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| 2010 Glenmuir PGA Champion Jan Kruger / Getty Images |
Cloud permitting Connemara will be visible from thirty thousand feet to David Mortimer when he travels to play in the PGA Cup for the Great Britain and Ireland team against the USA at CordeValle, California next year following his win at the Glenmuir PGA Championship Grand Final.
As his flight races over the West of Ireland twelve months from now the Galway native may get a chance to reflect on where it all started so many years ago at the Par 3 course at Renvyle House, just beside his family home. Since those days Mortimer has worked at the game and received recognition at Interprovincial level, Irish Youths and Irish Seniors level along the way.
This year having entered the Irish qualifier at The Heritage for the Glenmuir PGA Championship for the first time he emerged the Champion last Friday after more than 650 professionals tested their skills for the £78,000 Grand Final from eight regional qualifiers over five rounds of golf.
Before any trips to California though the 2006 Irish PGA Champion has earned a start at the £4,500,000 BMW PGA Championship flagship event at Wentworth next May and gets the opportunity to test his skills amidst the world’s best golfers on the redesigned West Course.
In this year’s BMW PGA Championship the story also read like a fairy tale when the title went to 2009 Qualifying School winner, Simon Khan of England.
The PGA’s of Europe International Team Championship in Portugal may also feature on the schedule, following his play off victory against David Shacklady at The Oxfordshire, adding to the already busy schedule for Mortimer on the Irish PGA region where he currently lies second in the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with Ping Order of Merit.
This year Mortimer has been a winner on three occasions at the Regional events with a clutch of second places showing a consistency of form that brings him closer to the golf he played at Druids Heath four years ago where he won the Sherry Fitzgerald Irish PGA Championship.
In doing so Mortimer added his name to the many notable winners over the years such as Christy O'Connor Snr and Harry Bradshaw who have recorded the most wins in the event with 10. Three-time major champion Pádraig Harrington has 6 wins; Des Smyth 6 and Paul McGinley 4 wins.
The PGA Professional Championship was first played in 1973 and in those days the PGA was juggling the demands of its traditional club professionals with a new breed of tournament player led by the likes of Tony Jacklin and Peter Oosterhuis who competed full time. During this period most professionals still combined club duties with playing, pitching up for Monday qualifying and if successful competing, before returning to the club shop for weekend duties. For Mortimer in 2010 that routine is still the same.
The PGA Championship in recent years has added significance as through a points system it decides the Great Britain & Ireland team to play America in the PGA Cup which is the club pros equivalent of the Ryder Cup. For a Cub professional this is a lifetime experience competing against the best of the PGA professionals in the United States
But Mortimer is putting all that aside for now and remains very focused as the season enters the business end of things with the Irish PGA Championship still be played at Seapoint Golf Club in September, followed by the season finale at Mount Juliet. There is also still the matter of Qualifying School Stage 1, which for Mortimer starts at Dundonald Links on September 14th – 17th.
First though there are still lessons to be cared for at the GUI National Academy at Carton House where David is a teaching professional and then a two day Greenore ProAm this week - followed by the Southern Championship at Powerscourt in a week’s time.
FORE Ireland was set up in 2009 to promote golf in Ireland, manage events and support players on the European Tour - or trying to reach that goal.
FORE Ireland also provides PR coverage for Irish golfers, in particular Team Ireland players, competing on the Challenge Tour, Ladies European Tour and the European Tour.
Team members currently include Michael Collins; David Mortimer; Mark Staunton; Ted Higgins; Kevin Dorrian and Philip Walton
For further information www.foreireland.com
