Former Ryder Cup star Oliver Wilson is hoping a return to the Northern Ireland Open Challenge in association with Maui Jim Sunglasses and Galgorm Castle where he recorded his best result of the 2013 Challenge Tour season, will give him a timely boost as he chases a return to The European Tour.
The Englishman came from six shots back in the final round of the inaugural event last year to earn an unlikely play-off with Dutchman Daan Huizing and, while Wilson was eventually defeated, that runner-up finish spurred him on to a strong finish to the season, claiming a top five at the Kazakhstan Open and a top 20 in the season-ending Grand Final.
The nine-time European Tour runner-up has once again struggled to build any serious head of steam this year but he is hoping he can once again be inspired by the huge Northern Irish crowds as the tournament prepares for a potential attendance of 32,000 – the number of fans who have registered for free tickets online.
It would make for the kind of big-time atmosphere that Wilson revels in, having beaten Phil Mickleson and Anthony Kim of the USA alongside Henrik Stenson while representing Europe in Valhalla back in 2008, and he is hoping he can rise to the challenge.
“It’s nice to come back to a tournament that feels like a big event,” said the 33 year old. “It’s a good golf course in good condition so when you get the opportunity to play in a tournament like this it’s always nice.
“I couldn’t have had worse form coming into this same week last year so I know the game’s in there, and I'm in a much stronger position this year than I was back then.
“My game is in pretty good shape, I'm swinging it much better and everything’s better, the confidence is way better than it was at the beginning of the year but I'm not getting the results at the moment to back it up.
“I keep telling myself everything is much better and I'm improving and the confidence is coming back but it would be nice to have some results to back that up.
“It’s always nice to have a few results to back everything up because at the end of the day that’s all that matters. I have to keep doing what I'm doing.
“I was a bit flat through the summer, I was playing quite a bit, playing OK but with not enough adrenaline. I've had a few weeks off now and I'm fresh and excited to play and one place better than last year would be nice!”
Wilson’s admiration for this tournament goes beyond the lush fairways and greens of the course and he has been amazed with that Galgorm Castle have produced in the last two years, an event on Europe’s second tier which creates a huge buzz locally and brings fans through the gates in their droves.
“You can be in great shape technically but sometimes you need adrenaline,” he said. “It’s about having the excitement and focus when you get into the mix. It’s not always easy to produce that and when you’re applying bigger and better tournaments towards the end of the year and there is some atmosphere it helps.
“Events like this just lead the way on the Challenge Tour. They’ve got a food festival this year which is a great idea to bring more people in.
“The Northern Irish love golf so it’s a lot easier for them to attract 30,000 crowds, but to get that amount of people coming to a Challenge Tour event is incredible. I just wish that we could bottle that up and give it to other tournaments and give them that kind of atmosphere and excitement around the tournament.
“There are a lot of good players out here and sometimes it gets lost a little bit behind The European Tour. It takes a bit more time, effort and money invested all-round and it would make The European Tour even stronger too.”
