Max Kennedy shoots 60 to take the lead in European Challenge Tour event
Dubliner Max Kennedy shot a sensational 10-under-par 60 to storm into the lead after the first round of the Blot Play9 tournament on the European Challenge Tour.
Kennedy, 23, was within a whisker of getting home in 59 at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André in northern France.
The Royal Dublin golfer needed one more birdie on the 18th to do it, but he had to settle for par and a four-shot lead ahead of England's James Morrison.
Kennedy's card was dotted with six birdies and, remarkably, two eagles, which came on the par-five seventh and 11th.
Another Irishman, 24-year-old Mark Power, is in the mix too. The Kilkenny native is four-under after starting with a 66.
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Irish Independent
8 hours ago
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Max Kennedy moves into contention for tour promotion despite cruel play-off defeat
But there was a silver lining for the Royal Dublin star, whose runner-up finish (€33,000) in the Blot Play9 in Brittany catapulted him into contention for promotion to the DP World Tour. The Dubliner (23) entered the final round tied for the lead with the experienced Morrison (40) – a two-time DP World Tour winner – who lost his card last year. Kennedy, who set a course record 10-under 60 in the opening round, played superbly early on the final day as birdies at the fifth, sixth and ninth gave him a three-shot lead at the turn. Morrison cut the gap to a shot as he birdied the 10th and 11th and Kennedy followed a birdie at the 11th with a bogey at the 12th at Golf Bluegreen de Pleneuf Val Andre. Kennedy got up and down brilliantly for par at the 13th to maintain his advantage, but while he had a one-shot lead playing the 18th after both bogeyed the 16th, he found a bush at the last and had to take a drop for an unplayable lie. He made a double bogey six to Morrison's bogey as both shot level par 70s to finish on six-under but fell in sudden death on their return to the par-four 18th, where he went over the back with his approach and made a bogey. It gave Morrison, who returned to the HotelPlanner Tour this season after losing his playing privileges, his first victory for over 10 years. 'I feel amazing right now and I'm very proud,' said Morrison, who won the 2010 Madeira Islands Open and the 2015 Open de Espana. 'I didn't play my best today, but I hung in there the best I could. I battled all the way through and hit some good shots at the right time. 'The course is so firm, and the wind was swirling. It's such a tricky layout and you can't relax until the very end. 'Max Kennedy played some great golf, and my journey to this point has been very different to his, and I know his time will come.' ADVERTISEMENT Morrison jumped 153 spots to 19th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, while Kennedy leapt 52 places to 20th, with the top 20 earning promotion at the end of the season. 'I can't wait to celebrate tonight, and this win puts me in great stead for the rest of the season,' Morrison said. 'The golf hasn't been the problem; I've struggled mentally over the last few years, and it's been so hard for me and my family. I'm so proud of myself to get back to where I am today.' Scotland's Daniel Young finished third on five-under after he matched Kennedy's course-record 60, while Kilkenny's Mark Power tied for 38th on seven-over after a 69. On the Ladies European Tour, South Africa's Casandra Alexander chipped in for an eagle three on the 18th to win the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open at Royal Beroun Golf Club. Her second eagle of a bogey-free final round helped her card a course record, 10-under 62 to win by two strokes on 17-under from Spain's Luna Sobron Galmes and England's Esme Hamilton. 'It's very special,' Alexander said. 'It was a great round today and I'm very happy. I think you can see what it means. It's been years of hard work. The last two weeks have been a bit of a struggle, so it's nice to know my patience paid off.' Lauren Walsh shot a level par 72 to tie for 31st on nine-under, while Sara Byrne's 68 left her a shot further back in 39th. Olivia Mehaffey was 65th on three-under after a closing 73. In the Flogas Irish Women's Amateur Open at Headfort's Championship Course, French teenager Louise Landgraf (16) shot a second successive three-under 69 to take a one-stroke lead over Wales' Carys Worby into the final day on six under. Clandeboye's Rebekah Gardner leads the home challenge in fifth on level par after a 71 with Roscommon's Olivia Costello two shots further back alongside American Carolyn Fuller after a 74.
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Her face lights up as she recalls the launch of Penneys' magnetic front-closing bras — part of the brand's new adaptive range which features over 40 affordable, stylish wardrobe staples, thoughtfully adapted to meet a variety of needs. 'It's so clever and so simple. It just means teenagers don't have to worry about that now — and adults don't have to worry either. Which is huge.' Ellen with dance partner Stephen Vincent on DWTS It's a full-circle moment for the 30-year-old Dubliner, who was born with dysmelia, a condition where her left arm did not fully develop below the elbow. 'It can get quite emotional and overwhelming when you see moments like this,' she says. 'Because I never thought I'd see this happen. Which is quite sad. But finally people are now actually starting to recognise that people with disabilities deserve more.' She grins. 'It's kind of like a proud parent moment for me — the fact that you can say 'Thanks hun, Penneys,' while wearing the adaptive wear range.' Wearing denim jeans with side splits for accessibility and a white t-shirt with popper fastenings and tube access openings, Ellen is fresh faced and impossibly put together. Knowing her story strikes a chord — especially with younger girls with disabilities, the sports star is determined to impact real change now. Adaptive Drawstring Joggers, €18; Adaptive zipped sweatshirt €22 Penneys News in 90 Seconds - June 22nd 'I would've been sent pictures of little girls with one arm who were posing by the side of the Penneys posters, and it was so sweet. But it shouldn't be — it should just be so normal that it isn't a big deal.' That change in attitude can't come soon enough. Penneys recently launched the findings of its Pulse of the Nation Index, conducted by Amárach Research. The report revealed that 40 per cent of the Irish public believe disabled people are treated unfairly, highlighting a significant knowledge gap in how society understands the challenges disabled people face daily. 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Even during her competitive years, she saw a shift in perception. 'When I started swimming, no one really cared about my achievements. But the longer I stayed in the sport and the more it grew, able-bodied kids were just seeing me as Ellen, the swimmer. Not Ellen, the Paralympic swimmer.' That desire to be seen beyond her disability was also why she said yes to Dancing with the Stars. 'I am not just Ellen, the one-armed girl,' she says with a smile. 'That's why I did Dancing with the Stars. I wanted to show people I was just Ellen.' The star who took on 'Death Road' whilst filming Uncharted with Ray Goggins now wants to open up conversations that often go unspoken — especially around sexuality, relationships and attraction. 'Disabled people have sex. Oh my God. Who would've thought?' she says, grinning. 'And that's the thing about the lingerie range with Penneys — the lingerie is really sexy.' That desire for openness extended to dating too. 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Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Irish Times
Max Kennedy loses in playoff in bid for breakthrough win
Max Kennedy's bid for a breakthrough win on the hotelplanner Tour came up narrowly short after the 23-year-old Dubliner lost out to England's James Morrison in a playoff at the Blot Play9 tournament at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André in Brittany. Kennedy – in his first full season as a professional after graduating from the University of Louisville – shared the 54-holes lead with Morrison and held a one-shot advantage playing the 18th, only to incur a double-bogey six for a 70 to Morrison's bogey as both finished on six-under 274. In the playoff, Morrison – a 40-year-old veteran with two wins on the DP World Tour in his career, including the Spanish Open in 2015 – won with a par on the first hole of sudden death. Kennedy moved 52 places from 72nd up to the 20th in the updated Race to Mallorca season-long rankings, from which the leading 20 players will earn DP World Tour cards for next season. READ MORE 'Max played some great golf and my journey to this point has been very different to his and I know his time will come,' said Morrison, who moved to 19th in the R2M standings in his own bid to secure a full European Tour card again.
