Tour look ahead: Kennedy aiming high at The K Club
DP World Tour
Opportunity knocks for Max Kennedy as he seeks a massive week in the Amgen Irish Open at The K Club that could see him skip Q-School and HotelPlanner Tour race for 20 cards and make it all the way to the DP World Tour.
While a big week on the Ryder Cup course in Straffan could catapult the Royal. Dublin man into contention for his card, Kennedy is looking to win and solve all his problems in one fell swoop.
“To go and win,” Kennedy said of his goals this week. “That's always the expectation.
“You’ve got to look at the best-case scenario all the time. If you have a good week this week, it changes everything. You don't need to focus on HotelPlanner Tour anymore.
“My focus going into this week is on winning. And if that doesn't happen, you go again, but that's the main focus.
“I love it this place. I practice here a lot and everyone here is great. I get a lot of work done here. Whenever I'm back, it’s a good spot to get some work in.
“My expectations are high, as always, but the process is to take each hole at a time and go from there.”
There are 11 Irishmen in the field at The K Club with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Pádraig Harrington, Conor Purcell, Seamus Power and Tom McKibbin joined by Kennedy, Robert Moran, Mark Power, Alex Maguire and. amateur, John Doyle (18).
HotelPlanner Tour
As Alex Maguire, Max Kennedy, Robert Moran and Mark Power join DP World Tour regular Conor Purcell in the Amgen Irish Open at The K Club, two Irishmen continue their quest for DP World Tour status at the GAC Rosa Challenge Tour 2025 at Rosa Golf Club in Poland.
Dermot McElroy and Jonathan Caldwell fly the flag for Irish golf in GAC Rosa Challenge Tour 2025 in Konopiska, looking to make a move up the Road to Mallorca standings with just five events remaining before the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A in Mallorca (October 30 to November 2).
While Liam Nolan is 25th and Kennedy 28th in the race for 20 DP World Tour cards, McElroy is 97th and Caldwell 132nd, while Moran is 117th and Power 131st, with only the top 125 securing Category 14 status on the HotelPlanner Tour next. Year. And only the top 78 securing strong Category 8 HPT cards.
DP World Tour Qualifying. School
Just two Irish players take part in the First Stage of the Q-School this week.
After Hugh Foley cruised through the First Stage at the Players Club in Bristol last week, Simon Bryan and Paul Conroy played their opening rounds at Huddersfield Golf Club as a second raft of players tees it up at Hulencourt in Belgium ,which hosted the first of two First Stage events last week.
Conroy opened with a level par 70 in the race to make the top 16 and ties who progress to next month’s Second Stage.
First Stage - Hulencourt (week 2): Tee times | Leaderboard
First Stage - Huddersfield Golf Club: Tee times | Leaderboard
Alps Tour
The Alps Tour remains on a break before next week’s 2025 Hauts de France-Pas de Calais Golf Open, where Ronan Mullarney (sixth in the Order of Merit race for five HotelPlanner Tour cards), Robert Moran (18th), Hugh Foley (25th) and Marc Boucher (112th) are set to tee it up. Michael Young (51st) is the second reserve right now.
LPGA Tour
The LPGA is on a break before next week’s $2m Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G in Ohio.
Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow, who missed the cut in last week’s FM Championship at TPC Boston, are entered for an event where Lydia Ko is the defending champion.
Ladies European Tour
Douglas’ Sara Byrne, Castlerock’s Annabel Wilson and Castlewarden’s Lauren Walsh are the only Irish players entered for this week’s Aramco Houston Championship at Golfcrest Country Club.
Walsh is the leading Irish player at 18th in the Order of Merit while Anna Foster is 38th, Leona Maguire 60th, Byrne 85th, Annabel Wilson 89th and Screene 136th.
LET Access Series
Lahinch amateur Aine Donegan will be looking to build on her top 25 finish in last week’s inaugural Women’s Irish Challenge when she makes her third LETAS appearance of the season in the Rose Ladies Open.
She’s joined at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club by rookie Canice Screene.
Donegan, who plans to bid for her card on both sides of the Atlantic after her amateur swansong in the World Amateur Team Championships, finished tied for 14th in the Amundi Czech Ladies Challenge in June before overcoming an opening 78 with a brace of 71s to finish joint 22nd at Malahide last week.
