Full house for Irish in Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina qualifying
Liam Nolan (Galway) in action in the quarter-finals at the 2022 South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch Golf Club. Picture: Niall O'Shea
All ten Irish players qualified for the matchplay stages of the Copa del Rey in Tarragona and the Copa de la Reina in Cadiz.
In the men’s event, Galway’s Liam Nolan shot a six-under 65 — the best score of the day by two strokes — to make the top 64 in joint seventh on 142 as Marc Nolan (74) claimed 32nd on 147, and Richard Knightly (72), Robert Brazill (71) and Sean Keeling (74) tied for 51st on 149.
Sixteen-year-old Keeling now faces Nolan in round one. (Draw)
In the women’s event at La Reserva de Sotogrande, Aideen Walsh was the best Irish performer in the second qualifying round.
She shot a two-over 74 to qualify in joint 42nd on 156 with Kate Lanigan (78) tied 12th on 149, Katie Poots (76) and Olivia Costello (75) tied 31st on 154 and Marina Joyce Moreno (77) tied 40th on 155.
Unlike the men, the Irish women avoided each other in the draw.
