Sun, celebrities and a stunning winner! Seapoint celebrates a successful Irish Legends week

What a week!

It was an exceptional few days at Seapoint as the 2023 Irish Legends came to a close on Sunday afternoon with a wide-margin pillar to post victory for England’s former Ryder Cup star Peter Baker.

It was a case of four seasons in one week, from Thursday’s baking sun, sunscreen shortages and celebrities everywhere you looked, to the business end of the championship itself on Sunday, which started out with a stiff breeze and heavy rain in the morning but ended in glorious sunshine and calm and good scoring conditions for the leaders.

Pros, caddies, celebrities and amateurs alike praised both the course setup and conditions, and the welcome they received by locals and staff in one of the standout weeks in the history of Seapoint Golf Links.

Highlights of the week included champion Peter Baker’s course record 63 on Saturday and a hole-in-one for Australian pro Peter Fowler at the 15th hole on Friday.

Baker’s phenomenal second round, which included ten birdies, had extended his overnight lead from one stroke to 11 going into Sunday’s final round, and effectively put the Irish Legends title in safekeeping before the last 18 were played.

In the end, Baker — who was the top European point scorer at the 1993 Ryder Cup at the Belfry where he won three of his four matches — coasted to victory by a margin of seven strokes.

His third round of three-under-par 69 kept him a wide margin clear of runner-up Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina, whose best of the day final round 65 saw him in turn finish four ahead of New Zealand’s Michael Long in third.

Outside the tournament, there was plenty of enjoyment for members and fans alike over the course of the week.

In Thursday’s Wapp Travel Celebrity Series, it was a case of famous faces everywhere you looked.

Former Ireland international rugby star Keith Wood, soccer legends Jason McAteer and Ronnie Whelan, GAA icons Jim Gavin, Kieran Donaghy and Anthony Nash, former snooker world champion Ken Doherty, Wales and Scotland rugby superstars Scott Quinnell and Gavin Hastings and England cricket legends Sir Andrew Strauss, Allan Lamb and Steve Harmison were joined by stars from the entertainment world, including actor James Nesbit and singers Keith Duffy, Brian McFadden and Daniel O’Donnell.

In the end, the winner of the Celebrity Pro-Am was Liam Botham, the former cricketer and rugby player and also the son of England cricket legend Ian, with 41 points.

Well done to all involved, including members, staff, volunteers and visitors to the club, for a hugely successful week.