Doogue top of “West” class after opening 67

Mark Doogue at the 16th tee. Picture: David Lloyd | Golffile.

The starter talked the rookies through it all on the first tee, then sent them off with the happy rejoinder — “This is tropical, lads!”

A light southerly breeze and cool but generally dry weather, punctuated by a couple of showers (one thundery), meant County Sligo barely showed its fangs in the opening round of the 101st West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship.

Yet for all that, just five players in the 120-man field, many of them rusty after a long winter, broke par at Rosses Point in the Connolly Motor Group curtain-raiser to Ireland’s amateur season.

School teacher Mark Doogue ended the day at the head of affairs, rolling in a ten-footer at the 18th for a birdie and a four-under 67 on his West of Ireland debut.

Playing out of Castleknock, the 26-year-old plus-two Baltinglass man leads by two shots after displaying the kind of patience and course management that’s crucial for those hoping to make the top 64 after today’s second round and put their name in Sunday’s matchplay draw.

"I hit the ball really well and took care of the par fives," said Doogue, who tried to get through the pre-qualifier last year but missed out by a shot.

"I was just hitting fairways and greens and staying patient, and it paid off."

A primary school teacher in Ballymun in Dublin, he was three under after five holes after he chipped and putted for birdie at the second, then two putted the par-five third and fifth holes.
He picked up two more birdies at the 11th and 12th before following bogeys at the challenging 15th and 17th with that satisfying closing three.

He leads by two strokes from Enniscrone's David Shiel, last year's Bridgestone Order of Merit winner, and 16-year-old Galway Bay starlet Rory Gallagher, who was four under after five holes in a light southerly breeze before bogeys at the seventh and 14th saw him sign for an excellent 69.

"I wasn't really getting frustrated, just letting it happen," said Doogue, whose big goal is to make the cut. "Obviously, when a couple of putts start dropping, it's a lot easier."

Wonderful birdie at the last for a four-under 67 gives @Castleknockgolf’s Mark Doogue the early lead in the West of Ireland at @CountySligoGC pic.twitter.com/TLnu6BL3Xe

— Brian Keogh (@IrishGolfDesk) March 29, 2024

He’s on track to win the Pat Ruddy Trophy as leading qualifier but refuses to look too far ahead.

"Making the cut would be my goal for the week, and winning a couple of matches in the matchplay would be great. But the goal is to stay grounded, put another score together, and see what happens."

Shiel has yet to win a Championship, but after topping the Order of Merit to win his first cap last year, he's keen to keep improving his game.

He birdied three of his first five holes, then followed bogeys at the ninth and 11th with three birdies in a row from the 12th to reach four under.

While he double-bogeyed the 15th and dropped another shot at the 16th, he was pleased to finish par-birdie for his 69.

"A four-three finish is always nice," Shiel said. "I'm not thinking too far ahead or thinking of winning this or that.

"I have a couple of things in my game that I'm really focused on — scoring and strategy specifically. I put that in play really well today. So that's my main focus."

Carton House's Paul O'Hanlon and The Island's James Stenson tied for fourth after 70s while the eight-man group on level par included Walker Cup player Matt McClean from Malone and experienced championship players such as Eddie McCormack, Paul Coughlan and Jake Whelan.

Irish Senior Close champion Joe Lyons was in a ten-man group to shoot 72 despite taking 37 putts.

"It was solid enough, but I'd like to get a few more puts to drop tomorrow," said McClean, who is looking to peak for the big summer events, such as the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin.

Douglas' Peter O'Keeffe was two-under with four holes to go but lost focus and ran up a triple bogey at the 15th after a poor tee shot and dropped another shot at the 17th en route to a 73 as 2021 winner Hugh Foley signed for a four-over 75.

That left Foley on the cut line for the top 64 while last year's beaten finalist, Co Sligo's Barry Anderson, has work to do after a 77.

