Sky Sports' very own Ewen Murray, David Livingstone and Richard Boxall preview a special Irish Open.
This is a very special time for Irish golf, says Ewen
A stellar field boasting two reigning major champions will compete for the Irish Open this week - and you can follow all the action with Sky Sports.
Open Champion Darren Clarke and US Open victor Rory McIlroy can expect a rousing reception when they tee it up at Killarney Golf and Fishing Club on Thursday, but they will have to share the spotlight.
Major winners Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell will also be competing for the crown, won last year by Ross Fisher who is back to defend his title.
In the build-up to the event,
skysports.com caught up Sky Sports presenter David Livingstone and commentators Ewen Murray and Richard Boxall to get their thoughts on a very special week in Ireland...
What change will we see in Darren Clarke's personality this week after his Open triumph?
Ewen: I think you will see a much more relaxed person, a man that has nothing to prove anymore. I think you will still see the same wonderful player but probably with a very different attitude.
This is someone who has reached one of the main goals he probably set as a teenager and now that he has, I can't see why he won't win another major.
Did you think Darren had it in him to win a major?
Boxy: I must confess that although I thought Darren Clarke was a good player, I didn't ever see him winning a major when he was over 40. I may have seen it coming in his middle-30s. I think [manager] Chubby Chandler has played a big part in this. He's helped him to have a quiet mind.
Livo: From an observer's point of view, I just think it is incredible to see another Ryder Cup vice-captain find new inspiration and some new drive.
Did you ever imagine a situation like this - where Ireland has won six of the last 17 Major championships - might happen?
Boxy: I personally didn't see that many winners coming from that part of the world. But they are used to playing on the hard, links conditions from an early age and that certainly helps going into an Open Championship.
I don't think a lot of the players, until a few years ago, really believed in themselves or thought they could do it. They thought it was all down to the Americans.
Ewen: I think it is reward for the Irish, who have always encouraged their youngsters. I'm thinking of the members of Portrush at the moment, who have taken Darren's youngest son, Tyrone, under their wing.
I think it is also a chain reaction. When someone like Padraig Harrington, who won so wonderfully well at the USPGA and again to claim a second Open title, wins others start to think 'if he can do it...'.
When McDowell won [the US Open] on a really tough course with bouncy greens, I think that inspired Rory. I honestly believe that much of Darren Clarke's victory at Sandwich was inspired by McIlroy's performance at the US Open, which was for me by far the best four rounds I've seen in one major.
Livo: There seems to be something about the individual character of these guys and none of them are robotic swingers either.
I think it is down to the personalities and the fire within; the big thing now is going to be expectation-management!
What is your favourite memory of the Irish Open?
Boxy: I can remember playing Royal Dublin and Portmarnock - the crowds were absolutely fantastic. Many funny things have happened over the years but I particularly remember one chap who used to bring me cream cakes!
There were always good crowds at the Carroll's Irish Open; it was not far off from an Open Championship. When you came down those last few holes at Portmarnock and you were doing ok in the tournament, there were huge crowds all around the green and they all understood the game very well.
I always remember loads of kids afterwards asking for your glove, your ball and your tee; they would take everything off me except my mortgage!
Livo: Last year Padraig was on the 18th tee about to play when he noticed that there was a guy on his mobile phone down in the dip.
Padraig backed off from his shot and, like all of the gallery around the tee, looked down at this guy, who calmly looked up and said "I'll just be a couple of minutes, Padraig"!
Ewen: I'll go back to Portmarnock in '76 and the week after the Open Championship. Those were heady days because many of the Americans stayed over - the likes of Ben Crenshaw and Hubert Green; [England's] Mark James was coming to the peak of his powers too.
I agree with Richard. The Carroll's Irish Open was right up there with the Open Championship, producing winners like Jose Maria Olazabal, holing his third shot at 16 in the year that he won [1990].
When you went around Portmarnock, it was like the Open in the sense that there'd be a cheer from one end of the course, there'd be one in the middle and hopefully one for you.
This year it will be a celebration of Irish golf in beautiful surroundings - very different from the links courses we've been referring too.
The victories they've had have given Ireland a wonderful lift; everyone will have more energy, a smile on their face. It is a very special time for Ireland.
The Irish Open is one of more than golf 100 tournaments shown on Sky Sports this year. Watch live HD coverage anywhere you are on your phone pc and TV via Sky Go from 10am Thursday morning on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports HD1.
