Shane Jenkinson picked up his third win of the season as he tied at the top with Mullingar’s James Quinlivan at the Irish Club Pro Pro-Am in Millicent Golf Club.
Both players finished on five-under after rounds of 68 and will return to the Clane venue on Friday for the Irish Club Pro Championship which is strictly for PGA Professionals, with some professionals who opted out of the pro-am pencilled in to compete.
Quinlivan earned his first win of the 2022 campaign with a hole-out eagle on the par-4 11th proving pivotal for his chances and he might have claimed the spoils outright had he not dropped a shot on his penultimate hole.
The Mullingar GC professional started fast with a brace of opening birdies. He then picked up another shot on the par-4 8th to turn in 33.
After a brilliant eagle on 11, Quinlivan moved to six-under with a birdie on the par-3 15th but a late bogey saw him leave the door ajar and in walked Jenkinson.
The Island Golf Club professional lit up the back nine coming home in just 32 strokes with a magnificent run of four successive birdies after the turn.
Jenkinson endured a topsy turvy front nine with birdies on the second and eighth cancelled out by dropped shots on the fourth and sixth.
Having actually found himself over-par for the day after six holes the birdie on the 8th kickstarted his round and he made his charge from the tenth to the thirteenth where four birdies in a row made it five birdies in six holes.
While Quinlivan faltered on the 17th, Jenkinson found one more gain with a two to climb alongside him.
The pair finished one ahead of Irish PGA Championship runner-up Brian McElhinney who will rue a bogey on the par-5 16th as he shot a four-under 69.
The North West GC man had birdied the par-5 13th and par-3 15th to leap into a share of the lead before letting one go late on.
The Donegal native played the four par-3s in three-under after birdies on the 4th, 9th and 15th were followed by a par on 17.
Scoring wasn’t quite as hot as it has been in the last few events with just eight players in red figures at days end including David Higgins, Simon Thornton and Glen Robinson who were tied for fourth on –2.
Scoring HERE
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