Todd Clements got off to a roaring start at the Irish Open, firing a 5-under 66 at Royal County Down, one of the most beautiful yet challenging courses in the world.
He closed his superb opening round with an eagle-three on the par-5 18th, which gives him a one-shot advantage over Sami Valimaki of Finland and Alejandro del Rey of Spain through 18 holes. But after that putt dropped, Clements made an eye-opening revelation about his day.
He called it “One of the best rounds I’ve played in my life,” uttering those exact words to his caddy while they walked off the 18th green.
Any tour pro can fire a 66 on almost any course. But no course can compare to Royal County Down, which weaves its way through the sand dunes along the Irish Sea and offers more blind shots than one would desire. Throw in a brutal crosswind and random rain showers, and this golf course is an absolute brute. It’s no wonder that only 32 players in this 156-man field shot under par on Thursday, and that number will decline as the tournament wears on. Heck, Shane Lowry fired a warning shot earlier this week, predicting that this year’s Irish Open at Royal County Down could produce the highest-ever winning score on the DP World Tour.
“It’s a hard course, but yeah, delighted with how it panned out,” Clements added.
“I played the Pro-Am and thought that there would be some challenges for sure. I think just having a good attitude, everyone is going to have challenges; it’s going to be difficult at points. This golf course is never going to give you an inch.”
Rory McIlroy even referred to this golf course as “major-championship caliber.”
Royal County Down could certainly host The Open Championship—the course is that challenging—but the infrastructure in the small town of Newcastle, coupled with the towering dunes and massive gorse bushes that line these fairways, would make that rather difficult.
Yet, the best players in the world are delighted to play in this week’s Irish Open, which returns to Royal County Down for the first time since 2015. The winning score that week was 2-under par, and only three players carded rounds of 66s or better that week. Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer even fired a 6-under 65 on Saturday that year, but stumbled to a 1-over par finish thanks to a Sunday 77 in brutal conditions.
“I think our strategy is just to play par golf, especially on a course this challenging, and I felt like I did that quite well today,” Clements added.
“I drove it great. I hit a lot of good-quality shots and just hit my ball in the right spaces. My caddie was great today; he had the course mapped out great, and it worked well.”
You must drive the ball well at Royal County Down, or you are in for a long day. Plenty of balls will disappear, too. You often have no clue where they ended up due to the dozens of blind shots you face.
For the most part, Clements drove the ball well, finding plenty of fairways and first cuts. But he did hook his tee shot into trouble on 13, which forced him to hit a provisional. Yet, the golfing gods smiled down upon him, knowing he was having one of the best rounds of his life. His ball was found, and Clements proceeded to make par, which ultimately kept his bogey-free back nine intact.
Now, Clements, who claimed his maiden DP World Tour victory last year in the Czech Republic, hopes to keep it going throughout the week. But he’s taking it one step at a time, one shot at a time, which is no doubt the prudent play.
“This course is as hard as it gets,” Clements emphasized.
“Take it day-by-day, cliché. But [Friday], it’s going to be cold; it’s going to be windy and another grueling test. Sad as it is to say, I’m probably looking forward to it.”
Golf fans everywhere are, too.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
