Meet Galway's youngest golfing champ who won US Kids World Championship
Cillian's dad Joe is also his caddy as well as his manager and travel companion, and the young protegee is coached by Sean Whelan in Athenry
Cillian Hirst, who is from Maree and is the youngest ever member of Athenry Golf Club, was crowned Boys 9 US Kids World Champion.
The young Galway golfer finished on 16-under-par – six shots clear off the field of 106 at the famous Pinehurst course in the USA – to become the first Irish champion since Rory McIlroy.
This was his second world championship – he played the same course last time and came 43rd - and he is now ranked the number one player in the world at under nine.
“I’m absolutely delighted and just buzzing after the win. I love playing golf and just living the dream at the moment,” said Cillian.
Cillian's dad Joe is also his caddy as well as his manager and travel companion, and the young protegee is coached by Sean Whelan in Athenry.
It has been an incredible twelve months with Cillian winning the European Championship title last May and the Champion of Champions World Championship, held at the Lough Erne Resort in Fermanagh over three days of competition last month.
A total of 250 junior champions took part, competing for the title on the renowned Castle Hume and Faldo Championship courses before large crowds and an international online audience following live scoring throughout the event.
"I'm not a golfer; Cillian's mum isn't a golfer, there's no golfing in the family," he told Galway Bay FM's Darren Kelly recently.
"It maybe comes from a hurling background; he was hurling from a very young age – he had a hurl in his hand from maybe six months old and he had very good hand-eye co-ordination.
"I tried to pick up a bit of golf during Covid when there wasn't that much to do and I brought Cillian down to Cregboy Golf Academy and he was hitting a few balls one day and Michael Mulryan, who is the golf pro down there saw him and said he had a lovely swing.
"I brought him to a few group lessons and he enjoyed that – and then it was on to one-to-one tuition with Sean Whelan in Athenry when he was about seven.
"Without Sean's coaching and tuition, we wouldn't have got anywhere as far as have," he acknowledged.
Cillian’s mother Steph is from Kinvara while Joe is a native of Strandhill in County Sligo. Cillian has two sisters, Leanne (15) and Maria (4) and the family live in Maree, Oranmore, while Cillian goes to Maree National School.
He also won the US Kids European Championships this year, a three-day event performing at 18 holes of golf – as opposed to the nine holes at Irish events – which took place at the famed Musselburgh Links, the Old Golf Course and an original 'Open Championship' venue between 1874 and 1889.
Cillian shot nine under par for the three days there, leading from start to finish in a field of 47.
The young star himself lets his golf do the talking but he is quick to acknowledge those who have helped him on his way.
“I’d like to thank my coach Sean and all at Athenry Golf Club. I’d also like to thank the Fitzgerald family at The Hawthorn by Galway Bay for all of their support,” said Cillian.