Blood on the links; Smith and Lenehan avoid Lytham carnage
Royal Lytham & St Annes
Laytown and Bettystown's Eugene Smith fired a four over 74 to lead the Irish on a day of carnage in Lytham Trophy.
Only England's Jack Singh-Brar could break par in winds that gusted to 70kmph, his miraculous, two under 68 giving him a two-shot lead over the only player to match par, Matthew Clark (70).
For the rest of the mortals it was a huge grind at Royal Lytham and St Annes and Smith was chuffed to finish the day tied for fourth as he went out in six-over 40 into the teeth of the wind but came back in two-under 34.
"It's the hardest Lytham I've played," Smith said, who took advantage of an early tee time and a slightly more receptive links. "The rough is bad for May and we had a two or three club wind that gusted."
Irish Amateur Open champion Colm Campbell shot a 79 that left him tied for 56th with Colin Fairweather, Kevin LeBlanc, Jack Pierse, Stuart Grehan and Conor O'Rourke and described the conditions as "Horrendous!"
"With the wind gusting to 70kph and firm and fast fairways, it was only for the fact that they kept the greens at a sensible speed that the course was playable," said Portmarnock's Geoff Lenehan after a fine 76 that left him tied for 16th with Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty,
Galgorm Castle's Jordan Hood and Laytown and Bettystown's Thomas Mulligan share 32nd after 77s with Massereene's Tiarnan McLarnon just inside the projected cut line after a 78.
Walker Cup hopefuls Alex Gleeson (82) and Robin Dawson (83) had particularly tough days and will be looking to bounce back on Saturday.
Lytham Trophy — How the Irish fared
74 Eugene Smith (Laytown & Bettystown)
76 Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock), Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk Golf Club),
77 Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle Golf Club), Thomas Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown),
78 Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene Golf Club)
79 Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint Golf Club), Colin Fairweather (Knock Golf Club), Kevin LeBlanc (The Island Golf Club), Jack Pierse (Portmarnock Golf Club), Stuart Grehan (Tullamore Golf Club), Conor O'Rourke (Naas Golf Club)
81 Jake Whelan (Newlands Golf Club), Eanna Griffin (Waterford), Jonathan Yates (Naas Golf Club),
82 John-Ross Galbraith (Whitehead Golf Club), Alex Gleeson (Castle Golf Club)
83 Robin Dawson (Tramore Golf Club),
84 Mark Power (Kilkenny Golf Club),
85 John Murphy (Kinsale)
Lytham Trophy, Royal Lytham & St Annes (Par 70)
68 Jack Singh-Brar (Remedy Oak Golf Club)
70 Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm Golf Club)
73 Charlie Strickland (Ham Manor Golf Club)
74 William Whiteoak (Shipley Golf Club), Liam Johnston (Dumfries & County Golf Club), Timothy Shin (Castle Royle Golf & Country Club), Eugene Smith (Laytown & Bettystown), Cameron Long (Burton-on-Trent Golf Club), Jeff Wright (Forres Golf Club), Jamie Stewart (Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club Ltd)
75 Alasdair Mcdougall (Elderslie Golf Club), Kyle Harman (Southerndown Golf Club), Josh Hilleard (Farrington Golf Club), Matthew Jordan (Royal Liverpool Golf Club), Simon Richardson (Spalding Golf Club)
76 Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock), Michael Hirmer (Germany), Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten Golf Club), Pierre Junior Verlaar (Netherlands), Jake Burnage (Saunton Golf Club), Pierre Pineau (France), Loris Schuepbach (Switzerland), Ben Chamberlain (Padeswood & Buckley Golf Club), John Carroll (Huyton & Prescot Golf Club), Sam Done (Kenwick Park Golf Club), David Boote (Walton Heath Golf Club (New Course)), Nicholas Peoples (Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club), Owen Edwards (Kendleshire Golf Club (The)), Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk Golf Club), Andrew Wilson (Wynyard Golf Club), Todd Clements (Braintree Golf Club)
