Cormac Sharvin admits he could be further ahead going into the final round of the 116th TouchStore Irish PGA Championship but feels a two shot gap will force him to maintain his aggression rather than try to be defensive on a big lead at Limerick Golf Club.
Sharvin roared into the lead on twelve-under courtesy of a second round of 66 and he will be looking to hold off closest challengers Damian Mooney of Lough Erne and the K Club’s Conor O’Rourke who are both ten under as all three players look to land their first Irish PGA title.
Sharvin, of Killeen Castle, burst out of the traps with birdies on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th before a bogey on the par-3 7th was sandwiched between a blitz of birdies on the 6th 8th and 9th as he turned at eleven-under and threatened to run away with things. But he couldn’t quite give himself as many chances on the back nine with a birdie on the par-3 16th his only red number as good chances on 17 and 18 went begging.
“I’ve played really nicely got off to a really good start today, five-under through nine. Disappointed with my back nine felt like I could have put a bit of breathing room in there. Didn’t get enough out of it but nice to be leading,” said Sharvin who knows he must keep playing aggressively to hold off some big names including three-time winner Niall Kearney who lurks at eight-under after a 68.
“If I had been a few more I might have been a little more conservative but it’s probably not a bad thing that I am two ahead. I am going to stick to my gameplan, hit driver a lot and get it in and around the green and hopefully my short game can be better today and convert the putts and go low again. Someone can shoot 8 or 9 under so I have to keep the pedal down.”
Sharvin has won some big titles since coming on to the PGA in Ireland scene with two K Club Pro-Am titles. But to join the list of names like Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Des Smyth, Darren Clarke and Philip Walton would be quite the achievement.
“It would be huge, it’s one of the oldest championships in Ireland, one of the oldest PGA championships with a rich history and a lot of really good names. I would love nothing more than to add mine to it but we will have to go and play my own game tomorrow.”
In a share of second, O’Rourke is enjoying a fine Irish PGA Championship debut and in particular has found a love affair with the back nine, playing the last five holes in a cumulative seven-under of his ten-under total.
He birdied the last four holes on Tuesday for a 66 to keep alive his hopes of a huge victory and perhaps right the wrongs of last week’s Open Series playoff defeat. He like Mooney, knows that there is no time to stand still with a shootout expected.
“I’ve made hay towards the end of the round, found a purple patch late on in both rounds which is encouraging and nice. Eighteen holes to go with class players in and around me and hopefully I can be there or thereabouts.
“The second you hang back and try to be safe you will get caught. Just go out and put one foot forward and be as aggressive as I can and just hopefully things click again like the last few days.”
Kearney will most likely need to run through the gears at four shots back on eight-under while Richard Kilpatrick and Conor Ryan will need their best golf and a prayer to overhaul a five shot deficit but stranger things have happened.
Hoping for stranger things to fall their way will be defending champion Simon Thornton and Limerick’s very own Tim Rice who are six-under and alongside Jack Ryan of Castletroy and Mark O’Mahony who stole the show with a course record 64.
The Concept Golf man vaulted from below the cut mark and into the top-10 with ten birdies and two bogeys in a round that equals the 64 that Tiger Woods shot here in 2000 at the JP McManus Pro-Am.
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