We talk to Irish Open winner Eamon Gibney

Eamon Gibney, Ireland

Eamon Gibney was still basking in the satisfaction with his Irish Open win when he spoke to fippa.net some weeks after his memorable weekend at Glenville.

Clearly winning the Irish Open will rank as a major highlight of his career. Eamon reflects, "It meant an awful lot - way ahead of anything I've done in Pitch and Putt before."

Winning at Glenville ranks higher than Eamon's other Pitch and Putt achievements, which include county championship victories in his native Meath. "It was amazing that I could beat all those players," says Eamon of his superb success on that suspect weather weekend in May.

Eamon was delighted with his podium finish in Catalonia last year. But for a proud Irishman his own national open carries more weight. "Even if I won the Catalan Open, it wouldn't mean as much as the Irish Open."

Effectively, Eamon Gibney has two careers in our game. "I played as a juvenile in Stackallen and then gave up Pitch and Putt for twenty years while I was playing football." The Slane native returned to the sport of Pitch and Putt after a chance leisure suggestion. "A friend invited me for a game of Pitch and Putt at Castletown and I was hooked again. That was 4 or 5 years ago."

A young family and a successful career in carpentry and roofing understandably somewhat curtail Eamon's playing schedule. "The summer is my busiest time work wise."

"Eamon has contested other international opens (he has played the last two Catalan Opens and was third at Teyco l'Ampolla in 2013) and fully intends to participate in some more in the future. "I'd like to play at least one international Open every year."

I'd love to play the Dutch Open. Family commitments will mean I can't play the Catalan Open next year so I will probably go to the Dutch Open."

Eamon has been and will in future be an enthusiastic contestant at the European and World Strokeplay championships. "I played in the World Strokeplay last year at Tambre. I was well there after 2 rounds. I was 10 under and 13 was leading. The heat was incredible - 40 or 41 degrees," recalls Eamon ruefully. "I finished level par for the last two rounds. I couldn't stick the heat."

What else does Eamon Gibney want to achieve in Pitch and Putt? "I would love to win one of the All Irelands or a provincial championship." He knows how difficult it is. "It's not easy to qualify," is his Eamon's succinct verdict. But an opportunity looms, imminently. Eamon is in the field for the 2014 Irish Strokeplay. And it's on familiar territory albeit that he now represents Castletown on the circuit. "I'm a member of Stackallen as well," laughs Eamon.

Eamon is privileged to be a member of both clubs. "Castletown is a beautiful course. I liked Castletown from the start but Stackallen is first class as well. Two fine courses, brilliantly maintained."

The warmth of the welcome at Castletown struck a chord. "They're lovely people in the Castletown club. They wouldn't have known me from Adam. But they couldn't do enough for me."

Unsurprisingly, Glenville will henceforth be one of Eamon's preferred courses. "Oh yes, it has to be a favourite now. I didn't have great record there up until the Irish Open. I'd only played it three times."

In typical Pitch and Putt fashion, Eamon generously praises his two main adversaries at Glenville. "Liam O'Donovan is phenomenal - he's first or second in every competition he plays in. He won Catalan Open the year I was third. He birdied the last 2 to win it. I didn't know Alan very well. But he's won a load of international opens. They're nice fellas as well."

Eamon is an advocate of the EPPA/FIPPA distances. "It's a brilliant game. Pars can be great scores. It suits me. I wouldn't get as many birdies as other players. Putting is the best part of my game. Pitching often lets me down," is Eamon's overly modest assessment.

Eamon speaks enthusiastically of fields yet unconquered - like the spiritual home of Pitch and Putt. "I would love to play some more of the Cork courses. I have only played one - Douglas."

And having experienced some foreign layouts, he's developed a thirst for more. "I'd like to play the Dutch courses."

One Catalan course stood out. "La Figuerola was the nicest course I played in Spain. I travel with William Buckley and the Offaly crew and they introduced me to La Figuerola. All the courses in Spain are brilliant overall but the views at La Figuerola are superb."