New venue for Nissan Irish Open

BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2004 Nissan Irish Open | Preview | 22 Jul 2004

Just a little further up the coast from last year’s venue, the Portmarnock Golf Club, and an hour north of Dublin, the County Louth Golf Club plays host to this year’s Nissan Irish Open with Michael Campbell, the defending champion.

Campbell is coming off a good week last week at Royal Troon where he was 20th after being very much in the hunt leading into the weekend, and a second place finish at the Scottish Open the week prior.

The County Loath Golf Club’s Baltry course, is a Tom Simpson designed layout established in 1938 and then revamped, but only partially, in 1993 when the design firm of Donald Steel undertook some remodelling. The Baltry is a course full of strategic qualities, but like all courses so close to the Irish Sea, much will be dependant on the daily weather conditions.

The field assembled is stacked with top class European Tour players and the odd USPGA Tour golfer staying on after the British Open.

Darren Clarke from north of the border is likely to be the favourite after a reasonable showing last week when 11th at Royal Troon. His form had been a little ordinary leading into last week but it appears he is back, close to his best.

Padraig Harrington will no doubt be the local favourite, but Harrington seems to have lost his way of late. A decision to sack his caddy prior to the US Open may not have been the smartest move from a timing viewpoint, as since then, apart from his runner up placing at the Buick Classic, there has not been too much to get excited about form-wise. His missed cut at last week’s Open Championship was just his second in nine starts there. Clearly he is a good enough player to win but he will need to regain his form.

Trevor Immelman and Ian Pouter are both high quality young players although Immelman, after a good run early in the year, has been a little off the boil of late. Poulter was 25th last week and 10th at the Scottish Open and is more than capable of winning here.

Miguel Angel Jimenez had two good weeks prior to what must have been a disappointing 47th at The Open last week. He is a player of the highest class now and has shown himself to be capable of winning in any conditions.

Peter Lonard will have been disappointed with his missed cut last week at The Open as prior to that his form was very much on the improve. He was fifth at the Scottish Open two weeks ago and there have been signs of good things to come in the US prior. He could go very well here and go close to winning his first event outside of Australia

Luke Donald is a young man very much on the way up. He has played well this year in the US, but did miss the cut last week at The Open. If there is a concern about this fine young player it is that his golf may well be a little too Americanised for true links golf at present, having played much of his golf in recent years in the US. He was third at the recent Western Open prior to The Open suggesting his game is in very good shape but there is that question mark.

Nick O’Hern was going brilliantly prior to his missed cut at the Scottish Open. He could hardly put a foot wrong prior to that but did not play the The Open last week. as he did not qualify. He is such a consistent performer and with a great deal of self belief right now that his first European Tour win is surely not far away.

Of the other Australasians Peter O’Malley, Jarrod Moseley, Terry Price, Peter Fowler, Wade Ormsby, Stephen Scahill, Daniel Gaunt and Nick Flanagan test their skills against the new venue.

For Flanagan this week represents a significant milestone in his golfing career. Since his win at the US Amateur he has no doubt been hanging out to play for pay but the invitations he had to the US Masters, the US Open and the British Open were too tempting to pass up. Now he is on his own as he looks to establish himself as a professional golfer. He has chosen to sidestep the pressure that was no doubt being applied by numerous management companies who were looking to lock in place lucrative contracts. That leaves Flanagan looking to get a flying start in the paid ranks. He comes off a missed cut last week in his last amateur event at The Open.

The tournament carries prize-money of 1.9 million euro.