Conor O’Rourke is joined by Eoin O’Brien and Jason Murphy for the third and final round of the Clutch Pro Tour’s season opening event at the Jack Nicklaus designed St. Mellion Golf Club in South-West England.
For the second day in succession, scoring proved difficult with just seven of the 158 players who took to the course breaking par.
O’Rourke began the day at +4 and, lying 65th, with the top 50 and ties making it through to the final round, he had ground to make up. He’d cover his first nine holes – the back nine on the course – in one over courtesy of a bogey at the 18th, but the K Club man would card birdies at one, two and five before a double-bogey at the sixth brought him back to level for the day.
From there, he’d trade another birdie with another bogey to ultimately sign for a level-par 72 that would see him climb 46 spots on the leaderboard to T19.
Clontarf’s Eoin O’Brien matched O’Rourke’s 72, recording five birdies, two bogeys and a costly triple-bogey, and he climbed 57 places to T28 on +5.
Jason Murphy was the best placed Irishman courtesy of a two-over 74 on day one, and though he’d find the going a little more difficult in the second round, his 76 sees him safely through in a tie for 38th at +6.
Unfortunately for Rowan Lester, he’d miss the cut by the minimum after playing his two rounds in eight-over, and Tom Dowdall and Daniel Mulligan also fell victim to the 36-hole cut.
England’s Olly Huggins leads the way after two rounds on a score of -2. His two-under 70 was the second-lowest of the day, and he enjoys a one-stroke lead over 2017 Amateur Champion Harry Ellis, and they are the only players under par after two rounds.
Three players are tied for third on level par, including 2020 Amateur Champion Joe Long and Nick McCarthy whose second-round 68 was the lowest score of the day by two.
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