The Bullseye – Irish Open

I’m back. Couldn’t be more thrilled to write a couple of articles leading up to this year’s Open Championship. This stretch of golf on the European Tour is the best of the year, as we get our first look at links golf in its truest form. I have a little extra affinity for the Irish Open this year, as it’s hosted at Lahinch – a course I was lucky enough to play several years ago. One of the best experiences of my life. Beyond the course, which we’ll get into, the town of Lahinch was simply amazing. It was a great blend of tiny shops, pubs, and night clubs (all of which really loved playing Bon Jovi and The Killers).

When I played Lahinch, it was the middle of summer where daylight lasts until close to 11:00pm. We stepped on the first tee around 7:45pm, and flew around in a couple of hours. This property features links golf in its purest form, and as such, I believe you’ll see a wide range of scores this week. I made five birdies and didn’t break 75 (it was playing as a par-71, while this week it plays as a par-70). At just over 7,000 yards, Lahinch is certainly a course where plodders and links specialists will prevail. There are extreme fairway undulations, tricky greens and runoffs, several blind tee and approach shots, strategically-placed bunkers, knee-high wispy rough, and of course the ever-present wind gusts off the Bay. Assuming the course plays to its fast and firm profile, the two par-5s should be reachable for the majority of the field. The players near the top of the leaderboard will set themselves apart with accurate tee shots and scrambling. Avoiding double and triple bogeys is the name of the game this week, as I anticipate tons of birdies. It will be hard to figure out which players have experience at Lahinch, and I don’t think it’s overly important. This golf course is pretty much right in front of you. Taking a look at our links specialists and those motivated to qualify for the Open will be my focus this week.

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