Caption: Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) will compete at his 18th East of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open Championship this weekend.
By Caomh Breen Allen: Golf Ireland – Photo: Inpho: Tom Maher
The East of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open Championship gets underway at County Louth on Friday
Gerard Dunne will look to become the first County Louth member in more than 40 years to win the East of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open Championship when he tees up at Baltray on Friday morning.
The 84th edition of the East of Ireland will see 132 competitors take to the famed links, with plenty of local interest as 14 players from the ‘Wee County’ tee up alongside golfers from across Ireland, Europe, and the United States.
Dunne has been a member of County Louth since 2000, spending much of his formative golfing years on the Baltray links. Now 38, he is preparing to compete in the championship for the 18th time and remains as motivated as ever to capture one of Irish amateur golf’s most prestigious titles.
“That was my first senior men’s championship,” said Dunne.
“The East of Ireland is such a big part of the club and the history of Baltray, the names on the board and the June bank holiday, the tradition that surrounds it all. Everybody loves it.”
The last time a home club winner was crowned was in 1985 when Fibarr Ronan claimed the title and hopes will be high that the feat can be repeated this year, with Graham Callaghan, Harley Phipps, Gavin Tiernan, Evan Farrell, Ryan O’Doherty, Daniel O’Brien, Jack McKenna, Ronan O’Reilly, Louis Goodman, Stuart Grehan and Dunne all representing the host club this weekend.
Dunne arrives in a good run of form, having finished tied third at the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship at nearby Seapoint before finishing strongly at Royal Portrush to take a share of sixth at the North of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open Championship.
“We’re lucky in Baltray to have so many good players that you play a high calibre of player every week, and that keeps your game sharp,” said Dunne.
“I’m preparing much better now in the last few years than I ever did. It’s just about making sure I know what the strengths of my game are and where the areas are that I need to keep on top of.”
“I am at a point in my life where I have a family at home, I have a career and I know who I am as a person. I think that when you have that self-awareness, it helps transfer over onto the golf course so that you can perform to a higher level because whether I win this week or not, I know I’m happy with who I am in my life.”
Having competed on 17 previous occasions and with more than two decades of course knowledge behind him, Dunne will be one of the more experienced players in the field this weekend. With a strong local crowd expected to turn out, he will be hoping that his 18th appearance brings an historic victory for both he and the club.
“I think it would be an amazing thing to do, to become part of the history of the club, to have your name on the board and to lift the trophy, it would be huge,” said Dunne.
“It’s what you practice for when you’re a kid, it’s what you talk about when you’re a young member and to be in a position where I genuinely feel I can win it is great. I don’t think about it a huge amount because it’s such a tough thing to do and golf is such a punishing sport and it’s hard to win but I’ll absolutely be trying my best to win.”
“I won’t be thinking about the trophy on Friday, there’s a lot of work to do in between, but it’d be absolutely huge.”
Dunne gets his opening round underway at 2.09pm on Friday when he tees up alongside Michael Roch (Harpenden Common) and Knut Magnus Erlandsen (Baerum Golf Club).
The East of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open Championship tees off at 7.30am on Friday under a two-tee start. Oliver Scriven (Pearl Valley Golf Club), Stuart Grehan (County Louth) and Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) will tee off from the first, while defending champion David Howard (Fota Island) begins his title defence alongside Simon Ward (Belvoir Park) and Adam Allahbachani (Powerscourt) from the 10th.
View the first-round tee times here
