Hermitage's Rowan Lester fired a seven-under par 64 on the new-look Valley Links to lead the race for 64 spots in the matchplay stages of the North of Ireland Amateur Open at Royal Portrush.

Now playing on a scholarship at Texas Wesleyan in Forth Worth, the Irish international made an eagle and five birdies to lead by a shot from Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle), Ronan Mullarney (Galway) and Robert Brazill (Naas), who also played on the Valley.

Just two players broke par on the revamped Dunluce Links which will host The Open in 2019.

With the new seventh and eight holes in play,  Kirkistown Castle's Neil Simpson followed a bogey at the fourth with birdies at the fifth, seventh, 11th and 15th to post a three under 69.

Galway's Colm Hughes as the only other player to break par as he made six birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey five (at Calamity, now the 16th) in a one-under 71.

North of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Cathedral Eye, Royal Portrush GC (Dunluce and Valley Links)

Strokeplay Qualifying

Live scoring

Round One

Valley Links (Par 71)

64 R Lester (Hermitage)

65 J Hood (Galgorm Castle), R Mullarney (Galway), R Brazill (Naas)

66 P Murphy (Rosslare), C Fairweather (Knock), C Butler (Kinsale), G Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick), D Mallon (Dungannon), G Royston (Cotswold Downs), H O’Hare (Fortwilliam), K McCarron (North West)

67 B Murray (Waterford Castle), K Van Der Weele (Rosendealsche), J Ackerman (Silverlakes), J Yates (Naas), E Leonard (Wentworth/Killiney), D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown), T McLarnon (Massereene)

68 M Ryan (New Ross), M Boucher (Carton House), S Bleakley (Shandon Park), J Hapgood (Southerndown), M McClean (Matfen Hall), D Coghlan (Portmarnock), K Murphy (Charlesland), J Sugrue (Mallow), A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire), E Smith (Laytown & Bettystown), T Beasley (Hunstanton),  H Young-Alls (Notts), C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire),  C Rafferty (Dundalk)   

69 P Kerr (Royal Portrush), P Cummins (Lurgan), I Kettyle (Rathmore), A Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire), S McGlynn (Portmarnock), G Lappin (Belvoir Park), A Kearney (Castlerock), E Farrell (Ardee), S Greenberg (Tandragee), R Knightly (The Royal Dublin), M Norton (Belvoir Park), S Flanagan (Co. Sligo), M Nolan (Delgany), L Michel (Metropolitan, Aus), R Berkeley (Dun Laoghaire), T Clarke (Royal Portrush)

70 F Mason (Moor Hall), M Sinclair (Knock), D Turkington (Massereene), W Russell (Clandeboye), P Kelly (Co. Armagh), G McKenna (Fortwilliam), J Gough (Wexham Park), J Murphy (Kinsale), D McDonald (Old Conna), S Ross (Kilkeel), K Quigg (Ballyliffin), J Knipe (Royal Portrush), T Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown), D Crawford (Moyola Park), H Foley (The Royal Dublin), S Miskelly (Knock), A Gleeson (Castle)

71 L Donnelly (Kilkenny), J Hickey (Cork), R Dutton (Tandragee), K McCormack (Portarlington), D Cullen (Walton Heath), M McKinstry (Cairndhu), P Handcock (Harleyford), M MacGrath (Lahinch), R McKinstry (Cairndhu), C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire), D Brady (Co. Sligo), C Nolan (Galway), M Morrissey (Co. Sligo), R Cannon (Balbriggan), A Harper (Bolton Old Links), H Diamond (Clandeboye), M Looby (Greystones)

72 J Fletcher (Warrenpoint), J Whelan (Newlands), D Jackson (Massereene), J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle), M Reid (Galgorm Castle), R Gribben (Warrenpoint), L Grehan (Mullingar), G Carr (Mullingar), D Brennan (Shannon), I Moore (Dunmurry), A Doran (Ardee), J Owens (Bangor), G Laird (Clandeboye)

73 B Best (Rathmore), N Crawford (Mourne), A Mulhall (Ardglass), G Ward (Kinsale), M Mullen (Rosslare), J Timlin (Dungannon), T Coffey (Slieve Russell), B Cashman (Belvoir Park), C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown), S Winsby (Whitehead), J McVicker (Knock), J Walsh (Castle), P O’Sullivan (Old Conna), B Anderson (The Royal Dublin), R Williamson (Holywood)

74 J McDonnell (Forrest Little), S Sweeney (Vista Valencia), A Morris (Belvoir Park), TJ Ford (Co Sligo), G Collins (Rosslare), D Callister (Mount Murray), R O’Connor (Co. Sligo), S Carter (The Royal Dublin), R Hynes (The Royal Dublin), T Spence (Clandeboye), M McSherry (Lurgan), S Hamilton (Notts Hollinwell)

75 T Harman (Balmoral), D McCusker (Moyola Park), C Moulds (Lisburn), D Brophy (Castleknock)

76 R Haije (Goyer Golfclub), D Reidy (Co. Sligo), A Meharg (Bright Castle), E Cunniffe (Aes)

77 T Collins (Dun Laoghaire), R Pierse (Grange), D Morley (Oughterard), S O’Hara (Co. Sligo), J McReynolds (Co. Armagh)

78 A Miller (Co. Armagh), M Kane (Larne)

79 M Dallat (Galgorm Castle), W Small (Tandragee), R Steedman (Courtown)

80 C Kelly (Fort Lauderdale), E McFadden (Bundoran), D Crawford (Bundoran)

81 I Lynch (Rosslare), M McCulloch (Portpatrick)

84 S Rea (Carrickfergus)

Dunluce Links  (Par 72) 

