North stars meet in the Irish Open

May 14 2009 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

THE Race to Dubai has sometimes been rating fewer column inches than another newcomer, The Journal’s Race to Slaley, this season. But that might change in the Republic of Ireland today.

For the first time, four golfers from the North East and Cumbria play in a European Tour event and they tee up in a field which includes Padraig Harrington and Rory McIlroy.

Former British Amateur champion Graeme Storm fully grasps the significance of why The 3 Irish Open at the County Louth club in Baltray is an historic occasion.

A region which had no professionals on tour nine years ago will be represented by Storm, Ashington’s Kenneth Ferrie, Robert Dinwiddie from Barnard Castle and Gary Lockerbie (Penrith).

Storm was beaten to the punch in terms of winning a Tour event by Ferrie, who captured the Spanish Open and the European Open before Storm took the French Open.

But Storm, from Hartlepool, is the clear top dog among the four on current form and he said yesterday: “This is something a bit special and it highlights the fact that golf has been a growth sport over those nine years.

“For one thing, the publicity is better, but the media needs to have something to focus on and moments like this help. But putting the two together, the right message has been put across.

“We can all now be sure that nobody any longer thinks of golf as an exclusive sport. If you have a go at it and you enjoy it, you can play it.

“People from all walks of life mix in happily together, the same as the vast majority of sports.”

Storm points to increased opportunities over the past decade, adding: “Robert Dinwiddie has told me how expert coaching and travelling round the world as an amateur helped him.

“A lot of that was down to funding and guidance from the English Golf Union and clearly their input has stepped up in recent years, although, like Robert, I got help from my county and so did Ken and Gary.