Matthew McClean finished his opening round of the 59th Lytham Trophy with a birdie to lie just five shots off the lead at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
McClean is the leading Irishman in seventeenth place on one-over after a well fought 71 and he will be looking to chase down leader Jackson Garnett of England who edged one shot ahead of Wales’ Matt Roberts and Italy’s Michele Ferrero with a four-under 66.
McClean who is 31 and will defend his Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship in Seapoint next weekend, started bogey, birdie before cancelling out a bogey on the fifth with a birdie on 9.
A biride on the tenth made it back to back gains as the Malone man moved into red figures. Successive dropped shots on 11 and 12 dropped him back to plus one and he remained there after a bogey, birdie finish.
Debutants Luke O’Neill (Connemara) and Irish Close champion Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) share 25th place after rounds of 72 and they are one shot clear of Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty, Royal Dublin’s Jack McDonnell and Athenry’s David Kitt.
Kitt had the highlight of the day with a hole in one on the ninth.
The top 40 and ties after the second round make the cut for the final 36 holes.
Co Sligo’s Aodhagan Brady and Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell shot 74, Grange’s Jake Whelan is a shot further back while Edmondstown’s Liam Abom and Charleville’s Jordan Boles have a fighting chance of making it to the final round after rounds of 76.
However, Roscommon’s Simon Walker and Millicent’s Brian Doran have a mountain to climb after rounds of 82 and 84.
Scoring HERE
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