Close champion Mullarney survives Stage One
WHEN Ronan Mullarney walked off the final green at Ballybunion having won the Irish Close Championship back in August, I was waiting to interview him along with the legendary Charlie Mulqueen and Brian Keogh, another well-known golfing scribe.
There were the usual questions from all three of us like what do you think of the course, etc, before Charlie asked the newly crowned champion, ‘What’s next for you?’ and I was surprised to hear Ronan sayd ‘I’m going to try my luck at the tour school’.
The reason I was surprised at this was the fact that I had watched him play all week at Ballybunion and had noticed how short he was off the tee compared to the others in the field at the Close.
Even in the final against Robert Brazzil from Naas, the 24-year-old Galway native was lagging behind by 30 to 40 yards from the tee, but his iron play and his short game more than made up for lack of length.
You’ll get away with being short off the tee on a course like Ballybunion that measures just 6,800 from the blue markers, but out on the tour, most courses measure between 7,200 and 7,500 yards, so length from the tee is an absolute must if you are to stand any chance of making it in the paid ranks.
Since that August day, Ronan Mullarney has had a busy time, representing Ireland in the Home Internationals at Lahinch and picking up an Irish Senior Cup winners medal with Galway as well as preparing for his appearance at Stage One of the European Tour School last week in Portugal where he qualified for Stage Two after finishing two under par for ninth place following rounds of 70, 76, 69 and 71 at the Bom Sucesso course in Obidos.
While I’m delighted for him to have got through the first stage, it must be stated that the course at Bom Sucesso measured just under 6,900 yards, and longer courses await him no doubt in Stage Two and Stage three if he gets that far.
I wish Ronan all the very best going forward as he’s a smashing young lad, but I still feel that his lack of length from the tee will impede his chances of making it in the professional ranks.