YOU JUST HAVETO BE PATIENT AND WAIT FOR YOUR MOMENT TO COME, AND THAT IS WHAT I AM DOING
West Waterford golfer Gary Hurley has spent the winter working hard on his game for the Challenge Tour season ahead. He’s waiting for his big break and with role models like Brian O’Driscoll and Pádraig Harrington, he’s inspired by the best.
1. How did you get started in this game?
My Dad, Richie, brought me down to West Waterford when I was about nine or ten. You could only become a member when you were 11, so in summer evenings he’d take me down to play with small clubs. I got them from the principal in my secondary school. They were basic clubs, and they were old and the grips weren’t great. But they were mine and perfect for me. I just loved it.
2. Were you sports mad at nine?
I used to play a lot of sports. I played soccer, hurling and football and anything I played I wanted to be good at it. I didn’t just play to participate. I really wanted to compete because I’m a competitive person. Most top sports people are like that. Any sport they do, they want to do it well.
3. What was your first love?
I was really into hurling and football for my club, St Oliver’s. And I played soccer for Railway Athletic in Cappoquin too – centre-half – and got to play in the Kennedy Cup.
4. So is Irish golf fortunate that you didn’t end up as an apprentice in some football club across the water?
I was decent but no, golf just took over. It’s funny, a guy from Tramore that I played with in the Kennedy Cup, Derrick Williams, just got called up for the Ireland squad. It’s great to see someone getting their chance.
5. When did you first start having success in golf?
It was with West Waterford in 2014 and 2015 when we won a couple of Irish Junior Foursomes. After that, I just started to play a little bit better. That’s when I took a big step up and made my first Irish panel at 17.
6. How much of an inspiration was Seamus Power? It must be tremendous to see someone from West Waterford make it all the way to the PGA Tour.
He’s six years older than me, but I remember caddying for Philip Spratt, who is a friend of mine at the club when I was 12 years old, and he played with Seamus when they won the Irish Junior Foursomes in 2005. Seeing him hit some really good shots made me say to myself, ‘I want to be able to do that.’ He spurred me on.
7. It hasn’t been that easy for Seamus to get where he is today. Is his success inspirational?
He spent several years on that mini-tour in the US — the eGolf Tour and in his last few years, he just dominated that tour. It was crazy how far ahead of the rest he was. Then he got some Web.com Tour starts, and he was off. He’s a really good player, and when Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley are talking out loud about what a good player you are, it means a lot.
8. It’s never an easy road to the top. Do you look at a guy like Corey Conners getting into the Valspar Championship last week as a qualifier and then leading through 54 holes?
It happens every week. You just have to be patient and wait for your moment to come. That’s what I’m doing, trying to be patient, improve, and wait for my chance.
9. Who was the person who helped you most along the way?
My Dad and even my sister sacrificed a lot to help me. But West Waterford put a lot of effort into the junior programme, and that was huge. We weren’t treated as juniors but as part of the club, like any other member.
They respected us as kids who wanted to play. It was brilliant. Then my coach Fred Twomey and Neil Manchip at national level with the GUI have also been fantastic. A lot of people gave me opportunities and I worked hard.
10. West Waterford has a great family feel. It must be wonderful to feel you are never alone, especially on the tough days.
Definitely. When we had five lads on the Walker Cup team in 2015 – myself, Paul Dunne, Cormac Sharvin, Gavin Moynihan and Jack Hume – West Waterford travelled to Royal Lytham and St Anne’s en masse with our green hats. Those hats still stay with me today.
Even if you win one of the sports awards in Dungarvan, you walk in and there could be three tables of West Waterford people there.
11. If I gave you a mulligan in your short career so far, what would it be?
I’d love to have won the European Amateur or the Spanish Amateur because I was so close a few times. I was third in the European Amateur in 2014 and second in 2015.
In the Spanish Amateur in 2015, I beat Ashley Chesters in the semis but lost on the last hole in the 36-hole final. I was two up with three to play against a Dutch guy, who went birdie-eagle to level it and then I didn’t par the last. That hurt me.
If he had another 100 goes, he wouldn’t pull it off again. So it would have been nice to tuck one of those away. But I learned a lot from those days. I’ll wait until my career is over and see if there’s something I’d change.
12. Who takes a six-foot putt to save your life?
It would be hard to look past Paul Dunne.
The only time I can remember him missing a putt he had to hole was in the playoff with Molinari in the Hassan Trophy in Morocco. It would definitely be Dunner. He’s the man.
13. Driver or putter?
At the minute it’s the putter, but hopefully this season it will be the driver. I’ve been working hard on my swing.
14. Name your dream fourball.
Tiger Woods. It’s exciting just to see him coming back. Then Mark Wahlberg and a standup comedian, like Joe Rogan. He commentates on UFC too, so he’s a very interesting guy I’d love to get to know.
15. What’s your idea of perfect happiness?
Is there such a thing as perfect happiness? If there is, it’s probably being able to achieve your goals or having the ability to achieve them.
Maybe it’s just staying healthy for the next 20 years being able to do what I am doing in life, following my dreams and having a good, exciting and thrilling life.
16. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?
Just give me Rory McIlroy’s swing and I’d be away. If I putt for him, he’ll be okay. (Laughs). To be honest, technically, his putting has improved a lot. If I could change something, I guess I’d like to be a morning person. I envy those people. (Laughs).
17. What’s your most treasured possession?
A ball marker I got at Rosses Point a long time ago. It had a shamrock on it at one stage. I nearly lost it a couple of times and almost freaked out. Not that I’m superstitious but I’d hate to lose it. And a jersey Brian O’Driscoll sent me after I played with him in the Dunhill Links.
It was maybe his 102th cap against New Zealand. That’s one of the coolest things I’ve got. What an incredible talent.
18. Which sportsman do you most admire?
Brian O’Driscoll would be right up there but on the golf scene, probably Pádraig Harrington. He’s just himself and quite cool.
He does his own thing, and he’s made it work. And I love his enthusiasm. He’s like a kid.