What remains etched in your memory is the sound – the purity of it echoing constantly. It’s one of the little joys that viewers openly relished at the R & Women’s Amateur Championship held at Portmarnock Golf Club in the recent week. The ability to saunter down the green fairways, closely observe the players, fill up the senses with the resonating whoosh of a club slicing the wind and finally, the sheer perfection of the clubface connecting with the golf ball.
A second delight? Witnessing once more women gracing the wonderful northern Dublin course- a sight last seen in 1931. Portmarnock, after discarding its male-only membership in 2021, has been able to restart its tradition of hosting premier tournaments such as this one, potentially paving the way for professional championships, including the AIG Women’s Open and indeed The Open.
Subject to the R &’s future plans, an era of classic golf observed by spectators – in significant numbers demonstrating if required, the uniqueness of this venue situated nearby a bustling European metropolis.
Local Irish stakes were maintained for a substantial part of the week with seven players progressing to the knockout stage, a reflection of the burgeoning popularity of the sport and the emergent talent pool, but concluded with the exit of Anna Foster in the quarter-finals against Louise Rydqvist from Sweden.
Her last act of commendable performance was to congratulate and embrace her alternative on the 16th green, concurrently, the robust wind ushered in melodies from the band warming up for the Shania Twain concert at Malahide Castle.
“Reaching the quarter-finals, I would have gladly welcomed anyone who offered it, and being the last Irish girl for few rounds felt somewhat exceptional,” remarked Foster, currently studying at Auburn University, the reigning Flogas Irish Women’s Amateur Open champion.
She confessed to feeling weary after two rounds of stroke play qualifiers and progressing to the final eight of match play – “At this stage, fatigue was setting in for anyone who was left. It was mainly the surge of adrenaline that was driving me.”
As Portmarnock welcomes back a renowned trophy, there will unfortunately be no new Irish champions added to its legend. The last victorious Irish player was Leona Maguire in 2017, one of eight from the nation who’ve garnered the honours since the tournament’s inception in 1893. A picture of Maguire, the Cavan luminary who has hinted at a possible AIG Women’s Open staged here as being ‘incredible’, was prominently displayed at the putting green, coupled with another banner speculating on the identity of the 2024 winner.
In a striking tribute to the internationality of this championship, the putting green was surrounded by 34 flags. With Argentina’s flag starting the array and Wales’ concluding it, the array serves to remind us of the tournament’s global scope. This championship has largely provided golfers a bridge to the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour in recent years, marking the retirement of the era of career amateurs.
The competitors are primarily young, college students, Unsurprisingly, in one of the quarter finals, this generational trend stood out. Beth Coulter, who wrapped up her participation at the last 32 stage on Wednesday, took on caddy responsibilities for her friend, Paula Schulz-Hanssen of Germany. Both of them are studying at Arizona State. American golfer Mel Green, a student from South Florida, was her own caddy, progressing further in the championship.
These players, attempting to make a name for themselves, were following the legacy of stalwarts like Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Bobby Locke, Ben Crenshaw, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, José María Olazábal and Michael Campbell, who all won their laurels at this links.
Starting off the week with anticipation were 144 players, including Lottie Woad, the world’s top-ranked amateur, who led the stroke play qualifying. However, she exited in the last 16 on Thursday. Now, only two remain: Mel Green, after defeating Denmark’s Marie Eline Madsen, and Scotland’s Lorna McClymont, who outplayed Rydqvist. Both have made it through to the final 36-hole round.
It’s been an extended week that’s only expanding, yet precisely where they’d aspire to find themselves. The occasion beckons for additional flawless golf shots, pleasing the ears of the onlookers at this celebrated course. A course which has bestowed much throughout history, inevitably heading towards heightened grandeur in the upcoming years.