Ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a golf champion when the stakes are high and the winds are unforgiving? Keith Egan, the celebrated West of Ireland champion, joins us to share the riveting tale of psychological fortitude and strategic mastery that led him to victory. His story stands as a testament to the unwavering focus and mental tenacity required to stay present and outplay the competition, where every swing counts and routine is a weapon against psychological warfare.
Venture with us through the mental labyrinth of competitive golf, where a single shot can tip the scales of a match. Keith recounts the emotional ebbs and flows of a nail-biting game, emphasizing the importance of staying cool under pressure and sticking to a well-honed game plan. His narrative captures the essence of how a golfer's resilience is tested against challenging elements and how a solid mindset can transform a demanding course into a canvas for triumph.
The episode crescendos with Keith's vivid recollection of the winning putt that sealed his fate as a champion. But the journey doesn't end with the last stroke; it's in the heartfelt celebrations, the overwhelming support from the Sligo community, and the personal reflections on a victory hard-earned. Join us for this inspiring session with Keith Egan as he provides an inside look at the discipline, strategy, and emotional highs that define championship golf.
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Ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a golf champion when the stakes are high and the winds are unforgiving? Keith Egan, the celebrated West of Ireland champion, joins us to share the riveting tale of psychological fortitude and strategic mastery that led him to victory. His story stands as a testament to the unwavering focus and mental tenacity required to stay present and outplay the competition, where every swing counts and routine is a weapon against psychological warfare.
Venture with us through the mental labyrinth of competitive golf, where a single shot can tip the scales of a match. Keith recounts the emotional ebbs and flows of a nail-biting game, emphasizing the importance of staying cool under pressure and sticking to a well-honed game plan. His narrative captures the essence of how a golfer's resilience is tested against challenging elements and how a solid mindset can transform a demanding course into a canvas for triumph.
The episode crescendos with Keith's vivid recollection of the winning putt that sealed his fate as a champion. But the journey doesn't end with the last stroke; it's in the heartfelt celebrations, the overwhelming support from the Sligo community, and the personal reflections on a victory hard-earned. Join us for this inspiring session with Keith Egan as he provides an inside look at the discipline, strategy, and emotional highs that define championship golf.
Follow amateur info
https://instagram.com/irish_amateur_golf_info?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
okay, welcome back to the irish ham podcast, and in this episode I am joined by the west of ireland champion keith.
Speaker 2:Egan keith, how does that one feel great?
Speaker 1:yeah, hard not to smile now when I hear that yeah so like a glorious week in sligo, and I put up a video this morning kind of saying the not so wild west and a very different climate for the standard Easter tournament, so a bit of lovely sunshine and all that. But we'll go through the weekend in detail in a couple of minutes. But before we get there, keith, I said to you yesterday I just said to you before we came on there as well, you seemed extremely focused this week and something that was very noticeable to me as someone that has seen you walk a lot of fairways over the last couple of years, is that something you worked on in the off season?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've always been. I'm always very good at kind of separating my off course mentality towards on course, like I'm very, very competitive and I like kind of embracing that. When I play, generally off the course I'm very happy and I'll talk to everyone, but when I play, I prefer to stay very focused and stay in my own bubble. But I suppose what I tried to do, especially this week, was just embrace that a lot more, like I know that I thrive in that environment, I know that I play better in that environment. I play better when I feel like my back is against the wall at all times.
Speaker 2:And I tried to just take that mentality to the stroke play, because I understand that the course is hard and I understand that conditions can change any minute, no matter what the forecast says. So, yeah, the conditions can change any minute, no matter what the forecast says. So, uh, yeah, I suppose I did, maybe subconsciously worked on that, but it was mainly just embracing what makes me good as a, as a golfer, and that that part of it kind of helped me just, uh, stay focused and then probably be a little bit more consistent as well throughout the week so I suppose it was a case of looking at what, what really gets you going, and kind of isolating it a bit more and just kind of really focusing on that kind of area for yourself Exactly.
Speaker 2:So the two things that I really tried to work on this week was staying very patient and present so it sounds very cliche, but literally trying to focus on each shot in each hole as they come. So when I played each of the match play events or match play matches, I was just focusing on my score, like stroke play. So I knew that shooting under par around that golf course in match play with some wind is tough, especially at this time of year. It's hard to get a lot of players that are extremely sharp this time of year. So I knew shooting under par was going to be tough to beat, going to be tough to beat. So and I understood, especially when you get into the later stages of of the week, that a lot of people are tired, a lot of people are still finding their form, so there's going to be a lot of sloppy golf as well.
