McIlroy on early birdie trail

Editorial Department • Published 22 Jul 2010 16:00 0 Comments

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County gets worldwide TV audience

GOLF - 2010 Lough Erne Challenge

An on fire Rory McIlroy used all his local knowledge to race Northern Ireland into a three shot lead over Republic of Ireland after five holes of the Lough Erne Challenge.

McIlroy was in hot form as he knocked in four birdies in a row from the second to the fifth as he and playing partner Darren Clarke took an early control over the Republic of Ireland pairing of Shane Lowry and Padraig Harrington.

Despite the early rain, there was some great golf played during the opening holes with Lowry hitting two birdies in reply for the Republic of Ireland team, and by the time they had completed the eighth Northern Ireland's lead was at two shots, five under to three under.

Just under 3,000 supporters turned up for the event as all eyes were focussed on Lough Erne Golf Resort as four of Europe's top golfers took to the fairways to produce a feast of golf never before witnessed in Fermanagh.

Bigger and better than last year's inaugural 'Duel on the Lough', the 2010 Lough Erne Challenge added the talents of Clarke and Lowry to the world renowned skills of McIlroy and Harrington as Northern Ireland took on the Republic of Ireland in a display of driving and putting that thrilled the thousands of spectators lining the course.

The quality of the golfers on show was undeniable. Three of the four finished inside the top 50 at last weekend's British Open, with only three time major winner Harrington failing to make the cut. McIlroy smashed a host of records with his opening day 63 at St Andrews before finishing third, Shane Lowry fired an opening day 68 on his way to a tie of 37th, and Darren Clarke carded three under par rounds as he finished 44th. Clarke was also this week named as a vice captain for the upcoming Ryder Cup, while Harrington still remains well inside the top 20 in the latest world rankings.

The pulling power of the quartet was shown in the large crowds that watched in admiration, among them a party from Australia and New Zealand who had decided to extend their trip to the British Open when they heard of the event during their time at St. Andrews. Director of golf Lynn McCool was delighted with the interest generated by the day. "I think the addition of the two players is fantastic and there was a real feeling of excitement," she said. "It has attracted people from all over Ireland. Belfast, Antrim, Cavan, Derry, Dublin and even as far down as Tipperary and Cork. It was great to see so many people turning out."

At the 2009 'duel' both Harrington and McIlroy were fulsome in their praise of the golf course and with the venue a year more mature, their comments of last year have been repeated by all four of this year's participants. "We have got tremendous feedback from all of them," said Lynn. "Padraig always speaks very highly of the golf course, and he certainly rates it. He is always particularly impressed by the beauty of the course."

The format saw Northern Ireland's McIlroy and Clarke take on the Republic of Ireland's Harrington and Lowry, and it added a new dimension to the event with players taking on shots they may not have attempted without the safety net of a partner. The result was a feast of birdie packed golf, which even the Fermanagh summer showers could not dampen.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 22 Jul 10

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