With Rory McIlroy dominating word golf and near-namesake Ruaidhri McGee enjoying a strong start to the Challenge Tour season, young Rory McNamara makes his debut on Europe’s top developmental tour at this week’s Turkish Airlines Challenge hoping to make his own name on the professional golf scene.
The Sligo native, who is attached to Spanish course La Cala Resort, joined the paid ranks last October after a hugely impressive amateur career which yielded victories at the West of Ireland – a trophy upon which the name of one McIlroy is adorned - and North of Ireland Championships.
Now, after a late call on Friday, McNamara is preparing to test his game at a whole new level at Gloria Golf Resort in Belek, where many of Europe and the world’s top up and coming stars will vie for a title which Welshman Oliver Farr claimed last year.
Needless to say, the 25 year old cannot wait to get going but does not want to let the excitement of the occasion get the better of him.
“I got a phone call from my manager on Friday to say I’ve been given an invite, which I’m very appreciative of,” he said. “It’s great to get my first start on the Challenge Tour as I’ve just turned pro. It’s good to get out here and play some events.
“I had a pretty good amateur career, my highest ranking in the World Amateur Rankings was 32nd and I represented Ireland at all levels, European Championships, Home Internationals, all that kind of thing.
“This week, although it’s my first event I’m basically just trying to look at it as just another golf tournament and just go out and play golf and see what happens.
“I just arrived late in the night so this is my first look it the course and the whole place looks great. The hotel is nice, everything is good so I’m looking forward to it.”
Given that Ireland Northern Ireland are nations which have provided so many superstars in world golf in recent years, it is perhaps surprising that the number of young Irish players on the Challenge Tour in the last five years has been relatively small.
McNamara joins McGee – who claimed a career-best runner-up spot two weeks ago at the Challenge de Madrid – as the only Irishmen in Turkey in the early stages of their professional career but he believes that it is only a matter of time before a plethora of potential stars emerge from the island.
“I think it will change in the next few years,” said the former Irish amateur international. “I think there is a good crop of young Irish players coming through that are looking to turn professional this year after the Walker Cup, and hopefully they’ll make it onto the team.
“I played Irish boys golf with Ruaidhri and he turned pro soon after that so I haven’t seen him as much since. It was great to see him get a good start to the season and I know he’s playing on a medical extension so it’s great that he has his card secured for this year and hopefully me and him can push on this year and get some money on the board.
“I played quite a bit with Kevin Phelan so I’d be pretty good friends with him. We played a lot together as amateurs and we roomed together a lot so it will be good to see him some time out here.”
McNamara joins a strong field on the south coast of Turkey, with the most recent winner on the Challenge Tour – Spain’s Nacho Elvira – present after a dream week in Madrid, where he holed an albatross en route to a second career victory on the tour.
Sam Walker of England and Portugals’s Ricardo Gouveia, fourth and fifth respectively in the Road to Oman Rankings, are also in the field while winner of the 2013 Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge Brinson Paolini of the USA makes his first start of the season in Europe.
