James Sugrue and John Murphy both recorded rounds of 72 to lie two shots behind the leader after the first round of the Leinster Students Championship today.  The dry but windy day in Newlands was a welcome change for both, they had played in Kerry Scratch Cup in Tralee over the weekend and had endured driving wind and rain for much of the 54 holes.  Sugrue and Murphy had near identical rounds in the tight parkland layout, four birdies and five bogies added up to a +1 result for the opening round.  They are two shots behind leader Ross Dutton (Ulster University).  Waterford Duo Ben Murray and Eanna Griffin are tied for second place on level par.  Griffin travelled from Athenry where he won the Connacht Strokeplay yesterday.

Cathal Butler and Sean Desmond are the only other Cork golfer to finish the opening round in the top twenty.  Butler (+4) finished with an eagle on the par five 18th which meant he jumped up over twenty places on the leaderboard.  Desmond is also on +4, he had a run of three bogies on the back nine but finished with a birdie on the closing hole.  He’s in a tie for 18th place alongside Butler.  Rory Dineen and Tristan Coakley both shot 78 while a number of Cork players posted 79’s and 80’s.

Round two gets underway tomorrow with the top 30 plus ties qualifying for Wednesday’s final round.

Leinster Students Amateur Open Championship, 12-14 June 2017

70 R Dutton (Ulster University (a))

71 E Griffin (Maynooth Scholars (b)); B MURRAY (University College Cork)

72 Z Glynn (Bray); J MURPHY (Kinsale); J Sugrue (Mallow); J Quinn (DCU)

73 C Woodroofe (Maynooth University Club (a)); R Brazill (Naas)

74 P Cummins (Lurgan); S Greenberg (Ulster University (a)); C Raymond (Newlands); M SHIEL (NUI Galway (b)); E O’Brien (Maynooth University Club (a)); M Ryan (New Ross); D McAleenon (Lisburn); M McCormack (Ashbourne)

75 C BUTLER (Maynooth Scholars (a)); M McKenna (Dun Laoghaire); P Jordan (Lurgan); C Hughes (NUI Galway (a)); S Desmond (Monkstown); A McDaid (Dublin Business School); W Small (Tandragee); M MCKINSTRY (Cairndhu); G Dunne (Maynooth University Club (b)); M Boucher (Carton House); N McCann (Lurgan)

76 R Williamson (Holywood); P Murphy (Rosslare); L Donnelly (Kilkenny); M Kennelly (NUI Galway (b)); D Smith (Castle); P Brennan (Belvoir Park); J Bolger (Jnr) (Courtown); T Ford (Maynooth University Club (b))

77 J Murphy (Greenore); J McVicker (Ulster University (a)); S Sweeney (USA); B Doran (IT Carlow); E Smith (Maynooth Scholars (a)); G Fitzmaurice (University College Dublin (a)); M Norton (Belvoir Park); C Melvin (Maynooth University Club (c) )

78 T Collins (University College Dublin (a)); G Carr (Maynooth University Club (b)); K Murphy (University of South Carolina); S Mc Dermott (NUI Galway (a)); A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire); O Crooks (Bushfoot); B Smyth (Howth); S Campbell (Ballyclare); L Branagan (Dublin Institute of Technology); R Dineen (Cork IT (b)); T Coakley (Cork IT (c) ); J Dunne (Borris); J Blake (DCU); R Steedman (Maynooth University Club (c)); D BRADY (Maynooth Scholars (b)); A Comerford (NUI Galway (b) )

79 K McCarron (Maynooth Scholars (a)); E Collins (DCU); D Hourihan (University College Cork); C Moloney (Fota Island); R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire); J Boyd (Cork IT (a)); L Grehan (Maynooth Scholars (b)); D O’ Brien (IT Carlow); J Murphy (Cork IT (b)); J Mc Donnell (Maynooth University Club (a)); C FEENEY (Co. Sligo); D Pollock (Garden City Community College); D Coghlan (University Limerick)

80 G Ward (Kinsale); C Harte (University College Dublin (b)); A McSweeney (Cork IT (a)); A Crowley (Dublin Institute of Technology); P KERR (Royal Portrush)

81 L Cummins (Cork IT (c) ); A Riordan (Cork IT (a)); R Browne (University College Dublin (b))

82 B MURRAY (University College Cork); C Bolger (IT Carlow)

85 B Fehily (Newlands)

87 L Flynn (Dun Laoghaire); D O’Sullivan (Cork IT (b))

88 C Nolan (NUI Galway (a))

89 J Cleary (University College Dublin (b))

RTD J McCarthy (University College Dublin (a))