Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley completed a procession at stroke play qualifying as the South of Ireland Championship moves to the match play stages on Friday.
Foley shot out of the blocks on Wednesday with a blistering opening round 64 and added to it in fine conditions today with a two-under par 70 to move to a whopping 10-under par, a full seven strokes clear of nearest challenger, Greg O’Mahony from Fota Island.
O’Mahony compiled rounds of 72 and 69 to grab outright second ahead of some household names tying third with the likes of Hermitage’s Rowan Lester, who was leading qualifier in 2017 and has twice reached the final, Waterford’s Eanna Griffin and Carton House’s Marc Boucher amongst a group of seven players at two-under.
Beaten finalist in the North, Peter O’Keeffe was amongst the next batch of players to advance at minus-one while Naas star, Robert Brazill and the Galway pair of Joe Lyons and Ronan Mullarney booked their place in the knockout stages at level par.
Things will get no easier for the top-59 players who advanced today as Kinsale’s John Murphy, who missed out on the latest Walker Cup refined squad announcement, joins the fray alongside those who did make it – Amateur Champion James Sugrue, Kilkenny’s Mark Power, Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell and defending champion, Caolan Rafferty.
Sugrue’s presence at the South evokes glory days at Lahinch when amateur legends such as JB Carr and Garth McGimpsey topped the bill. Those giants of the past did not achieve a South-Amateur double in the same season so Sugrue has a unique opportunity in 2019.
There’s so much to play for this week as the Bridgestone Order of Merit hots up with precious points at stake in the third last event of the season.
Portmarnock ace Conor Purcell led the table ahead of the event. Purcell, Robert Brazill and Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) are the leading trio heading to Lahinch and the top three players at the end of the Bridgestone series securing selection on the Ireland team for the Home Internationals in September (9-11).
Match play action commences tomorrow with the South of Ireland the eighth of 10 events in the Bridgestone Order of Merit. The AIG Irish Close at Ballybunion (3-8 August) is the penultimate tournament and the series concludes at the Mullingar Scratch Trophy (10-11 August).
Results after Round 2 Stroke Play
134 H Foley (The Royal Dublin), 64, 70
141 G O’Mahony (Fota Island), 72, 69
142 M Boucher (Carton House), 71, 71; J Mc Donnell (Forrest Little), 71, 71; E Griffin (Waterford), 70, 72; G Dunne (Co. Louth), 70, 72; R Lester (Hermitage), 70, 72; D Morley (Oughterard), 68, 74; P Coughlan (Castleknock), 67, 75
143 D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh), 72, 71; A Hill (Athenry), 71, 72; P O’Keeffe (Douglas), 68, 75; R Clarke (The Island), 67, 76; P Murphy (Rosslare), 66, 77
144 J Lyons (Galway), 76, 68; S O’Connor (Castlebar), 74, 70; R Brazill (Naas), 73, 71; K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire), 73, 71; T Ford (Co. Sligo), 72, 72; D O’Sullivan (Tralee), 72, 72; K Egan (Carton House), 72, 72; R Mullarney (Galway), 71, 73; J Ryan (Castletroy), 71, 73; J Rackard (Enniscorthy), 69, 75; H O’Hare (Fortwilliam), 69, 75
145 J Whelan (Newlands), 73, 72; R McKeever (Castle), 72, 73; T McLarnon (Massereene), 72, 73; S Desmond (Monkstown), 67, 78
146 R Moran (Castle), 75, 71; S Dickey (UNM North USA), 75, 71; G O’Flaherty (Cork), 73, 73; L Grehan (Mullingar), 72, 74; P Buckley (Memorial Golf Club, USA), 72, 74; P McKeever (Castle), 71, 75; S Flanagan (Portmarnock ), 71, 75; S Hogan (Nenagh), 71, 75; J Hewitt (Tandragee), 70, 76; C Nolan (Galway), 67, 79