Speaker 2:So, uh, it's easy to get in a in a rut of shooting like a few over par and then getting too caught up in your in your match score and not focusing on actually playing golf against the course. So I I just kept a scorecard in each match and just tried to shoot at least one under each round and I knew that that should give me the best chance of getting the job done. And then the other thing was staying patient but then also being as free as possible. So I was very intense, I was very focused, but then in that zone, in my own little bubble, I was trying to be as loose and as free as possible with everything that I did so swinging very loose, chipping very loose, putting very, very loose. And then I think that just allowed me to embrace everything a little bit more. And then I think my feel was a little bit better and allowed me to play a little bit better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think, like everything that you mentioned, there was actually kind of noticeable to some degree, and again, as I said, about seeing a bit, but something that again stood out to me an awful lot this week was that every shot you hit, regardless of being good or bad and bad is probably even the wrong word here because there wasn't anything kind of crazy bad but like the ones that were good and the ones that didn't hit target, let's say, to finish, to follow through and, like I'm going to say, the club was done by your side within two or three seconds after kind of completed the swing in every shot and kind of walk back to the bag. Like the routine was consistent all week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I I make, I try to make a conscious effort of that playing golf, because I'm I am uh, I don't like to be emotional playing golf. Even when I won, I wasn't emotional. It took me a few minutes to get out of my zone because, like I tried to just keep a process, what I stuck to. So I was gonna go through my, my process in terms of how I approached each shot. I was gonna go into my my thinking box or playing box, hit the shot and then forget about it. That's it, I've done my process, and then literally forget about it then.
Speaker 2:So I I just tried to be as not robotic, but just learn from each shot again, like this this week is is as much about learning about your game as as it is about competing to win, because, like it's this time of year, like we haven't played that much golf, especially competitive golf, so still trying to learn and find form. And every shot that I hit, I just gave it the same amount of value and the same focus. And, yeah, whether it was good, a great, a decent or a terrible shot, I just tried to treat it the exact same, not get too uptight, and then in match play that works to your advantage because it gives your opponent nothing to feed off. Usually, if you see a guy that gets very emotional with a shot, with a bad shot, you're like, boom, I have an advantage here, any little bit of momentum you're looking for, and I suppose it just doesn't really give anyone that that advantage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100% and like it's definitely something that, like, as you were playing, I don't think anybody knew what was going on inside your head. Like you just kind of. As I said, you were very much in your zone. But we're sitting here with a country, sligo, top one, and something you mentioned just before we came on air was that you went up for a scouting trip to play an open singles on the Easter weekend. Sligo is somewhere that you've performed well in the past as well, keith, so, like were you going in there with a lot of confidence, knowing that the game was good and that you'd kind of seen the course already?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I played lovely. I knew the course was a lot more gettable because the rough was cut back. I was surprised the first day of the stroke play that the scoring wasn't a little bit lower. But again, I think that's just time of year people not being sharp. I felt good, I didn't feel super confident going in just because I hadn't played enough golf and enough competitive golf.
Speaker 2:Uh, I felt, and the second round of the stroke play gave me all the confidence because I'd grind it in that round like the conditions were hard and I I was hitting it really well but I was chipping and putting and I was treating it like I was in a real dogged match, play, match and I was grinding every hole to keep bogeys off the card.
Speaker 2:And that gave me a lot of confidence. That gave me the confidence going into the match play that like, like the score that I shot there is like that's, if I play like that, I'll be really hard to beat, no matter who I play. So, uh, it was kind of I got confidence as the week went on, but at the start of the week not really like. I was hitting it nice and I was doing everything nice, but I didn't know how I was going to perform in an event, so that's why focusing more on my mentality was very valuable for me this week. That was going to be what was going to take me far in the tournament, so I just had to focus on that starting off.
Speaker 1:That second round. You kind of glossed over it there fairly quick in terms of how good it was there, fairly quick in terms of how good it was. So as I arrive in Sligo the cut that morning was four over, we'd say after round one. By the time I leave Cork and I get to Sligo the cut has moved from kind of four over to I think it was about 11 over by the time I got there. You're playing out in the worst of the conditions. Sligo is not an easy course to get around like. So it was getting around that evening in fairly strong winds. Everybody around you is making bogeys and, like, as I said, the cut is kind of drastically moving out. You have 17 powers and a birdie and, as you said already, like you took confidence from it like, but was that, I suppose, and you kind of said it?
Speaker 2:but like very much playing the course and magically like just not giving anything to the course yeah, yeah, because sligo is a very interesting course in that you can't bully it, you can't make loads of birdies, you can't just beat it by making loads of birdies and eagles. It doesn't give you anything. There's maybe a couple holes the fifth, you feel like you should play it as a par four. The twelfth really depends on the wind. It's a tricky tee shot and it can be a tricky. Second shot around the green is tricky, so you can understand how how lads don't make birdie there, even if they might have an iron in, but other than that it doesn't really give you anything. Like there's no par four that you think of, like, yeah, I should make birdie here. Like there's nothing. Really the par threes are tricky.
Speaker 2:So I learned to just really respect the course and have a real strict game plan and I said this after we finished yesterday that I was very stubborn in my game plan for the whole week and then, when I got into, I had a good start in the second round and I worked on some of my putting after the first round, because I didn't put particularly well in the first round and I knew that the last five holds would be playing very hard, which they always do. But especially when you get the wind straight in and slightly off the left, it's even more difficult for tee shots like 14, 15. It gives you a chance to rack up and, of course, 17, but it gives you a chance to rack up a number, which many players did on 14 and 15. I knew that once I got to 12, I was one under. I knew I was bogey free and I was like the day before in the first round I played the last five holes terribly. I doubled 15, I bogeyed 16 and I bogeyed 17. And I actually made a good par on 18. So I knew that I was in for an absolute grind in the last few holes and I was going to find a lot out about my game in the last few holes as well. So really made me standing on 14t, really made me focus on everything that I was doing pre-shot, routine, swing, staying present and each shot like giving full commitment to.
