logo
Kerry man Mark Murphy reflects on the 2000 Irish Open 25 years on from ‘his best week in golf'

Kerry man Mark Murphy reflects on the 2000 Irish Open 25 years on from ‘his best week in golf'

Waterville native Mark Murphy was just 22 years old when he won the top amateur award at the Murphy's Irish Open at Ballybunion Golf Club in July of 2000; now a quarter of a century later, he spoke to Fergus Dennehy about his memories of that special week.
Picture the scene. It's July of 2000 and at 22 years old and fresh off winning the leading amateur award at the Irish Open in his home county, Waterville native Mark Murphy, in his own words, feels like the world is his oyster.
After four rounds at the stunning Ballybunion, he has finished in 77th place (with a score of 8+) in the national Open, beating out big-name players such as the late Seve Ballesteros (who missed the cut) while other stars of the future such as Justin Rose and Ian Poulter also went home early before the weekend.
Related topics
Fergus Dennehy
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ireland's Sam Monaghan 'really emotional' as injury nightmare finally behind her
Ireland's Sam Monaghan 'really emotional' as injury nightmare finally behind her

Irish Examiner

time10 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Ireland's Sam Monaghan 'really emotional' as injury nightmare finally behind her

There is no good time to suffer an ACL injury. Sam Monaghan suffered hers last June when starting for Gloucester Hartpury in the Premiership Women's Rugby final: forced off just 18 minutes into her club's defining game of the season. A full season has been laid waste since, Ireland going on to enjoy a breakout experience at the WXV1s tournament in Canada where they beat the world champions New Zealand and then a Six Nations off the back of it. But if there's one thing to be thankful for then it's the fact that the long road back to fitness has been completed just as a World Cup comes around. Monaghan will return to a green jersey for Saturday's warm-up against Scotland in Cork. 'It was really emotional seeing my name on the teamsheet again, not only for me but for my family, teammates, everyone who's been on the journey with me: physios, S&Cs. It's been a long road, a lot longer than I thought it would be. 'Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel was very special but it's given me chances. I missed out on the Six Nations but I got the chance to sit out in the crowd, so I got to be part of that and see how powerful the girls' performances are on the pitch. 'Hopefully I can add value on Saturday after what they've built over the last couple of years. It's been a great year for us. Yeah, we didn't finish the Six Nations the way we wanted but I feel like we've had a really strong pre-season and we're really excited for Saturday.' Others have been stricken at the worst possible moment. The knee injury Erin King suffered against England in the Six Nations ended her World Cup ambitions. Dorothy Wall's went the same way that same month when she was helped off against Scotland with what turned out to be an Achilles injury. Both are big performers in Scott Bemand's Ireland pack and they will be missed on the park in England in August and September. The collective consequences are one thing, for the players themselves it is a pummelling blow. King has spoken about the unfairness of it all. Wall described herself at the time as devastated. 'Injuries are always so tough,' said Monaghan. 'We've such a strong connection as a group so when we lose someone we really feel it, on and off the pitch they are such big characters. But they are both working extremely hard and I know how tough a journey it can be. 'After coming out of a long injury myself I am really gutted for them but I've no doubt they'll come back stronger. High level sport… It's given the opportunity for someone else to come in and we've had other girls come in and put their hand up and really perform.' Monaghan returns to the second row as captain for this game in Virgin Media Park. It's a team balancing experience and youth with Ivana Kiripati in the back row and Nancy McGillivray in the centre making debuts. Ailish Quinn should do the same off the bench. The skipper knows what's required. 'You kind of have to try and put yourself in their shoes, and cast your mind back to your first cap and how you felt. There's such an amazing group here, and there's so many leaders that we empower each other. 'And we really pick each other up and put an arm around one another. It's about empowering them girls to do what they've been doing in preseason and giving them the ability to do it on the pitch on Saturday.'

