Cutler cuts a dash

GOLF:A YEAR ago, he arrived here like a rabbit caught in a car's headlights. It all got to him; the noise, the pressure. He didn't last long, but it was notched down as part of the learning curve. A lesson. A year on, Paul Cutler has returned to the Irish Open armed with a number of amateur titles to boost his confidence, and with a mature mindset.

Older? Wiser? Hardened? The proof was provided in a second round that saw the Portstewart amateur – the latest player to emerge off off the Golfing Union of Ireland conveyor line – move with intent, beyond his initial priority to make the cut.

Cutler did more than that, he moved into contention.

With the cut achieved, Cutler’s sights have been raised somewhat. Can he win?

“Shane Lowry won this event. We’ll see – there is a long way to go yet, a lot of good players in the field . . . yeah, why not?”

In golf, winning is ultimately what it’s all about. And Cutler – one of four amateurs nominated by the GUI to play here, but the only one to survive the cut – can start to raise his expectation levels as he heads into the weekend in the vanguard of the Irish challenge alongside Damien McGrane, Peter Lawrie and Michael Hoey on the six-under-par 136 mark.

This is a big year for Cutler, who is virtually guaranteed to be on the Britain and Ireland team for the Walker Cup in Scotland in September. Before that team is picked next month, there are a couple of big amateur championships – next week’s European Amateur Strokeplay and the following week’s Home Internationals – but, ahead of all that, there is now the most important weekend of golf that he has played.

A product of the Ulster Golf School at the Ulster Branch headquarters in Antrim, before it tied-in with Darren Clarke, Cutler is a player with a very good golf game – confirmed by wins in last year’s Lytham Trophy and this year’s Irish Close and West of Ireland championships – and the inevitable graph is likely to see him turn professional after the Walker Cup.

Now, though, this weekend has taken on added significance. A couple of years ago, when Lowry won this very tournament as an amateur at Baltray, Cutler watched every shot at home on television.

Lowry opened his eyes to the possibilities that exist on tour.

“There’s a few amateurs have won, Shane . . . Pablo Martin. It is possible to do, so you just have to keep going . . . it’s fantastic to see one of your good friends win.

He added: “Last year I tried too hard in this event, but I’ll just try to do what I can do (over the weekend). You have to try and win every tournament, or else you wouldn’t play.”

Cutler – who showed his propensity to shoot low scores with a 65 in the second round of qualifying at this year’s West of Ireland at Rosses Point and a 66 in the European Team Championships at Victoria in the Algarve earlier this month – has a strong back-up team with him. His caddie, Mark Hemphill, is a fellow-player on the Portstewart Senior Cup team, and his coach, Johnny Foster, has travelled down to be with him for the tournament.

In hitting 17 greens in regulation, Cutler gave himself plenty of chances. He managed five of them, with two of those birdies coming in the last three holes.

On Thursday, he started his round by holing out with a wedge on the first for an eagle two. Yesterday, he reserved the best shot until the last. On the Par 4 18th, having hit a rescue club off the tee to avoid the fairway bunkers, he was left with 220 yards to the flag. He kept the rescue club in his hands, and hit it to five feet beyond the pin. He sank the birdie putt. Cue loud applause around the 18th green. Cue a smile from Cutler and a wave of his hand.

Cutler heads into territory only rarely conquered by amateurs. But, as Lowry proved at Baltray, and as Pablo Martin proved in winning the 2007 Portuguese Open and Danny Lee in capturing the Johnnie Walker Classic in 2009, top-class amateurs have the game to contend and even win. And Cutler will take with him the inspiration of what Rory McIlroy has achieved since seamlessly moving into the professional ranks.

“It’s unbelievable. He was playing with us four, five years ago in the amateur events – and how he’s won the US Open. He’s a great inspiration, a special talent.”