Teenager John Doyle will take a two-shot lead into the final round of the Boylesports Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup after he became the first player to reach double figures after 36 holes of play in glorious conditions at Lee Valley Golf Club.
Doyle carded rounds of 68 and 66 to lead on ten-under-par ahead of East of Ireland champion and fellow Fota Island clubman David Howard with Cork’s Jonathon O’Sullivan in third place on seven-under.
The 18-year-old Leaving Cert student put the books away for one weekend and showed he still has an aptitude on the course. After four birdies on a clean card for a morning 68, he returned in the afternoon and got his second round underway in blistering style with three birdies in his first five holes.
Doyle added another birdies on the 8th before his only bogey of the tournament so far came on the par-4 10th. The soon to be LSU golfer finished with a flourish to take control of affairs heading into tomorrow with birdies on the 14th, 15th and 17th.
Howard held a two-shot lead after the morning round courtesy of a fantastic bogey-free seven-under 65 but the Irish international was erratic in the afternoon but did well to post a 71.
Howard retained his lead with birdies on the 3rd and 4th but handed those shots back on holes 5 and 6 before a birdie on the 8th was cancelled out by a third bogey of the front nine. He fell over par for his afternoon round when he dropped a shot at the 14th but he managed to get himself back into the final group with back to back birdies on 15 and 16.
O’Sullivan posted rounds of 67 and 70 to give himself a good chance going into Sunday’s shootout while Rosslare’s Mark Shanahan will be keen on gatecrashing the supposed three horse race from five-under after rounds of 71 and 68.
Shannon’s Donnacha Halpin is on three-under while Lee Valley member Ben Murray is a shot further back.
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