ALL ROADS LEAD TO LAHINCH
Rowan Lester heads south in search of a historic double
IT’S been 27 years since Darren Clarke completed a famous double at Lahinch by adding the South of Ireland title to his victory in the North a few weeks earlier. The big Dungannon man, who was a 4 and 3 winner over Jim Carvill that day, would go on to make it a hat-trick of championship wins later that summer by beating Pádraig Harrington in the Irish Close final at Baltray.
Now it’s Rowan Lester’s chance to etch his name in the history books and after coming back from three down after six to beat Colin Fairweather by two holes in the final of the “North”, he’s set his sights on making up for last year’s defeat in the final of the “South” at Lahinch by going one step further.
If he pulls it off, he will become the first man since Clarke to do the North-South double and he’s certainly got the game and the confidence to go all the way against what looks like a stellar field.
With most of the Irish team expected to tee it up — Paul McBride will miss out having been offered an invitation to play in the European Tour’s Porsche European Open in Germany — a quality winner looks guaranteed.
Lester fits the bill in more ways than one and while he’s a player who loves to get up in a match and dominate, the 21-year old Hermitage international showed at Royal Portrush that he’s got the dogged, fighting qualities needed to come from behind in ‘mano-amano’ combat.
“It was nice to snatch a championship after last year at the South,” he said after his win at Royal Portrush, recalling his 4 and 3 defeat to Conor Purcell in last year’s final at Lahinch. “I am looking forward to getting back to Lahinch.
“I’ve love to win two Championships in one year, the way Stuart Grehan did when he won the East and the South a few years ago.
“And I think the South is probably the biggest championship of all the championships now. For the last two years, the field has been great and it’s a course that suits me for some reason.
“The greens are just so good — the best we play in Ireland all year — and it’s always in great condition.
“I think all the lads in the Irish team are looking forward to the week and having a big get together. It’s a big week.
“I just love the matchplay format and I know that if you can get through the first two rounds, you are flying. Maybe it’s that they are matches you expect to win and you put too much pressure on yourself.
“But to be honest, now that I have won a Championship, there’s possibly a little less pressure on me now so I can’t wait.”
Lester looks certain to retain his place in the Irish team for August’s Home Internationals at Moortown, where Ireland will be going for a fourth win in a row.
But with the side not set to be picked until after the hostilities at Lahinch, several players could force their way into Tony Goode’s plans with a big performance over the famous Co Clare links.
Lester just wants to win again and he’s more confident than ever in his ability after completing his first year at Texas Wesleyan University in Forth Worth.
“Texas has been great for me,” he said. “It’s great to be out there because it is so hard to get anything done in winter in Ireland.
“It might not have exactly the competition that I’d need but you still have to be shooting eight, nine, 10 under par for three rounds and the players are good.”
Lester completed his freshman season with a wire-to-wire win in the NAIA Individual National Championship at TPC Deere Run in Illinois, the venue for last weekend’s John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour.
“Every part of my game is getting better and better, I am in the gym a lot and that’s helped my swing and allowed me to become more consistent,” he added.
While he’s not playing Division One golf, Lester is not hung up about playing at NCAIA level and plans to remain in Texas for four years and complete this Business Management studies.
“I was planning to only stay in Texas for two years and then go to Louisville, but I am going to stay now,” he said.
“It will allow me to focus on what I need to do. People get too obsessed with Division One college golf anyway, but NCAIA is a good level and we are the second best-ranked team.”
Lester is clearly a man focussed on getting better and his journey to the top of Irish amateur golf is all the more remarkable considering he has had to battle a congenital medical condition.
Happily, those troubles are now behind him and he feels stronger and more confident than ever as he continues his golfing journey.
“This is the first year I haven’t had to deal with hospitals and any of that stuff that might have held me back,” he said. “I just need check ups now and it’s all out of the way, thank God.”
It appears the only way is up for the Dubliner and with a championship on the mantelpiece at home, he’ll be a tough rival for the cream of Irish golf at Lahinch.