Local pair live American dream
ARDEE golfers Kevin Commins and Tom Muldoon were cracking open the champagne in England last week after being crowned American Golf 9-Hole champions.
In the face of very difficult conditions, the pair topped the qualifying table after two rounds before beating last year’s champions in the semis and taking the title in the matchplay final by one hole from Lincolnshire father and son Steve and James Hodgson.
The grand final brought together qualifiers from all over the UK and Ireland on the Brabazon course at Ryder Cup venue The Belfry, with the Louth pair qualifying for finals weekend for the second year running.
And after falling at the semi-final stage in 2015, they were determined to get the job done this time round.
‘After last year it felt like we had unfinished business,’ commented Ardee publican Muldoon. ‘ We came over to The Belfry a month ago to play the Brabazon and make sure that we were as prepared for the finals as we could be.
‘There was some great golf played in difficult conditions and I really think that the preparation we put in was the deciding factor in us coming out on top.’
The final itself was a close encounter, with Kevin and Tom going 2down after two. They pulled the next three holes back before extending their lead to two with two to play. A fantastic approach from James Hodgson saw the match go down the last, with Kevin and Tom 1up.
With four safe tee shots away on the final hole of nine, the Hodgsons were sat in pole position close to the water and the green in sight, while Commins had 215 yards to the pin and took a 5 iron.
‘I couldn’t help but think of Christy O’Connor’s famous shot to beat Fred Couples from the same spot in the 1989 Ryder Cup!
‘As soon as I hit it I knew it couldn’t have gone better and that we’d have at least two putts to win the match,’ said Commins.
‘We left it out there last year, so we were determined to get the job done. American Golf have given us the chance to play competition golf at an amazing venue and they’ve looked after us so well. It cost us more to get our golf clubs here than everything else put together for this weekend.
‘We’ve been treated like Tour pros and would encourage anyone to enter in 2017 to get a chance to experience the same.’
Daniel Gathercole, Director of Marketing and Communications at American Golf, concluded: ‘The 9 Hole Championship has been a huge success this year. All the qualifying events filled up as golfers really took to the idea that they could play free Championship golf after work.
‘This weekend has just been the icing on the cake. We’ve given club golfers a real Tour event experience and while the competition has been serious, everyone has played with a smile on their face.’
The 9 Hole Championship is becoming a favourite on the golfing calendar, with the free qualifiers filling up all over the UK and Ireland. As part of American Golf’s drive to get more people out playing golf more often it will return for 2017 alongside existing free events Seniors, Ladies and Long Drive. American Golf will also be adding five new free championships - the Family Cup, Pitch & Putt Championship, Adventure Golf Championship, Scratch and Individual Championships.