There will be no fairytale stories of Irish success at either the R&A Boy’ or Girls’ Amateur Championships this year as both Adam Fahey and Zoe McLean-Tatton fell in their respective rounds of 32.
Fahey, who secured a dominant 6&4 round of 64 win over Czech Mikulas Vojtesek – the roles were reversed in last year’s round of 32 at County Louth – was facing Icelander Oliver Eli Bjornsson at Glasgow Gailes Golf Club.
With Isaac Oliver, John William Burke and Harry O’Hara all losing out in matches that went the distance and beyond, this left Fahey as Ireland’s only hope at ending a 40-year famine at the R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship.
16-year-old Bjornsson took an early advantage and continued to press, eventually seeing off Fahey on the 16th to secure a 3&2 win, meaning Leslie Walker’s 1986 win will last at least another 12 months as the most recent time the title has rested on Irish shores.
It was a similar scenario in the Girls’ Championship at Craigielaw, where McLean-Tattan survived as Ella Cantwell, Molly Campbell and Hannah Lee-McNamara all bowed out.
Facing the highly-fancied Axelle Guillemard of France, the Romford native took an early advantage but the pair finished the 18th at all-square and headed back up the first where Guillemard booked her place in the round of 16 and sent the remaining Irish competitor packing.
This leaves the final 16 in the Boys’ Amateur Championship comprised of four French, three Englishmen, including leading qualifier Self Cole, two Swedes who face each other in the round of 16, two Germans, and one each from Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Iceland and Denmark.
The last 16 in the Girls’ Amateur features three Germans, two French, two Spaniards and two South Africans, and one each from Norway, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Scotland, England and Sweden.
FULL BOYS’ SCORING
FULL GIRLS’ SCORING
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