Woad golf's latest sensation but caution advisable
Woad golf's latest sensation but caution advisable

Irish Examiner

time20 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Woad golf's latest sensation but caution advisable

History suggests caution is advisable when assessing female golf phenoms. Michelle Wie won just a single major. Charley Hull has reached the age of 29 while scaling golfing heights, but it is fair to say wild excitement about her career when a teenage amateur has not been borne out by subsequent results. For a multitude of reasons, promise can outweigh reality. If it were at all her style – and it is not – Lottie Woad could claim to have already justified the hype. Winning last year's Augusta National Women's Amateur was a statement of intent. Recent weeks have been rocket fuelled for the 21-year-old; Woad won the Irish Open and challenged for the Evian Championship while still an amateur. One professional start, at the Scottish Open, saw Woad lift the trophy on Sunday. She is the name on everyone's lips as the Women's Open lands at the glorious links of Royal Porthcawl today. 'She's playing great golf,' said Lydia Ko, the defending champion, of Woad. 'I've seen her swing. My coach has sent me a video of her swing as well because there's aspects that I'm kind of going for that she has.' High praise. There was more, lots of it. 'I think what Lottie Woad has done is absolutely unbelievable,' said Hull. 'I played with her in the practice rounds in Ireland and in the first two rounds last week. At the minute I feel like she's playing with such confidence she can't miss a shot. I think it's great to see. She's a breath of fresh air for the game. I'm actually really proud of Lottie for what she's done. That's like goosebumps kind of stuff.' Hull's own buildup has been beset by illness and a back injury. 'I'm not hitting it the best, which is very frustrating because it's an event I've been looking forward to playing all year,' she said. Woad will have Ko and Lilia Vu for company in the marquee grouping for days one and two. 'I don't feel too different, to be honest,' Woad said. 'I got a lot of confidence from the last month, really. I am just trying to continue to ride that. There's always pressure. I don't think there's any more than there was, like from my perspective, before any of the last few weeks. I was still wanting to contend and that's still the aim.' Like Scottie Scheffler, who is dominating the male game, Woad will not talk in headlines. Like the American, Woad's swing can be unorthodox. She has something in common with another icon of this sport; Woad is managed by the same agency as Tiger Woods. Woad serves as the latest example of how the American college circuit prepares golfers for life as a professional. The Surrey athlete excelled at Florida State University amid a rise to the summit of the amateur world ranking. 'She's been in a lot of those kind of tougher moments,' Ko added. 'Obviously it's different than being an amateur and playing collegiate golf to as a pro, but I think she's been there and done really well in those pressure conditions no matter what kind of environment she's been in. So I think there's a little bit more experience under her belt than what people probably give her credit for. 'When I've seen the coverage or how she composes herself, she doesn't seem like she rushes into things or gets like overly emotional. I'm sure that's going to help her with that transition as well.' Ko's analysis is valid. Woad's greatest strength is appearing totally unflustered when placed in tricky golfing scenarios. Her display of front-running at Dundonald Links on Sunday made a mockery of supposed rookie status. In Ireland, she won by half a dozen shots. 'Absolutely amazing,' said the world No 1, Nelly Korda, in adding to the chorus of commendation for Woad. 'I was very impressed with her composure, her process [in Scotland]. When it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment, sometimes people seem to fidget and kind of doubt themselves but she stuck to it, she stuck to her process every single time. I think one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment. 'You can see that she's put a ton of hours in. Her putting is very solid, her game's solid, she hits it pretty far off the tee. She grew up in this kind of weather too, so I feel like she's kind of comfortable.' It would seem a shock if Woad is not in Porthcawl contention. The R&A has increased the prize fund for this major, by $250,000 to $9.75m, with the winner collecting $1.4m. The male equivalent had its purse frozen for 2025. The scale of growth in the Women's Open is shown by the fact golfers were competing for $3.25m as recently as 2018. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the 2027 edition of the tournament will take place at Royal St George's, which has staged the men's Open 15 times. A rare stop for elite golf in Wales has seen players assess the local culture. 'When I drove from Scotland after I missed the cut last week, I saw all the road signs,' said Grace Kim. 'It went from like English to, not in a rude way, like gibberish.' Ouch. Out in the afternoon today is Ireland's Anna Foster, who qualified for Royal Portcawl in final qualifying at Pyle & Kenfig on Monday, and hopes to enjoy her latest experience of the event more than her first: "I played in the AIG Women's Open in 2023 at Walton Heath and it was quite an overwhelming experience as an amateur but now I feel I have more confidence in myself.' The other Irish contenders, Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh, are both out this morning. Guardian

