Stuart Grehan finds himself in a share of fifth place after the opening round of the European Mid-Amateur Championships at Quinta do Peru in Portugal.
The reigning Irish Amateur Open champion carded a level-par 72 but will be a little disappointed having bogeyed two of his final three holes. He began his day with a birdie on the first, but bogeys on two and three saw him make the turn at +1. Three birdies in four holes on the back got him to the top of the early leaderboard, but despite the poor finish, he’s just four shots off the lead with 36 holes to play.
The County Louth man has made no secret of his desire to make the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team in Lahinch in 2026, but a victory here would send a strong message to Captain Dean Robertson ahead of this year’s event at Cypress Point.
Rosslare’s Mark Shanahan and Darragh Flynn of Carton House are tied for 29th at +4, while Grehan’s fellow County Louth man Evan Farrell is one shot further adrift at +5.
Just four players broke par on a difficult opening day, and it was Spaniard Ignaicio de Pineda who took first-round-leader honours with a four-under 68. He’s one clear of Austrian Christopf Kogl, with German Marian Ludvig and Estonia’s Mattias Varjun sharing third on -1.
Shanahan lies tied for sixth in the Men’s 40+ category, with the leading trio on level-par.
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