Montado Golf Resort.Eddie Cormack paid the price for a poor start and slipped six shots behind leader Moritz Lampert of Germany entering the final round of the Portuguese Amateur Open Championship at Montado near Lisbon.

The Galway international carded a one-over par 73 to finish the day in a four-way tie for third place on three under par as Lampert fired an albatross, an eagle and four birdies in a superb 65 to lead by one from Adrien Saddier of France on six under.

Eddie McCormack. Picture courtesy GUI/Pat Cashman.Eddie McCormack is just a shot off the lead after the opening round of the Portuguese International Amateur Championship at Montado.

The Galway representative is tied for fifth place after firing seven birdies in a three under 69 to lead the Irish challenge at the Setubal resort south of Lisbon.

Richard O’Donovan with Leinster Branch chairman Kevin McIntyre, GUI President Eugene Fayne and Paul Maher, Captain of County Louth Golf Club. (Credit Jenny Matthews www.newsfile.ie)What a day for Lucan’s Richard O’Donovan who awoke at 5 am in the clubhouse dormitory wondering if he could haul himself out of bed and off the foot of the leaderboard by putting in a respectable finish.

Nine strokes off the lead overnight and tied for last place in the 51 man field having made the cut on the five over par limit, the 20-year old Dubliner exceeded even his wildest dreams when he played the final 36 holes in seven under par by following an early morning 71 with a simply sensational, bogey free, six under par 66 in the afternoon.

Title favourite Alan Dunbar remained at the head of affairs entering today’s final 36 holes in the East of Ireland Amateur Open at firm and fast County Louth.

The 21-year old Walker Cup prospect avoided the worst of the wet and windy morning conditions yet while he failed to take advantage of a major break in the weather after lunch he was still pleased to limit the ‘damage’ to a level par 72.

“I struggled today but I still managed to get it around,” said Dunbar, who leads by a stroke on four under par 140 from Galway’s Eddie McCormack, Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy and Headfort’s Rory McNamara, who carded a best of the day 68 in the worst of the early conditions.

Paul Cutler is out on his own at Shannon. But there’s always someone lurking ….Portstewart’s Paul Cutler will be bidding to follow in the footsteps on current world number six Rory McIlroy when he takes a one-stroke lead into the final two rounds of the Golfsure Irish Amateur Close Championship at Shannon today.

The 22-year old Walker Cup hopeful carded a one over par 73 on another blustery day to top the leaderboard on two under par and keep alive his hopes of completing a rare West of Ireland - Irish Close double last achieved by McIlroy at the European Club in 2006.

Co Sligo’s Gary McDermott hits off the new first tee in the second qualifying round at the West of Ireland Championship.Walker Cup hopeful Paul Cutler took advantage of idyllic conditions to fire a course record, six under par 65 and top the qualifiers for the matchplay stages of the West of Ireland Amateur Open at a sun-kissed Rosses Point.