Haugh enjoys major success with Irish Seniors Close win at Tralee

Haugh enjoys major success with Irish Seniors Close win at Tralee
Winner Eamonn Haugh (Castletroy) with the Arnold Palmer statue after his victory in the Irish Seniors Amateur Close Championship at Tralee Golf Club. Picture by Pat Cashman

Winner Eamonn Haugh (Castletroy) with the Arnold Palmer statue after his victory in the Irish Seniors Amateur Close Championship at Tralee Golf Club. Picture by Pat Cashman

Castletroy’s Eamonn Haugh claimed the Irish Seniors Amateur Close by two strokes at Tralee.

Trailing by one going into the final round, the 50-year old former Munster interprovincial and 2014 Munster Mid-Amateur champion closed with a 73 to win on seven over par 223 from Castlerock’s David Mulholland (71)

Overnight leader Pat Lyons finished three behind in third after a 77 with Lahinch’s Declan McInerney (77) fourth.

“I’m relieved that I held it together,” Haugh told the GUI website. “It doesn’t get any better than this. I was just delighted I was able to hold on and I didn’t fold.”

Irish Seniors Amateur Close Championship, Tralee (Par 72)

Detailed scores

223 Eamonn Haugh (Castletroy) 76 74 73

225 David Mulholland (Castlerock) 78 76 71

226 Pat Lyons (Cork) 74 75 77

227 Declan McInerney (Lahinch) 77 73 77

229 Maurice Kelly (Naas) 77 78 74

231 John O'Brien (Castlemartyr) 77 78 76

232 Alan Moran (Tuam) 80 77 75, David Conway (Portmarnock) 79 74 79, Hugh Smyth (Mourne) 77 79 76

233 Liam Halpin (Westport) 81 77 75, Arthur Pierse (Tipperary Golf Club) 79 80 74, Donal O'Donovan (Bandon) 77 78 78

234 Adrian Morrow (Portmarnock) 81 77 76, Jim Carvill (Banbridge) 80 76 78, Mark McMurray (Royal Portrush) 80 73 81, Frank Flynn (Laytown & Bettystown) 76 79 79

235 Tom Cleary (Cork) 81 76 78, Michael Coote (Tralee) 79 79 77

236 Hugh O'Leary (Muskerry) 80 78 78, Karl Bornemann (Douglas) 80 77 79, Barry O'Leary (Greystones) 78 79 79

237 Ernest Heywood (City of Derry) 77 85 75, Gerard O'Sullivan (Tralee) 77 79 81

238 Billy Donlon (Birr) 79 78 81

239 John Mitchell (Tramore) 82 78 79

240 Pat Bevins (Carlow) 83 79 78, Gerard Maher (Castletroy) 81 75 84

241 John L Hughes (Woodbrook) 84 78 79

242 Val Smyth (Co. Louth) 85 77 80, Nigel Duke (Killiney) 83 79 80, Dermot Morris (Limerick) 79 78 85

243 Mick Ahern (Skerries) 84 76 83, Colm McIlroy (Holywood) 80 82 81

244 Jerry Crean (Kinsale) 81 81 82, Peter Rogers (Dundalk) 81 81 82, Patrick Madigan (Waterford Castle) 78 82 84

245 David Walpole (Milltown) 81 78 86

252 Peter Cowley (Cork) 86 81 85, John Williams (Castle) 78 84 90

262 Michael Byrne (England) 89 87 86