McGrane ready for fresh domestic charge in 2018
NEW Carlow professional Damien McGrane will again be the favourite for the Order of Merit after the PGA in Ireland released its initial schedule for 2018.
More than 40 events have already been confirmed and while the date and venue for the Irish Professional Championship has yet to be announced, it promises to be another cracking campaign for Ireland’s club professionals.
McGrane topped the Order of Merit for the second year in a row and the fifth time in his career last season, edging out former tour colleague David Higgins from Waterville.
The pair combined to help GB&I retain the PGA Cup at Foxhills but for most of the season, they locked horns at venues across Ireland with McGrane topping the scoring averages with 69.76 per round and finishing the season with 13 wins.
Higgins won 14 times, but McGrane claimed more cash from his 20 starts, winning five in a row and nine in 11 starts in July and August.
“I had a really good run in the middle of the season,” McGrane said. “The most satisfying thing for me was winning five events in a row at that time, it was a nice run.
“My golf was great around then and ultimately that was the difference as it put me a fair bit ahead of the chasing pack.”
Following the AGM at Roganstown on January 30, the first big event of 2018 is the BMW Eastern Open at St Anne’s on April 28.
The €10,000 Roganstown Golf Hotel Pro-Am (May 14), €13,000 Milltown Pro-Am (May 27), €17,500 Dunfanaghy Pro-Am (June 9-10), €20,000 Shell Pro-Am at Carne Golf Links (June 16-17) and €15,000 Slieve Russell Masters Pro-Am (June 25-26) dominate the first half of the schedule.
There will also be five-figure purses at Portmarnock Links (July 16), Killeen
(July 20), St. Annes again (August 3), Cork (August 13), Cairndhu (Aug 31 - Sep 1) and Rosslare (September 8) before the season-ending €20,000 Connemara Pro-Am (September 29-30).
One of the highlights of the year will be the lucrative, new 36-hole qualifier for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open from June 30 to July 1 at a venue yet to be announced.
Open to amateurs and professionals, there are expected to be six qualifying places up for grabs for the $7 million Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin the following week.