Back in 2007, my Dad took me to the Walker Cup at Royal County Down to watch this young lad called Rory McIlroy who was apparently pretty good. In 2025 it was my turn to take him.
Royal County Down
Parents are pretty incredible. They centre their lives around their children’s dreams. When I was younger, my dreams revolved around football and Dad was the manager of our team - Wicklow Rovers. I was decent but after being dropped by the county team at 13 it was clear that I wasn’t going to play for Manchester United.
Maybe instead, I could win the Open?
Swapping Football Boots for Golf Clubs
Around 13 or 14 I switched my attention from football to golf. My parents ran a bed and breakfast and in 2006 a young amateur called Shane Lowry stayed in our house the week of a tournament he was playing at the nearby European Club - The Irish Amateur Close Championship. Shane was 19 and was a decent amateur at the time, testing himself against the best amateur players in Ireland to see if he would be good enough to turn pro.
That sunny week in June Shane spent his days playing golf in the European Club and his evenings kicking a football with me in our garden or giving me golf lessons after his round.
Yeovil Town F.C. and the "European Tiger Woods"
My parents had got me one of those nets that you hit shots into in our garden. I remember accidentally hitting a pitching wedge over the net and across the road in front of our house and next thing I hear someone laughing behind me at my expense. It was Shane, his head hanging out the window of his room upstairs. He’d watched me hit this awful shot over the net and decided he better come down and give me a lesson.
Before Shane came to stay in our house, we’d never heard of him but when we learned he was here to play a golf tournament, my Dad and I excitedly said to him, “we’ll come out and watch you this week” to which Shane replied, “nah, don’t bother watching me, there’s this young lad called Rory McIlroy, he’s going to be the European Tiger Woods”.
That was the first time I heard Rory’s name.
Of course, despite only being 16, Rory won that week at the European Club. He beat the other guy who stayed in our house in the final, Simon Ward (another lovely fella). At the time, I was a big Yeovil Town fan (don’t ask) and when we went out to watch the final, we got to the 7th hole at the European Club and I was wearing my Yeovil jersey. Rory hit his approach shot to the green and wanders over to me, “so you’re the Yeovil boy Shane was talking about?”.
From this moment on, my obsession firmly moved from football to golf.
I started to collect any newspaper clippings I could find of Rory or Shane’s exploits. Shane was good but clearly Rory was the next big thing. Rory was winning amateur events all over the place and qualified to play the Open at Carnoustie in 2007 where he made the cut and won the silver medal as the leading amateur. That Open of course was won by Padraig Harrington. This was the start of a golden era for Irish golf.
2007 Open Championship, Harrington the winner, Rory the leading amateur.
The Class of 2007
The Walker Cup was headed for Royal County Down in September 2007. “Can we go Dad?”
That Walker Cup was such a special experience. I remember it all so clearly even from the drive in the car with Dad up the road. This was so cool. Rory played against a guy called Billy Horschel 3 times that week and Billy beat him 2 out of 3 times. Not sure whatever happened to that guy.
There were other players there that week who weren’t too bad - Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Chris Kirk, Webb Simpson and Jamie Lovemark (who gave me his scuffed ball with an American flag on it coming off the 16th hole).
There was a young lad from Sheffield called Danny Willet who was apparently pretty good too.
There’s something unique about supporting people on their way up - “I saw him play when he was a kid”, you feel part of their journey in some way.
That group of players we saw at Royal County Down in September 2007 has collectively gone on to win:
9 majors
78 PGA Tour events
44 DP World Tour events
5 FedEx Cups
6 Race to Dubai’s
Collectively spent 257 weeks as world number ones
So far…
Rickie Fowler and Rory, 2007 Walker Cup
I don’t know how many times one of these guys was winning a PGA Tour event or a major on a Sunday evening with Dad in his armchair and me on the couch. Both of us sitting back, watching the coverage.
I’d say to Dad - “remember him at Royal County Down in 2007?”.
18 Years in the Making
I remember the day in 2016 when Golf Digest released their list of the top 100 golf courses in the world. I scrolled to find which course they had ranked number 1. It wasn’t Augusta. It wasn’t Pebble Beach or St.Andrew’s.
It was Royal County Down. Again, I thought of Dad.
I’m not a father yet but I get the impression it’s the dream of any father to introduce their child to a passion of theirs and have the child share that passion - could be music, could be darts, could be politics. For Dad and I it was always golf (and Manchester United).
For years we said, we must go back and play it ourselves but years go by and you just don’t do it.
