Amateur golfBrian KeoghLiam Nolan, Thomas Higgins, Alan Fahy, Allan Hill, County Sligo GC

Nolan to face Fahy in West of Ireland final

Amateur golfBrian KeoghLiam Nolan, Thomas Higgins, Alan Fahy, Allan Hill, County Sligo GC
Nolan to face Fahy in West of Ireland final

Liam Nolan (Galway) on the 4th tee during Matchplay Round 1 of the West of Ireland Men's Open Championship 2022, Co. Sligo Golf Club, Rosses Point, Co. Sligo, Ireland. 18/04/2022. Picture: Golffile | Thos Caffrey

Galway’s Liam Nolan will face Bray’s Alan Fahy in this afternoon’s final of the Connolly’s Audi West of Ireland Championship at County Sligo.

Nolan beat Roscommon’s Allan Hill 2&1 while Fahy was a 3&2 winner over another Roscommon player, the 19-year-old Boys international Thomas Higgins.

Nolan got up and down from sand at the 11th to go one up and after halved the 12th in birdies and the 13th and 14th in pars before Hill was forced to get up and down from right of the green at the 15th to remain one down.

Alan Fahy (Bray). Picture: Golffile | Thos Caffrey

Nolan took a grip on the match at the 16th with a solid two-putt par from 25 feet as Hill missed the green left and faced with a difficult recovery, failed from around 20 feet for par.

It all ended on the 17th, where Hill left himself a 45 footer for birdie but could not make the putt as Nolan hit a superb approach to 15 feet pin high and lagged to the holeside to close out the match.

Fahy was two up on Higgins after 11, and while he was pegged back to just one up with five to play, he won the 14th in par after the Roscommon man found the hazard from the tee.

He extended his lead to three-up when he made a 15 footer down the Hill, and the 15th and Higgins could not match him from a foot or two closer.

At the par-three 16th, Fahy bunkered his tee shot left, but Higgins missed the green long.
He chipped down to around six feet, but after Fahy splashed out to a couple of feet, he missed his par putt to fall 3&2.

Connolly’s Audi West of Ireland Championship, County Sligo GC

Semi-finals

Liam Nolan (Galway) beat Allan Hill (Roscommon) 2&1
Alan Fahy (Bray) beat Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) 3&2.

Final - 1.15pm.