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Local golfers to the ‘four’ at Irish Open

Thursday, 29 July 2010

Local golfers to the ‘four’ at Irish Open thumbnail Graeme McDowell is looking forward to the action in Killarney at the 3 Irish Open. The US Open champion has been busy in recent weeks and is pictured here at the opening ceremony at the Northern Ireland Milk Cup at Coleraine Showgrounds last Sunday.

THE north coast's top golfers are in action in Killarney this week at the 3 Irish Open.
Portrush's US Open winner Graeme McDowell is third favourite to lift the title and after posting a 59 at the Valley Links in his home town last weekend he could well be there or thereabouts on Sunday evening.
McDowell's fellow Rathmore Golf Club man, Alan Dunbar, Portrush's soon-to-be newest resident Darren Clarke, and Portstewart's Paul Cutler are also in the field for the opening two days.
Dunbar will play alongside Cian Curley and Damian Mooney while fellow amateur Cutler will spend the first two days of the competition playing with Philip Walton and Daniel Sugrue. Clarke, who earlier this week, received an invitation to the last golfing Major of the year, the US PGA Championship in two weeks' time at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, will go around the par 71 course with Lough Erne Challenge team-mate Rory McIlroy and Rhys Davies
For the first two days McDowell tees off alongside Padraig Harrington and Damien McGrane and he's hoping that 59 around home last weekend will stand him in good stead as he attempts to make an impression into the weekend. The 30-year-old also believes the European Tour's first-ever 59 is not out of the question this week.
The US Open champion was playing with his father, uncle and a friend at the Valley when he had 12 birdies and a bogey.
“I was quite nervous actually - it's like a 147 in snooker, although maybe not quite as good as that," said McDowell.
“I was sort of trying to put pressure on myself and said I needed to birdie two of the last four. "Then I got them and needed a par at the 195-yard last. As soon as I hit my five-iron to 12 feet I thought, 'Done it - I'm not going to three-whack from there'.