.

Anyone who has already purchased reserved seating for the 18th green grandstand will also receive automatic entrance to the 17th stand. All reserved grandstand seating for the 18th on Saturday and Sunday is now sold out.

Information about the 17th hole grandstand at the 2013 Irish Open can be found onwww.europeantour.com/tickets, where special advanced tickets offers for the tournament can also be located.

An advance season ticket for all four days of The Irish Open can be bought for €70, a saving and €10 on admission at the gate. Adult day tickets are priced at €30 pre-event, and €35 on the gate. Concessions are available at €50 for a season (€60 on the gate) and €20 for any one day (€25 on the gate).

Under-16s accompanied by an adult are admitted free of charge and all car parking is also free.

Additionally, as part of the Irish Open ticket campaign, fans of golf and horse racing can enjoy both sports on the same day – Saturday, June 29 – by purchasing a specially priced ‘Irish Double’ ticket to enjoy the third round of the Irish Open and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day for a combined price of €50.

Corporate Hospitality packages are also available with prices ranging from €245 to €295 (plus VAT). For all enquiries please contact Joanne in CSL Hospitality on 01 676 6650 orjoanne@cslhospitality.ie For further information please visit www.cslhospitality.ie

Full ticket information can be found at: www.europeantour.com/tickets or telephone Ticket Hotline: +440800 023 2557. Irish callers can phone: 1890 252 698. Postal enquiries should be sent to: European Tour Tickets, Mirren Court Three, 123 Renfrew Court Three, Paisley, PA3 4EA.

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Dunbar Shows Hydro Power

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Alan Dunbar put on a world-class display at the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts and joined Byeong-hun An of Korea, after they both carded stunning nine under par rounds of 62 to share the lead after day one.

The European Challenge Tour is regarded as the best school for fledgling golfers to develop from promising amateurs to polished professionals and this was certainly a case of gifted young stars coming of age.

Korean An, the 2009 US Amateur Champion who holds the record as the youngest winner of the prestigious event, and 2012 Amateur Champion Dunbar have both shown in the non-paid ranks that they have the talent to reach the headiest heights of the game.

And in an incredible morning at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club in Northern Scotland, they both proved that they can also cut it in the professional ranks with breath-taking performances.

Dunbar got off to a poor start after teeing off at the 11th, bogeying his opening two holes, but that did not deter the 23 year old as he fired 11 birdies to smash the course record almost exactly a year after his biggest win as an amateur.

“I was in just the zone,” said Dunbar, whose Amateur Championship win came at Royal Troon in Scotland. “I’ve been playing well all year now, shooting good scores but missing the cut by a couple of shots. It’s good to put it all together and have a strong round.

“It’s a tough start, starting on 11. It a tough opening hole and 12 is tough too. I missed the first two greens and made two bogeys so it was a really good 62.

“I panicked a wee bit after the bogeys to be honest because the longer it goes on the harder it is to get it back. That has been my problem really, shooting level par is not really good enough on the Challenge Tour, so it’s nice to get something going.

“I felt like a round like this was coming. I have been saying to my coach that I am playing well, and most of my rounds could easily have been four or five better. Even after the start I was confident of hitting good shots.”

Barely 30 minutes after Dunbar came in with that record-breaking score, the 2009 US Amateur Open Champion – who beat Danny Lee’s record to become the youngest winner of the famous event – also signed for a 62.

In contrast to Dunbar, An did not card a single bogey as he shot nine birdies on the way to his lowest round as a professional.

“I really like this course but it’s actually fairly hard,” said the 21 year old. “There are some hard holes. It is pretty long and gets pretty tough if you don’t drive it very well. I missed the cut last year but this year I guess it suits me better.

“The weather definitely helps, it’s a lot better than last year. It was raining this morning, but it’s nice now. There was no wind, it was calm and just a little rain but a lot better than last year, I think that helps.

“I was never thinking about 59 to be honest. I fired well on the front nine but the back nine is definitely harder. I just wanted to make par on the harder holes – 11 and 12 are the hardest - just get through those holes and see what happens.”

