Kate Lanigan has spent many summers hopping on and off planes around Europe playing in some of the biggest amateur events in the world but this year has been about checking if the car has enough fuel to get around the country.
After another hectic summer has seen Lanigan play in a home Women’s Amateur Championship in Portmarnock and the Arnold Palmer Cup in Lahinch and she will be hoping she has enough fuel in the tank again to gear herself up for next week’s KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Carton House.
“I’m very lucky, not many people can say they get to play three Irish Opens,” said Lanigan who is a long time member of Carton House and plays for their Senior Cup team.
“The previous two in Dromoland have been very special and it will be tough to beat last year making the cut! But delighted to get an invite this year. Having it in Carton is very special, I’ve been a member there for a good few years.
“We had the Women’s Amateur in Portmarnock and now this. It’s funny I was on the road a good bit from January to March but this summer I haven’t really left Ireland for the latter part of the season. I can’t wait to play the O’Meara, all of the Irish girls will know it well and it’s going to be a great week.”
Lanigan enjoyed a brilliant first year with Maynooth University as part of her Masters degree. The players are granted use of the Golf Ireland practice facilities and both the Montgomerie and O’Meara courses so there won’t be anything that will faze her next week.
“We probably play the Montgomerie quite a bit in the winter and a little bit more overall. But I;ve tried to get out on the O’Meara more since I heard it was hosting the Irish Open and I played it during the week, it’s in fantastic condition. The ladies club are delighted to have the event, the whole club have really embraced it and it’s really cool to see all the grandstands and all the infrastructure, it makes it feel very real.”
The KPMG Women’s Irish Open has become a favourite of so many Ladies European Tour players and Lanigan describes it herself as having a major feel.
“Some of the LET players say it’s like a mini major. I think that’s down to the great Irish fans that come out. It’s up 15% this year which is even better and it would be great to see an Irish winner, we have Leona (Maguire), Olivia (Mehaffey), Lauren (Walsh) and some amazing amateurs and some new professionals in Annabel (Wilson) and Anna (Foster).
“It’s going to be very competitive from an amateur perspective also, vying for the low amateur position so there will be plenty of Irish interest.”
Next week will see a record 13 Irish players tee it up in the event which shows just how far the Women’s Irish Open has come since the lowly days in Killeen Castle where Irish interest was limited to Leona and Lisa Maguire who were only amateurs before the event was pulled from the schedule for a decade.
Lanigan believes the KPMG Women’s Irish Open is crucial in maintaining the development of women’s golf in this country and that it’s impact has already been reflected in the amount of elite amateurs and young professionals coming through such as Wilson and Foster who will be making their professional debuts on Thursday.
“It’s mad when you say the number. I think we all went to the Irish Open in Killeen Castle in 2012 before the break. Obviously, I saw Leona but there wasn’t that Irish interest. It’s amazing to have the support of KPMG to bring it back and Carton House for hosting it, it’s going to be good.”
The KPMG Women’s Irish Open will be the third leg of a major summer for Lanigan who reached the knockout stages of the Women’s Amateur in Portmarnock and picked up a winning point alongside Ryan Griffin in the Palmer Cup in Lahinch.
“I remember saying I’m trying to soak it all in before August comes and now it’s the end of August and it’s just flown by! It’s been amazing to have those big tournaments and to play well in them. There is a big build up to them and we have a lot of support and deep down you want to play well.
“Portmarnock was amazing and Palmer Cup was the icing on the cake. To play with Ryan, to represent Maynooth, to have Barry (Fennelly), that was one of the goals at the start of the year and it was great to play in that.”
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