Speaker 2:And then I knew when I I I got to, I hold about a 10 footer for power on 16, uh, and then I ripped the drive down 17 and I had 200 to the flag and I hit as good a two iron as I could. And I was still short and I chipped that to like two feet, knocked it in, and then I was kind of thinking to myself like 18 is generally an easy hole, if anything like a good birdie chance, and I was thinking like, boom, that's, that's bogey, free, wrapped up. And then I rip a drive down 18 and I get up to the ball and I have 168 left and I'm hitting a five iron in and then I'm thinking to myself, oh my god, this is, this is way more stressful than this hole usually is. But I again what that does, and I for me, anyway, those conditions just make you really really respect the course and not get too complacent and and really stay uh, stay very patient and centered. I, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because, like I just said, you were hitting five iron. And it was definitely a funny one, because when I arrive up, there is the people hitting five irons, four irons, even rescues. I've seen a couple of lads hitting into 18, which it is. It's normally a flick of a wedge and I suppose it kind of showed how hard the course was playing, because that wind, particularly when it's coming off the left there a bit as well, it doesn't really help you on any part of the course. It's kind of hurting you.
Speaker 2:Most of the way around we'll say, yeah, it kind of helped on four and five and you don't want it to help on four, if anything. You want the wind in on four and then five, five. It's good. I suppose, if anything, it makes the second shot a little bit harder, because it's actually kind of hard to hold that green, um, because it gets more narrow the further you go with the green.
Speaker 2:But, um, I remember in the first round I I hit a good drive on 18 and I had 71 yards. And then the second round, I ripped the drive and I had 168 and it was like I hit a five iron about 206, 205 and like it was a full five iron to get like 25 feet short of the hole from 168. So it's at least a three club wind that we're playing into. So, yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't help any hole, um, that wind, and it really makes the last five very difficult and maybe helps, maybe helps the eight, but like that's a hard hole anyway. Yeah, so it doesn't really make a difference and it just makes the second shot a little bit more. Uh, you have to be a little bit more precise with your second shot when it's downwind.
Speaker 1:On eight, yeah, 100 like in terms of scoring, it probably makes the course about four shots harder, like. So it's just one of them challenges. I suppose you walk off, then obviously you're extremely happy with that round and then you must kind of switch to match player. So is this kind of at the point then where, like being so focused as you are being kind of in the zone, at this point it didn't really matter if it was draw player match, it was just you trusting your process again exactly, yeah, I, I said it to dara who was caddying for me.
Speaker 2:Um, I just said that, like we've six matches and then just treat every match the same, like we we're playing, it doesn't matter who we're playing, we're playing against a gray object. If I shoot my score, if I shoot four under every round, I'll win, and that was my goal. Or get as close to four under. I know a couple of the match plays I got to three or four under. But yeah, my goal was to just play the course and shoot as low a score as I can and and stick my game plan, no matter what the situation was. If I was, if I was four down with four to go and I got the 15 t, I would, I would still hit two iron off the t. I was just going to stick to that, no matter what, because I learned that.
Speaker 2:I learned that it just for me that t shot, it just for me, that tee shot, it just driver just brought too much into play, especially depending on the wind. It made it very, very tricky. So I just decided no, like I'm a good iron player, so give myself of hitting even a mid iron into the hole, I can still make birdie, which I did three of the match play rounds. I made birdie on the hole, so yeah, sticking to that game plan. I made birdie on that hole, so yeah, so yeah, sticking. Sticking to that game plan, like if you, I think, if you birdie, or if you par 15, you're probably you're not going to lose the hole most of the time yeah, 100% and I suppose I just said it, laura like now it becomes about how fit you are and kind of I suppose, and again how mentally strong you are.
Speaker 1:So like over the next three days you're going to have to play six rounds of match play. So on day one you have the first two and you win five and three in the morning, excuse me and then you win two and one in the afternoon. But what's the mentality like, I suppose, that evening? So like you're kind of you've got over the hump of like day one of match play, which can, I suppose, always throw up a couple of banana skins and stuff, and it definitely like even that switch can be the hardest point I kind of see with players from like going from stroke to the match. Then I know you're in your process, but that day one kind of, are you getting more confident or is there a bit more nerves after you get through day one?
Speaker 2:Well, I think, naturally, you start to think about winning after day one. Well, I had, I had to play paula hanlon, who's who's a club mate of mine and a good friend of mine, so, uh, that was a very unique situation for me. Uh, we were actually supposed to stay together and then we I like I stayed, I stayed in my own place just because I wanted to treat it like any again, any other match, uh, and I think the best way of showing respect to anyone is trying to absolutely hammer them because you're showing that you respect their ability. And, and paul, I know that if me and paul played 10 times, I know paul would beat me, but like at least a few times. So I needed to treat it with with, uh, with full respect and and try beat him as much as I could. So I treated it like any other match.
