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Irish Examiner
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Keating tops South qualifiers after overcoming rollercoaster college career
His uncle had a No.1 hit with Life Is a Rollercoaster but Seapoint's Dylan Keating was thrilled to get his career back on more level ground on home soil as he topped the qualifiers for the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at a sun0-kissed Lahinch. The 23-year-old Drogheda talent hit the headlines as a 17-year-old teenager when he won Regional Qualifying for the Open at Baltray. His Uncle Ronan of Boyzone fame frequently gets a mention when he plays well but when officials joked that he had to sing a song from the club balcony for winning the silver medal after he asked if he had any responsibilities, he was happy to hit the high notes on the links. On a day when a light westerly wind led to some hot scoring, Keating added a four under 68 to his opening 69 to top the qualifiers by a shot on seven under. Dooks' Conor Hickey shot a sparkling 65, Tralee's Mark Gazi a 67, Ballybofey and Stranoloar's Ryan Griffin a 68 and Royal Dublin's Sean Downes a 72 to finish tied for second as just seven of the 14 players on two-over made the top 64 who qualified for the matchplay. Former champion Sean Desmond from Douglas was the last man in after a brace of 73s. But it was also an important day for Fota Island's David Howard, the East of Ireland champion, who needed to make the matchplay to keep alive his hopes of winning an automatic spot in the Irish team for next month's Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa via his top two berth in the Bridgestone Order of Merit. After opening with a 75, Howard was five over for the championship with six holes to play but covered them in four-under and shot 70 to make the matchplay with a shot to spare on one-over. He was only marginally less happy than Keating, who admitted he considered quitting the game during his stint at the University of Louisiana Lafayette. 'I felt like I was kind of under forming there for a long time, and to come back home playing well this year, not that I expected to shoot a score like that, it was nice,' Keating said. 'I wouldn't be shy to say it's been a tough last few years. I was in Houston last year and played an event, and I said to Mum and dad, I think that's it for me in golf. Just mentally, I was struggling. I wasn't keeping the ball on the planet. 'My iron play was bad, my driver was terrible, and even my putting left me for a while. 'When I'm home and comfortable, I think that's what brings out the best of me, and that's probably why I struggled in America, just being homesick constantly.' The former Boys international harboured dreams of turning professional for a while but he's put those plans on hold and while he admits it's 'a long shot' he's hoping to win some events and get himself on the selectors' radar for next year's Walker Cup at Lahinch. Making next year's Palmer Cup team on his home course Tralee is a goal for Gazi, who is at Northwestern University in Chicago and looking impressive in west Clare. The 19-year-old made eight birdies in his 67 in just his second South of Ireland appearance and hopes to make a run in the matchplay. 'I've done a lot of match play, especially playing Boys Home internationals,' said Gazi, who is travelling with Tralee's Darren O'Sullivan, who shot 67 to qualify in sixth place on five-under. 'Whoever you are playing, you've just goto to beat the man and make sure you do that. It doesn't matter how you do it, once you do.' Most of the leading lights, such as former winners Caolan Rafferty and Colm Campbell, made the cut with ease alongside veterans such as Douglas' Karl Bornemann (level par after two 72s) and Galway's Joe Lyons, who squeezed through in 63rd place after two 73s. Hickey, who was joint second on six-under, was delighted to make it after making life tough for himself after an opening 73. 'It was a pretty big improvement over yesterday, anyway,' the 24-year-old said after a round featuring seven birdies and an eagle three at the fourth. 'I hit a few nice shots coming in and birdied the 16th and 18th hopefully I am not out at the crack of dawn.'
Irish Independent
24-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Donald Trump's Doonbeg links an Irish Open candidate
A deal is believed to be close, though the DP World Tour had no advance on its stance in May. 'We are looking at a number of venues for the 2026 Amgen Irish Open and will make any announcement on that in due course,' a spokesperson reiterated. Doonbeg is understood to be making plans to build several new tees over the winter that would add yardage to the links. The DP World Tour is on a two-week break before returning for the Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen from August 7-10. US President Trump is making a private trip to Scotland on Friday to visit Trump Turnberry and his Aberdeenshire course. Doonbeg is just 20 miles from Lahinch, where Royal Portrush's Adam Buchanan and Royal Dublin's Seán Downes opened with six-under par 66s to lead the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship. They lead by a shot from Westport's Conor Stapleton and Castleknock's Quentin Carew in the battle to make the top 64 who qualify for the matchplay stages from tomorrow. On the PGA Tour, Séamus Power tees it up in the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Minnesota, looking to move closer to the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings who will have full membership for 2026. Power is ranked 133rd after picking up points in just two of his last seven starts. He will be making just his third appearance at TPC Twin Cities, where he was tied 37th last year, and faces stiff opposition from Chris Gotterup and Wyndham Clark, third and tied fourth in The Open, for his third PGA Tour victory. There's just a week to go before the AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl, and Leona Maguire and Lauren Walsh will be looking to hone their games for that test in the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links. The Scottish event marks the professional debut of England's Lottie Woad, the former world amateur No 1 who won the KPMG Women's Irish Open by six shots at Carton House before going to finish third in the Amundi Evian Championship. 'I am obviously very excited,' she said. 'I have been thinking about making my professional debut for a long time. Excited to do it more on home soil, as well. It's going to be really fun.' It's also a Major week for Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley and Pádraig Harrington, who play the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale.
