The 2019 Open Championship may be setting Portrush on the arena stage; however, more than 60 years later, a miniature golfer with a large coronary heart has already done that.
Fred Daly was born and bred in the County Antrim city, but regardless of dwelling simply a couple of par fours from the course in which he’d fallen in love with the sport, his destiny in it changed into some distance from sure. Today, a blue plaque ornaments a wall in Causeway Street, celebrating the region wherein the seaside resort’s monstrous-wearing son was born on this terraced property so that the youngest of six children might walk to the golfing direction and complement the family income by using caddying across the Dunluce hyperlinks wherein modern-day superstars will try and reap what he did in 1947.
Hooked on the sport
While the caddying coins got here in handy, his blacksmith father, Daniel, desired his son to study a change; however, Fred’s head was turned by using golfing’s unsolvable enigma, and in 1931, he took a process as an inexperienced keeper, and component-time professional at Mahee Island Golf Club in County Down. Daly became used to combating his nook and tough grafts. The toddler of a big family soon stuffed out his frame, turning him from bantamweight to middleweight.
By the time he arrived at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in July 1947, he was already acknowledged for his power and accuracy. Mythical American golfer Sam Snead once said, ” He could knock your hat off with one iron at 220 yards.”A year earlier than his best hour, Daly had clinched his first massive expert win in retaining off South African megastar Bobby Locke to land the Irish Open at Portmarnock; still, with Henry Cotton inside the subject at Hoylake, few eyes were centered on a stocky wee Irishman.
Sleeping on history
Few that changed until Daly took a four-shot lead at the midway mark.
With the final rounds to be played on the same day, Portrush’s finest slept fitfully on his lead, now not bold to dream of golfing immortality.
A scrappy 78 within the 1/3 spherical positioned him into a 4-manner tie with Arthur Lees, Norman Von Nida, and, maximum ominously, Cotton – the Champion Golfer in 1934 and 1937.
The “gentlemen of the press” have been poised to hand England’s best proponent of the sport his 1/3 title, but Daly’s best asset becomes a will each bit as strong because the metal is solid through his blacksmith father.
A windy day blew Cotton off course, and by the point, Daly birdied the last hollow simplest one guy could capture him – self-assured American Frank Stranahan.
Stranahan, a newbie at the time, became also the top-ranked powerlifter in his elegance; however, elevating the 5.4-lb Claret Jug proved beyond him.
Daly changed into the champion, and his legend was cemented.
Ireland’s hero
When presented with the trophy in front of a rapturous crowd, he stated, “It is a brilliant honor to take this cup to Ireland with me. It has never been there before, and I hope the trade of air will help it.”
