Cormac set to take Walker Cup by storm

Cormac set to take Walker Cup by storm

9 September 2015

ARDGLASS golfer Cormac Sharvin is preparing for his Walker Cup debut this weekend at the prestigious Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s course in England.

The 22 year-old, part of the Great Britain and Ireland team which takes on the United States, is carving a major niche for himself in the world of amateur golf and has confirmed that he plans to turn professional next summer.

Undergraduate Cormac is a final year Sports Studies student at Stirling University and is looking forward to locking horns with the Americans this Saturday and Sunday in a competition which has produced a number of world stars in recent years, including our very own Rory McIlroy and Californian Ricky Fowler.

Cormac, who is highly regarded by his peers, is a former De La Salle High School student and he returned to the Downpatrick school last 

Friday to be presented with a special Galway crystal vase in recognition of his continuing golfing success and inclusion in the Walker Cup team.

It was De La Salle teacher Fred McStay who helped hone Cormac’s skills and the prodigiously talented youngster was a member of the school’s successful Darren Clarke Schools’ Golf League.

Cormac has already won this year’s Brabazon Trophy, capitalising on a rich vein of form which saw him finish runner-up at the Irish Open Amateur Championship, second at the Lytham Trophy and third at the Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship. The Royal and Ancient Foundation Scholar has also represented Ireland at the European Amateur Team Championship.

Cormac headed off for Walker Cup duty last weekend with Monday and Tuesday designated practice days.

This morning, Cormac and the rest of the Great Britain and Ireland team are off to Royal Birkdale for another practice round before being able to relax tomorrow and Friday ahead of the start of the event on Saturday.

There will be more than a few familiar faces when he tees off. A number of Ardglass Golf Club members are heading to Royal Lytham and will be joined De La Salle teachers and students.

“The five Irish guys on the team are all really close as we play a lot of tournaments together. We travel to and compete in tournaments together and there is a great bond there. We are all really close.

“Jack McDonald, who is from Scotland, has lived with me for the past three years at university and we are really good friends as well. He is also potentially my four ball partner this weekend,” explained Cormac. “Right now, I am not really thinking about the tournament, but it will be different once I get to Royal Lytham. No doubt next Friday evening the butterflies will start to kick in.”

Cormac has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the world of golf which he surprisingly admits was not really his number one sport until his mid teens when he really got into golf at school and playing at his local course.

“I was big into my football and GAA before I came to De La Salle and sport was one of the main reasons I chose to come here,” he explained.

“I suppose golf moved ahead in the pecking order when I turned 17 and when I started to play my handicap ped from 20 to 10 and then the following year it dropped to three. It then fell to plus one and now it is plus five.”

Given it’s his final year at university, Cormac says he remains focused on securing his degree, explaining he hits the gym every morning before lessons. Once they are over, it is time for golf practice.

“I do plan to turn professional next year. That is something I want to do 100 per cent. I was actually thinking about going on the tour school this year as an amateur, but decided against that with my focus now on finishing my degree and then turning professional,” he continued.

Slightly blushing at my suggestion that he comes across as someone very grounded and level-headed, Cormac said he has been told this by others, putting it down to his upbringing and time at De La Salle High School.

“I believe my time at De La Salle helped me attain these characteristics and it is always nice to come back.

“The school is different from other schools I know and those which my friends have been to and talked about.

“The relationship between students and teachers is really, really good. You always are made to feel welcome here. The school is so welcoming and it is great to come back and see everyone and to be presented with this crystal vase.”

Cormac left the Downpatrick school over three years ago but revealed he still gets texts from his former teachers. He said school staff are still “looking out for him and wanting the best for him” in whatever he does.

“I still feel a very strong connection with this place and it is something that will never leave me. I am thankful for the time I spent at De La Salle and the help and support extended not just to me, but all the students. I am doing something I really enjoy and would not describe playing golf as a job.

“For those young students who have joined the school this month and maybe have an eye on becoming a professional golfer, my advice is to concentrate on their studies first and foremost. It is really important they do this and have a back-up plan as nothing in life is certain.

“Golf is such a hard sport to make it in and anything can happen. Even if you are playing at the highest amateur level, it is had really to make the transition into the professional game. I could have turned pro earlier and set my degree to the side, but decided against that as I knew I would have plenty of time to play golf.”

World number one golfer Rory McIlroy progressed from the amateur ranks and swapped the Walker Cup for the Ryder Cup and with Cormac planning to turn professional, he says it is important people set goals and work towards achieving them.

He added: “Golf is all about enjoyment. If I didn’t enjoy it I would not be doing it. Studying would not be my favourite thing in the world, but I recognise that it is something that I have to do. Golf is not  a job for me, it is enjoyment and doing something I really love.

“It is always great to feel the heat of the sun on your back. Golf has allowed me to travel extensively, meet so many nice people and make many good friends. This year I have been on 70  flights and been to Dubai, California, Chicago, South Africa and all across Europe.

“I am pleased to come back to De La Salle and when I turn professional I will still come back here to see my old teachers. The school did a lot for me and I will always be grateful.”