Speaker 2:Um, and there there was definitely a little bit of maybe anxiousness playing against Paul just because of the, the relationship. But again, after a couple holes, you separate it and then you just just turns into competitive mode and then I'd say it's coming into the last days. When you start to, you start to realize, like, how close you are and I suppose, after all the the years that I've been playing, you realize how difficult it is getting to like a semifinal in the championship, because there's obviously you need to be playing very good golf, you need to hopefully not run into a guy that's just in like shit hot form on the day or on the particular round that you're playing. So, yeah, so you do need a little bit of luck, as well as like very good golf so you never know what will come in a sem well as like very good golf, so you never know what will come in a semi-final.
Speaker 2:Sometimes the golf can be great, sometimes the golf can be poor, but again it just made me. I was definitely a little bit anxious because I knew the opportunity that I had and I I've been, I've been um close to winning a few championships and I knew there was a little bit of a monkey on my back for winning one. So it was uh, I knew how close it was, so more the semi-final than the final. I, I was, uh, I was a lot more anxious.
Speaker 1:And then the semi-final so you got two up early, I think yeah, and then you're, you're back to all three or in around nine again. So like, if you're anxious going out in the morning you get up early. So again, kind of business is normal for you. Kind of, as the week was going on really like real solid golf ross gets two back on you kind of in around the turn there. So as you're making the turn, then is that kind of is that something that's in the back of your mind, or that kind of where is this going here?
Speaker 2:like um, at the start, yeah, but at the start, like you start off with definitely anxiousness at the start and then I feel like with r is it kind of break it up into different sections, so if the first five holes you have six to 12 and then, or six to 11, 12, 13, and then 14 in? So I knew, I knew that I, for the week I played, I generally played six to 11, very, very well, except what Ross he started to find he started, I felt like he started to get very, very uh, comfortable with his ball striking and he was absolutely ripping it for the kind of midsection of that match. But I knew I was putting very, very well, so I just need to give myself decent chances and I was going to hold puts. So, uh, and I I Sorry I birdied 11. Ross, eagle, 12. And then I, ross, made a mistake on 13 by over clubbing and that gave. I went back to one up and then I knew it was going to be. I knew it was going to be very, very tight. I was like thinking that this match is going to be very, very tight going down, it's going to go to 17 or 18.
Speaker 2:And then both of us hit it a little bit right on 14. We both got a. Both of the lies were sitting down and we both hit it long and left. Both of them came out very, very hot and I got an outrageous up and down. I had a very, very bare lie and chipped it stone dead and I just put Ross under pressure.
Speaker 2:So then two up, going on to 15T, I stand up with a two iron and I rip it down the middle and, in fairness to Ross, he hit one of the best drives I've seen on 15. He ripped it down there but I hit seven iron to like six feet and then that just constantly for three holes there in a row. I just put them under serious pressure. Yeah, um, and then. So I I think you find that out in match play if someone puts you under serious pressure, it can maybe just change a little bit of tension in your hands or tension in your body. And I'm not saying that ross felt that, but it kind of in my mindset. I was just thinking keep putting pressure, keep putting pressure. And then I I ended up winning 16, or sorry, 115, to go 3 up and then have 16. So yeah, I just kind of kicked into gear.
Speaker 1:I understood that I was in for a tough match, and then that made me just refocus a little and I suppose then the ideal scenario here is you walk off 16, you get to the clubhouse, you have a quick bite to eat and you're back out in the golf course. The golfing gods had another plan for you well, not for you, but for the match behind you and they went down 24. So I think you had about a two hour wait or thereabouts between your semi-final and the final. So what's the mindset?
Speaker 2:I suppose, like we'll say and now we're into that are you kind of starting to kind of wonder what's going on and kind of is the mind going mad yeah, um, I, I made a mistake when I, when I played in the south in 2019 in the final, in between the semi final and the final, I went in for lunch with uh, with all my, with all my friends, all the the carton carton house supporters that came up, I had lunch with them, was just chatting and was like totally disengaged with what I was doing. And then I went out and I, I I started off hot and then maybe I don't think I got complacent, but I got a little bit comfortable and and uh, and then just played the last in that match, especially played the last 13 holes in like five over or something. Okay. So, uh, I, I understood that, that, I understood that that can happen. So I went in for a quick bite to eat, chatted with a couple of lads, and then I, I went out to my car and I just spent a bit of time by myself just trying to refocus um, and I knew that the lads were in a tight match. So I went out and I actually just did some practice and genuinely did some practice. So because, again, like we're all kind of working on on our game at this stage, so I was still trying to figure out.
Speaker 2:I wasn't quite happy with my pitching at the time, so I went out and I hit a few pitch shots, had a few things that I was working on, went out to to actually work on my putting, and then so I treated it like that, like I was actually just trying to sharpen up rather than stay loose. And then that was after an hour, and then the lads went into like a sudden. They went into it must have went to. This must have been the 21st then. And then I was just hanging around, a little couple of my friends came over to the port and green. I was having a bit of crack with them while doing some practice.
