Amateur golfBrian KeoghIrish Amateur Close, The European Club

AIG Irish Close: Rafferty and Lester meet again

Amateur golfBrian KeoghIrish Amateur Close, The European Club
AIG Irish Close: Rafferty and Lester meet again
Caolan Rafferty. Picture: Pat Cashman

Caolan Rafferty. Picture: Pat Cashman

Recently crowned South of Ireland champion Caolan Rafferty headlines a strong field for AIG Irish Amateur Close at The European Club

The Dundalk star will tee it up with Hermitage’s Rowan Lester, the man he beat in Sunday’s final at Lahinch, and 2016 champion Alex Gleeson from Castle in the first of two strokeplay qualifying rounds on Saturday.

The top 64 after Sunday’s second round will advance to the matchplay stages on Monday with the final scheduled for Wednesday.

Amateur championship runner-up Robin Dawson from Tramore is an absentee as he heads to Pebble Beach for the following week’s US Amateur Championship.

AIG Irish Amateur Close, The European Club

Draw - Strokeplay qualifying, Saturday 4/Sunday 5 August

First tee/10th tee

 

  • (08:00/12:45) P Brennan (Belvoir Park), K Lynch (Skibbereen), M Healy (Kinsale)
  • (08:10/12:55) P O’Keeffe (Douglas), C Feeney (Co. Sligo), J Fox (Portmarnock)
  • (08:20/13:05) AJ Crinion (Newlands), D Rochford (Bray), M Shiel (Galway Bay)
  • (08:30/13:15) S Irwin (Killeen), S Walsh (Carton House), J Tuohy (Galway Bay)
  • (08:40/13:25) J Rowe (Tandragee), L Hutchinson (Royal Dublin), T Beaumont (Bangor)
  • (08:50/13:35) T Plunkett (Crover House), K Murray (Charlesland), J Fletcher (Warrenpoint)
  • (09:05/13:45) D Lowry (Corrstown), J McGrath (Dun Laoghaire), S Crilly (Wembley, Aus)
  • (09:15/13:55) E O’Brien (Clontarf), D Flynn (Carton House), M Burke (Galway)
  • (09:25/14:05) I Collins (Bray), R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire), E Rumley (Kinsale)
  • (09:35/14:15) J Keane (Lahinch), A Smith (Mullingar), M McKenna (Dun Laoghaire)
  • (09:45/14:25) H Gillivan (Westport), TJ Ford (Co. Sligo), L McMillan (Luttrellstown Castle)
  • (09:55/14:35) G Carr (Mullingar), R O’Connor (Co. Sligo), MJ Kennelly (Galway Bay)
  • (12:45/08:00) M Mullen (Rosslare), E Farrell (Ardee), J Walsh (Castle)
  • (12:55/08:10) D Crawford (Bundoran), J Hanney (The Island), J Madden (Royal Portrush)
  • (13:05/08:20) W Small (Tandragee), M Nolan (Dun Laoghaire), N Hearns (Mountrath)
  • (13:15/08:30) K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire), S Walsh (Portmarnock), R Black (Hilton Templepatrick)
  • (13:25/08:40) C Butler (Kinsale), J Knipe (Royal Portrush), R Williamson (Holywood)
  • (13:35/08:50) P Connolly (Killeen Castle), J Greene (Portmarnock), P McKeever (Castle)
  • (13:50/09:05) M McKinstry (Cairndhu), M Tyndall (Coyote Creek), H O’Hare (Fortwilliam)
  • (14:00/09:15) R Latimer (Knock), R Moran (Castle), T Neenan (Lahinch)
  • (14:10/09:25) W Russell (Clandeboye), J Lyons (Galway) R Dutton (Tandragee)
  • (14:20/09:35) H Foley (Royal Dublin), S Flanagan (Co. Sligo), R Brazill (Naas)
  • (14:30/09:45) D O’Neill (Carton House), M Ryan (New Ross), D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown)
  • (14:40/09:55) J McDonnell (Forrest Little), R Pierse (Grange), A McCormack (Castletroy)

10th tee/1st tee

  • (08:00/12:45) R Berkeley (Dun Laoghaire), G O’Mahony (Fota Island), M Buggy (Castlecomer)
  • (08:10/12:55) N McCann (Lurgan), C O’Connor (Corrstown), O Crooks (Bushfoot)
  • (08:20/13:05) J Maginn (Mourne), J Blake (The Island), E McKeever (Castle)
  • (08:30/13:15) D Coyle (Portmarnock), J McCarthy (Stackstown), R Connolly (Grange)
  • (08:40/13:25) J McCabe (Roganstown), T Collins (Dun Laoghaire), M Looby (Greystones)
  • (08:50/13:35) R O’Doherty (Enniscrone), S McDermott (Co. Cavan), N Crawford (Mourne)
  • (09:05/13:50) A Ryan (Thurles), C Glennon (Glasson), O Devereux (Carton House)
  • (09:15/14:00) R McCormack (Palmerstown House Estate), K Stack (Dungarvan), R Knightly (Royal Dublin)
  • (09:25/14:10) S Myatt (Ennis), P O’Connor (Macroom), D Joyce (Powerscourt)
  • (09:35/14:20) M Boucher (Carton House), C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown), J Byrne (Baltinglass)
  • (09:45/14:30) S Carter (Royal Dublin), C Dowling (Mallow), G McGrane (Royal Dublin)
  • (09:55/14:40) G Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick), G Ward (Kinsale), J Hearn (Tramore)
  • (12:45/08:00) E Smith (Laytown & Bettystown), G Lenehan (Portmarnock), D Holland (Castle)
  • (12:55/08:10) M Norton (Belvoir Park), R McKeever (Castle), M McClean (Malone)
  • (13:05/08:20) S Watts (Cairndhu), R Steedman (Courtown), A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire)
  • (13:15/08:30) J Hickey (Cork), N Gaffney (Greystones), C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire)
  • (13:25/08:40) G Cullen (Beaverstown), S Desmond (Monkstown), M McCormack (Moss Creek)
  • (13:35/08:50) C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire), C Hughes (Royal Portrush), M McHugh (Abu Dhabi National)
  • (13:50/09:05) J Whelan (Newlands), E Griffin (Waterford), P Coughlan (Castleknock) 
  • (14:00/09:15) D Brophy (Castleknock), D Smith (Newlands), S Carroll (Castle Dargan)
  • (14:10/09:25) P Kerr (Royal Portrush) C Purcell (Portmarnock), J Murphy (Kinsale)
  • (14:20//09:35) R Cannon (Balbriggan), J Sugrue (Mallow), G Collins (Rosslare)
  • (14:30/09:45) R Mullarney (Galway), E Leonard (Wentworth), D Pollock (Belvoir Park)
  • (14:40/09:55) R Lester (Hermitage), C Rafferty (Dundalk), A Gleeson (Castle).