Team USA poses in championship form on July 7 following a win over the international team in the Palmer Cup at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland.
John Grindrod/The Lima News
As detailed last week, identical twins Mary Kelly and Erin Mulcahy had quite a thrill this past summer when Mary Kelly was invited to play for the United States against a team of top international amateur golfers in the most prestigious of annual amateur golf events, the Palmer Cup, on the first weekend in July.
As for the results, they couldn’t have been better. After getting a look at the first links course the twins had ever seen in person when Mary Kelly qualified and played in the Women’s British Amateur played at Portmarnock, just outside Dublin the week before the Palmer, with Erin, using the golf vernacular, on her bag and helping with the strategy, Mary Kelly became the first Division II player in Palmer Cup history to win all four of her matches as the US defeated its international opponents to take the overall title.
I recently caught up with the twins to talk about their Irish golfing experiences, so I’ll let them take it from here.
For Erin, the caddy:
Q: As an excellent golfer yourself, what were you able to learn observing instead of playing?
A: My biggest takeaway was the importance of the short game. You may not always have your “A” game off the tee, but the one area that you can be more consistent is chipping and putting. That made such a difference in Ireland with so many golfers.
Q: What was your caddying experience prior to the trip, and how would you sum up your performance?
A: Really none, but I thought I did well at Portmarnock. Actually I found that caddying is very similar to playing in terms of finding yardages and strategizing shots.
Q: Knowing Mary Kelly’s personality so well, did you feel this gave her an advantage in her four matches?
A: Yes, I think it was advantageous. So much about golf is forgetting the shot just taken and focusing on what comes next. So, to be in that frame of mind, we didn’t even talk about golf while walking to the next shot the entire tournament.
Q: Is there a part of Mary Kelly’s game you feel you may have helped her the most?
A: Yes, I think around the greens. Links courses are so different than courses in America with all that long heathery grass and pothole bunkers surrounding putting surfaces and undulations both off and on greens so a lot more strategizing was involved.
Q: What were your favorite sightseeing experiences?
A: I loved our walks around Dublin and also seeing the Cliffs of Moher.
For Mary Kelly, the player:
Q: How valuable was it to be able to play at Portmarnock in the British Women’s Am with Erin caddying prior to the Palmer Cup?
A: Extremely valuable since it gave me a week’s worth of experience playing links golf, which was a totally new experience, especially the coastal holes which were so windy. I felt far more comfortable playing in the Palmer. Having Erin beside me made it even more special.
Q: What are the main differences in playing a links course as compared to a conventional course you play here?
A: Without a doubt, it’s contesting the wind. Almost every shot I hit, from my woods to irons, were knock-down shots to keep the ball under the wind. Even my chips, I had to keep out of the wind, so that meant a lot of bump and runs. The wind even affected my putting. Really, links golf is so challenging.
Q: What lessons were learned from your experience at Potmarnock and Lahinch that you were able to take back home?
A: Playing with and against some of the best in the world taught me so much, especially with ball striking, chipping and putting. The fact that I did well really boosted my confidence and that paid off when I got home and played well and qualified for the US Amateur and also qualified for my first LPGA event at the Dana Open.
Q: The Palmer Cup featured different formats each day, from mixed doubles to alternate shot doubles to singles. Did you have a favorite?
A: I really enjoyed all of them, including the ones I’d never experienced in tourney play like mixed four ball and alternate shot, where you really get a chance to get into the team spirit. Trying to put your teammate in good positions was so fun. There was so much good energy, fist bumps and high fives.
Q: What were your favorite sightseeing experiences?
A: Like Erin, I really enjoyed Dublin and the Cliffs of Moher. Following the last day, the US and international teams were treated to a dinner cruise where we sailed under the Cliffs of Moher, which was awesome!”
I’ve always felt that we here in small towns root just a little harder than those in larger cities for our native sons and daughters when they go on to achieve in any field, so in a list that includes names like Diller in entertainment, Downs in broadcasting and many others with names such as Morrison, the Lynches and White in athletics, I think it may be time to slide the name Mulcahy onto that list.
John Grindrod is a regular columnist for The Lima News, a freelance writer and editor and the author of two books. Reach him at [email protected].
