Murphy frustrated by victory wait

Gary Murphy wants to continue his Baltray love affair by grabbing his breakthrough win at the course where he met his wife.

Frustrated that he's still winless after 236 tour starts, Murphy lives just down the road from the course and confessed that he's frustrated that he hasn't joined the Irish tour winning bandwagon.

Gary Murphy wants to join pal Damien McGrane in the winner's circle.Ireland has had 10 European Tour wins over the past 14 months with Rory McIlroy and Michael Hoey already in the winner's enclosure this season.

Now it's Murphy's turn to break his duck and he can't think of a better place to do it that his adopted home.

He said: "I've been on tour for nine years now and it's a long time, especially with all the Irish guys winning in the last year or so.

"We have more tour players winning than France and it's frustrating that I haven't joined them as well. There is nothing you can do about it only keep on trying and see what happens."

Now 36, top ball-striker Murphy is regarded as a serial underachiever by the likes of Darren Clarke, who reckons he has the talent to challenge for titles on a regular basis.

But the former Irish Close champion has been battling at the other end of the scale in recent years and needed some big finishes to keep his tour card.

Last year he racked up the best finish of his European Tour career when he tied for third place in the Irish Open at Adare Manor.

But he's hoping to push his career to a new level by becoming Mr Consistency and hoping his experience will soon start to pay off.

He said: "You want to win tournaments and you want to be in a position every week to try and do that and that's something I need to improve on.

"I probably feel like I should be a lot higher up the Order of Merit than I have been over the years and it's a work in progress. Maybe I'll be better in my later years that I was in my  early years.

"I've been guilty in the past of playing too much and turning up at tournaments not really ready to compete, but kind of playing because you are stressing about keeping your card.

"If you look at the top players, they play a lot less than the guys at the other end. That's probably to do with the seven figures in their bank account as well!"

Murphy lives just a few hundred yards from the first tee and but knows he'll always be considered a "blow-in" despite the fact that he married local girl Elaine Kelly in 2003.

He joked: "It's great for me. I only live around the corner, so it's a lot better than going to China and the money is better. I've got a little more confidence than I had coming into the Irish Open last year as well.

"I've lived in Baltray for eight years and met my wife here when the Irish PGA was here in 2000. But I'll always been considered a Kilkenny man even if I win 10 majors."

Murphy doesn't want gale force winds on a course he loves and reckons there could be a birdie bonanza this week if the wind fails to blow.

He said: "If it's benign out there I would not be surprised to see someone go mad. But there is a two or three club wind blowing now so the course will probably hold up."