Irish Examiner
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Past champions and future stars line up in 123rd South of Ireland at 'special' Lahinch
Peter Sheehan tees it up in his 40th Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship today but he's not the only former champion enamoured of the annual matchplay classic at Lahinch. As 58-year-old Sheehan goes off with fellow veterans Karl Bornemann and Sean Barry at 2:30pm, two former champions and a former runner-up will be on the back nine at the west Clare links reliving their past glories and enjoying the unique atmosphere of what is arguably Irish golf's most popular provincial championship. A 46-year-old Robbie Cannon, champion in 2009, joins last year's beaten semi-finalist, 54-year-old Pat Murray (winner in 2012) and the 53-year-old 2007 runner up Joe Lyons in a threeball that will be as much a trip down memory lane as another opportunity to defy the odds and frighten a few young guns by making the top 64 after 36 holes who qualify for the matchplay stages on Friday. "The minute you drive into the car park in Lahinch, you can almost smell golf," said Lyons, a former West of Ireland champion, who has become a prolific winner on the seniors circuit with seven championship wins to his name. "There is just something special about the place. "Lahinch has a charm to it, really. There's something magical about it and I love the design and holes such as the Dell or the Klondyke because they are unique in world golf." The Alastair Mackenzie-designed course will host the Walker Cup next year, and not only is Lyons keen to make the trip, but he will likely bump into old rivals like Murray and Cannon, who have a special "grá" for the course, the town and the championship. Murray finally ended his quest for South of Ireland glory in 2012 after multiple appearances in the quarter and semi-finals. "I just love the buzz there," said Tipperary native, who made a surprise appearance in the semi-finals 12 months ago, where he was beaten by eventual champion Patrick Adler of the US. "There's so much to be said for a golf course in the middle of the town. It's a great test when the wind blows and the atmosphere on the first tee box, right in front of the clubhouse, is second to none." Cannon can hardly believe it's been 16 years since he beat Cork's Gary O'Flaherty in the final and while he'll be hoping to capture lightning in a bottle and pulling for all his strength and conditioning clients, he'll be making sure to smell the wildflowers along the way. "The views on the golf course are fantastic, the people and all the members are lovely, and it's just a great place to play golf," Cannon said. "It's just one of my favourite places in golf." Adler is not defending his title, but there is still a quality field in action, diminished only by the absence of Amateur Championship runner-up Gavin Tiernan and 2015 winner Stuart Grehan, who are hoping to boost their chances of Walker Cup selection when they play for Great Britain and Ireland in this week's St Andrews Trophy at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro in Madrid. Players of the calibre of former champions Caolan Rafferty and Colm Campbell, Roscommon's Thomas Higgins, Malahide's Gavin O'Neill and Galgorm's Joshua Hill, not to mention Connemara's Luke O'Neill, last year's runner up Brian Doran of Millicent, West of Ireland winner Dylan Holmes and East of Ireland champion David Howard from Fota Island will be keen to make their mark. The 1985 champion, Sheehan, will be making his 40th appearance, and the memory of his victory remains vivid. "I played against Michael O'Kelly (Limerick) in the final. There must have been 5,000 people there," he told Golf Ireland this week. "The abiding memory was watching Padraig Harrington and his girlfriend, wife now, Caroline, strolling around watching us in the final, which is nice to see years later." Like Cannon, Murray and Lyons, there's nowhere he'd rather be this week. "They look after me every year, they make me feel so welcome as a past champion, and they make me feel as if I'm the winner coming back every year," said Sheehan, whose goal is to make the cut and take a few matchplay scalps. "They look after me so well, treat you so well, and it's just a really, really special place."
