Latest news with #PierseMotorGroupSouthofIrelandAmateurOpenChampionship
Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Howard focusing on the title not the blazer after making last 16 at Lahinch
Fota Island's David Howard slipped one arm into an Irish blazer when he eased his way into the last 16 of the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Lahinch. Ranked second in the Order of Merit with the top two automatically selected tomorrow night for next month's matches at Woodhall Spa, he beat Palmerstown House's Ross McCormack 2&1 before seeing off Charleville's Jordan Boles 6&5 to set up a last 16 clash with Irish Close champion Thomas Abom from Edmonstown. It was an intense 24 hours for the reigning East of Ireland champion, who had to dig deep just to make the cut and keep his hopes of an international cap alive. But having played his last six holes on Thursday in five-under to qualify, he continued his excellent play in a light westerly breeze yesterday, making five birdies in the morning and another four in the afternoon. 'It's a long day, long week, and I have a few things hanging over me.' said Howard, who has decided not to worry about the mathematics of who might overtake him in the Order of Merit and focus instead on winning the championship. 'I need to say second to the guaranteed a pick for the Homes but while I try to not think about and play my golf, obviously it's in the back of my mind.' West of Ireland champion Dylan Holmes, who beat Keith Egan and Niall Hearns to make the last 16 and set up a meeting with Donegal man Ryan Griffin, could overtake Howard if he wins the title. But Howard is focusing on his battle on the opposite side of the draw, where Galway veteran Joe Lyons faces Lahinch's Jonathan Keane and Conor Stapleton from Westport faces Paul O'Hanlon, a 19th hole winner over 2023 champion Colm Campbell. 'If I win this week, no one else can get in the way,' said Howard, who feels his putting is coming together after some recent work with Kevin Morris at Fota Island. He faces a tough task against Thomas Abom, who chipped in for birdie at the 18th to take Tralee's Mark Gazi into extra holes before two-putting for a winning birdie from long range at the 20th. The winner will face Roganstown's Mark Cadden or Abom's brother Liam, who beat Galgorm Castle's Josh Hill one up. Cadden held off a back nine comeback from veteran Pat Murray to win his morning match one up before ousting former Irish Close champion Quentin Carew 2&1 in the afternoon. At the top of the draw, leading qualifier Dylan Keating fell in round one to Monkstown's Sean Desmond, who was the last man to qualify, and went on to beat East Clare's Eoin Magill. He now takes on 2019 winner and former Walker Cup star Caolan Rafferty, who came back from three down with five to play to edge out Berehaven's Joe O'Neill on the 18th. The Dundalk man won the 14th, 15th and 17th to level the match before O'Neill hit his approach too close to the wall at the 18th to make a full backswing and conceded after twice failing to get on the green. 'It was just a rough spin in for Joe,' Rafferty said. 'I just kept hitting fairways and greens and what happened on 18, it's not nice when something like that happens to a nice guy like Joe.' The winner of Desmond-Rafferty will take on Galgorm's Jordan Hood, who beat the combative Douglas man Barry O'Connell one up, or the steady Athenry grinder David Kitt. Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Lahinch First rd: S Desmond (Monkstown) bt D Keating (Seapoint) 1 up E Magill (East Clare) bt B Oberholzer (Clandeboye) 2/1 C Rafferty (Dundalk) bt P Curran (Edmondstown) 5/4 J O'Neill (Berehaven) bt J Butler (Naas) 3/1 B O'Connell (Douglas) bt A Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 1 up J Hood (Galgorm Castle) bt C Clarke (Balmoral) 2/1 D Kitt (Athenry) bt R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 5/3 C Cooley (Belvoir Park) bt D Reddan (Castleknock) 1 up R Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) bt R Latimer (Knock) 3/2 A McCormack (Castletroy) bt E O'Carroll (St Annes) 6/5 D Holmes (Greystones) bt K Egan (Carton House) 3/2 N Hearns (Mountrath) bt J Foley (Elm Park) 2/1 L O'Neill (Connemara) bt S Downes (Royal Dublin) 23rd F Dobbin (Malone) bt E Sullivan (Portmarnock) 3/2 J Whelan (Grange) bt J Rackard (Bunclody) 3/2 A Smith (Mullingar) bt D Lally (Blainroe) ) 5/4 J Lyons (Galway) bt C Hickey (Dooks) 5/3 B Cahill (Dundalk) bt S Barry (Fota Island) 1 up S Loftus (Lahinch) bt J Maginn (Mourne) 19th J Keane (Lahinch) bt G O'Neill (Malahide) 4/3 C Stapleton (Westport) bt T Scroope (Nenagh) 3/2 G Donohoe (Enniscorthy) bt R Sykes (Dun Laoghaire) 2 up P O'Hanlon (Carton House) bt J Walsh (Douglas) 6/5 C Campbell (Warrenpoint) bt K Bornemann (Douglas) 3/2 T Abom (Edmondstown) bt M Gazi (Tralee) 20th J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) bt