Tournament Ambassador Michael Hoey has shown a return to form of late and is hoping a good week at the Galgorm Resort and Spa NI Open, presented by Modest! Golf can propel him further up the Road to Ras Al Khaimah Rankings.
The five-time European Tour winner has remained focused and is still eyeing a return to Europe’s top tier, and as Challenge Tour moves towards the business end of the season, players are hoping to secure one of the coveted top 15 places.
Hoey is currently 26thon the Road to Ras Al Khaimah but renewed confidence with the putter has given the 39 year old belief that he can compete and the top level and still win on tour.
“Putting has been key for me this season,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of confidence back with my putter and that feeds through the whole game. I’m enjoying rolling putts, sounds pretty simple, but yes, I’m enjoying my game just now.
“It’s fractional differences, thickness of the putter grip, way I grip the putter. I’ve been using the same Scotty Cameron that I’ve used for four years. Putting is a game within a game.”
His confidence with the blade bodes well for this week as the quality of the greens at Galgorm Castle always come in for special mention by the players, who are also glad the NI Open has returned to a traditional 72-hole strokeplay format.
“The condition of the course and facilities are massive factors for players planning their schedules. The course is always in very good condition and the greens are immaculate,” added Hoey.
“Everyone I speak to is happy we are back to 72-hole strokeplay. In 2017 we had a one-off opportunity to try something different with Shootout Sunday when the tournament was in close proximity in terms of time and distance to the Irish Open at Portstewart.”
After a mixed start to the season, Hoey found form in recent weeks by finishing tied fourth at the Made in Denmark Challenge – presented by Ejner Hessel in July and tied seventh in the Italian Challenge presented by Cashback World, where he shot four rounds in the 60s.
His best finish at the NI Open came in 2016 when he was eighth behind runaway winner Ryan Fox. The powerful New Zealander closed with a final round 62 to seal victory. In 2017, Robin Sciot-Siegrist of France secured his maiden Challenge Tour win in the Shootout Sunday format.
“It’s good to see former that NI Open winners such as Ryan Fox and Joakim Lagergren have gone on to feature prominently on the European Tour since their successes at Galgorm,” added Hoey, who continues to enjoy his role as Tournament Ambassador.
“The NI Open is always one of the best events of the year. I love being associated with it and enjoy working with the team at Galgorm. They do all the heavy lifting, I just turn up and play golf!”
