On the right road at last
GUI gets a grip with new Bridgestone Orders of Merit
IT won’t be a revolution but Ireland’s top amateurs have welcomed the creation of the new Bridgestone Order of Merit — a new points list limited to the eight domestic championships alone.
The GUI admits it has failed in recent years to put much emphasis on the old Willie Gill Perpetual Award, instituted in 1976 to increase interest in the Irish Close and the four provincial championships.
The first “Willie Gill” went to Laytown and Bettystown’s Declan Branigan, who won the Irish Close and the West and was runner-up in the East that year.
But with the amateur game now focussed on the chase for World Amateur Ranking (WAGR) Points, which have taken over from handicaps as the main barometer of excellence used by the R&A to make up the field for event such as the Amateur Championship, domestic championships have been left without many leading Irish players.
Whitehead’s John Ross Galbraith played just three of the eight last year and did not win a single point at home as he claimed the 2017 “Willie Gill”, which comprised 20 events, most of them held abroad.
But while he’s now a professional, his former teammates have promised to try and play more in the eight counting events – the Flogas Irish Amateur Open, AIG Irish Close, East of Ireland, West of Ireland, South of Ireland, North of Ireland and the Munster and Connacht Stroke Play Championships – with the top two finishers guaranteed a call-up for the Home Internationals.
Senior Irish panellist Ronan Mullarney (22), currently at Maynooth University, is delighted the GUI has made the national team selection process transparent by publishing its criteria and guaranteeing the leading two players from the Bridgestone Order of Merit selection for the Home Internationals.
As for the importance of WAGR as the entry barometer for the game’s leading amateur events, he sees it as a good thing for all as stronger home fields will increase the strength of those events, meaning more world ranking points for all.
“WAGR is a big thing these days – not only to get into events like the British Amateur – but with more emphasis now on the home events, it will give lads who can only play the home events and want a WAGR ranking a better chance of getting one because the field will be better,” the Galway man said. “It’s a win-win for everybody.”
The East of Ireland Championship, which has seen its field decimated in recent years by clashing events in the UK, will have a stellar entry from the international players this year as they do not plan to travel to the Brabazon Trophy in England that week.
Another Maynooth Universitybased international, Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty, is already looking forward to his trip to Baltray from June 2-4.
And he’s a big fan of the new selection criteria having initially struggled to break into the international set-up.
“It’s definitely the right step forward,” Rafferty said. “Irish events need to be noticed more than they are and I will be doing my very best to play as many as I can.
“I know there are a few events that clash if you make certain teams but as long as I am here and I am available, I will play them.
“The West clashes with the R&A scholars tournament at St Andrews and it’s part of our college contract. It’s a shame because I love Rosses Point.”
Irish players will continue to compete in top tournaments in Argentina, South Africa, Portugal, Spain and the UK.
But encouraged by the likes of Paul McGinley and Des Smyth – two big believers in the importance of winning at home – the GUI knew it needed to take some steps to ensure our trophy events don’t lose their lustre.
Welcoming Bridgestone to their family of partners as sponsors of the Orders of Merit – there will also be a Bridgestone Boys International Order of Merit comprising nine international U18 events – the GUI’s CEO Pat Finn pointed to the
importance of winning at home.
“Tiger Woods won back-to-back US Amateurs before he turned pro [Woods won three in a row from 1994-96], and he’s quoted as having said you shouldn’t really consider turning pro unless you are the top amateur in your country for two years,” Finn said.
“If you look at the Order of Merit winners, three players – Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy – won back-to-back Willie Gill Awards, now the Bridgestone Order of Merit. So this partnership allows us to bring more attention to the Order of Merit.”
Referencing WGC-Bridgestone Invitational wins for Lowry and McIlroy, Colm Conyngham, Marketing and Public Relations Manager for Bridgestone Tyres in Ireland said: “We’d love to provide up-and-coming talent with greater recognition as they start out on their journey and in the future, we’d also love to see those names referenced back to when they won the Bridgestone Order of Merit.”