Irish Girls' Close: Thompson impressively leads qualifiers

Rachel Thompson (Cork) led the qualifiers for the Irish Girls' Close Championship at Mallow.  Picture by Pat Cashman

Cork's Rachel Thompson opened with a 71 then fired two eagles and two birdies in a sensational second round 69 to lead the qualifiers for the rain-delayed Irish Girls’ Close Championship at Mallow.

Thompson finished on four-under par in wet and windy conditions,  five strokes ahead of  Killarney's Valerie Clancy, Kanturk's Mairead Martin and Hermitage's Kate Lanigan.

Lanigan and Thompson lead after carding one-under par 71s in the morning before the Cork golfer separated herself from the field with an exceptional 69 to win the Muwick Cup.

Eagles at the 10th and 11th, one of which resulted from a 200-yard 4 iron and a tap-in putt, as well as two birdies and three bogeys saw Thompson post the round of the day and head into the matchplay as the player to beat.

She faces Belvoir Park's Olivia McClurg in the first round with the opening round losers going on to compete in the Plate.

The championship will conclude with the Championship and Plate finals on Saturday.

Irish Girls' Close Championship, Mallow GC (Par 72)

Round 1 – Thursday 20 July

1. 09:00 Rachel Thompson (Cork) v Olivia McClurg (Belvoir Park)
2. 09:10 Emma Forbes (Royal Portrush) v Nicole McGavisk (Donabate)
3. 09:20 Georgia Carr (Milltown) v Katie Keenan (Kilkenny)
4. 09:30 Anna Foster (Elm Park) v Niamh O’Dwyer (Lahinch)
5. 09:40 Kate Lanigan (Hermitage) v Emily Walsh (Limerick)
6. 09:50 Maeve Rooney (Co. Sligo) v Chloe O’Connor (Roscommon)
7. 10:00 Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden) v Fiona Behan (Killeen)
8. 10:10 Beth Coulter (Kirkistown Castle) v Sara Byrne (Douglas)
9. 10:20 Valerie Clancy (Killarney) v Shannon Hegarty (Ennis)
10. 10:30 Kate Dwyer (Rossmore) v Leah Temple Lang (Elm Park)
11. 10:40 Katie O’Hart (Arklow) v Canice Screen (Hermitage)
12. 10:50 Ellen O’Gorman (Milltown) v Anna Dawson (Tramore)
13. 11:00 Mairead Martin (Kanturk) v Kaelin O’Keeffe (Tralee)
14. 11:10 Ada Bowler (Lucan) v Jan Browne (Kilkenny)
15. 11:20 Maeve Cummins (Lurgan) v Tegan Gordon (Laytown & Bettystown)
16. 11:30 Nicole Joyce Moreno (Spain) v Anna McVicker (Belvoir Park)

Qualifiers

Detailed scores

140 R Thompson (Cork) 71 69

145 V Clancy (Killarney) 74 71; M Martin (Kanturk) 72 73; K Lanigan (Hermitage) 71 74

147 L Walsh (Castlewarden) 75 72; M Cummins (Lurgan) 73 74

148 K O’Hart (Arklow) 76 72

149 G Carr (Milltown) 76 73; A Foster (Elm Park) 74 75; E O’Gorman (Milltown) 73 76

151 N Joyce-Moreno (Llavaneras Barcelona) 77 74; B Coulter (Kirkistown Castle) 73 78

153 M Rooney (Co. Sligo) 75 78; A Bowler (Lucan) 73 80

154 K Dwyer (Rossmore) 75 79

155 E Forbes (Royal Portrush) 76 79

156 N McGavisk (Donabate) 78 78

158 L Temple -Lang (Elm Park) 79 79

159 J Browne (Kilkenny) 83 76; C O’Connor (Roscommon) 80 79; S Byrne (Douglas) 79 80

160 A McVicker (Belvoir Park) 80 80

161 A Dawson (Tramore) 83 78

163 N O’Dwyer (Lahinch) 80 83

164 K Keenan (Kilkenny) 83 81; C Screene (Hermitage) 80 84; T Gordon (Laytown & Bettystown) 79 85

165 F Behan (Killeen) 84 81

166 E Walsh (Limerick) 84 82

167 K O’Keeffe (Tralee) 88 79

168 S Hegarty (Ennis) 86 82; O McClurg (Belvoir Park) 81 87

Non-qualifiers

169 E Fleming (Elm Park) 83 86

170 S McGuinness (Greenore) 85 85

171 E Lawlor (Naas Golf Club) 84 87

172 L Bowe (Royal Co. Down Ladies) 87 85; K Masterson (Naas) 84 88

174 L Kelly (Ballykisteen) 88 86; L O’Shea (Shannon) 83 91

175 K Poots (Knock) 86 89

176 O McCrystal (Holywood) 86 90; R Connolly (Youghal) 86 90

179 K Fleming (Elm Park) 92 87

181 C Brennan (Belvoir Park) 90 91

183 C Parkinson (Tramore) 98 85; E Thorne (Elm Park) 94 89

186 C Griffin (Killarney) 93 93

202 C Shippam (Ballykisteen) 107 95