Practice Round with Shane Lowry has Louth's Caolan Rafferty primed and ready for Irish Open

This time last week, all that was worrying top amateur golfer Caolan Rafferty was maintaining the lush fairways of Dundalk Golf Club, where he works as a greenkeeper.

The fact the elite of the golfing world were descending on Kilkenny for the Irish Open, watching it on TV was as far his connections with event were going.

But in a stroke of luck, the man who was as high as number Two on the World Amateur Rankings last year got a very late invite to play in the event staged this year in Mount Juliet, a course he is very familiar with and will feel quite at home on compared to his professional compatriots.

It was great to get the call on Friday when the Irish Open team rang me, it is always nice to play a Pro event” he exclaimed. “To be able to play the Irish Open, in a place I know a good bit about as I’ve played it a couple of times, it was nice to get this opportunity for my first Pro event.”

“We played club matchplay here a couple of years ago when we were in the Leinster Senior Cup Final, we had plenty of practice rounds and of course a couple of matches here so I will know the layout quite well.”

Rafferty sampled the playing conditions during a practice round on Tuesday and feels the course, and it’s not overly long length will play into his strengths.

If he did need any pointers ahead of making what is his debut on the European Tour, he could not have had much better company than the reigning Open Champion who was there to give out any advice the fledging prospect might have had ahead of the event.

“I got to play with Shane Lowry in the practice round which was nice, I kind of picked his brains a little bit, but it is playing the way we probably expected it to be, the fairways are a little soft, you would think after the weather we are after having and then the greens are the same.”

“It is playing to its full length so it should be a great week playing a course in great condition and I’m just looking forward to getting it going and having a crack at it.”

Lowry knows just what’s like to be in Caolan’s shoes this week, having not only competed in but won the Irish Open at County Louth Golf Club back in 2009.

His experience was a valuable asset this week, helping to keep Rafferty feeling comfortable and confident in the Pro setting ahead of what will be one of his biggest challenges to date.

“Shane is really down to earth, very laid back and we had great craic on the course, slagging and joking as well as everything else. It made you feel really at ease, I played with Mark Power the other amateur, so the two of us just felt at ease with Shane.”

“Our Irish coach would be Shane’s coach as well, so it was kind of a nice way to ease myself into the week and it definitely helped a lot. Obviously if I could follow in his footsteps that would be the ideal week.”

On the amateur circuit, the Louth golfer is used to a much more low-key affair, just a coach with every player at most, little fan interactions and even less media attention allowing him to focus solely on the golf.

That will not be the case in Mount Juliet, where the golfing eyes of the world will be on The Irish Open. It is live on TV, there will be huge media coverage and players will have entourages following them and working on every finite detail of their games.

However, Rafferty has played in the highest profile event in the amateur game, the Walker Cup which is essentially the Ryder Cup but for amateur golfers.

Having braved that experience, the 28-year-old feels the crowd this week will not be a hindrance to him but may actually be able to spur him on.

“The crowds are massive there, they are on top of you, you don’t have much room to swing a club at the Walker Cup whereas here they are behind ropes, well out of the way unless you hit it into the middle of them.”

“It wouldn’t annoy me too much anyway, I kind of enjoy a bit of a crowd, it is something to feed off of at times so I’m looking forward too at as it is not something I do week in, week out so it will be nice to get that experience.”

Caolan is not putting huge pressure on himself this week, that is something he has done far too much when he was younger and eager to impress at every opportunity.

Instead, he is focusing on enjoying everything about the week, knowing full well that he plays better when relaxed and enjoying his game.

Enjoyment is his main target this week, but he will also use the tournament as a chance to see where he stands against the Pros, as he continues to decide whether or not to turn professional in the future.

“All I’m concerned about it is enjoying it, it’s a week I had no plans of playing last Thursday or even last Friday morning or early afternoon. I’ll approach the event saying let’s enjoy the week, what will be will be, as it’s great to just be able to play in these big events.”

“Obviously, you want to start off by making the cut and taking it from there, but once I enjoy my week, enjoy the experience, I’ll be happy. It might answer a few questions in my head of the standard golf is at and where I am in relation to it and that is something I will take from the week.”

Rafferty gets his round underway in Kilkenny at 2:10 this afternoon and will play alongside former Tour winner Eduardo Molinari and Paul Waring. He is due to tee off for his second round on Friday morning at 9:10 AM.

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