Above top: Padraig Harrington was a close runner-up in 2010; above and left: The Open blossomed into a Festival for all in 2010
time. I think it’s right up there. And the location was magnificent.” Runner-up Padraig Harrington: “I think the Killeen Course has been
fantastic. As much as Ross Fisher is the winner, the golf course and Killarney are also winners.” Rory McIlroy: “The atmosphere was brilliant. They love their golf
three 6th, one of the Killeen course’s most dangerous holes, he was miles left of the green off the tee but produced a wonderful “parachute” recovery to again save his par. They were just two of several Harrington Houdini-like moments
during the four days and by and large he was well satisfied with the hand he was dealt. “I certainly would have taken 64 going out at the start of the day”, he
agreed when it was all over. “I definitely had chances to go lower but I also recovered once or twice to keep things going. I can’t be disappointed – Ross Fisher has gone out leading, shot 65 and deserves to win.” And so ended a championship that has since been referred to as
“the rebirth of the Irish Open.” As if to prove the point, this is what some of the central figures had to say of their week in Kerry. Champion Ross Fisher: “To get it done in front of record crowds
and to beat Paddy (he is one of those, Tiger Woods is another, who has given up on trying to pronounce Harrington’s Christian name), obviously fighting all the way, I’ll definitely treasure this for a long time. The Irish Open has been a premier event for me personally for a long
down here.” Darren Clarke: “I think they have a fantastic venue. Let’s hope they
stay here.” I could go on and on in this vein but you get the picture. They all
loved Killarney and Ryder Cup vice captain Paul McGinley synopsised it beautifully when he stated: “The Irish Open is very much viewed as great craic, the Guinness, the atmosphere in town, everyone in good humour, the Irish sense of humour … they’re the lines along which it has been sold to the players and obviously great venue as well. Even though we’ve had great venues the last few years, you’ve never had an epicentre, a town close by that’s been buzzing because the Irish Open was on. I think Killarney has brought that. Great crowds, great town, great atmosphere – something for the whole family. The hotels are sensational, the views are magnificent and the weather was decent. It ticked a lot of boxes and the Irish Open has re-established itself as one of the premier events on Tour.”
To be in with a chance to win tickets to this great event, simply email your name, address and telephone number to
golf@failteireland.ie
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