Richard Kilpatrick did most of his damage over a four-hole stretch and it was enough to see the Banbridge man overtake the clubhouse leader and clinch victory at The Conor O’Dwyer Charity Pro-Am at Kilkea Castle.
Dundalk’s Cian Geraghty had set the clubhouse target at three-under-par in the morning wave, making six birdies on a day where none of the 44 players were able to keep bogeys off the card.
Kilpatrick began his round on the ninth hole in the shotgun start format, and slipped the wrong side of par with a bogey on 10. That was his only dropped shot however, and he was back at level-par with a birdie on 14. He remained that way until the second – his 12th – where an eagle-three sparked an incredible run in which he birdied the following three to play the four-hole stretch in five-under.
From there, he parred his way to the clubhouse and though Neil O’Briain and Joe Dillon were able to match Geraghty’s earlier score, Kilpatrick had clear daylight between himself and the chasing pack and made it five victories on the PGA in Ireland Region for 2026.
The second-ranked player on the Elavon Order of Merit also put a little more breathing space between he and third-ranked Cormac Sharvin, winner of the Irish PGA Championship a fortnight ago, and closes the gap on Simon Thornton though the 2025 Order of Merit champion and PGA in Ireland Captain maintains a healthy lead at the top.
Michael McDermott, who made an impressive nine birdies over his 18 holes, was among those who shared fifth place at -2 alongside Niall Kearney, Richard Weldon, David Ryan, and Jimmy Bolger.
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