Moyola Park golfer recalls famous North of Ireland win

By DARAGH SMALL

There was a foggy start that Tuesday morning and it came at an opportune moment, now he had the chance to regroup and replenish ahead of the match play stages.

Chris Selfridge battled cold and flu as he registered rounds of 76 and 71 to qualify from the stroke play. It was the North of Ireland and a win at Royal Portrush would mean the world.

The extra rest gave him the opportunity and after a 2&1 win over local favourite Jamie Richardson he was on his way. Selfridge had won the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close on the famed Dunluce Links the previous year, and he used all of that experience.

The future Tour caddie almost faced Harry Diamond in the semi-finals but when Cormac Sharvin put paid to his chances Selfridge dispatched of the Ardglass man instead.

It set up a decider against another professional in the making, Gary Hurley, and Selfridge won the final 2&1.

“It was special to win,” said Selfridge.

“I'd won a couple of championships before my first North. When you grow up, your younger years, there was a lot of players from my club that were playing in the North and it was under an hour's drive away, it was a big deal.

“It felt like that was the biggest tournament, so it always meant a lot, and I went to watch it several times with my dad. To come back and win it in 2013, it was special, and it’s still special to look back now.

“I won the Irish Close there but the North has special memories of what it meant growing up. It was almost a massive relief to win that one because it was such a big deal in my teenage years.”

For Selfridge that was relief, and returning 12 months later he was able to secure a fourth amateur major crown. Fond memories on the week of the North of Ireland as it swaps over to Portstewart for 2025.

The 33-year-old Castledawson native, who now lives in nearby Magherafelt, learned his love of the game from his father Brian.

He played football and GAA but from his early teens he was destined for the amateur golf ranks. The Moyola Park golfer began to show his potential and after three years of major success he turned professional.

However, soon into that transition, his dream began to come unstuck during Q-School at El Saler in Valencia. Selfridge was just about to head out on course when a seemingly innocuous injury resulted in torn ligaments in his wrist.

“I remember vividly what happened,” said Selfridge.

“I hit a shot slightly heavy in the range in this mossy turf and the first time you do something like that you don’t really know what it is but, ten minutes later, it was very swollen, adrenaline was kicking in.

“I felt really funny and then I actually teed off and hit my first tee shot about 100 yards right and it took about half-an-hour to realise what was going on but, by that stage, I’d lost several balls in the first couple of holes.

“It was time to assess what happened and move on from there. You just have to move on, don't you?

“It happened to me and it’s fine, I fixed the problem and was able to play for multiple years but, at the end, I just felt like my game wasn’t quite good enough for pro golf.

“The standard is pretty high so, if it didn’t happen, maybe I would’ve stuck at it for longer and it wouldn’t have worked out anyway.

“Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that I was forced to pivot and I’m very happy and love what I do now.”

Selfridge’s outstanding amateur career and the connections he formed across the game ensured that there would always be another outlet in golf.

His friend, Michael Hoey, had a European tour card in 2019 and provided the ideal route into life on Tour, but this time as a caddie.

Selfridge has been on the bags of Tom McKibbin, Ryan Fox, Matthias Schwab, Marco Penge and now Matti Schmid. He has worked with some of the very best in the game and believes hard work trumps everything.

“They have a tremendous work ethic, that’s not the cool answer, everyone wants the magic pill answer,” said Selfridge.

“But they have tremendous work ethic, tremendous attention to detail, and most of them do excel under pressure and they’re not scared to shy away from the big moment.

“They’re happy to be aggressive, to take things on, back themselves and really get outside their comfort zone and try to do the best they can and know they’ll learn from it while you see the people that don't quite make it maybe shy away from those big occasions and are happy to settle for mediocrity.

“And every player wants something different. The guys I've worked for, I'm pretty fortunate, I’ve only worked for about four different guys, all for a year, 18 months, two years.

“You get to know them really well as far as their practice or mindset, doing their stats, working with their coach, figuring out how they want to approach things, the information they want on the golf course.

“Everyone's different, it’s all about building up that trust, relationship where you really get to know them and you can help them as best you can.”

Selfridge is just back home with his wife, Marie, now. He spends over 20 weeks a year on the road but she travels with him when she can, making the time away that bit easier.

Meanwhile, he doesn’t get to play competitively as often anymore but he was still part of history with Moyola Park in last year’s AIG Barton Shield. Indeed, it was Selfridge who holed the winning putt as the club won their first All-Ireland pennant in Carlow.

“It was brilliant, nice to come full circle,” said Selfridge.

“Our team that won, three of us are lads in their 30s that used to compete, that just play club golf now, and then there’s one young lad, he’s in college in America.

“We were just a group of good friends that have been together a long time and none of us are as good as we once were but we form a good team. We have a lot of experience.

“It was cool to be part of a team and come full circle after the pro golf journey and come back and play for your club. That’s what it’s all about.

“That was our first ever All-Ireland green pennant so that means a lot to the club and it was special to be part of it.”

The North of Ireland tees off this morning (Wednesday), with 120 golfers looking to claim the title Scottish golfer Matthew Wilson won last year, but this time on the world-renowned Strand Course in Portstewart.

“Obviously different, moving away from Portrush, but Portstewart is a great golf course too,” said Selfridge.

“I’ve played it loads over the years. They had the Irish Open there, it’s an amazing golf course, very similar in quality to Royal Portrush.

“A demanding golf course where you’ve got to hole putts and you're going to face some demanding iron and tee shots with heavy rough, it’s going to test the players.

“You’re going to have to play well, simple as that, it’s a very similar test.”