Leona Maguire's form back on even keel as Irish trio get set for AIG Women's Open
Leona Maguire's form back on even keel as Irish trio get set for AIG Women's Open

RTÉ News​

timea day ago

  • RTÉ News​

Leona Maguire's form back on even keel as Irish trio get set for AIG Women's Open

Time flies and the LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour seasons have been no different as the fifth and final major of the year arrives on the horizon. On Thursday, the elite in women's golf will be teeing off at the Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in south Wales for the prestige of winning the AIG Women's Open and Leona Maguire comes into the tournament in decent form. It hadn't always been that way as the year had ticked into early summer with the Cavan native enduring four missed cuts in a row across May and early June as momentum deserted her. Slowly but surely though the next four LPGA tournaments have been more encouraging, finishing in a tie for 19th at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, T18 at the Dow Championship, joint-seventh at The Amundi Evian Championship and then last week's T16 at the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open, although the KPMG Women's Irish Open was not anywhere near as gainful after finishing tied for 48th. That two of those results have been at major events will be a boost to her confidence before she tackles the Royal Porthcawl course. Maguire will be the most experienced of the three Irish competitors in the field, where she will be joined by Anna Foster and Lauren Walsh. Foster had a fruitful Irish Open at Carton House as the Dubliner finished tied for 12th, although Walsh did not make the cut in her home county of Kildare at a venue where she last year signed up to be their official touring professional. Walsh will be the first of the Irish to tee off on Thursday, bright and early at 6.41am, with Maguire next at 7.58am and Foster among the late starters at 3.11pm, having been among the 17 players to make it through final qualifying at Pyle & Kenfig on Monday to take her place in the field. When it comes to potential contenders for victory, much of the attention will be on the player who has been taking the game by storm in recent weeks. England's Lottie Woad said she will block out the noise this week after being installed as the favourite despite it being her first major since turning professional. The 21-year-old former Florida State University student marked her entry into the paid ranks by cruising to a three-stroke victory at last week's Scottish Open. She also won the Irish Open by six strokes as an amateur earlier this month before just missing out on becoming the first amateur to win a major when she was beaten by one stroke by Australia's Grace Kim at the Evian Championship. English amateur Lottie Woad has won the KPMG Women's Irish Open at Carton House 📺 @rteone @rteplayer - — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) July 6, 2025 So it is hardly surprising that Woad, who turned professional after the Evian Championship, has found herself in the spotlight as she arrived in South Wales. Asked about the growing expectation, Woad said it was all part of the learning process. "I don't think you can ever really fully handle it. I definitely feel like I've got a lot better at it," she told reporters. "I just try and block out the noise as much as possible really." Woad finished tied 10th at the Women's Open last year at St Andrews, but said Porthcawl presents a tough challenge. "I think it will be a really good test. We'll see; weather is always a factor in links golf. A lot more to mind off the tee than St Andrews last year. Definitely got to keep in play," she said. "A lot of holes, par is a good score, and then you've got to take a chance on the par-5s really." Amongst a high-quality field standing in Woad's way is defending champion Lydia Ko from New Zealand. "She's kind of come out with a bang, and I'm sure she's going to keep continuing to play well," Ko said of Woad. "I don't know a lot about her game personally, but the little that I've seen, she seems super impressive and has that kind of cool, calm, collected demeanour, and that's, I think, pretty important as a player." Olympic champion Ko is playing in Wales for the first time and said she is ready for the elements. "I would rather it be tough than be calm. As much as I love sunny weather, when I'm coming to play the Women's Open, I expect it to be rainy, windy, and that's what I've gotten to really enjoy about this Championship," she said. "I hope it brings all those elements." World number one Nelly Korda is bidding to win her first British Open after coming tied second last year. She is also expecting big things from former amateur world number one Woad. "Golf is a game of confidence, and she's definitely high up there right now, so she's going to be trusting everything," Korda said. "Her worst finish in the past three events is theoretically second or third. I think she's also riding a confidence high too with how well she's playing."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store