Big week for home boys in Irish Challenge; Maguire skips PIF London defence to rest

Max Kennedy. Picture: Getty Images

HotelPlanner Tour — Irish Challenge, Killeen Castle

Max Kennedy is targeting success on home soil when he tees it up in the Irish Challenge at Killeen Castle this week.

The Dubliner, who lives 30 minutes from the Co. Meath venue, has impressed in his first full season as a professional, recording a second-place finish and four other top 20s to sit 26th in the season-long Road to Mallorca Rankings.

Kennedy, who would earn promotion to the DP World Tour by finishing inside the top 20 come November, is hoping that home comforts, coupled with strong Irish support, can make the difference to his chances of success this week.

“There will be a good bit of support this week,” he said. “There’s been a bit of talk about people coming down and supporting from my home club, so that’ll be helpful.

“Any time in the past that it has happened, I’ve played well, so hopefully I can thrive off that this week.

“I’m staying at home, just outside Dublin, so that’s handy and hopefully that gives me a bit of luck going into this week.

“I obviously want to win, that’s my ambition every single week, and that’s what I’ll try and do this week.”

Kennedy is expecting a tough challenge at Killeen Castle, with the Jack Nicklaus-designed signature course providing one of the longest and statistically hardest tests on the HotelPlanner Tour this season.

“I’ve played here two or three times, and I might be biased, but it’s got to be the best course we play all year,” he added. “It’s really difficult, though. There’s not an easy hole on the course, and if you play well, you might shoot two or three under.

“I think the players will enjoy the challenge this week and it’s all set up to be one of the great events this year.”

Kennedy missed out on securing a maiden HotelPlanner Tour win six weeks ago at the Blot Play9, eventually finishing the week second after losing in a play-off to eventual winner James Morrison.  

Despite not winning on that occasion, the 23-year-old says the result gave him a welcome boost heading into the final third of the campaign, with his sights set on more than just promotion.

“The aim for the season is to win the Road to Mallorca and to be the Number One,” he added. “To be the leading person from the HotelPlanner Tour going on to the DP World Tour, I think that alone gives you a lot of confidence. That’s my aim.

“I’m progressing in the right direction, getting better and better every month, and the Rankings show that.

“The second place gave me the confidence that not only am I able to compete, but I’m able to win out here in the near future.”

Kennedy will have the added incentive of competing for the Christy O’Connor Jnr Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the highest finishing Irishman this week, and this player will earn a spot in the 2025 Amgen Irish Open at The K Club.

Kennedy joins a strong field in Co. Meath that includes Road to Mallorca Number One Joshua Berry, two-time DP World Tour winner Tom Lewis, and former Ryder Cup player Chris Wood.

Due to a clash of dates with the Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa, there are no Irish amateurs taking part.

However, it is a key week for 14 Irish players chasing DP World Tour promotion (Top 20 in the Road to Mallorca),  Grand Final spots (Top 30), Category 8 HTP cards (Top 76) and Category 14 HPT cards (Top 125) with Liam Nolan (23rd), Kennedy (26th), Dermot McElroy (79th), Mark Power (112th), Jonny Caldwell (134th), Alex Maguire (199th) and Daniel Mulligan (252nd) with nine events to go before the Rolex Grand Final.

Irish tee times

08:10 1 5 Liam Nolan (IRL), Clément Charmasson, Victor Sidal Svendsen

08:20 1 6 Max Kennedy (IRL), John Axelsen, Álvaro Quiros

08:40 1 8 Mark Power (IRL), Robin Sciot-Siegrist, Félix Mory

08:50 1 9 Alex Maguire (IRL), George Bloor, Oihan Guillamoundeguy

08:40 10 21 Ronan Mullarney (IRL), Marc Hammer, Pedro Figueiredo

12:40 1 28 John Murphy (IRL), Nathan Legendre, Jiří Zuška

13:00 1 30 Javier Calles Roman, Liam Grehan (IRL), Christopher White

13:20 1 32 Robert Moran (IRL), Curtis Knipes, Martin Obtmeier

13:50 1 35 James Meyer de Beco, Borja Virto, Jack Madden (IRL)

14:10 1 37 Daniel Mulligan (IRL), Lauri Ruuska, Alessandro Noseda

13:00 10 43 Jonathan Caldwell (NIR), Peter Launer Baek, Kiet van der Weele

13:30 10 46 John-Ross Galbraith (NIR), Dermot McElroy (NIR), Hayden Hopewell

14:20 10 51 Benjamin Rusch, Paul McBride (IRL), Vince van Veen.

DP World Tour - Nexo Championship, Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Prize Fund: US$2,750,000

Conor Purcell, who is 147th in the Race to Dubai battle for 113 cards, is the lone Irishman in action in Aberdeenshire, where Ewen Ferguson is hoping to harness home advantage at Trump International Golf Links.

Ferguson (29) has three DP World Tour wins to his name in Qatar, Northern Ireland and Germany but he would love to lift his first trophy on Scottish soil this week as the Nexo Championship - previously the Scottish Championship – returns to the Race to Dubai schedule for the first time since 2020.

Ferguson will be joined by fellow Scots Connor Syme and Calum Hill – who have both triumphed on the Race to Dubai this season – as well as Richie Ramsay and Grant Forrest as a star-studded field tees it up on the Aberdeenshire coastline.

Daniel Young is looking to make it back-to-back victories in Scotland after winning the Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by The R&A on the HotelPlanner Tour last week, while four-time PGA TOUR winner Martin Laird will make his first appearance on home soil since 2018.

LET — PIF London Championship,  Centurion Club.

Leona Maguire has opted to rest following a gruelling run of events rather than defend her title as the Ladies European Tour (LET) continues its swing of events in the UK with the PIF London Championship at Centurion Club.

It is the fifth year in a row that Centurion Club in Hertfordshire has hosted the tournament, which will see a field of 104 professionals representing 33 nationalities compete in two competitions.

Maguire has just played seven events in nine weeks, leaving Lauren Walsh (T3 behind Maguire in 2024), Anna Foster and sponsor’s invitee Sara Byrne to fly the flag from Friday.

There is a 36-hole Team competition alongside a 54-hole Individual stroke play, with a cut to the top 60 professionals and ties after 36 holes.

A prize fund of USD $2,000,000 is up for grabs with $500,000 for the Team competition and $1,500,000 for the Individual competition.

Maguire secured her maiden LET title in the event last year, finishing with an eagle on the last to secure a one-stroke victory.

Eight European Solheim Cup stars will be teeing it up this week, including world number 10 Charley Hull.

Walsh (17th in the Order of Merit) and Foster (29th) arrive in London on the back of missed cuts in the AIG Women’s Open and will be keen to put that behind them quickly.

Byrne, who has divided her time between the LPGA’s second tier Epson Tour and the  LET this season, has an opportunity move up from 76th in the Order of Merit.

Alps Tour - Break