Sebi Garcia was a shot back after carding an eight under par 63 while there were seven players three shots further back on six under par, including former Challenge Tour Grand Final winner Andrea Pavan.

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McGlynn Kearney and Dunne Through

Shane McGlynn qualified for the last 64 in the matchplay stage of the British Amateur Championship over the Royal Cinque Ports course on Wednesday, with Matthew McAlpin and Richard Bridges losing out in their matches.

East of Ireland champion Paul Dunne and Castlerock’s Aaron Kearney are also both through to the last 32. However Irish Close champion Cormac Sharvin failed to make it through the second round at the Kent links.
England’s Nick Marsh knocked out the highest ranked player in the field to reach the second match play round of the 118th Amateur Championship at Royal Cinque Ports.

After a delayed start due to thunder and lightning on the Kent coast, the preliminary round got under way shortly after 10am.

Marsh, from Huddersfield, mounted a strong finish, with birdies at the 15th, 16th and 17th, to eliminate Frenchman Julien Brun, who is ranked fifth in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, 4&2.

Fellow Englishman, Ben Stow enjoyed a convincing 5&4 win over Mathias Eggenberger. The University of Kentucky student took charge straight away against his Swiss opponent and was 5up at the turn. The 22-year-old from Rushmore clinched the win with five straight pars on the back nine.

Paul Kinnear notched up an impressive 3&2 win in an all-England clash against Daniel Brown. A close match was settled in the Formby player’s favour when he won the 14th, 15th and 16th holes, with a birdie on the 15th the highlight.

Young Spaniard Pep Angles defeated his compatriot Mario Galiano 4&2. The Central Arkansas Sophomore was never behind in the match. Three birdies on the front nine set him on his way and the match was decided with a birdie three on the 16th.

He was joined in the second round by Italian Riccardo Michelini, American AJ McInerney, Shane McGlynn and England’s Toby Crisp.

Three Irish Open Towns

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The 2013 Irish Open is promising a spectacular festival of golf when Carton House Golf Club welcomes a world class field to County Kildare from June 27-30.

The atmosphere off course promises to be equally impressive with the launch of an exciting programme of events developed by the local communities of Maynooth, Celbridge and Leixlip – the “Three Irish Open Towns” programme of events.

Four Irish Major Champions – Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy - will compete at Carton House along with Carton’s Touring Professional, Shane Lowry, a host of Tour winners and Ryder Cup stars including 2014 captain Paul McGinley.

The stage is set for a superb platform for the event’s return to the Republic of Ireland after a visit to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland last year. To complement the sporting action, the“Three Irish Open Towns” as they are known locally have joined forces to ensure that local tourism and business interests embrace the Irish Open as an opportunity to promote all that is great about the county. 

Kevin Moriarty from Fáilte Ireland said: “With less than two weeks before we get under way at Carton House, anticipation is very much building as we look forward to this year’s Irish Open and welcoming some of the world’s top golfers - in particular our Irish stars.

“We want Kildare and indeed Ireland to be portrayed in the best light to visitors, media and participating golfers during the Irish Open. This will once again underline this country’s deserved reputation as a unique holiday destination that leaves visitors with many wonderful memories and a desire to return.”

The initiative is a joint collaboration between the committees of the three Irish Open towns and is supported by Fáilte Ireland and Kildare County Council. This project forms part of a wide range of features aimed at ensuring that the Irish Open becomes a great festival, not just in terms of golf but also the manner in which it involves the wider community.

Carton House Managing Partner Conor Mallaghan said: “The Three Towns Initiative is a truly unique concept that will provide a wonderful reason for the people of Maynooth, Celbridge and Leixlip to come along to the Irish Open and experience the best of Irish and world golf. We are delighted to share the excitement of this year’s event with the wider community of Kildare and hope they will enjoy all that Carton House has to offer both on and off the golf course."

