+34
The numbers game, which golf is all about, has brought a distinct edge to this latest KPMG Women's Irish Open on the South Course of the K Club. This season alone has provided evidence of the growing strength-in-depth of Irish touring players, with a number knocking on the door on the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour (LET). And, of course, Beth Coulter, who actually got the job done in her pro debut in the Irish Challenge on the LET Access. Those other near misses, though, demonstrate why heightened expectations are attached to the Irish prospects for this €450,000 purse tournament.
Heightened expectations attached to domestic prospects for this €450,000 purse tournament at K ClubThe numbers game, which golf is all about, has brought a distinct edge to this latest KPMG Women’s Irish Open on the South Course of theThis season alone has provided evidence of the growing strength-in-depth of Irish touring players, with a number knocking on the door on the LPGA Tour and the.
And, of course, Beth Coulter, who actually got the job done in her pro debut in the Irish Challenge on the LET Access. Those other near misses, though, demonstrate why heightened expectations are attached to the Irish prospects for this €450,000 purse tournament.was third in the LPGA Shoprite; Sara Byrne was runner-up in the French Open; Anna Foster was runner-up in the Swiss Open and Áine Donegan was tied-10th in the PIF London.
Cassandra Alexander four shots clear at Women’s Irish Open as Áine Donegan leads home effortCoulter – who has finished one-two in her two starts on the LET Access, that maiden win in Malahide followed by a bizarre playoff loss in Denmark – has hit the ground running since swapping college life at Arizona State for the professional game. Her primary focus for the rest of the season is on the LET Access with the aim of securing a full tour card, currently ninth on the points list after just two appearances with seven cards available.
But this week’s stand-alone opportunity – playing on a sponsor’s invitation – offers the prospect of an even quicker route to the LET for Coulter.stars here, so the depth is unbelievable,” said Coulter, who would aim to carry “definitely the same mindset” that she had in Malahide into this tournament, the 20th edition of the Women’s Irish Open. International field at the tournament remains strong and features seven winners from the LET this year and current order of merit leader, Casandra Alexander, above.
Photograph: Nick Elliott/INPHO As the 22-year-old from Co Down – who has kept that potential winning combination with her boyfriend Owen flying over to caddie – said: “I’ll just be focusing on myself and focusing on the next shot, and just having fun with it. I think seeing some of your best friends do really well is really cool and knowing that we can compete is a good motivator, knowing we can go out here each week and win, which is really nice.
Hopefully one of us will get it over the line in the next couple of weeks or months. ” Maguire has been for so long a lone standard-bearer for women’s professional golf in Ireland, certainly in a pioneering manner. It has seen her nicknamed “MVP” by her team-mates for her Solheim Cup performances, also she acknowledged the sea change of recent years.
“It’s really nice to see so many Irish girls on the LET right now. It’s become really strong. The guys had that for a long number of years on the DP World Tour and it’s almost like the girls have passed it. They’ve dropped in numbers out there and we’ve significantly gained, and that’s a testament to how strong women’s golf is in Ireland right now.
It would be fantastic to see someone get over the line this week,” said the Cavan golfer, playing in her last outing before the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands in a fortnight’s time. That bond between the Irish players on tour formed back in the amateur and collegiate days of many, with Cork’s Sara Byrne explaining: “We had Leona, but when I was growing up she was still in college, so there was nobody on tour and it’s just incredible to think there are so many of us now.
I was able to go to the Solheim Cup in 2011 and because of that event I said I was going to be a professional golfer, that’s what I want to do with my life.
“You can see the shift from having the Solheim here to bringing so many of us on tour and, having such a good“It’s fun. You go on tour and the first person you see in the room is an Irish person, so it’s a home from home. Even some of the caddies. The Irish are taking over the LET and it makes travelling so much easier.
” Whatever about taking over the LET, the Irish influence is stronger now than ever, although a missing piece in the jigsaw is that no Irish woman has yet won the Irish Open.
While the decision of Charley Hull to head to play this week’s clashing LPGA Tour event in Boston and that of teenage Canadian sensation Anna Huang – a three-time winner on the LET this season – also to accept an invite to that tournament took away two big stars, the international field here at the Palmer South remains strong and features seven winners from the LET this year and the current order of merit leader, Casandra Alexander, and last year’s top-ranked Shannon Tan in a quality field.
If one of the 16 Irish women were to lift the trophy come Sunday evening, it will be hard won. But the odds have never been better.
Min Woo Lee sets blistering early pace at Tour Championship with opening 62LIV Golf lays off majority of staff as PIF funding endsKillarney experiences ‘worst flooding in a lifetime’ as ‘significant’ water levels seen in CabraAndy Burnham in Belfast: Mixing up Donegal and Drogheda, but crystal clear on Border pollLatest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers
KPMG Women's Irish Open Golf Irish Prospects Beth Coulter LET
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘An incredible initiative’: Dolly Parton project gives books to thousands of Irish childrenBooks currently being delivered to 6,500 young people along with letter from late singer when they ‘graduate’ from programme
Read more »
RTÉ to Air New Irish Crime Drama 'The Westies'RTÉ will broadcast The Westies, a new crime drama about an Irish gang created by Chris Brancato and directed by Alan Taylor of Sopranos fame, after its earlier release abroad and unavailability in Ireland. The series marks RTÉ's push for home-grown storytelling ahead of its 100th-anniversary celebrations.
Read more »
Irish Players Set for 20th KPMG Women's Irish OpenA record 16 Irish players are set to compete in the 20th KPMG Women's Irish Open, a Ladies European Tour event at the K Club in Straffan, Ireland.
Read more »
Wilson shines in opening round of Women's Irish Open at K ClubAnnabel Wilson posts a solid opening-round 71 at the Women's Irish Open, capping a frustrating season with a strong performance.
Read more »