Speaker 2:So then I was loosening up and trying to again stay focused, but but very free in my practice, so not getting too tight, not thinking of a final. And then, definitely when I got to the final then and we started playing, I definitely felt a little stiff on the first couple of holes Because I stood on the first tee and I was like, right, feel good, let's just make a nice easy, smooth swing down the middle, and then I just completely snap hooked it. So I don't like it didn't feel like consciously that I felt stiff or I felt like I was compromised at all, but because mentally I felt very good, so definitely maybe I should have went down to the range and maybe just hit a few just to loosen up if I was to go back. But yeah, it was strange because I had too long. I had long enough where my body could just stiffen up and that was a difficult part of it, but mentally I dealt with it very well.
Speaker 1:Okay, good, and I suppose then, as you said, you get out and the first drive doesn't go to plan. But again, I said it a bit earlier and it's definitely been a team of it where nothing changes. So a lot of people at this point there's probably thoughts going through their head and there's definitely going to be a reaction. You hit a provisional ball but again that's through the exact same process, but you walk off the tee as confident as you had walked off 16 tee two hours before that, outwardly looking anyway, and I'm guessing kind of pretty much the same inside.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I understood that there was going to be in a final there's always going to be some terrible shots just because everyone's exhausted. And I understood that David playing he had played, that must've been his 10th round in seven days. So I knew that he was going to be tired and I knew that, like I knew that I just needed to put him under pressure. So, and I had been hitting a well so one shot, especially my first shot, after two hours in the situation I was kind of thinking like ah, look, figure it it out. Like just deal with it again. It's one shot at a time. Instead of getting too caught up in it, just let it. Let let the shot just happen and then and then deal with the next one.
Speaker 2:So then I luckily found the ball and I hacked it out and I hit a good shot on the green, had a chance of a par, but I gotta have it a whole.
Speaker 2:And then that was a huge momentum swing for me, even though I was after hitting one of the worst shots that I've hit in a while on the first tee of a final in a championship. It just showed that, like the, the mindset that I had that when I walked off the first. I actually felt like I just made like a two or three out of getting a half out of that hole, because david had a beautiful drive, had a beautiful shot on, had a very, very tricky push and he, I think, imagine very much a match play situation where, I think, tried to die it down to the hole and just left it a little bit short and then had one of those absolutely horrible three and a half four footers left and then, and then, well, obviously luckily for me, he, he missed and then I got a half out of it. So I walked on to the second tee as confident as I was all week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I definitely looked that way and it was. You get to five, tee one down and you hit a monster down the fairway and you're putting for eagle again. So you get the match back all square on five. But six and seven are probably two of the tougher holes considering where they are in the round. So like six can just be a bit tricky where, like, you're into the green. But like you hit this lovely thing into the green and like again experience and Ross's point, you know the bank is behind it. So like you kind of allow for short is dead, like in terms of it's very hard to get them down. So like you work there, hit a lovely one in and then seven. So you win five and six to go one up. Your second shot, the seven. You got somehow to spin on that one, considering coming out of the rough there. So like I suppose were you very confident in your arm swing at this point, like to be as aggressive on that line as you are.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I like my game. I'm a very, very good kind of mid to short iron player and that's kind of where my game revolves around, that very, very good kind of mid to short iron player and that's kind of where my game revolves around, that, between that and my putting. But I, I knew on 7 I have a very good game plan where, like, the first bunker is 235 to carry, the second bunker is 280 to get to, so that's a perfect 3 wood for me. I know if I smother a three wood I can reach the bunker on the left. It's 270. So if I hit low dry I can get there. So it's just a perfect. And there's no rough on the right. Yeah, I knew actually that's a better spot to be, because the water becomes short, rather than to the right, okay, of where you're hitting. So I knew that Okay.
Speaker 2:So then, like then, and I'm very good at getting distance with my iron so I was like, okay, so if I go down the right side in between the two bunkers, if anything, just a touch right. And I didn't really have a right shot in my bag. So I was like, yeah, it's just a three wood at this, at the two bunkers or between the two bunkers on the right, and I slightly pushed it but it left me one six, eight with a slight breeze. I was like that's just a perfect eight iron. So this is like this is just a total green light shot, because I don't have to worry about anything. I can just hit a flat out, and I did, and then I struck it lovely and then it just got a nice balance. I was planning on maybe being like 20 feet past the flag, but it ended up being just perfect, about 15 feet just left of the flag, yeah and I was cracking shot and you go two up.
Speaker 1:You make the turn. Then one up after David wins nine, the chip on 10, definitely the chip of the week that I've seen in it. I don't think anyone is beating it and particularly like I suppose the match is back to one up. David's left of the green you're right of the green Like you have a really tough chip and like laws of averages, his isn't half as hard as yours, but when you hit your one like first off, where does the balls come from to try that shot under them circumstances? Second, it was like that's kind of what wins the whole feel. Like when you put your, that chip goes so tight it makes his one harder than yours was initially. Then as well, like, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:yeah, 100. So it was actually quite funny. Like I I hit I didn't hit a great drive on 10, I hit it down the right, which was um kind of the play. I didn't mean to go as far right as it did, but I had a big mud ball and it was kind of the front left of the ball and I wasn't sure it was enough in the middle of the ball that I thought it was just going to fly straight. Well, anyway, I ripped it and it just went off the scales right and luckily I was on like the path to the 11t and so david, actually, like we both had about 215 in because there's a good bit of wind at this stage and he misses left.
