Following his great performance at the North of Ireland two weeks ago, Peter O’Keeffe kept the championship momentum going with an opening 68 in Lahinch today.  The opening round of the South of Ireland got underway today in benign conditions, and O’Keeffe was the first of the early starters to post a low score.  The Douglas golfer started with a hot hand, birdieing the first two holes.  He gave a shot back on the Klondyke, he got it back on the 9th to turn on three under.

Another birdie followed on the 10th and Peter had eight steady pars before a final birdie on the last.  That put him in the clubhouse lead, although lower scores would follow.  Cathal Butler had shot a 71 (-1), and Sean Desmond would follow with an impressive 67 later in the morning.  Paul Buckley and Greg O’Mahony both shot level par, and Paul Tobin and Gary O’Flaherty finished on 73 to just about make it inside the top 60.

Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin) tops the leaderboard after shooting a 64, and he leads the field by two.  Rosslare’s Paul Murphy is second on 66 with Sean Desmond, Paul Coughlan, Rhys Clarke and Cathal Nolan all tied on 67.

It was a good say for scoring on the Old Course, with over 50 golfers shooting par or better.  And with another 20 golfers within two shots of that, the pressure will be on to make to top 59 to get through to Friday’s first matchplay round.  With the five Walker Cup squad members, including Sugrue and Murphy, already in the draw for Friday, the scramble will be on tomorrow to get inside the top 59.

South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Sponsored by Pierse Motors VW

Results after day 1 Stroke Play. CSS = 74

64	H Foley (The Royal Dublin)
66	P Murphy (Rosslare)
67	S Desmond (Monkstown); P Coughlan (Castleknock); R Clarke (The Island); C Nolan (Galway)
68	M Horan (Birr Golf Club); P O’Keeffe (Douglas); D Morley (Oughterard)
69	G Lenehan (Portmarnock); J Rackard (Enniscorthy); H O’Hare (Fortwilliam)
70	J Hewitt (Tandragee); E Griffin (Waterford); T O’Connor (Athlone); G Dunne (Co. Louth); A Holé (Biarritz Le Phare ); A Ryan (Thurles); R Lester (Hermitage)
71	P McKeever (Castle); M Young (Golf Du Prieuré, France); J Ryan (Castletroy); R Browne (Castle); J Mc Donnell (Forrest Little); S Hogan (Nenagh); E Leonard (Wentworth England); S Flanagan (Portmarnock ); D Coghlan (Portmarnock); R Mullarney (Galway); L Nolan (Galway); M Boucher (Carton House); C Butler (Kinsale); O O’Brien (Limerick); A Hill (Athenry)
72	T Ford (Co. Sligo); E Stack (Ballybunion); K Egan (Carton House); P Conroy (Enniscorthy); B Doran (Baltinglass); R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire); D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh); M Buggy (Castlecomer); D O’Sullivan (Tralee); R McKeever (Castle); L Power (Galway); T McLarnon (Massereene); P Buckley (Memorial Golf Club, USA); J Fox (Portmarnock); O Devereux (Carton House); T Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown); G O’Mahony (Fota Island); D Connolly (Olympic, USA); L Grehan (Mullingar)
73	P Tobin (Douglas); J Maginn (Mourne); K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire); J Whelan (Newlands); G O’Flaherty (Cork); A Doran (Co. Louth); J Walsh (Castle); R Brazill (Naas)
74	S Walsh (Portmarnock); R Knightly (The Royal Dublin); S Barker (Mourne); M Reddan (Limerick); M Nolan (Dun Laoghaire); S O’Connor (Castlebar); A Hickey (Ballyhaunis); J Greene (Portmarnock); J Temple (Portmarnock); J Rowe (Tandragee); T Dowdall (Woodbrook)
75	K McCormack (Portarlington); R Black (Hilton Templepatrick); D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown); S Downes (The Royal Dublin); R Ward (Nenagh); T Clarke (Royal Portrush); R Moran (Castle); S Muldowney (Shadowridge USA); J Sabir (Moate); D Kitt (Athenry); P Flynn (Tramore); C Vaughan (Limerick); S Dickey (UNM North USA); F O’Sullivan (Tralee); P Murray (Clontarf); C Murtagh (Balcarrick); H Duggan (Kilkenny)
76	N Hearns (Mountrath); R Dutton (Tandragee); E Farrell (Ardee); C Kenny (Portmarnock); A McCormack (Castletroy); J Blake (The Island); D Flynn (Carton House); T Cleary (Woodstock); J Doherty (Carton House); J Hearn (Tramore); C Cunningham (Carton House); P Spratt (West Waterford); G Smyth (Clonmel); C Denvir (Elm Park); B Murray (Waterford Castle); J Kehoe (Limerick); J Lyons (Galway); T O’Mahony (Doneraile); P Sheehan (Ballybunion)
77	M O’Neill (Coollattin); M McCormack (The Island/Moss Creek); N Schaffrath (GLC Berlin-Wannsee, Germany); G Cullen (The Links Portmarnock); J Hood (Galgorm Castle); C Hickey (Dooks); R O’Connor (Co. Sligo); M McKinstry (Cairndhu); D Sweeney (Killeen Castle); R O’Doherty (Enniscrone); M McClean (Malone); M O’Kelly (Limerick)
78	S Poucher (Limerick); T Hackett (Royal Dublin); L O’Connor (Edmondstown); K Bornemann (Douglas); E Smith (The Links Portmarnock); D McMahon (Castletroy); C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire); R Latimer  (Knock)
79	C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire); M Healy (Kinsale); K Lynch (Skibbereen); C Taylor (Kanturk); R Pierse (Grange); S Greenberg (Tandragee); R Berkeley (Dun Laoghaire)
80	E O’Brien (Clontarf); T Neenan (Lahinch); J Fletcher (Warrenpoint); G Carr (Mullingar); B Shally (Dromoland)
81	J Bolger (Jnr) (Courtown); M MacGrath (UNM North USA); B Gilligan (Woodstock); J McCarthy (Grange)
82	M Kennelly (Galway Bay); I Lynch (Rosslare); W Taylor (Cape Fear, USA); G Ward (Kinsale); P Fitzpatrick (Kanturk)
83	D Brady (Co. Sligo)

 

 

The five Walker Cup squad panellists as of closing date for the championship are exempted through to the match play, bringing the total up to 64. Match Play commences on Friday.