Ruaidhri McGee is delighted to see the European Challenge Tour return to Ireland after a six-year absence for this week’s Volopa Irish Challenge hosted by Mount Wolseley Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort.
The Irishman heads to his home event with a place in the top 15 of the Road to Oman Rankings, and with it a spot on The European Tour for next season, in his sights.
The 24 year old has five top ten finishes to his name this year and is particularly keen to see how well his recent Walker Cup team-mates Gary Hurley, Jack Hume, Gavin Moynihan, Jimmy Mullen and Cormac Sharvin perform in a professional event.
“There’s a lot of excitement about the tournament,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to it – it’s going to be a big deal with a lot of the Walker Cup guys playing in it. It’s also the third-last tournament this season for the Challenge Tour so we’ll have a good field.
“A lot of people will be out watching the Walker Cup boys because the amateurs get a lot of support in Ireland, and the fact that they all did so well at Royal Lytham and St Annes will only add to that.
“I actually played with four of them in Portmarnock the week before the win, and they’re all really nice guys and really good players, so that will be exciting for the fans.
“The Irish love their golf so hopefully we’ll see a lot of people out, especially if the weather is good. They don’t need an excuse to be out watching golf though, so I’m sure that won’t matter too much.
“It looks like a really strong field – a reduced field because of the limited daylight – so it will be a really competitive tournament I’m sure.
“My goal is the top 15 in the Rankings and a European Tour spot. It would be ideal to win one of the remaining events. That would take care of everything, and Ireland would be an extra special place to win so fingers crossed
