Carey happy to dance to his own tune

Dubliner is taking his own route to the top, writes Brian Keogh

IRELAND has produced four major champions and a host of tour winners over the past 30 years but there is no clear route to the top and Dubliner David Carey is on a mission to get there his way.

The Castleknock native played Boys golf with the likes of Walker Cup player Paul McBride and current Irish senior squad members Robin Dawson, James Sugrue and Ronan Mullarney.

But while McBride excels for Wake Forest in the US as he prepares to turn professional this year and the rest enjoy the benefits that go with playing under the protective wing of the GUI High Performance system, Carey will be teeing it up in his second full season as a tour professional, gaining valuable experience.

Not many will have heard of the 21-year-old but with a ball speed of 180 mph and swing speed of 120 mph – numbers that make him as explosive as any of the biggest hitters on tour.

But he’s clearly got the tools to surprise a few people in 2018 and just three weeks ago he came close to winning his maiden title in the Alps Tour’s Ein Bay Open in Egypt only to shoot 73 in the final round to finish third and take home just €2,560.

It was still a hugely positive result for a player who did not play well enough on the Alps Tour last year to be eligible for a grant from the “Sport Ireland” funded Team Ireland Golf trust.

Thanks to financial backing from his family, he’s in the fortunate position to be able to play under his own steam and as Pádraig Harrington pointed out last year, no Irish golfer will ever fail because of lack of cash.

Good play adds up to money in the bank and Carey is confident that if he can get his explosive power under control and sharpen up his wedge play and putting, he can learn his trade and become a tour player by competing with other stars of the future in the dog-eat-dog world of the mini tours rather than by rubbing shoulders with elite amateurs.

“I turned professional straight after my last year of Boys golf because by playing the Europeans Boys Team Championships, I was exempt into the Alps Tour Qualifying School,” he said as he waited in Istanbul airport for a flight to Cairo and a stint of winter golf on the Meditteranean Tour.

“And I got my card as an amateur so while I had no real intention of turning pro at 18, there were some early season events in Egypt in 2015 so I thought I’d go out and see how I got on.

“I finished 11th and sixth as an amateur and thought, I must try this full time.

“I can see the attraction of fulltime amateur golf in the GUI set up and playing for your country and playing in a team environment.

“But I have enjoyed the professional game and I thought it was better to be learning the game I am going to be playing by getting out there and doing it rather than playing links golf as an amateur.

“As I had an Alps Tour card, I thought I may as well play against the guys who are going to be coming through anyway and learn to play against them now.

“Every week you turn up you have to shoot under par. There is no point in just going out and playing okay and shooting level because you are not going to make any money.”

Carey left school before his Leaving Certificate, playing on the Irish Boys team that won the Home Internationals in 2013.

Capable of huge distance but wildly erratic, he missed 14 cuts from 17 starts last year before teaming up with Balcarrick based professional Stephen Ennis late in the season.

In the Irish Challenge at Mount Wolseley, he was one of just two Irishmen from a 23-strong home challenge to make the cut.

Tied for 14th at halfway, he eventually finished 48th. But it was an encouraging result and he would go on to make it to the second stage of the Qualifying School.

It’s been a remarkable journey for a player who began at public course Elmgreen with cut-down clubs before progressing to Westmanstown and Hermitage before eventually moving to Carton House, helping the Kildare club win the All Ireland Fred Daly Trophy in 2014.

He might swing the driver like

John Daly but he’s happy to keep bashing the ball as far as he can and tidy up the rough edges later.

“In the first two events of the Alps Tour season in Egypt I made 29 birdies and three eagles so I was sixth for birdies and first for eagles,” he said.

“My chipping and putting were not sharp enough but I am confident that I can improve that.”

Fortunate enough to own a Trackman of his own, he reaped the benefits by holing two full wedge shots in those events and is now working to eliminate his bigger misses.

As for his ball speed, he’s as fast as Dustin Johnson and one of the longest Irish hitters out there.

“If I am swinging decently my ball speed is 180-185 mph max,” he said. “The 190s is a mini goal of mine but once you are above 180 you are plenty long enough.

“I have a board with my goals in Stephen’s studio and if I keep ticking those off, I will be getting where I want to go.”

A top-five finish in the Alps Tour money list this year would give him a Challenge Tour card and it’s little wonder he’s got few regrets about leaving the amateur game behind.

“Finishing third a few weeks ago wasn’t quite what I wanted but it was a great experience to lead into the final round and learn those feelings,” he said.

“I should have won but maybe next time. All you can do is keep trying to improve yourself.”

When you’re playing for pay and bills have to be paid, sharpening up those scoring clubs is a whole new ball game and while the amateur game has its obvious benefits, learning the hard way might not be such a bad idea at all.