A NORTHSIDE man waved the Irish flag proudly when he finished second in the recent US Blind Golfers Open Championship at Haven Golf Course in Arizona.
Patrick Morgan Junior (19), from Artane, shot a jaw-dropping 66 and 61 Nett Score over his two rounds respectively to finish runner-up in the first year the Irish Blind Golf Society sent Irish golfers to the event.
Playing off an even equally impressive handicap of 29, Morgan Jnr’s preparations for one of the world’s largest blind golf competitions were dealt a massive blow when his driver’s shaft snapped in half.
After day one, Morgan Jnr needed a big score on day two to have any hope of competing for the top spot and with his fully repaired driver, he belted the ball around the course for a score of 90 gross, a tally many a man or woman with full sight would be delighted with.
Morgan Jnr, who had never experienced the blistering heat conditions in south-west United States before, found it a little difficult to adjust coming from a wetter and cooler Ireland.
“In Arizona, the ball goes a whole lot further because of the conditions so I would be hitting shorter clubs into the greens than I would be at home,” he told Northside People.
At the event, Paul McCormack, a Donegal man, took home the first prize as the Irish earned a 1-2 placing and cemented Irish Blind Golf’s place on the map.
Morgan Jnr was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a disease of the eye which is caused by inherited genetics and causes blindness but this doesn’t stop his profound love for a game where sight plays a major part.
Patrick Morgan Senior, father and regular guide/caddy for Jnr (Karl Pierce was his guide for the US tournament), answered a question many might ask: how does a blind person play golf?
“They (the caddy) would be their eyes,” said Patrick Snr. “I would line up Patrick to give him a feel of where he is aiming, because once Patrick hits the ball, he wouldn’t know where it is gone.
“I’d guide him, tee him up, he hits away and if it is down the middle, well and good but if it’s not, he gives out to me because I must have set him up wrong.”
Patrick Snr said Jnr’s feel comes into play more because he’s blind but he also attributes his hard work and determination as reasons for his success.
“Patrick really loves his golf,” said Patrick Snr. “He would come home every day and chip 200 balls easily anywhere and you can see that in his short game which is very good.”
If you were oblivious and looked at Jnr’s swing, the only way you could tell that he was visually impaired would be that Snr is standing directly behind him.
Patrick Jnr is part of a Special Olympics golf set-up at in Elmgreen Golf Club called Elm Eagles who practice every Saturday for two hours.
The Irish Blind Golf Society currently has 12 members, aged 19-75, and they participate in nine outings a year,
Following his trip to the US, Patrick Jnr travelled to Edinburgh to represent his country in the Celtic Cup, a Ryder Cup-style tournament.
Competing in these events is impressive, with Patrick Snr emphasising how important the Irish Blind Golf Society and other outlets are to blind people across the country.
Meanwhile, a fundraiser will be held at Hollywood Lakes in Ballyboughal on June 3 to help raise funds for Irish blind golf. It is €50 per player and you get €10 back through a food voucher.
Follow the Irish Blind Golf Society on Facebook for more information on their sport.
Brein McGinn
