Paul Dunne picked up his first top-20 at any level since May 2019 as he finished tied for 20th at the Cazoo Open supported by Gareth Bale on the DP World Tour.
The Greystones man has battled through injury and a loss of form over the last three years and has been grafting away mostly on the Challenge Tour this season.
But having earned a spot in the field at Celtic Manor this week, he made the most of it as he closed with a two-over 73 to end the week one-over-par – just inside the top-20.
And he made a splash in more ways than one, Dunne losing his shirt to play a shot from the edge of the water on the par-three third in order to rescue an early bogey, taking a mouthful of mud in the process!
In the end, the 29-year-old finished with just one birdie and three bogeys, but it is a week that he will take plenty of confidence from having started the season with 12 missed cuts in 15 events.
It was a straightforward win in the end for England’s Callum Shinkwin, who eased to a four-shot victory at the Twenty Ten Course, closing with a one-under 70 to finish top at 12-under-par ahead of Scotland’s Connor Syme.
The 29-year-old carded six birdies and five bogeys in the final round at Newport to stay well ahead of the chasing pack, with Syme holding on for second at eight-under-par with an eagle, three birdies and two bogeys in a three-under 68.
France’s Julien Guerrier, who started the day one shot behind Shinkwin, fell away with a five-over 76 in his final round to end the week in a share of third at five-under-par alongside Renato Paratore, Andy Sullivan, David Dixon and Lucas Bjerregaard.
Meanwhile, Niall Kearney closed with an eagle, two birdies, four bogeys and a double-bogey in a two-over 73 which dropped him down to 10-over-par, tied for 59th.
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