In addition to the events programme, excitement is building following the announcement of three former Irish Open champions who have all agreed to become Ambassadors for each of the three towns for the duration of the tournament. Australian Brett Rumford, the 2004 Irish Open champion and a two-time winner on The European Tour in 2013, will represent Maynooth; Richard Finch of England, the 2008 winner, will be the ambassador for Celbridge, while 2010 champion Ross Fisher, also of England, will join forces with Leixlip.

Antonia Beggs, Irish Open Championship Director, welcomed the exciting initiative which bonds the three towns with Carton House and the 2013 Irish Open. She said: “We are delighted to work closely with Fáilte Ireland and Kildare Council on this project. 

“We are sure that the residents of Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth will embrace the fact that a world class sporting event is taking place on their doorstep at Carton House and that visitors to the area next week will be able to share in the sense of excitement generated by the Irish Open.”

The European Tour will also provide each town with 100 free wristbands permitting access to ‘Open House@17’, the 1500 seat grandstand framing the par three 17th hole on the Montgomerie Course.

Beggs added: “We are pleased to involve the locals in this unique concept and we hope that they will come along and show support for their towns wearing the colours allotted to each – namely blue for Celbridge, pink for Leixlip and white for Maynooth.”

A range of initiatives are under way to ensure that there is a ‘Cead Mile Fáilte’ for players, sponsors, media, golf enthusiasts, casual visitors and those who live, work or visit the area to share in the excitement and sense of occasion.

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Shaw Books Irish Open Spot

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Gareth Shaw arrives for this week’s Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts after a huge week at Saint Omer in which he picked up his biggest cheque of the season and earned a debut appearance at the Irish Open thanks to Simon Thornton’s victory.

The Northern Irishman was rooming with Thornton that week and hung around to watch Thornton claim his maiden European Tour title as the Irishman beat Tjaart Van der Walt in a play-off.

That meant that Thornton was moved into the European Tour winners’ exemption category and the invite which he had received was passed on to Shaw, an incredible coincidence on a Sunday which filled Shaw full of confidence ahead of this week’s Challenge Tour event at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club in Aviemore.

“It was just great,” said Shaw, who is attached to Galgorm Golf Club and Estates, the host venue for this year's inaugural Northern Ireland Open Challenge Presented by Clannah and XJET. “Simon was on the brink of missing the cut on Friday but had an incredible final 45 holes and deserved his win.

"He played the best golf when it mattered so it’s great to see and I’ll hopefully stay in contact with him because he’s a great contact to have - he says it how it is and has had experience on all the tours.

“It’s amazing how quickly things can change in your career. It was a great week overall. I went down there Tuesday as first reserve and then I got in and then made the cut and went on to finish tied 15th. 

“I got a few quid for the Rankings and then Simon wins to get me into the Irish Open so I cannot wait for that. It’s a good opportunity for me and it’s my first time playing it.”

Having topped the rankings on the satellite Alps Tour last year, the first Northern Irishman to do so, Shaw’s second season on the Challenge Tour has been on a steady upward curve, culminating in his strong finish at the lucrative dual-ranking Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open presented by Neuflize OBC last week.

He believes he is getting more confident as time goes on and watching Thornton claim a first title filled him with even more self-belief.

“I've been saying for a while now that the margins between 20th and second or third or even contending, they’re so small,” said the 27 year old, who has missed just one cut in eight appearances this year. “Simon proved it last week, he beat me by only six shots over four rounds and now has a European Tour card.

“It does fill you with confidence seeing Simon do that because I've played a lot with his recently. My fourth rounds have let me down this year. I have been in position a few times to got a few top tens or top fives and haven’t finished it off which is disappointing.

“Last week was the first time I've moved forward in the fourth day which is nice, so hopefully I can kick on from here. 

“I actually played with Matteo Manassero here last time around in 2009 for the last two rounds, which was an experience. He’s gone on to pretty good things you could say!

“It’s a good golf course here this week, one I remember well so we’ll see how it goes. I am a good wind player and a good course management player so the course kind of suits me.”

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