'You couldn't have scripted it any better' - Doonbeg won't say no to Irish Open return

Doonbeg

Say what you want about President Donald J. Trump — and he has plenty of detractors— Doonbeg's staging of the Amgen Irish Open proved a massive success.

Shane Lowry's epic 11-shot win, huge crowds and brilliant TV pictures will have Tourism Ireland and Government officials doing cartwheels as the focus turns to the big public spend on next year's Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

It wasn't just a huge week for Lowry as he silenced his doubters—a group in which he counted himself at times—with an imperious performance; it was also a mega-week for Irish golf, which is struggling to find the successors to a golden generation of golfers who have brought home 12 Major wins over the past 19 years.

Brian Shaw, Doonbeg's affable Head Professional for the past 26 years, took time away from a sponsors' day and the start of a five-week 'teardown' that began in pouring rain on Monday, to sum up what the event means.

"You couldn't have scripted it any better," he said of Lowry's victory. "He was the ideal person as a winner.

"The crowd up the 18, the golf on Sunday, it was Open Championship type stuff… it was bonkers."

It was a phenomenal two weeks for West Clare and the southwest after Lahinch Golf Club staged a remarkable Walker Cup the weekend before the Irish Open that yielded a heart-stopping finish that went right to the final putt on the final hole of the final match.

It looked an impossibly tough act to follow, but with the Trump circus adding to the razzmatazz and attracting millions of eyeballs to the Doonbeg links, the finale was dream stuff for all concerned.

"The exposure is colossal," said Shaw, who believes the two events will lead to an increased uptake in golf by the local kids who swarmed over the dunes. "That's huge in the area."

International business is always strong, but Irish and UK golfers are now vying with the American clientele for tee times.

"Already this morning the phone was hopping—086 and 087 numbers. A lot of Irish want to go and play."

It's safe to say that Doonbeg's Irish Open exceeded all expectations.

"Absolutely, one million per cent," Shaw said

The event moves to The K Club next year for the 100th anniversary staging, and while it's too soon to say whether it will return to Doonbeg, it's not ruled out.

"It's a tough one, really," Shaw said. "I would definitely want to see how long it takes for the course to come back. Once the teardown is finished, you can see it's six months or whatever. How long does it take? That's the first thing.

"But right now, with the emotion of the whole thing, absolutely, I'd love to host another one because we really, really enjoyed it."

Plans are already in place to remove pinch points, especially around the second and third.

Buy-in from local clubs from Kilkee, Kilrush, Lahinch, Dromoland Castle and Spanish Point bolstered the 450-strong volunteer cohort. 

"Lahinch had such an epic week themselves up there, and they're down marshalling and carrying scoreboards and all that kind of stuff; I just thought that was fantastic. All the clubs rallied, and like Paul McGinley's Irish Open at Lahinch in 2019, it was the same thing in terms of the cooperation with the Garda and Clare County Council. It was pretty cool.

"In terms of the impact for us, we're a busy club anyway, but the exposure is huge for the uptake in golf with kids. There are loads of juniors coming through the clubs, and I think that events like the last two weeks will really strengthen that.

"Next year is probably not quite sold out here, but most of the tour operator bookings are already nailed down. But we'll probably end up getting a lot more business from the UK too."

Player buy-in is key to any possible return, and Shaw received great feedback. 

"They really enjoyed the site," he said. "I was talking to a few of the lads there, Paul Waring and Matt Wallace, and they enjoyed their week."

Rory McIlroy's voice counts for a lot, and he had nothing but good things to say.

"I think it's been a great week," he said. "I think it's looked great on TV. There's been a lot of crowds. Obviously, we've got a great leaderboard. Everyone hopes that Shane can get it done today."

True to form, Lowry delivered an Irish Open that will go down as one of the most memorable ever played.