C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 4/2 J Boles (Charleville) bt D Hogg (Belvoir Park) 6/5 D Howard (Fota Island) bt R McCormack (Palmerstown House) 2/1 L Abom (Edmondstown) bt D O'Sullivan (Tralee) 3/1 J Hill (Galgorm Castle) bt TJ Ford (Co Sligo) 21st Q Carew (Castleknock) bt B Howlin (The Heritage) 19th M Cadden (Roganstown) bt P Murray (Adare Manor) 1 up. Second rd: Desmond bt Magill 1 up Rafferty bt O'Neill 1 up Hood bt O'Connell 1 up Kitt bt Cooley 3/2 Griffin bt McCormack 1 up Holmes bt Hearns 5/3 O'Neill bt F Dobbin 5/3 Whelan bt Smith 5/4 Lyons bt Cahill 6/5 Keane bt Loftus 3/2 Stapleton bt Donohoe 1 up O'Hanlon bt Campbell 19th T Abom bt Sutherland 2/1 Howard bt Boles 6/5 L Abom bt Hill 1 up Cadden bt Carew 2/1. Today - Third rd.: 8:00 Desmond v Rafferty 8:12 Hood v Kitt 8:24 Griffin v Holmes 8:36 O'Neill v Whelan 8:48 Lyons v Keane 9:00 Stapleton v O'Hanlon 9:12 T Abom v Howard 9:24 L Abom v Cadden.
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Adam Buchanan and Sean Downes hit route 66 to set the pace at Lahinch
Adam Buchanan enjoyed a dream debut in the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship when he opened with a six-under 66 to claim a share of the first round lead at Lahinch. The 20-year-old Ballyclare native, who made such a splash with NAIA college Keiser University this season that he's secured a transfer to NCAA Division I ranked Louisville next month, made seven birdies and a lone bogey at the 14th to share top spot with Royal Dublin's Sean Downes on a perfect links day in west Clare. 'I won the Conference and had five top-fives,' reported Buchanan, who is also a member of Knock Golf Club. 'I was going to stay another year and then decide to transfer, but Louisville reached out, and it was too hard to turn down.' Downes also had seven birdies in his 66 before he was joined in the lead by former Irish Boys panelist Buchanan, who claimed his first Senior win last year when he won the Ulster Men's Strokeplay at Clandeboye. He had never played Lahinch until this week and he made it look like child's play in a light northwest wind as he birdied the second and hit a nine-iron close at the sixth before adding further birdies at the 11th, 12th and 13th. He three-putted the 14th from the front of the green but birdied the 17th to get to five under before failing to get up and down from just short of the 18th, missing a six footer for a 65. 'I was actually really happy with it,' said Buchanan, who had only played Lahinch's opening six holes on TrackMan before his arrival in west Clare and could not have asked for a better debut. 'I left a few putts out there but pI played very solid. 'I only missed one green, and when I missed it, I was like an inch off it. So that makes life a lot easier. Maybe missed three fairways and my only bogey was a three-putt.' Sean Downes in action at Lahinch. Pic:©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo His flighted six-iron to eight feet into the wind at the short 11th wowed his playing partners but even after a hot start, he's not heaping expectations on his shoulders. 'The goal is to make the cut,' he said. 'It would bench to get a run to the quarters or semis but we will take it as it comes." Downes and Buchanan lead by a shot from Westport's Conor Stapleton and former Irish Close champion Quentin Carew from Castleknock Golf Club, who is also taking it one day at a time. The 34-year-old Dublin-based Garda made eight birdies in his five-under 67 with five of those birdies coming in his last six holes. 'I am trying to get a bit more family time this year but the game is coming back,' Carew said after making four birdies in a row from the 12th and adding another at the par-five 18th. 'Coming into this, I hadn't played for two weeks after being on holidays, just hit a few balls. It's good in a way because you come in feeling more relaxed and have fewer expectations. 'This is the championship that everyone looks forward to because of the venue, the course and the views. Nobody is in bad form and even if fellas get knocked out, nobody goes home.' After going out in two-under with a bogey at the Dell, Carew bogeyed the 10th and 11th before storming back with that late birdie run. Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty, champion in 2018, was in a big group on three-under after a 69 but it was harder work for some of the other leading lights. Warrenpoint's Colm Campbell, who was champion two years ago, shot a three-over 75 while last year's runner-up, Millicent's Brian Doran, signed for a 79. It also was a mixed day for some of the veterans in the field. While Ballybunion's Peter Sheehan shot 78 in his 40th consecutive appearance in the event, Robbie Cannon shot 70, Pat Murray a 71 and Joe Lyons a 73 in one of the more experienced threeballs on the course while Douglas' Karl Bornemann carded a 72.
