Details have been announced of the amateur players who will compete in this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Royal County Down May 28 – 31.
Three leading Irish amateur internationals, all highly ranked in the Amateur World Rankings, will rub shoulders with golf’s elite at the historic County Down links course next month.
They are Gavin Moynihan from The Island Golf Club (County Dublin), Jack Hume from Naas Golf Club (County Kildare) and Gary Hurley from West Waterford Golf Club (County Waterford).
In addition to the Irish amateurs, an invitation has also been extended to reigning Amateur Champion Bradley Neil from Scotland, fresh from his first US Masters at Augusta earlier this month and a member of the Junior Ryder Cup team which competed against the US at his home course of Blairgowrie last September.
Moynihan, Hume, Hurley and Neil will take their place alongside some of the world’s leading players in one of the strongest Irish Open fields in history, one which currently includes five players who have reached the pinnacle of the World Rankings – current Number One Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood – and eight Major Champions in McIlroy, Els, Kaymer, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Paul Lawrie and José Maria Olazábal.
US stars Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed, as well as Spain’s Sergio Garcia, who won the Irish Open at Druids Glen in 1999, have also confirmed that they will be competing.
The three Irish amateurs were short listed by the Selection Committee of the Golfing Union of Ireland (GUI) and the opportunity to play in this year’s event offers a potentially life changing experience for the young golfers, according to GUI General Secretary Pat Finn.
“We are grateful to the European Tour for allowing us to nominate three amateurs to compete in this year's Irish Open, which is shaping up to be a fantastic tournament,” said Pat. “For Gavin, Gary and Jack, it will be a great learning opportunity and hugely beneficial to their development. And with such a strong field already confirmed, this year’s tournament really gives our amateurs an opportunity to show what they can do on a global stage.
“Let’s not forget the performance of a 22-year-old Shane Lowry in 2009 at Baltray when he became the only amateur ever to win the Irish Open. This remains a huge inspiration for our amateurs and reminds them that sometimes dreams do come true,” concluded Mr Finn.
Returning to Northern Ireland should bring back some very special memories for Bradley Neil as it was on the links of Royal Portrush (Irish Open venue 2012) that he won the Amateur Championship last year.
A capacity crowd of more than 80,000 spectators is expected at this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, which is hosted by the Rory Foundation and supported by Tourism Northern Ireland. For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, visitwww.irishopen.ie. For information on accommodation offers and golf in Northern Ireland, visitwww.discovernorthernireland.com/irish-open-2015.
Gavin Moynihan (The Island)
Gavin Moynihan first came to international prominence in 2012 when, as a 17-year-old, he captured the Peter McEvoy Trophy and the Irish Amateur Open Championship within a month of each other. He came close to defending his Irish Amateur title in 2013, defeated in a three-man playoff, and a solid season led to a Walker Cup debut for GB&I at The National Golf Club, where he played in all four series of matches and was undefeated with two wins and two halves. He is again in contention for a place on the side for the 2015 match as a member of the 20-man squad announced in January of this year. He added to his trophy haul in 2014 with victory at the Carrick Neil Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship, and helped the European team to victory over the International side at the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy in India. He began 2015 in fine form with two high finishes in South Africa – runner-up after a playoff in the Eastern Province/Border Championship and tied-fifth in the South African Stroke Play Championship.
Jack Hume (Naas)
Jack Hume is one of only two players to have won all four provincial Irish Boys Championships in one year, completing the achievement in 2010. A runner-up finish at the Lytham Trophy in 2013 earned him his first international recognition, which he built on considerably the following year with two individual championship victories – at the West of Ireland and the Nassau Invitational in New York. He also finished runner-up to Gavin Moynihan in the Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship, and was third in the Miami Invitational, all of which contributed to his addition on the 20-man GB&I Walker Cup squad ahead of the 2015 matches.
Gary Hurley (West Waterford)
Gary Hurley has become the most consistent performing Irish player on the international amateur scene. In 2013 he clinched The R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament title and with it a place on the European team for the Palmer Cup. In 2015, he will gain his second cap after receiving a selection on the team, and is also one of five Irish players on the 20-man shortlist for the GB&I Walker Cup side. Those selections were justified by Hurley on the back of his relentless consistency in 2014, where he tied for fifth in the Free State Open, tied fourth in the Lytham Trophy, reached the semi-final of the West of Ireland, finished third in the East of Ireland, tied for fifth in the Brabazon Trophy, finished runner-up in the European Amateur Championship and also finished runner-up in the Irish Colleges Invitational Tournament. In between these performances on the amateur circuit, he also made the cut on his European Tour debut at the Irish Open in Fota Island, highlighted by a magnificent second round of 66. He has continued in the same manner in 2015, with a tied-fifth finish at the South African Stroke Play Championship and a runner-up at The R&A Foundation Scholars.
Bradley Neil
After ending 2013 in style by finishing joint runner-up with Peter Uihlein in the Alfred Dunhill Links Pro-Am on the European Tour, Neil kicked on further in 2014 to enjoy the best season of his young career. The Blairgowrie teenager had already recorded seven top-10 finishes before claiming The Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush, one of the biggest titles in the game. Neil became the first Scot in 10 years to lift the trophy after beating South African Zander Lombard in the final. Neil, who went on to play in The Open Championship thanks to his Amateur triumph, was part of Scotland’s European Nations Cup-winning side, securing the success in extra holes, as well as being on the victorious side for Great Britain & Ireland in the St Andrews Trophy. He rounded off his season by playing in the Junior Ryder Cup over his home course and earning a domestic awards double and an invite to compete at the 2015 US Masters at Augusta.
