If we’re honest, it seems like this fresh start to the Horizon Irish Open is a throwback to the good old days.
The pre-tournament pro-am had genuine X-factor, from actors to footballers to hurlers competing alongside Major champions and tour winners. The tented village (yes, it’s back too!) was busily rocking-and-rolling to a live band, and the reset button on a tournament with a new title sponsor and a doubling of prize money to €5.7 million has all the apparent ingredients to deliver something special at a pristine Mount Juliet Estate.
So, what of the real thing? The field – admittedly – isn’t as strong as perhaps it deserves, with only five of the world’s top-50 teeing off, as Shane Lowry, at 24th in the world the best ranked player in the field, conceded.
“Look, there’s no doubt about it, we don’t have the best field here this week . . . personally, I do feel like the date [in the schedule] could be looked at. We talk about this every year, and I’ve talked about it with the tour every year, and we’d love to have the date where we can guarantee Rory coming back and play every year, what works for his schedule . . . I think the date could probably be looked at but I’m not working for the tour or behind the scenes.”
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That slot in the schedule isn’t going to change any time soon, though.
Keith Pelley, the chief executive of the DP World Tour, was at Mount Juliet and confirmed the Irish Open would continue to occupy the date in the itinerary (ahead of the Scottish Open and the Open Championship) and that there were no plans for it to be co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour.
But, in a positive tone, he believed that the PGA Tour’s growing involvement would ensure an increasing number of American players adding national opens to their schedules.
At a players’ meeting outlining the stronger relationship with the PGA Tour, Pelley described the Irish Open as one of the “signature events” and would like to see it grow even more.
“People are asking the question will it be co-sanctioned, when will it be co-sanctioned, and that’s not currently the plan at this particular time. I do believe, though, that what we are doing [with the PGA Tour] will encourage players to come over and play in key national opens and this is one of them,” said Pelley.
Whatever about right dates or wrong dates and being co-sanctioned or not, Lowry believes Horizon’s arrival as title sponsor – something aided by the partnership deal with the PGA Tour – augurs well. As he put it, “I think we’re in good hands going forward”.
Even this week there is expectation hanging in the air. Lowry is the headline act but other players from inside the world’s top-50 include Power, Tyrrell Hatton, Thomas Pieters and defending champion Lucas Herbert, while Pádraig Harrington has touched back home as the US Seniors Open champion to add his spice to the mix.
Lowry, for sure, is the favourite on the back of a strong season that has not yet provided a win. On the PGA Tour, he has registered four top-10s in 13 tournament played, among them a runner-up finish in the Honda Classic and a third-placed finish in the Masters.
“I’ve been playing quite good, there’s no point shying away. I’m one of the highest ranked players in the field, one of the top Irish players, one of the players that people really want to do well. There’s expectation there,” he acknowledged, adding:
“It’s just about managing expectation in a week like this really. But I feel like I’m doing that every week because I feel like every week I play now is such a big week, and every week I really want to do well. So it’s just managing expectation, managing myself around the course and allowing myself to play good golf, and I’ll be fine.”
Lowry’s last competitive outing was actually his only missed cut, at the US Open, but he could be entitled to post an asterisk on that given how the wind died and the greens were watered at Brookline after he’d finished his round.
”I got an explanation of the USGA that [watering] doesn’t do anything to the playability of the greens, but I don’t believe that. I don’t think the greens were getting any way ridiculous at any stage. I’ve played in US Opens that were worse than that. So I was disappointed.”
But now it’s onwards to a new challenge with renewed focus.
“Obviously, I’d love to win here, absolutely, like why not? If you’re ever been picky, you’d love to play four really good rounds, give yourself a chance. If you win, you win. If you don’t, you have confidence going into St Andrews [for the 150th Open].
“For me, it’s obviously about doing really well in this tournament and trying to keep my confidence levels high and keep my good golf going and keep hitting the ball solid . . . I’ve been knocking on the door this year, and I feel like it’s not far away. If it’s not this week, I do hope it’s at St Andrews.”
He’s not alone in thinking that way.
