Irish Open Diary: McIlroy thrilled to influence the next generation
Rory Putts 9th Picture: ©inpho/ben Mcilroy On The Green Brady
It was with some relief that Seamus Power departed Royal County Down on Friday evening with the prospect of two further rounds to play this weekend at the Amgen Irish Open. A second-round 69, albeit with two double bogeys on his card, was good enough to see the West Waterford golfer through to the sharp end of the event and gave Power the opportunity to crystalise the pressure home players feel to make cuts at their national opens.
"I always remember talking to Jay Haas who holds the record on the PGA Tour, he made 600 cuts and he was like ‘it never goes away’,” Power said of that gnawing pressure.
“You never want to miss a cut, there's something psychological about it. You're not playing to make the cut but when you are around it you want to hang in there, especially an Irish Open, you don't want to be hanging around there the next two days.
"I was delighted, great birdie on 15 and 17 so a couple of really nice 7-irons and putts and I was able to hang in on the other ones so a lot of good stuff."
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After a trying 36 holes around Royal County Down, Padraig Harrington probably felt he was due to catch a break at this week’s Amgen Irish Open and duly arrived at his final hole before an early exit from the tournament he has graced for 29 consecutive years.
The 2007 Irish Open champion’s approach shot to the 18th green sprayed left of the green and behind the giant scoreboard, apparently finding some nasty rough around the neighbouring par-three 10th hole.
By the time Harrington arrived to search for his ball, an unwitting spectator had picked the ball up and thrown it onto the 10th before promptly disappearing. A rules official was called and it was decided Harrington could play the ball from where it lay and the veteran chipped to the semi-rough around the 18th green.
He settled for bogey and a second-round 74 but the alternative outcome could easily have been much worse.
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Sean Keeling was just three years old when Shane Lowry won the Irish Open in 2009. The toddler was not in attendance at Baltray, Co. Louth, when the Offaly man made history as an amateur winner of a European Tour event.
Yet such was the impact of Lowry’s unlikely triumph that there is not a golfer in Ireland who does not have the feat ingrained on their consciousness and Keeling, now 17, is no exception.
“I wasn’t in Baltray but I know what happened,” the Roganstown amateur said following his exemplary one-under-par 70 at Royal County Down on Thursday, an opening round of 17 consecutive pars followed by a birdie at the par-five 18th.
“Anything is possible,” Keeling added. “I've got to believe in myself.”
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Sean Keeling had cited Rory McIlroy as his childhood hero on Thursday evening and the world number three appeared genuinely touched by the compliment when told of it following his second round the following day.
“Ah, it's amazing,” McIlroy said. “(Swing coach) Michael Bannon has spent some time with Sean as well. And I was hitting balls beside him the other day on the range.
“I remember Tom (McKibbin) came here to watch me in 2015 at the Irish Open. He was playing at some US Kids event over in England, and they got the boat back and came and watched me.
“So it's very cool. It makes me feel a bit old, and I've got the grey hairs in my chin to prove it. But it's amazing to think that I've had some sort of influence on these guys that are now at the start of their professional journey.
“Sean's not even professional yet, but, you know, the start of their journeys of trying to make a career in golf. I had my heroes that I looked up to, and it's cool to hear that I'm that for some of those guys now.”
