A field of 138 has been whittled down to two at the Connolly Motor Group West of Ireland Championship at County Sligo Golf Club, and either Dylan Holmes or Colm Campbell will add their name to the illustrious roll of honour.
18-year-old Holmes, playing not just in his first West of Ireland Championship, but his first Men’s Championship ever, turned up with his ‘A game’ to face Rosses Point native and current Cork Golf Club member Barry Anderson, and the Greystones teenager never trailed the 2017 champion.
He showed maturity that belied his age as he repeatedly holed putts from inside 10 feet on the back nine, winning 11 to go 2UP, for halves on 13, 14 and for a 2UP lead-restoring win on 15, before closing the match out on 17 when Anderson conceded his five-footer with two putts for the match.
“I played my best golf today,” Holmes said afterwards. “It was a great match. Every time I needed to hole a putt, I holed a putt and every time he needed to hole a putt, he holed the putt as well. It was very back and forth and I was just very happy to come out on top.”
Not content with mixing it with the country’s top amateurs, he’s eyeing glory and becoming the youngest winner of the West of Ireland Championship since Rory McIlroy back in 2006.
“Yeah, definitely it is,” he said when asked if victory was now all that mattered. “It’s pretty much it, yeah, here to win.”
Standing between him and the title is 37-year-old four-time major winner Campbell from Warrenpoint. The two-time Irish Amateur Open winner, and former South and East of Ireland champion is playing in his first West of Ireland final after a sublime performance that saw off pre-tournament favourite Stuart Grehan in the semi-final.
“It was always going to be a tough game against Stuart, you know,” Campbell said, “he’s a quality player, so I knew that it was going to be tough from the word go and I got off to a really good start.”
It was better than good; he birdied the second and third and eagled the fifth hole to go play the first five in four-under, and took a commanding lead in the match but he knew Grehan wouldn’t go lightly.
“Absolutely, and especially out there,” he said. “It’s so difficult to keep hitting good shot after good shot in those conditions and I was just trying to play par golf.”
The final pits the prospective youngest winner since McIlroy in ’06 against the prospective oldest winner since Garth McGimpsey back in 1996, and Campbell is determined to put on a show for the fans who brave the elements to watch.
“I don’t know him that well,” he admits, “but no doubt it’ll be a good game and hopefully the weather stays with us and we give the spectators a decent final to watch.”
Leave a comment