Our full exclusive interview with Ireland’s newest golf star Matthew McClean after his recent tournament win, which means he will be at next year’s US Open and Masters Tournament.
Matthew McClean is a 29-year-old optometrist and amateur golfer from Belfast. He’s been playing golf since he was ten years old. Nineteen years of hard work later, he now has his first big break.
After success at the 2022 US Mid-Amateur final in Wisconsin, McClean looks ahead to the 2023 US Open at Los Angeles Country Club and the 2023 Masters. This is our full unedited interview with Ireland’s newest golf star.
How long have you been playing golf?
I first started playing golf at the age of 10. I started playing at Balmoral Golf Club in Belfast, just around the corner. I played a decent amount of golf growing up, more over the summer, and I balanced golf with football (soccer) and Gaelic football.
Due to time constraints with my studies and sports, I started taking golf a bit more seriously when I was 16 and stopped playing football and Gaelic. In my late teens and early 20s, I took golf even more seriously when I started playing more championship golf.
How does this rank in your whole golf career/life?
This is the biggest I have won by a distance. I’ve come close to winning two or three tournaments this year, finishing second twice. This is by far the biggest win. It’s not comparable to anything I’ve won before.
What are your emotions like?
The emotions haven’t quite hit me, and this win probably won’t sink in until I get home to Belfast. I’m just really delighted to get a tournament win over the line this year.
With the Masters invite and the US Open invite, the perks that come with this win are incredible. I’m sure it will begin to sink in when I get home and get back to the golf club and see family and friends.
Who are you thankful to after this win?
I have a long list of people I’m thankful to. First and foremost, I’m thankful to my family and friends for their ongoing support. Their support constantly inspires me on.
I’m also really grateful to Golf Ireland for their support. They make it possible to travel to these tournaments. A lot of the tournaments I’ve been lucky to attend wouldn’t be possible without them, not only for me but for the whole squad this year.
I’m also thankful to everyone at Malone and Balmoral Golf Clubs in Belfast. Over the years, I’ve met so many really helpful and nice people over the years which has been great.
My coach as well, Michael Magee, has been my only coach since I was 13 years old. He’s always been there for me and has helped me immensely over the years.
As well, I’m grateful for my friendship with Hugh Foley, whom I travelled with over to America and played for him for a few weeks. It was a million-to-one shot to meet him in the final.
It was tough to play in the final against one of your friends and teammates from Ireland. However, it was also pretty cool when we knew one of us would get the prize in the end. It made this win even more unique and memorable.
Finally, I’m grateful for all the support from my girlfriend (Kate), especially over the past few weeks.
She made the trip over to support me for two weeks out here and even took the role of my caddy for 27 holes of the tournament! She has been brilliant, so I’m very thankful for her support.
Was there any point when you felt you wouldn’t win this tournament?
These tournaments are so long, so you rarely feel close to winning at any point.
Even if you get through qualifying and in five matches, you are still back to square one in the final game, so you can’t get too far ahead of yourself because you’ve still to beat the next guy and start from scratch in the next game.
I played some great golf in this tournament, but there was one match where we went down tie-holes, and I had to hold a six-footer to keep it going.
The thought crossed that if I missed this shot, the tournament could be over, but thankfully, I was able to hold that one, and I went on to win it on the 20th hole after that.
What was it like to represent Ireland in the past?
Anytime you can represent Ireland at any competition as part of a team or as an individual with the shirt and the Ireland badge, it is unique and doesn’t wear off any time. It is special to represent Ireland in the sport I love playing.
Was there any point you felt you’d give up on golf or wouldn’t get a big win like this?
I never wanted to give up on golf at any point. I have been able to see my progress every year. I can see that I am better every year, so that keeps the motivation going.
What has kept you going over the years?
I honestly didn’t think I would win this tournament a year ago, but I did feel that if I kept working hard, I would get a big win eventually.
What does this win mean for your golf career?
This win grants an invite to next year’s US Open in Los Angeles Country Club and an invite to the Masters Tournament in Augusta.
What’s next for you after this win?
The next tournament in America is the US Masters, (at the start of April next year), which seems to be crazy. Hopefully, I’ll have three or four tournaments following that. Hopefully, I’ll be spending a lot of time over in America next year. Getting a place in that tournament is incredible.
The chances of playing in this tournament at that course for the Masters is up there with winning the lottery! It is something every amateur golfer dreams about!
It will be an unbelievable week, but I will have to prepare correctly so I can play golf to a standard I am happy with. The goal is to make the cut and compete for the top amateur for the week.
How have you celebrated this win, and will you celebrate when you get home?
The celebrations have been pretty quiet over here. Me and my girlfriend had a couple of beers on the night of the win, but because the 5 am starts caught up with us, so we were fast asleep in bed before 11 pm.
Since then, I and my girlfriend have been out for dinner in Chicago a couple of times which was great. It was great to relax and switch off for a few days.
When I return to Ireland, I’m sure there will be a few celebrations with family and friends! When I bring the trophy back to the club, I’m sure we’ll all have a bit of a party!
READ: Who is Matthew McClean? 20 INSIDE facts about the IRISH golfer
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