Speaker 2:But then when I actually go up to the green I realized that I had a harder shot as in. Like my lie was so demanding that and if I didn't hit it well, I was going to go over into the bunker to fireside or else if I left it short, I was going to be in pure cabbage short. But I knew if I was very confident and I hit a good pitch. It wasn't like it was a really, really hard shot. It was a very, very high, demanding shot but I was able to get it up and down if I hit a real quality shot. But I think dave didn't have a chance of getting that his up and down because he had he had did a flop shot from a very, very tight lie and like flop shot off a tight lie there and I think the wind was slightly down for him. So I understood that for him getting it inside 15 feet was an unbelievable shot. But I knew that my miss was going to be like. So let's say, his would have been relatively easy getting inside 30 feet but really hard to get inside 15 feet.
Speaker 2:Mine was like if I miss hit the shot, it's off the green. Yeah, you know what I mean. If I left it short it was going to hit the bank and run over to the bunker and if I hit it too hard it was just going to run off into the bunker. And that pin was so tight to the left that I was I was screwed. So I knew I just had to again trust myself, get really loose. It was one that you could really get tense in your hands and get stiff and try just drive it low. But I was like this is just a shot that I've hit a million times, especially on links courses. It's just free up my hands, hit it hard. So it comes off a little low with a bit of check and luckily it came out to like four feet. And then I was like when I when I saw dave's chip, I was like nice one, this is a huge chance, yeah so you go two up um, you, you half 11, you eagle 12 to go three up 13 t.
Speaker 1:It's definitely a funny t shot in terms of like, I suppose when you're down at the green, it looks like you have loads of room. When ascending on the t, it looks like, particularly when the flag was as back as far as it was, it looks like you have loads of room. When you're standing on the tee, it looks like, particularly when the flag was back as far as it was, it looks like you have five yards to land it or you're in trouble. Either side. You find a left-hand bunker and you leave yourself, I'm going to say about seven feet for pair, for half, which you duly convert. So like, from 13 green to 14 tee is probably one of the worst walks on the course until you get to 17, obviously, but like are you starting to kind of now feel it like this is yours?
Speaker 2:100% yeah.
Speaker 2:Like you 100% start to think of it. But again, that's where I just had to like totally refocus myself because I like 14 is a really tough tee shot. Everyone. Totally refocus myself because I like 14 is a really tough t shot. Everyone will kind of struggle with it, but it one of the hard things about it is like committing to a shot in the t because it feels like a hole that you need to draw it off the t and I was just hitting a nice tight fade most of the day so I was just like no, I'm just gonna aim at the left.
Speaker 2:Hazard like this match is nowhere near over.
Speaker 2:Um, I'm sure the amount of matches that you probably look at during the week where lads were up on the 14T and then lose a match yeah, it's probably very, very common.
Speaker 2:I remember in 2011, I was two up against Gary McDermott playing in the West and I was two up on 14T and I ended up losing on 17.
Speaker 2:So I understood and it has happened to me like on that course, in that situation well, not in the situation of a final, but in that situation in a highly competitive environment that this can happen, where you can lose this. So I understood that and I was like, getting back to I'm level power, I need to, I need to grind like I was in the second round, yeah, to try stay level par or, if not, make a couple birdies. So then I was like that made me really focused on the t-shot then, and then I stood up and I absolutely nailed the three wood down the middle and that just gave me a great chance. Like it gave me a green light shot then where I could actually be aggressive, rather than having to just try and hit the green from a from a dodgy lie yeah, and then you end up with a nice look of birdie and safely make pair and kind of move on to 15, three up.
Speaker 1:So then you have to lay up on 15 for your second shot. The wedge shot into 15, so I already said that the one on 10 was really good, so I can't go back and say that the one on 15 was better. But they're not fair to pair to be fair First. They're not fair to pair to be fair First off. How fair did you have for your third and 15? Do you remember?
Speaker 2:So I hit two iron off the tee and I hit a pull left and I kind of towed it so it didn't go quite far. I hit into the first mound on the left and I had 225 to the flag and I was like, okay, I want 100 yards left. So I hit a gap wedge over the hill and I had 96 to the flag and I was on a little bit of a down, so it's very, very tight and soft light and I was like, oh, this is like this is like you need full trust in this and like, hit it hard. So I was thinking like, okay, so 96 yards into a puff for wind, it's like a 102 shot. There's a bit of backstop behind. So I knew if I hit it in the backstop the way I wanted to, it should get a little bit of spin. And I just, I just it just came out perfectly.
Speaker 2:And I knew that was a huge moment because I hit it to about four or five feet and I could hear walking up to the green this is where the, the big crowd actually kind of worked for me that were rooting for david yeah, because he was from sligo that I could hear the, the, uh. I could hear everyone being like, oh jeez, he, he hit that close or you know all the size, because they thought that david might win the hole and david obviously still had about a 20 footer be very tricky put down the hill. But then I actually got up to the green and I saw the the four or five footer had like a double breaker in it and then I was like, oh no, this is like. This is a really tricky one to read. But then I stood up and I hit a perfect putt and I went in so I understood how big that was, not only for the result of the match but momentum wise, again trying to keep my score.
