Simon Thornton came charging through the field with a five-under 65 to set the clubhouse target at four-under, but he needed three additional holes to finally see off first-round leader Conor O’Rourke in a thrilling playoff at the PGA Open Series event at Carlow Golf Club’s Deerpark Course.
The Newcastle native and current Elavon Order of Merit leader on the PGA in Ireland Region took an aggressive approach to round two with five strokes to make up on O’Rourke, and it paid off as he went out in two-under having birdied four of the first five holes, then played the back nine in -3 rolling in a birdie putt on the last to post four-under.
O’Rourke covered the front nine in one-under with three birdies and two bogeys, but reached the 18th needing a birdie to force a playoff. He duly delivered, and the duo headed to the 10th tee for a sudden-death playoff.
They halved both 10 and 11 in par, but when O’Rourke found sand trouble on the 18th – the third playoff hole – Thornton stuck his approach to 20 feet and was able to two-putt for birdie and clinch his first PGA Open Series victory and his fifth win of the season.
“I’m delighted,” Thornton said afterwards. “I have a 100% record in playoffs in tournaments, to be fair, and I did the same things I did when I won on the European Tour in 2013.
“I played 18 lovely. It was unfortunate for Conor as he was in three bunkers and hit two great bunker shots but couldn’t keep it going on the last. But yeah, I’m delighted.”
The win sets him up nicely for his defence of his Irish PGA Championship crown at Limerick Golf Club next week having claimed a fourth victory in the flagship event at Monkstown in 2025.
“I know that I’m in good form and I just need to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m hitting my drives where I’m supposed to hit them really. As Roy Keane says, I’m just doing my job, but I’m playing nicely and I’ve got to keep that mentality going. Just let it flow freely and whatever happens, happens.”
Dooks’ Daniel Sugrue and Richard Kilpatrick of Banbridge shared third place at -2, with the former matching Thornton’s 65 for low-round of the day, while Clontarf’s Eoin O’Brien was the only other player to finish the 36 holes in red figures and took solo fifth at -1.
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