Revered around the world, Royal County Down is a course that holds a special place for many a golfer. For Graeme Storm, it is the scene of his most meaningful victory.
It was just over 25 years ago when the Englishman won the Amateur Championship – regarded as the pinnacle achievement in the amateur game – at the links venue in Northern Ireland.
The triumph was the catapult for Storm’s three-decade long professional career, which saw him win two DP World Tour titles, amass 500 starts and compete in all four Major Championships.
One of his wins on the DP World Tour saw him edge out none other than Rory McIlroy to win the South African Open, just a few months after he thought he’d lost his card at the end of the previous season, but for Storm the memories of his triumph a quarter of a century ago live fondest.
“I won two really big tournaments on the DP World Tour, and winning the play-off against McIlroy in 2017 is huge,” he tells the DP World Tour.
“But to win The Amateur Championship is like the holy grail of the amateur game for me, in the sense that it opens so many doors, it gives you that platform to be able to go on and have that career as a professional.”
As Storm alludes to, he ticked off a few career ambitions in one fell swoop as he earned invites to play at The Open Championship and the Masters Tournament. Dreams fulfilled.
A young amateur in the 1990s, success was not infrequent. Representing his country around the world, he won the under-16s Boys Championships, the English Boys Stroke Play Championship, the English Junior Championship and finally, the Amateur Championship.
A class apart from the rest of the field at the 1999 Amateur Championship, Storm won the title with a dominant 7&6 victory in the final. He followed that by winning two points out of four to help Great Britain & Ireland to victory at the 1999 Walker Cup, before turning professional after the 2000 Masters.
“It provides you the belief to go into the paid ranks,” adds Storm, who now works as a referee on the DP World Tour and European Challenge Tour alongside coaching and media opportunities.
“Although I did struggle at first, I would say the leap now is smaller than it was back then," he said. "Us top amateurs weren’t as close to being professional as now I would say.”
For someone who played on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National, a key factor behind how highly Storm views his Amateur Championship success is where it came.
“Royal County Down, what a venue to win at,” he says.
“Really impressive. One of the best courses, not only in UK and Ireland, but the world.”
Often voted among the top layouts, what is that sets it apart from much of its competition?
“It’s got spectacular views, it’s a very different links test to others with regards to the blind tee-shots. It’s just one of the best places in the world to play golf.”
This year the course plays host to its fifth Irish Open, but only its second since the DP World Tour’s inception in 1972, having staged the event in 2015.
Storm was there then too, and while he may have missed the cut at a time when he was struggling for form, the chance to play at a course that resonates so much with him meant a lot.
“The Irish crowds are great wherever you play golf," he reflects.
“It was really special for me to go back to County Down. I didn’t play well, I was going through a really tough time in my career. The golf course plays really tough when the weather is not good, so fingers crossed for the guys this week.
“For me personally, to be able to go and spend a bit of time at Mourne Golf Club (a neighbour course), have a Guinness and a chat with some of the members was great.
"They really embraced me when I won the Amateur, giving me membership, and while I don’t get the chance to go back it was a great memory.”
But it is his association as a past winner at Royal County Down that Storm will forever cherish.