147 B Doran (Baltinglass), 72, 75; G Lenehan (Portmarnock), 69, 78; M Horan (Birr Golf Club), 68, 79
148 D McMahon (Castletroy), 78, 70; M McClean (Malone), 77, 71; D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown), 75, 73; H Duggan (Kilkenny), 75, 73; K McCormack (Portarlington), 75, 73; S Barker (Mourne), 74, 74; M Reddan (Limerick), 74, 74; J Temple (Portmarnock), 74, 74; A Doran (Co. Louth), 73, 75; J Fox (Portmarnock), 72, 76; P Conroy (Enniscorthy), 72, 76; C Butler (Kinsale), 71, 77; A Ryan (Thurles), 70, 78
149 M McKinstry (Cairndhu), 77, 72; R O’Doherty (Enniscrone), 77, 72; E Farrell (Ardee), 76, 73; J Doherty (Carton House), 76, 73;
Missed Cut J Walsh (Castle), 73, 76; L Power (Galway), 72, 77; E Leonard (Wentworth England), 71, 78; L Nolan (Galway), 71, 78; D Coghlan (Portmarnock), 71, 78; M Young (Golf Du Prieuré, France), 71, 78
150 A McCormack (Castletroy), 76, 74; C Kenny (Portmarnock), 76, 74; R Black (Hilton Templepatrick), 75, 75; P Murray (Clontarf), 75, 75; T Clarke (Royal Portrush), 75, 75; J Rowe (Tandragee), 74, 76; R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire), 72, 78; M Buggy (Castlecomer), 72, 78; O O’Brien (Limerick), 71, 79
151 R O’Connor (Co. Sligo), 77, 74; J Hood (Galgorm Castle), 77, 74; G Cullen (The Links Portmarnock), 77, 74; B Murray (Waterford Castle), 76, 75; C Cunningham (Carton House), 76, 75; G Smyth (Clonmel), 76, 75; F O’Sullivan (Tralee), 75, 76; M Nolan (Dun Laoghaire), 74, 77; P Tobin (Douglas), 73, 78; J Maginn (Mourne), 73, 78; T Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown), 72, 79; I Lynch (Rosslare), 71, 80; T O’Connor (Athlone), 70, 81
152 M Healy (Kinsale), 79, 73; J Kehoe (Limerick), 76, 76; R Dutton (Tandragee), 76, 76; D Flynn (Carton House), 76, 76; S Walsh (Portmarnock), 74, 78; R Knightly (The Royal Dublin), 74, 78; E Stack (Ballybunion), 72, 80; R Browne (Castle), 71, 81
153 E Smith (The Links Portmarnock), 78, 75; M O’Kelly (Limerick), 77, 76; J Blake (The Island), 76, 77; A Hickey (Ballyhaunis), 74, 79; T Dowdall (Woodbrook), 74, 79; D Connolly (Olympic, USA), 72, 81; A Holé (Biarritz Le Phare ), 70, 83
154 G Ward (Kinsale), 82, 72; J McCarthy (Grange), 81, 73; E O’Brien (Clontarf), 80, 74; K Lynch (Skibbereen), 79, 75; C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire), 78, 76; D Sweeney (Killeen Castle), 77, 77; T Cleary (Woodstock), 76, 78; T O’Mahony (Doneraile ), 76, 78; C Denvir (Elm Park), 76, 78; P Sheehan (Ballybunion), 76, 78; J Hearn (Tramore), 76, 78; P Flynn (Tramore), 75, 79; S Downes (The Royal Dublin), 75, 79
155 C Vaughan (Limerick), 75, 80; O Devereux (Carton House), 72, 83
156 B Shally (Dromoland), 80, 76; S Greenberg (Tandragee), 79, 77; S Poucher (Limerick), 78, 78; T Hackett (Royal Dublin), 78, 78; R Latimer (Knock), 78, 78; C Murtagh (Balcarrick), 75, 81; D Kitt (Athenry), 75, 81; J Sabir (Moate), 75, 81; R Ward (Nenagh), 75, 81
157 M Kennelly (Galway Bay), 82, 75; M MacGrath (UNM North USA), 81, 76; S Muldowney (Shadowridge USA), 75, 82; J Greene (Portmarnock), 74, 83
158 T Neenan (Lahinch), 80, 78; L O’Connor (Edmondstown), 78, 80; C Hickey (Dooks), 77, 81; M O’Neill (Coollattin), 77, 81
159 J Bolger (Jnr) (Courtown), 81, 78; K Bornemann (Douglas), 78, 81; N Schaffrath (GLC Berlin-Wannsee, Germany), 77, 82; N Hearns (Mountrath), 76, 83
160 B Gilligan (Woodstock), 81, 79; M McCormack (The Island/Moss Creek), 77, 83
161 R Berkeley (Dun Laoghaire), 79, 82
163 W Taylor (Cape Fear, USA), 82, 81
164 D Brady (Co. Sligo), 83, 81; P Fitzpatrick (Kanturk), 82, 82; C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire), 79, 85
166 J Fletcher (Warrenpoint), 80, 86
NR 76 P Spratt (West Waterford)
NR 79 C Taylor (Kanturk); R Pierse (Grange)
RTD 80 G Carr (Mullingar)
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