Caolan Rafferty completed the historic provincial slam as he won the North of Ireland Amateur Championship at Portstewart to become the first player to win the North, South, East and West titles.
A birdie on the 71st hole was enough for Rafferty to win by a shot on three-under-par after a final round of 70 and hold off late challenges from England’s Ben Willis and Andrew Mulholland of Castlerock.
“Buzzing,” beamed the Dundalk man. “It was stressful, it wasn’t easy, it was never going to be easy. But i made it a little bit tricky on myself with a couple of silly shots at the wrong time but I’m just delighted to get over the line.
Rafferty began the day in a share of the lead with Carton House man Cathal MacCanna and made a dream start to the 36-hole final day with three birdies in his first six holes, starting on the back nine.
However, he has been made to work for everything this week and Portstewart Golf Club bit back as he dropped shots on the 17th, 18th and 6th to sign for a 71 which still kept him one clear of South champion Jonathan Keane who had burst into second place on one-under after a 66.
Rafferty looked to be putting on a clinic of front running as he aimed to go wire to wire and a birdie at the fourth briefly had him three shots clear on three-under.
However, an inexplicable three-putt on eleven kept him honest but he responded well with a birdie on the par-5 13th. Another bogey came at the par-3 15th when he failed to get up and down from the left bunker.
At this stage Hunstanton’s Willis was putting on the back nine of his life. Three successive birdies from 11 and another birdie on 15 had him tied with Rafferty and he could have been two clear had short birdie efforts on 17 and 18 not lipped out.
Mulholland joined Willis in the clubhouse on two-under after a bogey-free 68, leaving everything in Rafferty’s hands again.
He had a brief glance right of the 17th tee and saw his daughter in the arms of his wife and that spurred him on to hit two cracking shots into 17 to set up a crucial birdie and he held his nerve going down the last to two-putt for the slam.
“I seen the wee teddy bear as I call her over in the corner,” he smiled. “Yeah, I didn’t do a lot wrong didn’t think I was playing that bad all it was going to be was four more good strikes and hopefully two or three putts to finish the last two holes.
“Once I got the drive away, had a good chat with the caddie, hit a good shot in and I just struggled reading the putts and just said go straight and firm, the old reliable.”
Up until that point the putter had been cold and not much was happening for Rafferty as his place in history lay in the balance. The momentum wouldn’t have been with him in a playoff and he also had to hold off ankle snappers Dylan Keating and Dylan Shaw-Radford.
“Just pure frustration, pulling my hair out and wondering when is it ever going to happen. That’s golf and you just keep giving yourself opportunities and hitting good shots. Got a few bad breaks like divots in the fairway and recovered really well. It’s just a grind, grind and grind again, that’s the way to play this game.”
Rafferty’s journey to the historic provincial slam began in Lahinch when he won the 2018 South of Ireland before adding the West to his collection a year later.
He ended years of heartache in Co. Louth Golf Club last year when he finally clinched the East meaning he just needed the North of Ireland to complete the set.
The North proved elusive for Joe Carr, Barry Reddan and Mark Gannon while Hugh Foley couldn’t lay his hands on the East. Darren Clarke couldn’t clinch the West as the South got away from Garth McGimpsey, David Long and Arthur Pierse, but Rafferty has finally wrapped his hands around all four titles.
A legend of Irish amateur golf, not that he thinks so…
“I’m still just a little fat fella from Dundalk if the truth was known!” he laughed. “I’m delighted obviously to say the first to do it, I’m shocked that that’s the way it is but it’s a great feeling to have all four of them.
“Setting out winning my first one I didn’t think I would be at this point.”
Just three players ended the week in red figures with Seapoint’s Keating giving yet another glimpse of his potential with a level-par total after a final round of 68 where he flirted with the title.
Geoff Lenehan and Shaw-Radford were a shot further back alongside Athenry’s David Kitt while David Reddan and Keane were two-over.
Liam Abom carded rounds of 69 and 72 to claim tenth place on five-over, one shot ahead of his brother Thomas.
Scoring HERE
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