Speaker 2:I don't like the 15 t shot and I said this after, after I finished in the final that I said that I hate the 15 t shot, but I hate it, but I it's a great t shot, it's a great hole and it could. The reason why I hate it is because it it doesn't put like. It does put doubt in my mind, but it makes me contemplate various different clubs off the tee, makes me contemplate a two iron, a three wood, a driver, and then that's a sign of a great hold. It's making me having an argument with myself about my game plan and doubt my game plan a lot, so I understood the consequences of how important that was, not only in the match, but also for my, for my score that I was keeping as well.
Speaker 1:No, 100% like it was. It was massive because like and again you're talking about the crowd so like, 15 is again probably the tightest hole, particularly the fairway when you're walking down, because the mounds are up either side so you can hear everyone chattering kind of walking down and like, this is before you even get to the ball and like all the sligo lads are kind of saying, okay, he's a chance to blah, blah, blah. And as soon as you hit that wedge it wasn't even halfway to the flag the players went silent because you could see it was on the line and as you walk on and the kind of pro come after you, everyone's going. That's it now. That's the kind of match that was the match winning chart, I suppose. And obviously you had to go up and hold the putt, which you duly did.
Speaker 1:16 Harald was par 3 in Ireland, particularly into that left hand, that left wind, but you miss it to the right. I think you'd miss it right as well in the morning. It's a popular spot. To be fair, I was convinced you were going to hit putter, like, just like. Why would you hit a wedge? Here was the first thing that came into my head Just bump something up and hope you have a 10-footer. I suppose it speaks to the confidence yes, you're three up, but you still have to get over the line. And this is like you don't want to give anything away at this point, like even though, like you're three up or go to wedge and again, like off a downslope, kind of hit this lovely nippy thing over and it kind of checks up and releases out. So, first off, was the putter ever an option for you or were you just that confident in the wedge that it was?
Speaker 2:that was the right shot uh, and loads of people said this to me after, but no, because I just don't think. I don't think it was a putter, because, like all the trouble is right close to the ball. So if I hit it, if I have to hit a putter that hard, it's actually bumping into the hill. Or like I, I, if I hit like a 56 degree wedge back of my stance and it was the easiest shot ever, like what it felt like to me because I was chipping very well and again, I'm trying to make a par, I'm not trying to, I was trying to forget about the situation of winning a match.
Speaker 2:If I was in a stroke play event there, I would never put that because like yeah, that's just easing it up, like if I was trying to, maybe if I was leading by 10, maybe, but like it was a chip all day for me and I was like, okay, forget about I. I I was like, no, but it's like I would never, ever play that shot with a putter. So it was just an easy 56, it was tight, so I was just like, just be very aggressive with it and a will spin and I actually I had a similar shot in the morning, a little bit further up in the in the semi rough, and I had a lovely shot, maybe five feet past, yeah, but this, this one, I it actually nipped up, probably too much and left me about four and a half five feet short, which was just uh, and I had a putt that was maybe just right edge.
Speaker 1:I suppose standing over the putt, then you kind of know what's coming at this point really because Dave isn't in what's going to. Can you completely clear your mind at this point? Because it's grand to say that you can keep going back to the process throughout the round, but it's kind of here now, this is the moment, this is the moment back to the process throughout the round, but it's kind of here now, this is the moment. This is the moment. The haptics that have happened before, the all the work that's gone on before, this is what the moment is far ultimately so like. Are you solely focused on the putt or is it no like? Are the hands getting a bit twitchy here?
Speaker 2:um, no, I, I, I became totally aware of the situation then and then that's when it made me like focus on the fundamentals a lot more. I'm like, okay, I understand this putt. This is an easy putt for me. Like five feet right edge, okay, the only thing that's going to fuck this up if I don't actually focus on my basics. So, like my aim isn't right, or like I completely misjudged the speed or whatever. So I was like right putter, face, feet lined up, correctly, hit it. And then that was it. That was literally it.
Speaker 2:I was thinking like, yeah, this is to win, this is why you practice. And like every time that, since we're kids, we practice on a putting green, they're always like yeah, it is to win the masters or this is to win whatever. Like literally that came into my head no, this is this, is it. This is game over now. And then I was very, very confident. I was, I was surprisingly confident over that. And then I I was so locked in then that I didn't even really celebrate, like I didn't, I just take the ball out of the hole. Like I was still so locked in and what I was doing I was, I was so deep into my own little bubble that I. I looking back, I was looking at some of the videos that you put up. I didn't even fist pump or anything but uh, yeah, and I think I think that just kind of shows how uh, how dialed in I was 100% of it, like if I put that video up with the caption of we're going to 17, I don't think anybody would have taken like it was.