77 Sami Valimaki (Finland), Euan McIntosh (Turnhouse Golf Club Ltd), Mitch Waite (Filton Golf Club), Nick Poppleton (Wath Golf Club), Jim Vartak De Heij (Netherlands), Callan Barrow (Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club), Christopher Maclean (Balmore Golf Club), Ben Hutchinson (Howley Hall Golf Club), Claudio Consul (Germany), Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle Golf Club), Luke Brown (New Zealand), Thomas Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown), Kieron Harman (Southerndown Golf Club)
78 Tom Sloman (Taunton & Pickeridge Golf Club), Daniel Brown (Masham Golf Club), George Bloor (Cavendish Golf Club), Nicholas Smits (Gog Magog Golf Club), Tom Dolan (Heswall Golf Club), Bailey Gill (Lindrick Golf Club), Calum Fyfe (Cawder Golf Club), Llew Matthews (Southerndown Golf Club), Jordan Sundborg (Shanklin & Sandown Golf Club), Gian-Marco Petrozzi (Trentham Golf Club), Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene Golf Club)
79 Jack Ainscough (Hartlepool Golf Club), Bradley Moore (Kedleston Park Golf Club), Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint Golf Club), Colin Fairweather (Knock Golf Club), Henry Alls (Notts Golf Club), Joshua Mcmahon (Wallasey Golf Club), Thomas Gandy (Rowany Golf Club), Santeri Lehesmaa (Finland), Kevin LeBlanc (The Island Golf Club), Jack Pierse (Portmarnock Golf Club), Craig Howie (Peebles Golf Club), Stuart Grehan (Tullamore Golf Club), Jack Davidson (Llanwern Golf Club), Gregor Tait (Aldeburgh Golf Club), Toby Briggs (Dunston Hall Golf Club), Philip Geerts (Italy), Sean Towndrow (Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club), Conor O'Rourke (Naas Golf Club)
80 Robert Foley (Switzerland), Lee Jones (Conwy(Caernarvonshire) Golf Club), Scott Gregory (Corhampton Golf Club), Connor Syme (Drumoig Golf Club), Daniel Brown (Littlestone Golf Club), Jack Yule (Kings Lynn Golf Club), Callum Farr (Priors Hall Golf Club), Alfie Plant (Sundridge Park Golf Club), Marcus Svensson (Sweden), Pontus Nyholm (Sweden), Albin Bergstrom (Sweden), Steven Capper (Caldy Golf Club)
81 Mark Collins (Chart Hills Golf Club), James Wilson (Balmore Golf Club), Jake Whelan (Newlands Golf Club), Thomas Williams (Wrexham Golf Club), Jake Bolton (Ogbourne Downs Golf Club), Eanna Griffin (Waterford), Albert Venter (South Africa), Jonathan Yates (Naas Golf Club), Gerold Folk (Austria), Michael Smyth (Royal Troon Golf Club - Old Course), David Nyfjall (Sweden), Benjamin Jones (Northamptonshire County Golf Club), Gareth Bradley (Bramhall Golf Club), Jeremy Freiburghaus (Switzerland)
82 Giacomo Fortini (Italy), Craig Ross (Kirkhill Golf Club), James Walker (Oaks Golf Club (The)), John-Ross Galbraith (Whitehead Golf Club), Stephen Roger (Cruden Bay Golf Club), Alex Gleeson (Castle Golf Club)
83 Patrick Mullins (Whitchurch (Cardiff) Golf Club), Robin Dawson (Tramore Golf Club), James Hall (Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club), Christopher Low (Tantallon Golf Club), Christopher Fisher (Austria), Louis Birchall (Ingestre Park Golf Club), Luca Cianchetti (Italy), Peter Melching (Netherlands), Tom Watson (South Africa)
84 Aaron Harper (Bolton Old Links Golf Club), Mark Power (Kilkenny Golf Club), Joseph Trinder (Australia), Samuel Turner (Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club), Jake Mildenhall (West Middlesex Golf Club), Steven Molumby (Brancepeth Castle Golf Club)
85 Thomas Plumb (Sherborne Golf Club), Jack Gaunt (Drayton Park Golf Club), Laird Shepherd (Rye Golf Club), Oliver Gillberg (Sweden), Rory Browne (Feldon Valley Golf Club (formerly Brailes)), John Murphy (Kinsale), Tom Stagg (Salisbury & South Wilts Golf Club), Henry Tomlinson (Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club)
86 Evan Griffith (Conwy(Caernarvonshire) Golf Club), Adrian Villiger (Switzerland), Caylum Boon (South Africa), Neal Woernhard (Switzerland), James Glenn (Brancepeth Castle Golf Club), Luca Denk (Austria), Lukas Lipold (Austria)
87 Alexander Stubbs (Oxfordshire (The) Golf Club), Christoffer Palsson (Sweden)
88 Eric McIntosh (Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society Ltd)
89 Mike Howard (Royal Birkdale Golf Club)
90 Alasdair Plumb (Chelmsford Golf Club), Tom Beasley (Hunstanton Golf Club), Joshua Davies (Celtic Manor Resort)
94 Marco Penge (Golf at Goodwood Golf Club)
WD Matt Kippen (Enmore Park Golf Club)
