Kilfenora's Jonathan Keane ends Lahinch's 57-year wait for South of Ireland winner

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

They say it takes a village, and it was never more fitting in the case of Jonathan Keane, as he overcame a serious back injury with the help of two Lahinch members and a former champion to become the first home winner of the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland title in 57 years.
The 25-year-old Kilfenora schoolteacher completed a magical week over the famous west Clare dunes, rolling in a five-footer for a closing birdie to beat Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty one up and follow in the footsteps of his watching boyhood coach JD Smyth, who was the last Lahinch man to win the title in 1968.
Keane dropped his putter and put his hands over his eyes in disbelief as his father, Johnny, and mother, Mary, ran onto the 18th green to envelop him in an emotional embrace.
"I felt good over it because I have had that putt loads of times before, that back left pin," Keane said. "Just knew what to do. I wasn't feeling any nerves; I was feeling 100% confident. It was just a shock for about five seconds."
The 18th was ringed with hundreds of spectators as Keane was chaired in victory by his supporters in a scene that summed up the magic of amateur golf at a venue that will host the Walker Cup next year.
"I don't know what to say," Keane reflected after a day when he beat Edmondstown's Liam Abom 2&1 in the semi-finals as Rafferty confirmed his favouritism for the title by blitzing Grange's Jake Whelan 5&3 after playing the first five holes in five-under-par.
"Absolutely delighted. This has been my dream since ever I joined this golf club, and for it to come true, it's absolutely unbelievable. Just thrilled. Thrilled."
While overseas member Patrick Adler from Chicago won last year, several hundred locals turned out to watch one of their own lift the coveted trophy after a brilliant display of powerful hitting and sensational chipping and putting.
He'd made two eagles and 24 birdies in five matchplay rounds to get to the final and did not let up when it mattered.
All the hard work he did to recover from a herniated disc that kept him out of the game for nearly three years turned out to be worth its weight in gold.
After the first two holes were halved in bogey-birdie figures, Keane birdied the third, then eagled the fourth from 35 feet to go two up.
He had a chance from eight feet to go three up at the Dell, but while he missed that and lost the seventh to par after taking a penalty drop from deep rough, he won the eighth in par and turned two-up.
Rafferty was spent after a gruelling week and both men made mistakes coming home.
Rafferty won 11th in par, lost the 12th to Keane's birdie, failed to convert a slippery 10-footer for a win at the 13th and watched his rival get up and down from sand at the 14th to remain two up.
It looked as though the tide would turn when Rafferty made a remarkable four at the 15th, flopping to a foot from heavy greenside rough, then hit to 12 feet at the 16th, where he was conceded the hole after Keane chunked into sand from heavy rough above the back left bunker.
They were all square.
Keane had been brilliant on and around the green all week and after Rafferty chipped close on the 17th, he cooly slotted home an eight footer for a half in fours to take the match to the last.
Rafferty came up short in two, and with 240 yards to go and adrenaline pumping, Keane rifled a five iron to 50 feet and two putted for victory, dribbling in a five-footer for glory after his rival had chipped to the back fringe and missed his 15 footer.
There were emotional scenes as the putt dropped, which was no surprise given Keane's battle with a back injury he picked up during COVID, when he had worked too hard in the gym and battered hundreds of balls on the beach without proper rest.
"I was trying to drive the ball an absolute mile —the Bryson DeChambeau effect," he confessed. "I used to hit about 250 balls a day. And after about six months of doing that nonstop and doing too much gym, the body just gave up.
"I had herniated discs in my lower back and it was very bad, and I couldn't play golf for two and a half years."
Lahinch Golf Club stepped in to help, and thanks to two members — Dr Gerry O'Sullivan and Dr Conor O'Brien — Keane received the medical treatment he needed before embarking on a seven-month programme of strength and conditioning with former South of Ireland winner Robbie Cannon.
He returned for the South in 2023 and put many sleepless painful nights behind him to achieve his dream yesterday, "I have to give credit to those three men there for helping me come back from that injury," he said.
No wonder there were tears at the end of an epic, triumphant week for the amateur game.
Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Lahinch Semi-finals: Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) bt Jake Whelan (Grange) 5/3; Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) bt Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 2/1.
Final: Keane beat Rafferty 1 up.