Past performance warned that expecting an Irish assault on the Irish Open at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club was a bit far-fetched. Sure, there had been victories in the past decade by Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry, but they could just as easily been seen as one-offs. This year's event, which had cast about for a sponsor until Discover Ireland stepped into the breach, proved no exception.
England's Simon Dyson came up the champion after Australia's Richard Green 3-putted the 18th green on Sunday. Dyson shot 15-under-par 269 to Green's 270.
Dyson fell prey to only three bogeys over 72 holes, and two of those came at the 393-yard, par-4 ninth hole. His precision ball-striking over the finishing holes made all the difference. He cited "the two great shots I hit down 18
"If you go in the bunkers, you're probably not getting up in two. And if you pull it too much, you're in the water. So there's no room for error on that one. And I managed to hit the fairway and I said to my caddie, 'I'm just going to go at it because I've been swinging my irons beautiful all week,' and I just went straight at it. Couldn't have pulled off a better shot, really."
Dyson also paid tribute to the galleries.
"It's like playing in an Open again," Dyson said. "I only played the British Open two weeks ago; it's like you're playing it all over again. They were unbelievable to play in front of, they really are. They are so gracious. They clap every shot. They clap you on the tee and into the green, and every birdie you make. It's just a pleasure to play in front of them."
Peter Lawrie was the sole Irishman to finish in the top 20, getting a share of eighth place at 275 (70-66-70-69). The trio of Damien McGrane (69-67-77-66), Simon Thornton (68-72-69-70) and Derry amateur Paul Cutler (69-67-71-72) accounted for 21st position, along with Felipe Aguilar.
Cutler, perhaps the next greatest thing to come out of the north of Ireland, began the event in auspicious fashion with an eagle at the first hole.
"It's beyond wildest expectations, to be fair," Cutler said of his whirl in Kilkenny. "Just came here to try and make the cut and the weekend."
Cutler's immediate ambition is to make the Walker Cup team, prior to mulling a go at the professional ranks.
Graeme McDowell performed the best of Ireland's big four, garnering a share of 25th place. He avoided the big mistake that has plagued him all season as he carded rounds of 72, 66, 72 and 70, and was in a better frame of mind than he was after he missed the cut in the British Open.
"I was dejected after my Friday round at The Open Championship, because, you know, I had poured my heart and soul into my preparation and just didn't quite do it on the golf course," McDowell said. "Putting a little too much pressure on myself. Disappointed but generally my mental game is my strength, not something I was going to hit the panic button about.
"Generally, I just needed to slip back into the way I was feeling last year, just kind of cruising, working hard and then just going out and letting it happen on the golf course. I did that better this week. Like I say, just didn't have it on the greens this week."
McIlroy was a shot behind McDowell at 281 (70-68-72-71), which was good for joint-34th place.
A score of 141 or better was needed to make the cut, and neither Clarke nor Harrington achieved that. Clarke shot 143 (69-74), while Harrington came in with 145 (73-72). Four bogeys on the back nine on Friday spelled Clarke's doom. Harrington, likewise, couldn't solve the riddle of Killarney's back nine, on which he posted four bogeys against a solitary birdie over the two days.
Clarke cited mental fatigue as more of a factor in his failure to make the cut than any physical failings.
"Trying and trying and trying all the way around the back nine there, and couldn't get anything going at all," Clarke said. "I had a couple of chances coming up the last there. I saw the cut was going to be 1-under on the board, tried a little bit too aggressive and chipped to hole it, and leave the next one hanging on the lip, just stupid. A couple of things went my way over at Sandwich and things went . . . bounces went the other way. Payback time I suppose. That's the game."
Harrington explained that he is searching for a fresh approach to recapture the form that won three majors.
"I'm doing everything that I would have done that won me three majors,"Harrington said. "Just obviously something, a spark, something fresh is needed and doing the same old things every day, as I said, it worked before, but it does need a bit of something new."
Asked if his psych guru, Bob Rotella, might be on the way out, Harrington demurred.
"Bob Rotella was working with me, and so was Darren, the same things that he was telling me, just worked for Darren. And he told Darren a hundred times over.
So it's not about . . . there's no new story out here. It's about believing the story. Darren believed it last week. So, yes, it's not a question of . . . it's just finding a way to make that enthralling for yourself. I would say I'm in a very good place. I just didn't have a good week."
