It may have taken a few additional holes, but James Sugrue has made it through to the last 16 of the South of Ireland in Lahinch.  Having won his first round match 3&1, the holder was looking like losing his second round match, after being behind for much of the match he was two down with three to play.  He birdied the 16^th and 18^th holes to force the match onto the 19^th.  After doing plenty of hard work he needed a 10 foot par putt on the 19^th, and he was unlucky not to win on the 20^th when Ross Latimer knocked in a decent birdie putt.  Latimer’s putter saved him again on the 3^rd in what was a text book display of steady par matchplay golf.  The deadlock finally broke on the 22^nd (4^th), after a brief rain delay the players resumed with Sugrue birdieing the par five to claim the win.  Overall it was a good day for Cork golfers.  Peter O’Keeffe won his morning match on the 16^th and he wrapped up his second round match on the same hole after playing some very solid golf.  John Hickey and Gary O’Flaherty both won the 18^th while Sean Desmond wrapped up his match on the 16^th.  John Hickey continued his good form in the afternoon and overcame Robert Morgan 3&2.  The all Cork matchup of Gary O’Flaherty and Sean Desmond promised to be an interesting match, with O’Flaherty taking a slender lead early on.  O’Flaherty stretched the lead the 3 holes on the 10^th and while Desmond won the 13^th with a great birdie, O’Flaherty’s birdie on the 14^th restored the margin.  In the end the Cork member closed out the match with a 3&2 win over the Monkstown member.  Kinsale duo Cathal Butler and Gary Ward lost out in the first round.  Butler lost to Lahinch member Thomas Neenan on the 16^th, while Ward forced his match to the 20^th hole before losing out to Ross Dutton.  Round three gets underway tomorrow morning at 8am.

 

Draw Match Play Round 3 Saturday am 28 July

 

 

1          08:00   Eugene Smith (Laytown/B’town) –v- Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas)
2          08:12   Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little) –v-  James Sugrue (Mallow)
3          08:24   Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick) –v- John Hickey (Cork)
4          08:36   Jake Blake (The Island) -v- Rowan Lester (Hermitage)
5          08:48   Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) -v- Garry O’Flaherty (Cork)
6          09:00   Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) –v- Mark Power (Kilkenny)
7          09:10   Keith Egan (Carton House) -v- Paul Murphy (Rosslare)
8          09:24   Ross Dutton (Tandragee) -v- Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk)

 

Match Play Round 2
Results Round 2

E Smith (Laytown/B’town) bt R Mullarney (Galway) 2/1, P O’Keeffe (Douglas) bt G Royston (Cotswold Downs LC South Africa) 3/2, J McDonnell (Forrest Little) bt H Foley (Royal Dublin) 4/3, J Sugrue (Mallow) bt R Lattimer (Knock) 22nd,  R Black (Hilton Templepatrick) bt P McKeever (Castle) 3/2, J Hickey (Cork) bt R Moran (Castle) 3/2, J Blake (The Island) bt T Neenan (Lahinch) 1H, R Lester (Hermitage) bt D Foy (Laytown/B’town) 6/4, A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) bt J Yates (Naas) 1H, G O’Flaherty (Cork) bt S Desmond (Monkstown) 3/2, A McCormack (Castletroy) bt R O’Connor (Co Sligo) 5/3, M Power (Kilkenny) bt S Watts (Cairndhu) 4/3, K Egan (Carton House) bt A Gleeson (Castle) 4/3, P Murphy (Rosslare) bt A Ryan (Thurles) 1H, R Dutton (Tandragee) bt M McCormack (Moss Creek, USA) 1H, C Rafferty (Dundalk) bt E Griffin (Waterford) 4/3
Match Play Round 1

R Mullarney (Galway) bt M Reddan (Limerick) 7/6; E Smith (Laytown/B’town) bt J Kehoe (Limerick) 3/2;G Royston (Cotswold Downs LC, South Africa) bt D Brophy (Castleknock) 3/1; P O’Keeffe (Douglas)bt M Nolan (Dun Laoghaire) 2H; J McDonnell (Forrest Little)  bt M Kalfjall (Wasby, Sweeden)  3/2; H Foley (Royal Dublin)  bt P Connolly (Killeen Castle)  7/5; R Latimer (Knock)  bt R Williamson (Holywood) 2/1; J Sugrue (Mallow) bt J Madden (Royal Portrush) 3/1; R Black (Hilton Templepatrick) bt D Coghlan (Portmarnock) 2/1; P McKeever (Castle) bt J Ryan (Castletroy) 20th; J Hickey (Cork)  bt M Norton (Belvoir Park) 1H; R Moran (Castle) bt T Clarke (Royal Portrush) 1H; T Neenan (Lahinch) bt C Butler (Kinsale) 3/1; J Blake (The Island) bt H Duggan (Kilkenny) 1H; D Foy (Laytown/B’town) bt R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 4/3; R Lester (Hermitage)  bt M Horan (Birr)  3/2; J Yates (Naas) bt F O’Sullivan (Tralee) 2/1; A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) bt P Kerr (Royal Portrush) 19th; S Desmond (Monkstown) bt N Carroll (Galway Bay) 3/2; G O’Flaherty (Cork) bt M McKinstry (Cairndhu) 1H; R O’Connor (Co Sligo) bt T McLarnon (Massereene) 3/2; A McCormack (Castletroy) bt J Fox (Portmarnock) 5/4;

S Watts (Cairndhu) bt M O’Kelly (Limerick)  4/3; M Power (Kilkenny) bt M Boucher (Carton House) 2/1;A Gleeson (Castle) bt S Greenberg (Tandragee) 6/5; K Egan (Carton House) bt M McClean (Malone) 2/1; A Ryan (Thurles) bt P Coughlan (Castleknock) 4/3, P Murphy (Rosslare) bt R Cannon (Balbriggan) 5/4; M McCormack (Moss Creek USA) bt J Rackard (Enniscorthy) 2/1, R Dutton (Tandragee) bt G Ward (Kinsale) 20th, E Griffin (Waterford) bt R McKeever (Castle) 3/2, C Rafferty (Dundalk) bt N Hearns (Mount Rath) 6/4;