Roganstown sensation Sean Keeling has booked himself a place in the matchplay section of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills after backing up his opening 69 with a two-under 68 to sit tied for third at -3.
Playing the South Course on day two after four birdies and three bogeys over the North Course in round one, the teenager traded two birdies and two bogeys on his outward nine to hit the turn at level-par.
Another bogey on the 10th saw him slip back to level-par overall before a run of four birdies in five holes saw him storm to the top of the leaderboard in the early stages of day two. A final blip on the 236-yard par-3 17th saw him fall from the lead, but a par at the brutish par-4 closing hole saw him sign off on a satisfactory day that leaves him comfortably on course to cruise through to the knockout stages which begin on Wednesday with the leading 64 qualifiers advancing.
Keeling is the sole Irish representative and made it through to matchplay in 2023 before bowing out in the round of 64, but a year older, a year wiser and clearly playing high-quality golf, he’ll have designs on adding his name to a roll of honour that includes Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth and David Duval.
It is unlikely that another ‘Woods’ will be engraved on the trophy – not this year at least – as Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, playing in his first U.S. Junior Amateur opened with an 82 that leaves him eight shots outside the cut-off mark for the top-64 ahead of his second round which he commences from the afternoon wave.
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