Max Kennedy in action at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch Golf Club. Pic. Brian Arthur

Royal Dublin's Max Kennedy has big ambitions but he’s focussed on taking it one shot at time as he makes his professional debut by spearheading a five-strong Irish challenge in the LIV Golf Promotions event in Saudi Arabia.

Kennedy (22) got through two rounds at the event in Abu Dhabi last year, but he's hoping to go all the way this week as the winner after four rounds at Riyadh Golf Club will earn a lucrative spot on a LIV Golf team while the top 10 qualify for the Asian Tour's International Series.

There’s just one problem. You have to hit the gas from the very first hole.

Only the players who finish in the top 20 and ties after round one advance to round two when scores are reset and they are joined by the automatic qualifiers.

The top 20 after round two will then advance to the final day, where scores will be reset again for a 36-hole shootout.

"I definitely learned a lot from last year," said Kennedy, who won a Challenge Tour card at Q-School last month, missing out on his first card by just one stroke. "It was a different experience to anything else I've ever played in having a cut after each day.

“You're put under a little bit of pressure to perform on every single hole. You can't really slip up anywhere. And you've got to really go from the start. You've got to attack the golf course from the start. So knowing that, knowing the feeling that that you need to be able to do well out here, I would say, definitely gives me an advantage.

“There are a lot of really good players here. And in order to make that top 20 every single day, you're going to have to play really good golf, and if you shy away from anything, then you're probably not going to make it. So I'll definitely be a little bit more aggressive this week than usual, and we'll see how it goes.

Kennedy, who is joined in Riyadh by 2023 Walker Cup players Alex Maguire, Liam Nolan, Mark Power and amateur Matt McClean, knows he can’t afford to get ahead of himself but he has big goals in his professional career

"This is my first week as a pro, and my vision for the end of 2025 would be having full status on the DP World Tour and or the PGA Tour and getting two professional wins along the way," he said.

As for this week, who knows he must remain focussed and not start dreaming of what might happen.

“I will stick to my process, stick to my routine, not getting too far ahead of myself, just staying one shot at a time,” Kennedy said of thoughts of winning a LIV Golf spot or an exemption into the International Series. “You have to let everything just take care of itself. And if that happens, it'd be fantastic. I'd love to be able to play on LIV, but again, just sticking to the process.”

Kennedy is joined in Saudi Arabia by Power, Maguire, McClean and Nolan and any status they earn will be an improvement on what they already have.

Power has limited status on the Challenge Tour and he’s keen to get more regular golf in 2025 while Nolan is also looking to add to the Alps Tour status he won last month.

McClean tees it up as an amateur, waiting to see what doors might open while Maguire is seeking any improvement in his situation after failing to win Challenge Tour status this year.

“It's a very good opportunity,” Power said. “I suppose I played mainly on Challenge Tour this past year, and I did find it tricky. The standard was tough, but I felt like my good stuff was definitely good enough to compete there. So I suppose this is another step up, but one that I feel like I can definitely back myself to go do.

“Put four good rounds together and you could open a few good doors and with LIV Golf, there are obviously a lot of big names — a lot of talent. So I think it can only help by getting there or even exposing myself to these opportunities. If it works out this week, great, but if not, it's hopefully a minor step along a long journey.”

Like Kennedy, Power knows the format requires putting the hammer down from the start.

“I suppose you have to start off pretty quickly. Generally in tournaments, you can you can find your feet in the first couple rounds. But with this format, you need to start off hot. So I'd say I'd be playing fairly aggressive, but at the same time, just hitting a lot of greens.

“I’ve been working hard in the putting the last couple weeks. It generally comes down to who makes the most putts so I’ll try to just give myself as many looks as possible. It's a very good course and it really suits my eye so fingers crossed.”

Power likes the LIV Golf concept and if he had to choose a team, the Fireballs would be his favourite.

“I generally love team golf; I feel like I play pretty good in it. So it would be cool environment to be a part of. Sergio was probably an idol of mine growing up. I love the way he plays. So they're probably my favourite team.”

As for 2025, Power said: “I still have a small category on the Challenge Tour, so I'd say I'd be playing a mix of invites and events off my category on the Challenge Tour, and try and progress that way. But it's still early, it's very hard to plan stuff.

“One good week can change things. I might play a few mini tour events at the start of the year just to get the competitive juices flowing. But yeah, we'll just take it week by week.”

Maguire has yet to show his full potential as a professional but like McClean, Nolan, Power and Kennedy, he has talent in spades and he’d love to show the world what he can do this week.

Max Kennedy in action in the LIV Golf Promotions Event in Abu Dhabi in 2023

“It’s massive,” the Laytown and Bettystown man said “I mean, you get an opportunity to get a LIV card, which would be an opportunity that I didn't think was possible the last couple of years.

“Now that I have a chance, you want to go out with two hands and grab that, and then, obviously, if you don't finish first, you have the nine International Series cards, which is the real kicker to why I'm here is. It’s not just one card, it's nine cards or 10 cards. So it’s a massive opportunity this week. I'm hoping to take advantage of it.”

While he was second in the Tunisian Open on the Alps Tour earlier this year, Maguire didn’t make a cut in his eight starts on the Challenge Tour and missed out at the First Stage of the DP World Tour Q-School.

“It's definitely been different than what I expected,” he confessed. “I was prepared for all the experiences — missing cuts, being on your own, traveling on your own, all these expenses and how much it's going to cost, and to really realise how hard it is, or how difficult it is, until you're experiencing them first hand.

“People say it's going cost a lot of money to do it, and then you see these thousands leave a bank account. It's quite surreal, but I think I managed myself quite well. I didn’t lose hope or lose faith, after that sort of struggle the first year. So I'd like to use those experiences to kick me on for next year.”

As for his gameplan, it’s clear.

“I'll be quite aggressive. The rough is penal whether the lie is bad or not. It's just really hard to judge it into the greens, which are very sand-based green, so there's not much spin.

“If you hit from the rough, it rolls out 15 or 20 feet so fairway is definitely key. I'll try to be aggressive and conservative at the same time, making sure I know when to hit driver, when to lay back if I need a full number in. But the golf course is quite long, so I think hitting driver is the best way for me to take this golf course on.”

As for the format and the daily cuts for the first two days, he knows he’ll have to adjust.

“It's a definitely a different mentality,” Maguire said. “At any Q School, any tournament, you want to ease yourself into it the first day, shoot a solid number, but if you do that here, you won't be playing the second day.

“So I think being aggressive, taking your opportunities when you can, I think will be the way I'm going to look at it.”

As for the ultimate dream of winning the event and a spot in the LIV Golf League, he said: “I think right now, with my current status on or not having any status on tour, I was delighted this opportunity was presented to me.

“I wouldn't say I have a favourite team, but I’m a big fan of Brooks. I like his mentality a lot. Big fan of Tyrell Hatton, a lot of the guys. It's a great opportunity for this me this week, and hopefully I can take advantage of it.”