Tour round-up: Alps Tour up and running
Ronan Mullarney in a publicity shot for Play In Pink
Most of the world’s major tours are all in action this week but it’s our up-and-coming professionals who will be looking to get 2025 off to a fast start in Egypt.
Six Irish players made their seasonal bow on the Alps Tour in the Ein Bay Open at Sokhna Golf Club on Wednesday, and it was a generally positive day.
Alps Tour
T17 Hugh Foley, Ronan Mullarney, Robert Moran 68 (-4)
T89 John Murphy 74 (+2)
T102 Marc Boucher 75 (+2)
Former Alps Tour number one Ronan Mullarrney from Galway, Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley and Castle’s Robert Moran carded four-under 68s to share 17th place after round one,
They were just four strokes behind Giovanni Manzoni (ITA) and Rocco Repetto (ESP), who shot eight-under 64s to head the field by a shot.
After topping the Alps Tour rankings in 2023, former AIG Irish Close champion Mullarney (29) made seven cuts from 19 starts on the HotelPlanner Tour last year but did not advance from the Second Stage of the Qualifying School.
Moran (25), another former Irish Close winner, missed out at the First Stage of the 2024 DP World Tour Q-School after a solid season on the Alps Tour, where he was 12th in the Order of Merit.
Foley (27) won the North, West and South of Ireland titles as well as the Irish Close in a strong amateur career before turning professional at the end of last season.
Foley made six birdies in his 68 as Mullarney and Moran went bogey-free
The goal for all players on the Alps Tour is to win one of five HotelPlanner Tour cards awarded to the top five non-exempt players in the Order of Merit.
Kinsale’s John Murphy (26), a former Walker Cup player who won his DP World Tour card at the end of 2022, opened with a two-over 74 while Marc Boucher, a former Irish international, shot 75.
DP World Tour
Rookie Conor Purcell (27) makes his sixth start of the DP World Tour season in the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa
Purcell graduated to DP World Tour this season after winning twice on the HotelPlanner Tour to won one of 20 cards by finishing sixth in the final Road to Mallorca standings.
he missed the cut in his first three starts after getting his card but has finished in the money in his last two and lies 158th in the Race to Dubai.
He’s joined in Nairobi by Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy (31).
PGA Tour
Pádraig Harrington (53) will bid to become the oldest winner on the PGA Tour in the $7m Mexico Open at Vidanta Vallarta, where Aaron Rai (29th), Akshay Bhatia (30th), Rasmus Hojgaard (43rd) and Stephan Jaeger are the only members of the world’s top 50 taking part.
Harrington finished 52nd in the event last year, carding rounds of 72-66-72-70 to finish on four under, 15 strokes behind Jake Knapp.
LPGA Tour
Leona Maguire returns to action overnight in the Honda LPGA Thailand, looking to push on after finishing ninth and joint 19th in her first two starts this season.
The Co Cavan woman has finished T12 (2022), T6 (2023) and T31 (2024) in her last three starts at Siam CC.
It will be her 121st start on the LPGA Tour.
Record (via GolfStats): Starts: 120, Cuts Made: 93 (78%), Top Tens: 22 (18%) , Rounds: 406, Scoring Avg: 70.97, Career Earnings: $4,801,506 - Best Finish: 1st (2 times).
Sunshine Ladies Tour
Olivia Mehaffey (27) will be playing with conditional status on the Ladies European Tour this year after finishing 151st in the 2024 Order of Merit.
She started the season positively by finishing 57th in the Lalla Meyrem Cup in Morocco and as the LET takes a break before heading to Australia, she plays on the Sunshine Ladies Tour this week in the Standard Bank Ladies Open at Durbanville Golf Club.
Australian WPGA
Northern Ireland’s Victoria Craig is in Australia for the Webex Players Series Sydney at Castle Hill Country Club.
