Scott Arnold gets start at Irish Open
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2009 Irish Open | Preview | 13 May 2009
County Louth Golf Club near the historic town of Drogheda plays host to this week’s 3 Irish Open five years after Brett Rumford won the Nissan Irish Open when it was played for the first occasion there in 2004.
The tournament is the first 2009 European Tour event to be played in Great Britain and Ireland and sets in motion a series of lucrative events in Ireland, England and Wales over the next few weeks leading into the US Open.
The current County Louth or Baltray layout was originally designed in 1938 by Tim Simpson although English architect Donald Steel made several changes prior to the 2004 Irish Open. It is considered by many to be one of the finest courses in Ireland although does not always get the recognition it deserves. Events such as this will help to change that.
Rumford won by four shots in 2004 over Raphael Jacquelin and Padraig Harrington while Peter Lonard, who had led into the final day, finished 4th.
The field in this week’s event is headed by two Irishmen although from either side of the border. Padraig Harrington will seek to win his national open for the second occasion having first won in 2007 in a playoff against Bradley Dredge. It set in motion Harrington’s dramatic rise in world golf as it was just a few weeks later that he would win his first major championship at Carnoustie.
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy played beautifully earlier in the season and his debut 20th place finish at Augusta National was impressive enough. He has not played so well in his past two starts in the US but on more familiar ground he is likely to do well.
Lee Westwood has not played since finishing 34th at the Ballantines event in Korea in mid April but he has played well enough this season for him to be a factor in an event which has surprisingly escaped him in his illustrious European Tour career. He finished third behind Richard Finch at Adare Manor last year and could well win his first Irish Open this week.
Thomas Bjorn won this event three years ago and his last two efforts in Spain and Italy suggest he is getting back to somewhere near that form. He was 6th in Italy and 3rd in Spain.
Raphael Jacquelin finished joint runner up last week in Italy and with a second place at this venue in 2004 he might be one for longer odds.
Soren Kjeldsen and the South Africans Thomas Aiken and Charl Schwartzel are others who spring to mind as being in the sort of form to do well this week. Kjeldsen missed the cut at the Players and the Masters but his form prior to that was good including when winning in Andalucia.
Schwartzel and Aiken have both gone close to winning in recent weeks and can be expected to do so again. Aiken is a model of consistency in several significant events in recent weeks.
The Australasians are headed by Richard Green although previous winner here, Rumford, Peter O’Malley, Marcus Fraser, Mark Brown, Michael Campbell, Wade Ormsby and Australian Amateur Champion Scott Arnold get their chance.
Campbell is hoping to complete his first tournament since the Alfred Dunhill Links event last October, his shoulder injury issues preventing him from doing so.
Arnold won the Australian Amateur Championship five weeks ago and gets the tremendous opportunity here. He is now the world number one ranked amateur and gains a start courtesy of that ranking.
