18-year-old Roganstown amateur Patrick Keeling shot a final-round four-under 68 only to be pipped by Jonathan Caldwell at the European Pro Golf event in Alicante.
Keeling, playing alongside the Clandeboye pro in the final group, led the amateur section by nine strokes going into the final round, but had bigger things on his mind and signalled his early intent with a birdie-three at the first. Two more followed on six and nine, the latter seeing him join Caldwell at the top of the leaderboard with Scotland’s Darren Howie one stroke behind.
Caldwell put in a bogey-free performance, picking up strokes at the par-5 second and 10th holes, and with Keeling also making four on the 10th, the two Irishmen had a two-shot cushion over the Scot.
Howie fought back on the next, birdieing the par-4 11th but a bogey on the 12th left him one adrift again, and when Keeling bogeyed the 14th, Caldwell was the outright leader once again.
A birdie-three at the 16th brought Howie back level with Keeling, and when both men birdied the 17th and Caldwell parred, it was a three-way tie at the top. That’s the way it stayed as all three carded par-fours on the closing hole, posting -13, and to a playoff it went.
However, it was Caldwell who prevailed with a birdie on the third playoff hole but only after being extended by a Keeling birdie on the second extra hole. What an encounter! Keeling could be consoled by his 13-shot romp home in the amateur section.
Patrick Keeling with an outstanding performance at the Lo Romero Open his 13 under seen him win the amateur and earned him a play off in the overall he would make a nice birdie on the 2nd to extend but Jonathan Cladwell birdied 3 to win
Putt to extend playoff 👇 pic.twitter.com/PjO4iFzhD6— Irish Amateur golf info (@amateur_info) February 8, 2023
Fellow amateur Padraig O’Dochartaigh was next-best placed of the Irish, his final-round 70 saw him post level-par, beaten by break of tie for the runner-up position in the amateur section.
Leave a comment