Lough Erne Resort PGA golf professional Damian Mooney will be rubbing shoulders with some of the top names in the game when he competes in The Senior Open Championship from Thursday, July 27 to Sunday, July 30 at Royal Porthcrawl, Wales.

Mooney shot a magnificent seven under par 65 at Machynys Peninsula Golf Club in Wales to qualify for the prestigious tournament where fellow Irishman, Darren Clarke will be defending the title he won in 2022.

Mooney’s outstanding performance included a round where he shot six birdies and an eagle on the par 13th.

Experience

Big-hitting Mooney has more than 30 years of experience in the golf industry and is a leading name on The Irish PGA Circuit.

He has played in numerous events on the Euro Pro Tour, Challenge Tour, and European Tour, and played and captained the first ever Irish Team to win the European Team Championships in Spain.

Mooney – who joined Lough Erne Resort as PGA professional in 2020 – will be up against a host of golfing greats over the four-day tournament including household names such as Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and, of course Dungannon’s Darren Clarke.

Past champions include Clarke, Bernhard Langer, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Fred Couples and Christy O’Connor.

Building nicely

Mooney, whose is due to tee off at 10.10am today (Thursday) is looking forward to the days ahead.

“I’m very much looking forward to the challenge at Royal Porthcrawl,” he said.

“At the minute I am getting in my practice rounds and the whole atmosphere is building nicely.

“I am looking forward to just going out and playing my game, enjoying the experience and see where it goes.”

Mooney has been playing some solid golf recently having won a Pro-Am event at Donegal Golf Club at Murvagh as well as a third-place finish at a Pro-Am event at the K Club in Co. Kildare.

Thrilled

Barry McCauley, Golf Operations Manager at the iconic Fermanagh resort has paid tribute to Mooney for reaching The 36th Senior Open Championship.

“Whilst everyone at the resort is thrilled, we are not surprised to see Damian compete in the Senior Open.

“He’s a top, top professional who is highly regarded within the world of golf and we are delighted to call him a colleague.

“We will be keeping everyone up to date on his tee times and progress via our social media and we wish him every success.”

Champion of Champions

The news comes as Lough Erne Resort hosts its second ‘Champion of Champions’ World Championship with 250 junior golfers from over 40 countries including Australia, New Zealand, China, and the US.

Barry McCauley says the atmosphere at the luxury Fermanagh golf and spa resort has been magnificent this week with the arrival of 250 international Junior golfers to compete in the ‘Champion of Champions’ competition.

“It’s just incredible to host some of the world’s top Junior golf talent and their families here for the second year in succession.

“The championship has grown in stature in recent years, and we are delighted Tournament Director Michael Gallagher feels the resort is the ultimate golf destination for this prestigious event.

“The standard of play is exceptional, and we have been proud to host so many young people and their families from right across the world, underlining our position as one of the top golf resorts in Ireland,” concluded Barry.