Speaker 1:You were that kind of chilled with the whole kind of environment, so like, and it was a great way to be, to be that folks. Now and then, like you said it right at the start, it took you a while to kind of feel it. Um, so like you have a couple of obligations to do when you're talking to people and there's family there and there's media and stuff. Talk to me about. Once that's done and you're walking from 16 back to 18 because it's a nice stroll, like, it's a bit of a walk there is this going to kind of start sinking in for you then yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Then it started getting weird because, like I, I, I see I did all the interviews. And then I see all the lads from carton house that came up to watch, lads that I've been playing golf for years and, like good friends of mine, I saw them all over standing in in like a group, and then it started to hit me. I was like holy shit, this is after happening, like this is. And then that's when I went over to them and I that's when I started to celebrate put my hands in the air and I was just like, oh man, that's very, very cool.
Speaker 2:And then we just started we were chatting about it, going up to the clubhouse then and all of us, all of my group that we had, uh, which is very cool because I didn't really get to see them all day, because I was trying to stay focused, and then, with the amount of people that were there from sligo as well, it was hard to kind of see them all day. So, uh, we, yeah, we, we just spoke about it going up to the clubhouse. And then, when it really hit is when I walked into the clubhouse and then all the members in Sligo congratulated me, asking for pictures and then going up for the presentation was when I got like a little bit emotional about the whole thing and then, yeah, that's when it all started to kick in big time. Just once I got the trophy in my hand, it felt very cool.
Speaker 1:And I suppose you said it already like there's been a couple of near misses, there's been a couple of near misses, there's been a lot, a lot of hard work. Like so, excuse me, like that emotion is massively deserved, but like is it something that I suppose you can still well, it's a day only remove now, but like is that something you're going to try to bottle up and kind of go?
Speaker 2:I want this again ultimately like the emotion of the win, I suppose yeah, like that's very good and the likes of the likes of carton house, like going to carton and meeting all the members and and having the trophy there, that's a very addictive feeling there's.
Speaker 2:It is a very addictive feeling just seeing, um, just seeing people's reaction, seeing people coming up to you and and congratulating you. So I'm sure it will, like we'll we'll only see how much it motivates me. But like this is something that I I've made an effort for the last, especially the last year, focusing more on winning than than any other outcome, instead of just doing well or trying to give myself a chance to win, like actually think about winning and what that takes, what it genuinely takes. What do I need to do to win? And I understand that from seeing people win, playing with lads who have gone on to win. So, yeah, I'm sure it will motivate me and I think, because of that, I'm understanding what I have to do to win more of these, I think. And, as you said, to do to, to win, uh, to win more of these, I think and this was like you got.
Speaker 1:As you said, you got to go back to Catherine House last night with the trophy and a couple of quick drinks. I'm pretty sure you were fairly tired and you probably spent more time on your phone today than I did on my phone yesterday and replying to all of the messages yeah, I I woke up.
Speaker 2:I got to bed at probably one o'clock um last night and then I, I think I woke up at like seven or something, like I'm I I'm a morning person, so, uh, I probably spent the first hour and a half when I woke up, two hours just replying to messages on instagram. I think I had over a couple hundred messages on instagram and then I had over 300. When I woke up this morning, I had over 300 messages on whatsapp. So that was class. I know it was like the seeing the people that, uh, because it's something small, but people just actually giving you a text means a lot as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fellow competitors, uh, people like people, friends that you haven't talked in a while, just random people who want to reach out to you, um, yeah, so I I actually spent the whole day just literally doing nothing, like I had to cancel everything in in work and and just because, like nine, nine rounds in five days and the amount of emotion and like I wasn't emotional about about the whole thing, but the amount of effort that that takes mentally, you, you really need to.
Speaker 2:I well, I think I need to really embrace the whole thing and kind of enjoy for a few days, uh, and then and then kind of get back to to do my thing, um, but yeah, I spent most of the day just getting back to messages and responding to people and letting people know how thankful I am for not only coming out and supporting me while I was in Sligo, but then the amount of people in Carton House that came and uh and celebrated with me last night I like it wasn't for long because I was so tired, but just people showing a face and uh and celebrating with you, like probably the best feeling and the one thing that I was trying to imagine all week was just like walking into the clubhouse with the trophy and seeing all the members there celebrating because, like because you know, I've been a member in Carton since I was 15 years old and we haven't, like we've had a lot of amazing players.
Speaker 2:But you know, winning like that and and coming in with the trophy is just something that carton especially really really value. And because we've had a very good fred daily team growing up, we've had multiple good fred daily teams, we've had multiple good senior cup and barton shield teams, so they understand, um, like elite level amateur golf, yeah, so they, they have a deep appreciation for it. So there was a lot of members there last night that were genuinely happy, which was very, very cool to see.
Speaker 1:No, and that was great. It was great to see the Carrington support, particularly with it being as far away as it was, and it's great to hear that. I suppose you got that when you returned. So up next for you is Munster Shore play another tournament that you like, but we'll talk about that. Enjoy the fruits of this one. Massive congratulations again, my man, and best of luck for the remainder of this season thanks a million, gary, and thanks for everything that you do.
Speaker 2:You're so valuable to Irish golf. Like whenever I need updates for anything, I go to your Instagram page first, so I think I think everyone feels the same about you. So thanks for everything you do and it was an absolute pleasure. No problem, man, thank you, thank you.