18 years went by and last year Dad turned 70. It was my turn to take him. My Mam, my sister and I booked it. I called up the pro shop at Royal County Down in January looking for the next available tee time for the 2 of us. “We have a spot for 2 on the 6th Oct.” Jesus Christ I thought, that’s 10 months away, this place is in demand. I booked it.
It was October in Ireland so the weather is always a risk. We arrived at the golf club, hopped out of the car and saw the sun coming over the horizon in front of us and the clouds resting atop the Mourne Mountains behind us.
It was a perfect morning.
We went into the clubhouse for a cup of coffee and looked at the various boards that show the events they’ve hosted and the winners of these events - “2007 Walker Cup”. We both smiled.
We hit some balls at the range, it was crisp but beautiful. The 2 of us grinning from ear to ear as we warm up. This was special.
A round at RCD
We wander over to the first tee and meet our caddies for the day. Neither of us had ever had a caddie before.
Dad and I both had 10 footers on the 1st, side by side - his for par, mine for birdie. He rattled his in the back of the hole with authority. I smiled to myself, “I suppose I better follow you in”. I rolled it in and we were off.
This is living.
The front 9 at Royal County Down is probably the best 9 holes in the world. The first few holes take you away from the clubhouse and the mountains and then at the par 3 4th you turn back to face the mountains. It’s one of the most famous views in golf.
4th hole, Royal County Down
Dad and I stopped at the top of the hill on the 9th. In front of us stood the Slieve Donard Hotel which looks like something out of Harry Potter. The Mourne Mountains tower behind it and the Irish Sea is on your left. It’s one of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen.
We stopped for a photo and moved on.
9th hole Royal County Down
Chasing 79
You might think a game of golf like this is just there to be enjoyed, don’t worry about the score. That’s not how Dad or I have ever played. We might pretend otherwise but we always care about the score. Why do anything different today?
Despite my birdie on the first I proceed to play pretty badly on that front 9.
Dad was hammering me after 9, he was 5 shots ahead clear. He tired a wee bit on the back 9 and I started to play well. My goal at the start of the day was to break 80. I’m a 5 handicap and this is a pretty difficult golf course so it was never going to be easy to achieve. I needed to be +8 or better for a 79 but +9 after 9 holes and any such plans were out the window.
I think on the front 9 I was too nervous which is ridiculous I know but I was just in awe of the place. After 9 I had a quiet word with myself and then made a handful of pars in a row. I got to the par 4 16th still +9. I needed a birdie and 2 pars to shoot 79. On the 16th tee Ray, my caddie said “300 yard, par 4 if you catch one you might sneak it on the front edge”. I hit my best tee shot of the day to about 30 feet. 2 putts for birdie and it was game on.
I found a fairway bunker on 17, typical links bunker - you just splash out. I needed an up and down from 135 yards to save par. The wind off the left to a front left pin. I’d need to hit a little draw to hold it in the breeze to get it close.
I stick it to a foot. Let’s go.
One more par on 18 for my 79.
I hit a good drive on the par 5. Ray told me to put the 3 wood away for my 2nd shot. I laid up to 125 yards away, wedged onto the green and 2 putted for par.
79 secured, 1 under on the back. What a buzz.
Standing on Shoulders
Of course the score was just the icing on the cake. Dad and I sit in the bar afterwards and have a pint of Guinness.
I heard once that as children we sit on our parents shoulders so that we can see higher. As adults we stand on their shoulders so we can go higher. My Dad has given me more than I could ever return with grand gestures but days like that one we had at Royal County Down are special.
That night Dad said to me, “that was one of the best days of my life”.
It was definitely one of the best days of mine.
Was it worth it?
You decide.
The Caddie’s Line
The PGA Tour bought the land for TPC Sawgrass for $1 and now that $1 investment makes the PGA Tour $150+ million every year
The Read
Hank Haney - The Big Miss. This book written by the former coach of Tiger Woods talks through the dark side of arguably the best golfer of all time. Haney coached Tiger between 2004-2010 and discusses the details of those years together and Tiger’s personality in a way that you likely will not have heard before.
My favourite course I’ve played. As a good friend of mine says, days like these just need to be paid for, it’s just “fun tax”. Those memories are priceless!
What a lovely story. The one time I managed to play it was when I was over on a work trip and managed to slip down from Belfast for the afternoon. Unfortunately, we weren’t blessed with the best weather and couldn’t actually see much for the mist and rain. But we still had an excellent afternoon on a cracking golf course.