‘It’s like the Serengeti with spikes on’: Irish golfers fight to survive on feeder tours

A fortnight ago, while you were glued to the Walker Cup in Lahinch, Sam Murphy finished tied second at an Alps Tour event in the northeast of France, swelling his season’s earnings by €3,875.41. As soon as the presentation was over, he jumped in a car with Hugh Foley and Robert Moran, both of whom had missed the cut, and they drove to the next tour stop, six hours away. The road irons out the wrinkles.

A week ago, while you were entranced by Shane Lowry in Doonbeg and Leona Maguire at the Solheim Cup, Hugh Foley lost a play-off in Saint Omer, in the northwest of France. The €5,300 he banked was his biggest pay-day of the season, half as much as Harry Hall collected for finishing 69th at the Irish Open.