Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports will provide the test for the 36-hole stroke play qualifying at the Amateur Championship on Monday as eighteen Irish hopefuls tee it up.
Just two Irish players progressed through last year’s stroke play stage in Ballyliffin but in Stuart Grehan and Matthew McClean in particular, there is hope of a deep run.
Both players harbour Walker Cup hopes in September and this is a huge counting event towards that while it is also part of a three-event series to qualify for the Open Championship in Royal Portrush.
Grehan, third at the European Mid-Amateur last week, came through a pre-qualifier for this week but he is bang in form after winning the Irish Amateur Championship last month and having another good run at the East a couple of weeks ago.
The Tullamore native recently regained his amateur status and makes his first appearance at the Amateur since 2017.
The Walker Cup is very much on his agenda this year after missing out eight years ago due to a freak injury.
“There’s no point backing down from that question,” Grehan declares. “Yeah, of course. Yeah, it’s something I definitely want to do. I represented Europe in the Palmer Cup, obviously Ireland and GB&I, St. Andrews Trophy just the year the Walker Cup wasn’t on. So yeah, it’s definitely a thing I want to do. There’s no point in shying away from it. So yeah, 100%.”
McClean meanwhile is Ireland’s highest ranked player at 188 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and has three-top-10 finishes this term.
East of Ireland champion David Howard and Gavin Tiernan also qualified alongside Grehan over the weekend to book their debut appearances in the event.
Benjamin Oberholser (Clandeboye), Keith Egan (Carton House), Sean Keeling (Roganstown), Luke O’Neill (Connemara), Jack Murphy (Douglas), Paul Coughlan (Castleknock), Gavin O’Neill (Malahide), James Gould-Healy (Monterey), Joe Lyons (Galway), Mark Cadden (Roganstown), Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar), Brian Doran (Millicent), Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) and Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) complete the Irish line-up.
After 36 holes of stroke play, the top-64 will progress to the matchplay stages, played at Royal St George’s.
Tee Times HERE
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