More at stake than Irish Open for Green
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2011 Irish Open | Day Two | 31 Jul 2011
Victorian golfer Richard Green takes a share of the lead into tomorrow’s final round of the Irish Open in Killarney with more at stake than just the significant title that is Ireland’s national open championship.
Green shares the lead at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club with David Howell and Simon Dyson and having finished 5th in the event last year he clearly has a liking for the Killen Course layout at the multi course facility.
Green currently ranks 21st in the International Presidents Cup Team standings but a victory tomorrow against a field which contains four relatively recent major championship winners is sure to bring the 40 year old very much into calculations for automatic qualification or consideration as a wild card selection by team captain Greg Norman.
Green is currently ranked 82nd in the world but such a win, should it eventuate, would move Green close to the top fifty and ahead of those who are currently and likely under close consideration by Norman.
The leading ten International golfers according to the world rankings as at September 18th automatically qualify with a further two players added by Norman on September 26th.
The relatively inconsistent form of Geoff Ogilvy, Robert Allenby, Aaron Baddeley, Rory Sabbatini and Ryo Ishikawa, all of whom are currently outside automatic qualification but who are no doubt being considered, provides a further opportunity for Green to stake his claim.
Green will also have the opportunity at next week’s World Golf Championship event in Akron Ohio and the PGA Championship in Atlanta the week following to further enhance his chances.
Importantly for Green’s chances is the fact that he spent many of his formative golfing years on the sandbelt courses of Melbourne and does have an Australian Masters win at Huntingdale Golf amongst the list of his tournament victories. The host course for this year’s Presidents Cup, Royal Melbourne, is only ten minutes or so drive from Huntingdale.
First however Green must go on with the job tomorrow but after being the leading Australian when 16th at the Open Championship and now this week’s performance thus far he is doing all the right things.
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