Golf
- Further information: Golfing Union of Ireland
Golf is very popular in Ireland, with over 400 golf clubs throughout the island, and over 300 courses in the Republic of Ireland. Golf is regularly televised in Ireland, with both domestic and international events broadcast. Among Ireland's most famous golf courses are Royal County Down Golf Club, Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portmarnock and Ballybunion.
The K Club in County Kildare was the venue for the 2006 Ryder Cup. Ireland has produced several top golfers in recent years, with players like Pádraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke achieving significant success internationally. All three were part of the European team that successfully defended the Ryder Cup on home soil, with Clarke arguably being the emotional leader as he was recovering from the death of his wife from breast cancer. More recently, Harrington won The Open Championship (British Open) in 2007, then successfully retained the title in 2008 and a month later won his 3rd major, the U.S. PGA Championship. Clarke went on to win the 2011 Open Championship.
Two more stars have emerged even more recently, both from the North. Rory McIlroy, at the time aged 20, ended 2009 in the top 10 of the world rankings and won the 2011 U.S. Open, setting 11 Open records, and becoming the second Northern Irishman in a row to do so. In March 2012 he became world number one; after trading the top spot with England's Luke Donald for several months, McIlrroy emphatically returned to the top of the rankings with a runaway win in the 2012 PGA Championship. Graeme McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open, becoming the first player from either side of the Irish border to win the U.S. Open, as well as the first European to win that event since England's Tony Jacklin in 1970. McDowell also won the crucial match in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales.
Read more about this topic: Sport In The Republic Of Ireland, Other Sports
Famous quotes containing the word golf:
“Years ago we discovered the exact point, the dead center of middle age. It occurs when you are too young to take up golf and too old to rush up to the net.”
—Franklin Pierce Adams (1881–1960)
“A golf course is nothing but a pool room moved outdoors.”
—Frank Butler (1890–1967)
“If there is any larceny in a man, golf will bring it out.”
—Paul Gallico (1897–1976)