69 N Simpson (Kirkistown Castle)

71 C Hughes (Galway)

73 R O’Callaghan (Mannan Castle), P Jordan (Lurgan), P Brennan (Belvoir Park), D Downie (Kirkistown Castle), C Hynds (Ardglass), J Hewitt (Tandragee), R Browne (Castle), A Clegg (Donaghadee)

74 G Arthur (Carrickfergus), R Symington (Lisburn), J Stothers (Tandragee), B Lawlor (Ardee), D Shaw (Belvoir Park), G Copeland (Ardglass), A Mulholland (Castlerock), J McNeill (Galgorm Castle), P Fitzsimons (St Patrick’s), S Irwin (Wrag Barn), C Wilton (Banbridge)

75 S Kelly (Lurgan), R McKeever (Castle), N Armstrong (Castle), M Murphy (Clandeboye), J McCarthy (Stackstown), R O’Doherty (Enniscrone), 

76 M Fitzsimons (Ardglass), O Crooks (Bushfoot), A McCormick (Scrabo), G Flynn (Delgany), S Quigg (City of Derry), T Gracey (Dunmurry), C Steele (Ballyclare), A Dillon (Carrickfergus), G Boyd (Donaghadee), a Kerr (Clandeboye), R Tighe (Elm Park)

77 S Hughes (Killymoon), C Rayfus (Knightsbrook), N Steedman (European), I Collins (Bray), D Pollock (Belvoir Park), J Crangle (Fortwilliam), D Mckee (Massereene), J Schütz (Kremstal), C Feeney (Co. Sligo), C Dowling (Mallow), G McManus (Co. Sligo), J Murphy (Greenore), R Emerson (Lurgan), R McDonnell (Adare), D Reilly (Galgorm Castle), O Devereux (Carton House)

78 A Burns (Ballyclare), S Campbell (Ballyclare), P Dallat (Galgorm Castle), J Ward (Banbridge), M Abram (Cairndhu), N Wilson (Enniskillen), R Newell (Dundalk), M McAvoy (Lurgan), F Tallon (Lurgan), M McKenna (Dun Laoghaire), J McQuaid (Rossmore), K Connolly (the Heritage), A Brown (Portstewart), M Rae (Rowany), M Weatherall (Donaghadee), J Finnegan (Royal Portrush), J Maginn (Mourne)

79 G Moore (Lurgan), P Baeg (Banstead Downs), W McCully (Donaghadee), D McAleenon (Edenmore), T Beaumont (Bangor), J Greer (Greenisland), G Mann (Tullamore), R Houston (Rathmore), S Mcmahon (St Patrick’s), E Mckeever (Castle), J Malone (Rugby), M Mccormick (West Middlesex), C Dunbar (Rathmore), L Bresnahan (Omagh), J Heaslip (Ballyclare)

80 R McCullough (Massereene), C McCaughey (Dungannon), E Glynn (Lahinch), D O’Hara (Belvoir Park), M Healy (Kinsale), M Burke (Tuam), J McKenna (St Patricks), C Barber (Portstewart), K Bermingham (Castletroy), N McClay (Cairndhu), L Crawford (Scrabo), D Barron (Warrenpoint), N McCann (Lurgan), S Jeffers (Castletown)

81 C Morrison (Rockmount), I Witherspoon (Ballyclare), E Gaughan (Co. Sligo), S Stephens (Letterkenny)

82 M Robinson (Clandeboye), R Duggan (Kilkenny), C McGoldrick (Enniscrone), M O’Donovan (Castlerock), P Hasson (City of Derry), A Gaynor (Co. Sligo), J Quinn (The Island), G Hodgen (Kirkistown Castle), S McCaw (Royal Belfast), A Lilley (Ballyclare), J McDonald (Bray), J Cleary (Elm Park)

83 C Hull (Massereene), H Duggan (Kilkenny), C Finnie (Lockerbie), M Lenihan (Goldcoast), G McDowell (Rathmore)

84 C Thompson (Lurgan), P O’sullivan (Bray), L Moore (City of Derry), D Ross (Portadown), G Clarke (Lurgan)

85 T Fay (Rush), S Walsh (Portmarnock), C Wallace (Dungannon), A Lowe (Dun Laoghaire)

86 L Branagan (Hollystown), R Guilfoyle (Kilkenny), J Taylor (Shandon Park)

87 C Hull (Massereene), H McHugh (Skerries), M Crawford (Bundoran)

88 C Patterson (Lurgan), K Lynch (Skibbereen), C Black (Dunmurry), A Smith (Ardglass), A McQuillan (Cushendall)

89 D Donohoe (Slieve Russell), C McKnight (Lisburn), J Linter (Knock)

90 M Rea (Donaghadee)

 

WD R McCrudden (Royal Portrush)

NR R Doran (Kilkeel), L Burns (Mourne), N McKinstry (Cairndhu), A Keenan (Dundalk), M Furlong (Arklow), A Taylor (City of Derry)

RTD M McCormack (Ashbourne), S Lindsay (Clandeboye)