"A lot of times I could have thrown the towel in but I really hung in there" - Maguire proud of Irish Open performance
Alex Maguire finished joint 50th in the Amgen Irish Open at The K Club
Laytown and Bettystown’s Alex Maguire fist-pumped with joy and pride as 12 12-footer dropped at the last and gave him a €19,610 payday that will make all the difference as he battles to fund his quest for a tour card.
The Meath man (24) got a last gasp invitation into the event and made an eagle and 18 birdies over the four days — enough to contend for the title — to tie for 50th on level par.
His closing birdie added an extra €4,000 to his pay packet and while that’s small beer to most tour players, it will help him pay for a caddie as he prepares to head for the DP World Tour Qualifying School later this month.
Despite closing with a second consecutive 73, the former Walker. Cup star left The K Club with the belief that he has the game to compete with the best
“I should be able to top the leaderboard, shouldn't I?” joked Maguire, who was left to rue 12 bogeys and four double bogeys over the course of four roller-coaster round.
His last six holes summed up his week — three birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey —but he celebrated his 12-footer at the last like a man who had something to prove.
“It’s probably the first time I've ever done that in my life,” said Maguire, who is an emotional character with a big-time golf game. “Maybe after the 73 on Friday as well. I think I was lining the putt up going, like, I wonder how much this putts’s worth?”
His closing birdie will certainly help him as he bids to go through all three stages of the Qualifying School
“Q-School is three grand to enter,” he said. “It's probably costs around €1500 per event, and if you bring a caddy, it's an extra €1500. So that's 12 grand for Q School.
“Whatever I won this week, it will go a long way. And it's not going to mean I don't need any sponsors. I was sort of worried at the end of this year, going, Jesus, where am I going be able to play next year? Like, will I have the money? Will I have the sponsors to go and play?”
He received €33,000 from the Golf Ireland Professional scheme, which is funded by Sport Ireland.
It’s helped him get eight starts on the second-tier HotelPlanner Tour in India, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands.
But after just making four of those cuts with a cheque for €2,310 at Killeen Castle, bringing his season’s earnings to €5,595.50, he’s got a little extra cash now, which should ease some of the pressure.
“That's probably the most proud round I've ever shot, given the circumstances of what happened there at the start of the back nine,” said Maguire.
One under for the day playing the par-three 12th, he came up short in the water but saved bogey from 18 feet, then double bogeyed the 13th after ricocheting 60 yards off a tree into a lake before going birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie from there to the clubhouse.
“I could have spiralled from there, but I bounced back,” he said. “Today was a bit of a rollercoaster, up and down. But I think I played a lot of good golf this week and I will take a lot of confidence from it.
“I found out this week I've got a lot of balls, you know. So many times it could have slipped away from me this week, hitting it out of bounds on seven the first day, losing a ball on the 17th when I was just about to miss the cut on Friday.
“A lot of times I could have thrown the towel in and come last by 15, but I really hung in there.
“I’m not riding home saying I contended in the Irish Open, but in my own race, I feel like I can walk away pretty proud of myself.”
He tied with the likes of former Masters champion Patrick Reed and the in-form Marco Penge in a week when players such as five-time Major winner Brooks Koepka missed the cut.
“These are people I want to beat,” he said. “I guess I did beat Brooks this week, but I think it's really fun. These are people that I watch day in, day out.
“I love watching golf. I love watching Rory, even seeing him hanging around here and being in the same events as him. It's great, you know, I really, really enjoyed it. And hopefully this is the first of many as a pro.”
With some money in the bank and a new deposit of confidence, he’ll tee it up at the First Stage of Q-School in Austria from September 24-27 with high hopes.
“Hopefully I’ll have a few good weeks and we'll be out here next year.”
