Quinlan thaws out best to take Gross prize at Portmarnock Links

After a morning frost delay, Steven Quinlan of SQ Golf warmed to the task, carding a one-over par round of 72 to take the Gross Prize at the latest TaylorMade Winter Series outing at Portmarnock Links.

The experienced pro actually returned the same score as two weeks ago but on this occasion his 72 proved to be good enough for the win.

Going out in one-under par with a bogey on the first cancelled out by two birdies on the sixth and ninth, Quinlan ground out a two-over par back-nine as the wind picked up in the afternoon.

At one-over, he finished one shot clear of Newlands amateur Charlie Connell with Carton House’s EDGA pro Brendan Lawlor back in third after a 74. Lawlor starts his G4D campaign at the British Masters in April.

75 players teed up in an unusual northerly breeze that made the course play trickier than usual but in the Nett prize, Lisburn’s Patrick Buckley wasn’t complaining after the Lisburn 6.8 handicap took top honours with a 72, winning by a shot from fellow Lisburn golfer Chris Moulds.

Playing off nine on the day, Buckley made the turn in five-over par with a double bogey on the first before dropped shots on the 3^rd, 5^th and another double bogey on the 7^th. He managed to birdie the par-5 6^th.

He came home in five-over par with bogeys on 12, 13 and 15 before an unfortunate double on the last, but he wouldn’t be denied a worthy win.

RESULTS 1^st March – Nett:

• 1^st:        Patrick Buckley (6.8)         Lisburn GC                          72
• 2^nd:       Chris Moulds (+1.1)          Lisburn GC                          73
• 3^rd:      Declan Walsh (4.2)             Portmarnock Links           74

Gross:

• 1^st:        Steven Quinlan (Pro)       SQ Golf                              72
• 2^nd:       Charlie Connell (+0.9)      Newlands GC                     73
• 3^rd:       Brendan Lawlor (Pro)       Carton House                    74