Killeen ticks all boxes as countdown begins in earnest

NO SOONER had Jerry Rich closed the doors of his millionaire’s playground at Rich Harvest Farms to the public on Sunday evening than attention had switched to the next Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle.

Planning for the event may have started years ago, well before the Co Meath venue had even won its bid in December of 2006, but the countdown can now begin in earnest. Five years after The K Club played host to the Ryder Cup, the women’s equivalent will pitch up at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.

Still in its infancy, having only officially opened for play earlier this year, Killeen may not have entered the average Irish golfer’s consciousness just yet. It will.

No expense was spared when it came to designing and crafting the 7,600-yard lay-out and money continues to be lavished on the project to ensure everything is just so.

It’s the golf course the recession forgot. The owners are reported to have invested some €300 million on the estate and the quality of the facilities, both on and off course, tells. The imposing 12th century castle has been restored to its former glory, while Dave Peltz has established a short game school on site.

Even the estate’s gamekeeper is the best in the business. Seán McManmon joined from The K Club where he worked for 30 years dispensing advice to the likes of Tiger Woods, Mark O’Meara and Bill Clinton.

And the powers that be have little doubt of Killeen’s ability to stage an event of this magnitude.

“When we looked at Killeen three years ago, one of the reasons it was chosen was because it’s got all the infrastructure there,” explained Mark Casey of the Ladies European Tour.

“You can’t run an event like this at a normal golf course, you need a facility such as this (Rich Harvest Farms) that has space to build villages, public services and Killeen ticks those all those boxes.

“Our aim over the next two years is to tell more people about it and bring people from all over the world to Ireland. So, yeah, we’re very excited.”

Topping last weekend’s event will be a tall order. Some 120,000 fans swarmed over the vast expanses of Rich Harvest Farms and the feel good factor from the moment you stepped on to the course was infectious.

Almost 1,800 kindly souls shelled out $150 for the privilege of volunteering. Generating that kind of enthusiasm among the Irish public is not going to be easy.

Having an Irish player on the team for 2011 would be a massive bonus in terms of raising the profile but, at this stage, it remains a long shot. However, the likes of Rebecca Coakley, Tara Delaney and Martina Gillen are on the cusp of making that all-important breakthrough.

Roddy Carr, one of the driving forces behind bringing the Solheim Cup to Killeen, has worked closely with Coakley on all aspects of her game in a bid to help her achieve her goal and is optimistic one, if not more, could feature in two years time. “I suppose if you went to Paddy Power they would be 50 to 1 shots. I would put it a little less than that,” said Carr.

“I mean, if you break down the statistics, two players would be approximately one shot per round away from making the team.

“So you have Martina, Rebecca and Tara, not to mention the twins (Leona and Lisa Maguire), who could be good enough to qualify but I don’t think it will be an issue as they’ll still be amateur.

“We’ve tried to assist Rebecca with a performance programme so I would put the odds at closer to 10 to 1. Obviously getting one of them on the team would be huge for the event, huge.”

One aspect of the week that is certain to hold huge interest for the Irish public is the Junior Solheim Cup, which will again take place in the build-up to the main event and will feature those mercurial Maguire twins.

Knightsbrook has been mooted as a possible venue – the lack of a driving range at the Trim course remains a potential stumbling block – with Headfort and Royal Tara also believed to be in the running. Both 14-year-olds were part of the European team that was defeated at the Aurora Country Club and while that defeat hurt, the experience can only benefit them in the long run.

Being honoured at the closing ceremony on Sunday night, where they raised the Irish flag to round off proceedings was all well and good. But getting another crack at the Americans was the priority.

“It will be different playing them back in Europe,” said Lisa. “They were used to the climate over here and didn’t have to deal with the time difference. And they had more practice rounds together than we did.”