Irish Open: can the local players keep the trophy on their land?
The time is here for the biggest European tour event, the Irish Open 2012. The tickets have been already sold out for this four day event. The organizers are expecting a record crowd of 100,000 at the event.
The Open is being held at Northern soil after almost 59 years. Surely, there would be home advantage for the Irish players.
The venue, Royal Portrush Golf Club is thought to be one of the trickiest golf clubs in the world. During the four-day event, it is expected that the weather conditions will not be favorable for the golfers.
The spectators would be cheering and hoping for Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Northern Ireland's other favourites to win.
In the Open, Northern Ireland’s players are going to be home favourites. They are going to have all the support from the crowd.
On the contrary, in the recent years, this has not proven very useful for the Irishmen, as they have not been able to use the home ground to their advantage.
Given the circumstances the trophy could head south. The facts point towards the trend that it is difficult for any player to be dominant in his own national Championship.
In the year 2007, an Irish player, Padraig Harrington won the Irish Open. This was the first time in the last 25 years that Irish Open was lifted by a home player. He is another favourite for the Open and is expected to play well.
Recently, Harrington has given great performances in the Masters and the US Open. The Open at the Portrush is going to be his seventh tournament in eight weeks.
It is true that all this traveling and fatigue can hamper Harrington’s game. Nonetheless, the cheers of the crowd, combined with adrenalin, can be the recipe for Harrington’s win at the Irish Open.
Two more players who have been in good form recently are Dubliners Peter Lawrie and Paul McGinley. Both of them have an equally good chance of securing a position in the Tournament.
While talking about the Links course, Paul McGinley said that it is one of his favourite courses in the world.
While talking about the Irish Open, one cannot ignore Rory McIlroy. Despite his poor performance in the recent events, he is expected to bounce right back and take the trophy.
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