By Rory McKee
NORTH Down could soon have another golfing superstar to shout about, with one of Bangor and Ireland’s brightest young talents set to embark on an exciting new stage of his career next summer.
Seventeen-year-old Finlay Eager is preparing to swap the County Down coast for Chicago after securing a full golf scholarship at DePaul University.
Once he completes his A-Levels at Rockport School in Seahill, the impressive left-hander will head to the United States to link up with the Blue Demons. Finlay becomes the third Rockport pupil to earn a full American golf scholarship, following on from Delfin Filiz at Tusculum University and Molly O’Hara at South Dakota University.
Born in South Africa, Finlay moved to Northern Ireland as a young child and was introduced to golf almost as soon as he could swing a club. He began playing at the age of six and joined Royal Belfast Golf Club as a member a year later, where his grandfather was the head greenkeeper.
His potential became clear at an early age. “When I was seven, I got my first invitation to the Royal Championships at Pinehurst. I did enough to get invited back the next year and ended up finishing eighth,” said Finlay.
“I couldn’t play the year after, but the following year – when I was 11 – I was something like 20th going into the final round and shot a bogey-free 64.”
Finlay, who started at Rockport in September 2019, has displayed significant promise on both the national and international circuits. Aged just 14, he won the Irish U16 Order of Merit and he has since gone on to represent Ireland on nine occasions, teeing it up at a host of prestigious events.
His first Irish cap came in 2022 at the Italian International U16 Championships, where he finished 17th. The following season brought further highlights, including appearances at the U16 Quadrangular, European Young Masters and Ireland v England U16, as well as a semi-final run at the Irish Boys Championship and victory in both the Ulster U16 Open and Close Championships.
The move to America gathered momentum last year, when Finlay registered with leading scholarship agency ProDreamUSA. The college pathway is one Eager believes can accelerate his career to the highest level and he pointed to Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg as an example of college golfers making an immediate impact on the professional stage.
“He came out of college and was playing in the Ryder Cup three months later,” said Finlay. “It shows you how well the college system prepares you for the pro Tour.”
A visit to DePaul in late October has left Finlay relishing what’s to come. “I got to meet the team, see the campus and play a round of golf,” he explained.
“There are four gyms on campus, simulator rooms, physio rooms – everything. And as a scholar of the university, you get to play courses around Chicago and there are apparently some unbelievable ones.
“The American boys will probably be more naturally suited to the courses over there, but I feel like I’m a very adaptable player and I have always been a quick learner.”
Finlay will join a strong DePaul golf roster under head coach Ryan Jamison, who spent five years as a professional caddie on the PGA Tour and has worked with players such as Akshay Bhatia.
Jamison was full of praise for his new recruit: “Signing Finlay is a massive moment for DePaul golf,” he said. “He brings international experience, toughness and a competitive maturity beyond his years.
“He’s exactly the type of player who elevates the standard of a program, and we believe he’ll make an immediate impact on our roster.”
Despite his tender age, Finlay has already tasted mixing with some household names in golf. Last summer, he came through regional Open Championship qualifying at The Island (near Dublin) in testing conditions before advancing to final qualifying at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire.
“At final qualifying, I played with two guys who qualified for The Open; Ángel Hidalgo, who won the Spanish Open last year and was third in the Irish Open this year, and Daniel Young who is now on the DP World Tour.
“It was a really good experience, I was hitting beside (former World Number One) Lee Westwood on the practice range, which was kind of surreal.”
Much of his development has been shaped by long-term coach Andrew Ferguson.
“Andrew has coached me since I was seven and has been a massive help. He’s kind of built my golf swing into what it is today,” said Finlay.
“I’m quite a long hitter, I’m good at varying height and trajectory of the ball and my putting recently has been very strong.
“I used to hit the ball very high, but when I came to Northern Ireland it taught me to lower the flight a little bit. That’s the great thing about playing golf in the UK, it teaches you how to scramble.”
Rockport School remains the only school in Ireland with a dedicated Golf Academy, launched in 2016 and led by former Ladies’ European Tour player Debbie Hanna. With access to courses such as Royal Belfast and Holywood Golf Club, the academy continues to produce top-level talent. As a sixth former, Finlay has been able to get out on the golf course during some of his study periods.
Despite his obvious talent, Eager is quick to stress the importance of hard work and dedication in helping him to chase his dreams.
“It’s definitely mostly down to hard work,” he said.
“I remember a few years ago when I was playing poorly, I spent something like 10 hours on the range and then went and played some of my best golf ever at a tournament a few days after. That’s not talent, that’s just grinding.”
For now, he’s keeping his feet on the ground, but Finlay is in no doubt over his long-term aspirations: “I want to play on the PGA Tour and play against the best.”
