FIPPA Newsletter - August 2008.
Welcome to this edition of the FIPPA Newsletter.
Ray Murphy
Ireland's No. 1 just keeps on winning!
It was a great honour to get an opportunity to pose some questions to a true gentleman and a veritable colossus of our sport – Ireland’s No. 1, Ray Murphy. Ray won the National Matchplay in 1998 and added the Strokeplay in 2001. Nobody had ever previously come close to his run of five successive Irish championships from the 2006 Matchplay through the 2008 Matchplay. That's a record that may never be equalled. As he has won everything there is to win we wondered what continues to motivate the man who has collected seven Irish individual championships. It’s easy – Ray likes to continually challenge himself and he likes to win. “I suppose every competition I enter for whether it's in Cork, Munster, Irish championships or at international level brings new challenges against the very best we have, and the motivation and determination to win is second to none. I'll always give it my best shot and never surrender until a game is over.”
Could he ever have anticipated winning seven Irish titles? “Never in my wildest dreams when I started playing did I think I would win that many. I was happy to win one or two titles, especially with such an array of talent out there but it was always a dream of mine to win a good number of them and thankfully I’ve succeeded in living those dreams!”
In response to our query if there is a favourite victory of those Irish championships, Ray is typically forthright. “My favourite victory is always the last one that I win. It might not have been the most exciting I have played in or it might not have been the best I have played, but to me it's the most memorable one and that has to be Glenville this year (Irish Matchplay).”
We asked the multiple champ which was the hardest earned of his seven wins? “That would have to be without doubt the very first one, again in Glenville,” recalls the Templebreedy member. “Getting that far in a high profile competition was a journey into the unknown for me at that stage of my career and I was really proud of myself for getting over the finishing line and winning my first Irish title.”
The Glenville club and course (where he has won two Irish Matchplay championships) are particularly special to the Corkman, who won at the Kiltipper Road venue in 1998 and in 2008. “Yes it is, everyone who knows me will always hear me say it's my favourite course to play on and my record up there will back me up on that, but as well as that ithe members in the club have treated me very well anytime I go there and that will always get my respect.”
Ray’s assessment of how things are shaping up for Ireland's World Cup bid? “This year I think we will give it a good shot of winning and things will become a lot clearer when we hold the trials to finalise who will represent Ireland in Papendal but I'm sure whoever makes the team will represent us to the best of their ability.”
Is Ray excited at the prospect of a first World Strokeplay championship? “Yes, it sounds exciting alright. At the moment we don’t know much about it but as the year goes on I'm sure more information will filter through about it.”
As the number of international events increases every year, we wondered if Ray plans to play a schedule of international events. “Yes, it’s something that I have wanted to do since I tasted victory in the Dutch open in 2004. The quality of the courses and the facilities is improving every year and hopefully I can fit in a few opens next year”.
In response to a query as to what inhibits having a top-class field at every international Open, Ray offers this sensible and perceptive view. “I suppose it’s hard for all the top players to be able to travel and enter every international open but it’s like the European Tour in golf. Not every top player will be at every event, but you'll still have a top class field and it doesn't downgrade the competition one bit.”
Ray Murphy
Ireland’s top player has pretty guarded views on the likely Irish Open championship. "I think plans for an Irish Open are at a very early stage. It definitely would need a good deal of planning to get right first time. Now is not the right time to bring a new competition on board only for it not to get the backing of the players. What we need to see is the full commitment from everyone to make it a success.”
Ray parries in a characteristically modest manner when we pose the slightly controversial question, “Are your rivals in Ireland all intimidated by you now?” “I think that’s a question I couldn't answer for you but I'm sure the other players would look out for my score in competitions!!”
Ray Murphy enjoys a very good relationship with fellow Cork legend Michael Forrest (the only other man to do the Strokeplay/Matchplay double). “Michael was my hero when I first started playing the game and I was privileged on numerous occasions to play with him and against him in various competitions. I met him recently at the ladies national stroke in Rocklodge and we talked about his double and the titles I’ve won and it was interesting the amount of comparisons we made with each one. Michael was a gentleman in the game.”
Ray, whose run finally came to an end at Tullamore when Frank Dineen won the 2008 Irish Strokeplay, is equally appreciative of Geraldine Ward (his equivalent in the ladies game). “One has to only look at her record of title wins and she has to be admired. Ger is a phenomenal player who has been at the top of her game for as long as I’m playing it, and only as recently as last weekend she beat a top class field to record her thirteenth national title (her fifth Irish ladies Strokeplay at Rocklodge). Superb!
We quizzed the holder of two European championship medals as to which international players have caught his eye. “There are some fine players who have impressed me on the international scene. One that comes to mind is Marc Lloret from Catalonia. I'm sure he could compete at the highest level here in Ireland. Patrick Luning from Holland is another player who has really improved since he took up the game. From an Irish point of view some great performances have been recorded by the likes of Tracey McGrath, Liz Quinn, Alan Hanlon and Meath men Ian Farrelly and James Carroll on their travels.”
Another tough question to finish. “Did losing at Platja d'Aro (to Catalonia last March) hurt you?" Ray is blunt. “Personally no, but yes, it hurt from a team point of view. I don’t think we underestimated the Catalans but to be fair they played extremely well and thoroughly deserved their victory.”
(with John Manning)
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