Paul Dunne was warmly welcomed by his fellow golfers as he enjoyed a rollercoaster ride at the British Open, his father told Brendan O’Connor on RTE Radio this morning.
He described how much help the young Irish amateur received from the high-profile professionals while putting in a fantastic performance, tied for the overall lead going into the final day.
“Jordan (Spieth) had a word with Paul twice when he came in and that was a very, very nice thing to do,” Paul’s dad Colm Dunne said. “The amount of goodwill from the other golfers was absolutely incredible.
“Louis Oosthuizen was an absolute gentleman while Rickie Fowler also went up to him afterwards.”
Dunne’s performance captured the attention of the golfing world over the weekend, but he endured a tough final day at St Andrews.
An extraordinary week for the young Wicklow man left him in a tie for 30th position in the third major of the year.
Dunne is expected to turn professional following his participation in the Walker Cup in September.
Colm was impressed by all the golfers’ treatment of his son, but reserved special praise for double major champion Spieth.
“In fairness to Jordan – we all know how big a player and ambassador he is for the game, he sought him out,” he explained.
“When you’re playing sport at a high level, to get the respect or your peers is a huge thing. That’s a huge thing for him. Those guys have been fantastic and that is a takeaway for Paul.”