Baltray's a winner
Rory McIlroy masters the difficult conditions at last year's Irish Open in Baltray. Credit: Picture: Shane Cowley
Wednesday February 17 2010
ON Monday Rory McIlroy headed off to America for a three-month stint, during which he will face the challenges of Augusta and Sawgrass among other famous courses.
Having a rest week between his last tournament in Dubai and flying out for US Tour duties, the 20-year-old ace took the time to discuss some of the tracks in Louth he's played on.
It's hard to draw comparisons between a windswept County Louth club and the lightning fast greens of Augusta National on the final day of the Masters, yet McIlroy is wholesome in his praise of the Wee County's flagship course.
'Baltray is brilliant. I played the Irish Open there last year. I didn't do as well as I'd like. But I think it was a huge success, with Shane (Lowry) winning it and the whole buzz that created. It's just a pity we didn't get the weather.
'It's a challenging course. I've played a couple of East of Irelands around there.
'With the new road and everything, it's only about an hour, or an hour and fifteen minutes from my house.
'In the winter time it's usually in really good condition, and it's one of the courses we go down and play if everywhere else is shut.'
Moving further north, it was in the formative years of his amateur days that McIlroy played Dundalk and Greenore.
'I played Dundalk in the Youth Interprovincials. I remember the last few holes. I know the 18th is a driveable par four. It's another really handy course.
'I've played Greenore as well, for Ulster against Leinster. All those courses, they are always quite dry, which is a good thing – especially in the winter time.'
This area is just as famous for the golfers it has produced, and with no prompting the Holywood prodigy rattled off some fine local exponents of the game.
'You have a lot of good players, obviously Des Smyth and Mark Gannon, and in recent times Simon Ward who I've played with on the Irish team.
'A lot of good golfers have come from Baltray. It's a great course, and that's why.'
