History beckons as Irish Close heads for The European Club

The fourth at The European Club

Ireland's amateur championship season moves into its highest gear in the coming weeks with the staging of the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at The European Club, the World Amateur Teams Championships at Carton House and the Home Internationals.

The Close, as it is fondly known, takes place on August 4 -8 over a links which is in remarkably fine championship condition akin to the joys acclaimed by the competitors in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin exactly one month ago. It can be no coincidence that both events are on great links designed by Pat Ruddy and in this case owned and managed and presented by him.

That these events are so well received may have its basis in the fact that this is the 31st championship to be played on a Ruddy designed test of the game. Few know better how to build and present a championship golf course.

The European greens are as good as they have ever been, as good as anything in the country, and the fairways are a marvellous combination of lime green and spots of tawny brown with the mowing cut down to 4mm to present a velvet finish.

Of course, The European Club presents a fine test of the game with the G.U.I. officials having a huge array of options when it comes to choices of pin positions and tees. Depending on the weather and the mood they can vary the examination paper in much the same way that a great pianist can sit to the grand piano and produce magical melodies with all the keys or a choice of just some of them.

The Irish Close Championship has, of course, been a great annual festival of Irish golf ever since it was founded at Portrush in 1893. Allowing for the loss of nine championships because of two World Wars this is to be the 117th playing of the great event and it is made all the more special by the fact that the winners of forty-five championships are still alive and interested in the game even if they do not play any more.

In that regard, best wishes to the sweet-swinging T.W. "Tom" Egan who won at Royal Belfast away back in 1952 and the next two most venerable champions Martin O'Brien who won at Portrush in 1968 and Vincent Nevin the winner in Sligo in 1969. The achievements of these three could provide enough amazing stories to justify a book of biblical proportions.

Names like Carr, Craddock, Bruen, Burke and Ewing are inextricably linked with this championship as winners as are the four great Irish winners of majors in recent years —Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy who won at The European Club in 2006.

At the time, McIlroy said: "The European Club is probably the best links course that I have ever played and I include Royal St George's, Royal Portrush and Royal County Down in that. It's just the definition to it! Then there are the sleepers in the bunkers. It's totally unbelievable. I love courses where you really have to think your way around. It gets me focused much more. That's why I'm so impressed with it."

An amusing aside to that 2006 championship is the fact that Shane Lowry, having lost in round one, stayed on for the entire week caddying for Simon Ward whom he brought all the way to the final before they bowed to McIlroy.

It is to be hoped that this year's event produces even half the traditional fun and excitement which it may well do as the field includes former winners Jamie Fletcher and Alex Gleeson; Irish Amateur Open winners Peter O'Keeffe, Colm Campbell and Robbie Cannon (who also won the South in 2009); North of Ireland winners Ronan Lester and Sean Flanagan; South of Ireland winners James Sugrue and Conor Purcell; West of Ireland winner Robert Brazill; and East of Ireland winner Reece Black.

All-in-all as formidable a gathering of champions as ever contested this great championship and made all the more exciting by the fact that it is being played on what is acknowledged as one of the world's greatest and most formidable golf links. The winner will truly have earned his place in the pantheon of great Irish champions.

The Championship commences with strokeplay qualifying rounds on Saturday and Sunday, August 4 and 5 with the matchplay battles running from Monday through Wednesday and spectators are welcome to a great free show of superb golf from players who probably include Ireland's next breed of major championship winners.