From professional golf, to walking away from the game, to getting his amateur status back, winning The Amateur, playing The Open Championship and ultimately leading GB&I out at a home Walker Cup at Lahinch.
Stuart Grehan’s story over the last couple of years is some journey.
Six years after his first appearance on PaddyTalks Golf, Stuart is back to talk about the decision that changed his life, the pressure of professional golf, family, finding balance, and rediscovering his enjoyment of the game.
We go deep on the conversation with Carla that planted the seed of returning to amateur golf, his first tournament back as an amateur, winning The Amateur at Royal Liverpool, and the surreal realisation that it would earn him a place at Augusta National.
We then get into The Open at Royal Birkdale, representing Ireland at the European Amateur Team Championship, and eventually getting the chance to play in the Walker Cup he had targeted years earlier.
And what a Walker Cup it was.
Stuart requested the responsibility of leading GB&I out first at Lahinch. He talks about the pressure of playing Preston Stout repeatedly, dealing with the enormous home crowds, the atmosphere inside the team room, the Sunday comeback, Josh Hill’s bunker shot, and the moment the noise erupted as GB&I completed an unforgettable victory.
But beneath all the golf is a bigger story.
Stuart opens up about what “making it” actually means to him now, why financial security and family matter more than chasing the next professional milestone, and why he feels happier in golf than he has in years.
There’s also plenty on what comes next: Augusta National, a US Open at Pebble Beach, chasing the number one amateur ranking, and whether Stuart and Raff can complete the clean sweep of Irish amateur titles.
A brilliant, honest and seriously enjoyable conversation with one of the most fascinating characters in Irish amateur golf.
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Until we Tee it Up again soon, I’m Paddy.
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