Maguire comes from ten back to win East of Ireland title
Alex Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown). Photo by Thos Caffrey - Golfffile.
Alex Maguire became the first Laytown and Bettystown member to win the East of Ireland Amateur Open in 41 years when he came from 10 shots behind at halfway to win by two shots on eight-under-par.
The 21-year old international eagled the 18th in the morning to card a seven-under 65 and get within three shots of Naas' Robert Brazill in four-under-par, then eagled it again from eight feet as he carded a 68 in the afternoon to set the target at eight-under 280.
Brazill's hopes were dealt a blow when he took seven at the first in the afternoon and finished tied fourth with Royal Dublin's Richard Knightly, Connemara's Luke O'Neill, Royal Portrush’s Darcy Hogg and Roscommon's Allan Hill on four-under after a closing 75.
The real challengers to Maguire's victory were Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty and Forrest Little's Jack McDonnell, but neither could make the birdies they needed under pressure down the stretch.
On a day bathed in sunshine and with only a light easterly breeze to trouble the 47 players who made the cut, Rafferty birdied the 10th to go four-under for the day and edge a shot clear of Maguire and McDonnell on seven-under-par.
There were no fewer than six different leaders throughout the final 36 holes, starting with overnight pacesetter Shaun Hedger of Scotland, whose title challenge was undone when he made eights at the 16th and 18th in a third-round 81 and finished up tied 28th, 12 behind the winner on four-over.
Maguire, who has two years to complete at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, was not to be denied, however.
Despite starting with a snap hook and a bogey in the afternoon, he birdied the third, missed a short par putt at the fourth but then set about chasing his target of eight-under.
After a chip and putt birdie at the sixth, he had a stroke of fortune at the par-three seventh when he missed the green right, hit his chip too hard but watched it clatter the pin and drop for birdie.
Alex Maguire eagles the 18th to set the clubhouse lead at 8-undef par 👌 #EastofIrelandhttps://t.co/Pue7ZM18wI @CountyLouthGC @LandBGolfClub pic.twitter.com/gqe9zW9qaC
— Golf Ireland (@GolfIreland_) June 6, 2022
“It was definitely going off the other side of the green but it nailed the flag and dropped,” Maguire said. “That was nice. If it goes off the green, I am staring double in the face.”
Buoyed by that stroke of luck, he holed from nearly 40 feet for birdie at the 12th and 15 feet at the 13th to get to seven-under and while he bogeyed the 14th after failing to get up and down from right of the green and saw his approach to the 16th bounce off the flag, he hit a tournament-winning shot the last.
Fortunate to skirt the second bunker on the left, he punched a 242-yard five-iron from long rough to less than eight feet and made the uphill putt.
Rafferty needed a birdie to tie but lipped out at the 12th and 13th, then bogeyed the 16th after finding sand from the tee and could not eagle the last.
He ended up tied second with McDonnell, who needed a birdie at the last to force a playoff but drove into heavy rough right and had to take a drop from an unplayable lie and made bogey.
Maguire was suitably thrilled to become the second Laytown and Bettystown winner after 1981 winner Declan Branigan, who was playing out of Seapoint when he won for the second time in 1995.
"I said to my girlfriend, I didn't think I could win today," said Maguire, who won last year's North of Ireland and Connacht Stroke Play titles.
"But it was one of those days. I drove it great the whole week, so I was always in position to shoot good scores. I love this course so much, and it's so close to home it is easy for me to play well. I am delighted."
He added: "It's the one I've always wanted to win. I spend a lot of time here when I am not in the States, and I only live 10 minutes away.
"It's a special course for me. It's the one I really wanted to win this year and to win it is very fulfilling.”
East of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by The D Hotel, County Louth Golf Club (Par 72)
Final
280 A Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown) 75 72 65 68;
282 J McDonnell (Forrest Little) 74 68 71 69, C Rafferty (Dundalk) 70 73 70 69;
284 R Knightly (Royal Dublin) 75 70 68 71, L O'Neill (Connemara) 72 73 71 68, R Brazill (Naas) 71 73 65 75, A Hill (Roscommon) 71 69 71 73, D Hogg (Belvoir Park) 69 74 73 68;
286 J Madden (Royal Portrush) 67 72 71 76;
287 R Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) 72 75 70 70;
288 R Latimer (Clandeboye) 75 71 73 69, G Dunne (Co. Louth) 73 76 69 70, C Hickey (Dooks) 72 71 77 68, J Hearn (Tramore) 71 76 69 72;
289 J Whelan (Grange) 72 76 68 73, M Kennedy (Royal Dublin) 72 73 72 72, J Hood (Galgorm Castle) 71 76 70 72;
290 R Cannon (Balbriggan) 78 72 69 71, E Murphy (Dundalk) 77 72 69 72, J Hewitt (Tandragee) 76 71 70 73, S O'Connell (Athenry) 70 74 73 73;
291 R Williamson (Holywood) 77 73 69 72, A Mulholland (Castlerock) 75 75 70 71, B Ronan (Co. Louth) 75 70 73 73, G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 74 74 71 72, S Jones (Belvoir Park) 74 71 76 70, J Fox (Portmarnock) 73 69 74 75;
292 M McKinstry (Cairndhu) 74 75 72 71, S Hedger (West Kilbride) 70 67 81 74;
293 K Murphy (Arklow) 75 72 73 73, M Deasy (Douglas) 75 71 76 71;
294 R Hynes (Royal Dublin) 77 73 70 74, E Farrell (Ardee) 72 74 77 71;
295 C Harkin (Letterkenny) 75 71 77 72, S Walker (Roscommon) 74 74 73 74, S Ward (Belvoir Park) 74 72 77 72, J Doherty (Carton House) 73 71 74 77;
296 P Buckley (Cork) 76 74 73 73;
297 G Collins (Rosslare) 71 76 72 78;
299 A Dooley (Carton House) 77 73 76 73, G Tiernan (Co. Louth) 75 72 79 73;
300 A Smith (Mullingar) 71 77 75 77;
301 M Shiel (Galway Bay) 74 75 77 75;
303 C MacCanna (Carton House) 73 75 81 74;
306 P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 74 73 83 76;
307 P Connolly (The Links Portmarnock) 71 76 75 85;
309 S McGlynn (Portmarnock) 71 76 80 82.
