Only Thing That Could Make The Irish Open Better?

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Royal County Down was as stunning as you’d expect in full HD. Throw in cruel weather and the viewing was magnificent, though one did have to feel for the fans braving the squalls and cold. Oh, and the players and caddies too.

While even the most savage of golf haters would struggle to endorse the raw weather or find comfort in host Rory McIlroy’s missed cut, it’s otherwise hard to imagine the combination of Dubai Duty Free and McIlroy having a better launch to their new partnership.

Which brings us to the date.

Traditionally golf's French Open kicks off a huge three-week run culminating in The Open Championship but is played on an inland course that will host the 2018 Ryder Cup.

But wouldn’t three weeks of links golf when the weather doesn’t make Rochester natives wonder what tundra they’ve stepped into, be a better fit?

Sure, the lads will cry foul that three weeks of links golf will undue their precious swings, but we also know about 50% of the world’s elite believe in playing the week before a major, and the other 50% like to play two weeks out and have the week off heading into one of golf’s big four. So both the Scottish and Irish Opens should be able to attract quality fields while giving two historically important events on links golf the prominent place they deserve.

Now it’s just incumbent on Rory and his friends from Dubai to learn from the success of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open to keep pushing for links venues.

The finale was quite the train wreck. Yet, mercifully, the man who seemed to manage his way around the links with new caddie Alistair Mathison won: Soren Kjeldsen.

It will be a career-saving and defining win for Kjelsen, whose top 3 finish also gets him into The Open Championship (along with Englishmen Eddie Pepperell and Tyrrell Hatton).

From Phil Casey's excellent Press Association game story:

The players returned to the par-five 18th for sudden death and, after finding the green in two and seeing his opponents fail to make birdie, Kjeldsen two-putted from 25 feet, although his birdie attempt did a full circuit of the hole before dropping.

“Three weeks ago I was 112th in the Order of Merit and my game was not in good shape,” Kjeldsen said. “With turning 40 [a fortnight ago] you wonder was that it? Now I am standing here and it’s pretty remarkable really.”

Kjeldsen also claimed one of the three places available in the Open Championship to players finishing in the top 10 who were not already exempt, with Pepperell and Tyrrell Hatton taking the others.

As for Rory, he worked hard to make sure his foundation's role was visible and the write-off was well earned. A Golf Channel highlight reel of his off-course efforts, followed but a piece on his Sunday appearance with notes Tim Rosaforte.