Rory McIlroy’s eagle putt on the final hole to get into the playoff at the Amgen Irish Open, which he would go on to win, was quite something.
The decibel level was so high when the ball dropped into the cup, the poor TV microphones that captured the raucous roar are probably now suffering from tinnitus.
It was the best racket of the season. Only Tiger Woods in his pomp would’ve provoked such a giddy frenzy.
This was a wonderful spectacle and proved, once again, that McIlroy is in a league of his own in terms of box office appeal. Young, old, male and female were joined in rampant exultation.
In a glory-laden campaign for McIlroy, which started with that epic Masters win in April, even the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year program may be forced to give some recognition to golf.
Saying that, McIlroy will probably finish sixth behind a cribbage champion from Dorset.
While golf’s major season ends all very abruptly in July, the DP World Tour’s offering as the year progresses continues to serve up some terrific fare, whether it’s the British Masters at The Belfry, the Irish Open, or this week’s flagship, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
These are proper occasions, full of history and prestige, and they attract big old crowds too.
There are, on occasions, some fairly ho-hum events during the season that would make one man and his dog look like an epic scene from Ben-Hur. Not these alluring showpieces, though.
The Irish fans, of course, will turn out in force for anything. From domestic amateur events to professional tournaments, both male and female and at all levels, these eager devotees have an unquenchable thirst for live golf.
There was some justified tut-tutting about spectators shouting “get in the water” when Joakim Lagergren, the gallant Swede who squared up to McIlroy in the playoff, hit his shots in the sudden-death shoot-out.
When he did find the wet stuff, which ultimately cost him the title, the cheering from certain quarters was somewhat unsavory.
Given the sheer numbers, there was always going to be room for a few vocal halfwits.
Golf fans on this side of the pond tend to adopt a sneering tone of goading piety when American spectators indulge in partisan, puerile bellowings.
It’s only right, then, that those performing similar antics amid the K Club hoards get a ticking off too. On the whole, though, the Irish masses were spectacular.
Scotland may be the home of golf, but, when it comes to crowds across a broad spectrum of events, the country that gave the game to the world often can’t hold a candle to the enthusiasm of our Celtic cousins.
When the second-tier Challenge Tour – now the HotelPlanner Tour – hosted its Northern Ireland Open a few years ago, almost 40,000 turned up.
Paul Lawrie, on the other hand, once staged his own Matchplay Championship in his native Aberdeen on the main European Tour and only 11,000 came through the gates over four days of competition.
Saying all this, there’s one thing that can trump a golf event for our Irish friends.
Back in 2007, the Seve Trophy between GB&I and Continental Europe clashed with Ireland’s National Ploughing Championships, which were being held about 20 miles away.
Some 80,000 spectators took in the agricultural extravaganza. Barely 400 souls turned up for the first day of the golf.
“I think the atmosphere is limited and we need to get the Ploughing Championships over – I’m serious – and all the farmers can bring their wellies, come over here and support us,” said a miffed Colin Montgomerie in one of the most memorable and bewildering addresses of his garlanded career.
Here in 2025, the tour bandwagon rolls on to leafy Wentworth. With McIlroy and 10 of his European Ryder Cup teammates headlining the field, the BMW PGA Championship should be another box office hit.