West of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Connolly Motor Group, Co Sligo GC (Par 71)

First round - Detailed scores

67 M Doogue (Castleknock);

69 R Gallagher (Galway Bay), D Shiel (Enniscrone);

70 P O'Hanlon (Carton House), J Stenson (The Island);

71 A Buchanan (Royal Portrush), G Collins (Rosslare), P Coughlan (Castleknock), R Galligan (Elm Park), M McClean (Malone), E McCormack (Galway Bay), L O'Meara (Tullamore), J Whelan (Grange);

72 T McLarnon (Massereene), R Nelson (Belvoir Park), K Egan (Carton House), D Flynn (Carton House), J Fox (Portmarnock), J Lyons (Galway), T O'Connor (Athlone), J O'Neill (Berehaven), D O’Keeffe (Hermitage), J Temple (Portmarnock);

73 D Brady (Straffan), B Doran (Millicent), E Farrell (Co Louth), T Finnegan (Co Sligo), T Ford (Co Sligo), J Hewitt (Tandragee), V Hundeboll (Silkeborg, Den), R Latimer (Clandeboye), J McDonnell (Royal Dublin), P O'Keeffe (Douglas);

74 T Abom (Edmondstown), D Beirne (Carrick on Shannon), M Cadden (Roganstown), G Callaghan (Co Louth), C Campbell (Warrenpoint), S Cullen (Slieve Russell), A Dooley (Carton House), S Dorman (Bangor), F Dortmans (Sunningdale, Eng), H Gillivan (Portmarnock), L Gowdy (Bangor), A Kiernan (Forrest Little), L Lynch (Naas), D Mallon (Dungannon), L Mitchell (Portmarnock), R O'Connor (Co Sligo), A Smith (Mullingar);

75 A Benson (West Lothian, Sco), C Duane (Naas), H Foley (Royal Dublin), D Gwilliam (Coventry, Eng), D Howard (Fota island), L Hutchinson (Royal Dublin), J Keane (Lahinch), C Murphy (Grange), L O’Connor (Edmondstown), D O’Riordan (Fermoy), C Smith (Co Sligo), C Smyth (Slieve Russell), C Stapleton (Connemara), C Ward (Carton House), C Ó'Muirithe (Belmullet);

76 R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire), A Allahbachani (Powerscourt), S Allister (Belvoir Park), T Cafferky (Ballinasloe), P Curran (Edmondstown), E Magill (East Clare), J McCarthy (Grange), S McDermott (Slieve Russell), O Murphy (Royal Portrush), J O'Callaghan (Ballybunnion), D O’Reilly (Farnham Estate), J Walsh (Douglas), R Walsh (Douglas);

77 J Adler (Nenagh), B Anderson (Co Sligo), D Basquill (Enniscrone), P Carey (Nenagh), R Carvill (Warrenpoint), C Davis (Bray), F Eager (Royal Belfast), S Flanagan (Portmarnock), L Flynn (Dun Laoghaire), J Foley (Elm Park), C Harkin (Letterkenny), S Kavanagh (St Anne’s), R McCormack (Palmerstown House), C Mooney (Ballinasloe), K Robinson (Castlewarden);

78 A Brady (Co Sligo), M Green (Greenore), L Harris (Hermitage), D Keenaghan (Mullingar), C Kelly (Naas), R Lyons (Douglas), L McKeen (Co Louth);

79 S Deasy (Douglas), C Keenan (Belvoir Park), D Kelleher (Portmarnock), R Lonergan (Kilkenny), I Lynch (Rosslare), R Murray (Balmoral);

80 J Cunningham (Carton House), T McGowan (Edmondstown), A Mulholland (Castlerock), N Patterson (Baltinglass), G Sillett (Ballykisteen);

81 J McIlhatton (Massereene);

82 R Fitzpatrick (Naas), C Hickey (Dooks), A Scott (Lochmaben, Sco);

83 S O'Neill (Malahide);

84 J Hall (Whitehead), E Rogers (Ardee);

85 L Curran (Castleknock);

NS R Thompson (Galgorm Castle).