NUI Galway’s Liam Nolan birdied three of the last six holes to pip Maynooth’s Ryan Griffin to the title by one stroke at the Irish leg of the R&A Student Series at Carton House.
The Irish International, who impressed as part of the winning Home Internationals side last month, looks a real talent for the future after recovering from an outward half of 39 with an inward nine of 33 to take the title in fine style at six-under par.
Nolan, from Galway Golf Club, only dropped four shots across three rounds, all coming on the final day but held tough to take the title in an all-Irish 1-2-3 at the home of Golf Ireland.
Maynooth’s Griffin can count himself unlucky having piled on the pressure with a birdie at the last for a two-under final round 70 that would ultimately fall one short while his teammate David Kitt bounced back from an opening 78 with rounds of 68 and 69 to breeze through the field and into a podium finish at one-under par.
In the women’s event, it wasn’t to be for Maynooth’s Clodagh Walsh who carded a final round 79 to finish best of the Irish in outright sixth at 14-over par, 10 shots behind Stirling duo Penelope Brown and Lorna McClymont who tied at the top at four-over in regulation play.
The R&A Student Series was first launched in 2019 to provide student golfers throughout UK and Europe with high performance playing opportunities. It extends the support of student golf. Each year, almost £500,000 is invested in student and university golf through the R&A Foundation Scholars programme. Currently, the organisation supports golf programmes at 17 universities and in the 2020 /2021 academic year and awards individual Foundation scholarships.
The R&A has supported university and student golf for over 37 years with former scholars including: 2019 Champion Golfer of the Year Shane Lowry (University College Dublin); 2018 Champion Golfer of the Year Francesco Molinari (University of Turin); 2021 Masters Tournament winner Hideki Matsuyama; and Catriona Matthew (University of Stirling), the 2019 and 2021 European Solheim Cup Captain and former AIG Women’s Open Champion.
- Full scoring HERE
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