Oberholzer closes on Grehan at Westport
Clandeboye’s Benjamin Oberholzer trails leader Stuart Grehan by just two strokes heading into the final 36 holes of the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at Westport
Set for his junior season at East Tennessee State University, the Belfast talent carded a second successive three-under 70 to sit alone in second on six under heading into Sunday’s final two rounds.
With the cut falling at four-over par, the 44-man field is covered by just 12 strokes.
But it’s clear that the experienced County Louth star Grehan holds is the hot favourite as he looks to become the first man to do the Flogas Irish Amateur Open and Irish Close double since Peter O’Keeffe matched Padraig Harrington’s feat (1995) in 2021.
The Tullamore native followed his sensational opening 65 with a level par 73 to lead on eight-under from Oberholzer, with Royal Dublin’s Jack McDonnell three adrift and Tralee’s Mark Gazi a further stroke back.
Grehan made an eagle two on the second and birdied the fifth, but despite getting to 11-under early in his round, he double bogeyed the par-five 10th and bogeyed the 12th before parring his way home.
The former professional remains the clear favourite for the title and he’s embracing the opportunity to make his mark in the record books.
“It’d be cool,” said Grehan. “I set a goal at the start of the year to try to get two or three wins, so it’d be nice to do that tomorrow.
“My game is good, I’m happy enough with everything. Two-shot lead, I would have taken that at the start of the week, go out tomorrow and give it a go.
“I played lovely on the front nine (today), then the back nine, just hit one bad shot in on ten, and from there, I was fighting my game the whole way through. Not very happy to be honest, but two-shot lead, so hopefully it comes out tomorrow.
“Just went through a bit of a lull, that always happens in every tournament, so hopefully tomorrow, get a good night’s sleep, and get after it.
“Tomorrow is going to be a long day, so I’ll be ready.”
Oberholzer held the clubhouse lead for much of the day, with back-to-back rounds of 70 helping him to a six-under total.
“It was a pretty solid second round, a lot less stressful, only one bogey. Just kept it out of trouble and when the birdies came, they came,” said Oberholzer.
“This is the first time (playing Westport), but I'm really liking it. Really like the back nine. The back nine is tougher, but if you hit good shots, there are birdie opportunities out there.
“Bogeyed the tenth but then got a few birdies after that, hit it close on 13, made birdie there, and then took a few birdies off.
“I had a good three-under yesterday, so just try to do the same thing and not chase the score as much. I’m probably going to hit some balls now, work on the driver a bit, stay calm out there, don’t force it.
“If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen, but I’ve done all the practice beforehand, so if it happens, it’s good.
“But if not, just keep practising.”
McDonnell was one of the late finishers, and he needed a birdie on the last to equal his Clandeboye counterpart, but had to settle for par.
Defending champion Thomas Abom is just six behind, tied for ninth, after a 73, while Co Sligo’s Aodhagan Brady shot a best of the day 69, improving by seven shots on his first round, to lurk just outside the top 10 on one under.
Westport’s Conor Stapleton made it through on level par after a brace of 73s. Fellow Mayo golfer Cormac Ó Muirithe (Belmullet) also made it safely through to Sunday on level par after a 72.
AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship, Westport GC (Par 73)
After 36 holes
138 Stuart Grehan (Co Louth) 65 73;
140 Benjamin Oberholzer (Clandeboye) 70 70;
141 Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 70 71;
142 Mark Gazi (Tralee) 68 74;
143 Gerard Dunne (Co Louth) 73 70, Bruce MacDonald (Lisburn) 72 71, Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 70 73, Ross Latimer (Knock) 72 71;
144 Quentin Carew (Castleknock) 72 72, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 71 73, Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 70 74, David Kitt (Athenry) 73 71, Cian Harkin (Letterkenny) 70 74;
145 Aodhagan Brady (Co Sligo) 76 69, Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 74 71, Calum Ward (Carton House) 74 71, Dylan Holmes (Greystones) 70 75, Alex Kerins (Carton House) 73 72;
146 Conor Hickey (Dooks) 74 72, John William Burke (Ballyhaunis) 72 74, Conor Stapleton (Westport) 73 73, Keith Egan (Carton House) 71 75, Cormac Ó Muirithe (Belmullet) 74 72, Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 76 70, Luke O'Neill (Connemara) 76 70;
147 Jack Murphy (Douglas) 70 77, TJ Ford (Co Sligo) 71 76, Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 72 75, David Reddan (Castleknock) 75 72, James Walsh (Douglas) 77 70;
148 Evan Farrell (Co Louth) 74 74, James O'Rourke (Naas) 76 72, Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 77 71, Padraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore) 75 73, Paddy Quill (Cork) 70 78;
149 Barry O'Neill (Tramore) 78 71, Sean Reddy (Douglas) 76 73, Rafael Poli (Holywood) 74 75;
150 Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 80 70, Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 73 77, Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 75 75, Mark Muldoon (Royal Dublin) 75 75, Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park) 74 76, Jake Foley (Elm Park) 73 77;
Missed the cut
151 Lucas Lyons (Limerick) 76 75, Jordan Boles (Charleville) 75 76, Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 77 74, Kyle McCarron (North West) 73 78, Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay) 76 75, Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) 78 73, Adam Talbot (Carton House) 74 77;
152 Conor McCarthy (Headfort) 75 77, Samuel Gammell (Naas) 74 78, Barry McMenamin (Ballybofey and Stranorlar) 76 76, Patrick Tuffy (Strandhill) 74 78, Barry O'Connell (Douglas) 73 79, Louis Goodman (Co Louth) 74 78, Seán Cloonan (Dunmore demense) 77 75, Harris Fleming (Galgorm Castle) 71 81, Rory McConnell (Belvoir Park) 80 72;
153 Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 74 79, Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) 75 78, Harley Phipps (Co Louth) 79 74, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 74 79, David Brady (Straffan) 79 74, Mark McKenna (Dun Laoghaire) 77 76, Neil Patterson (Baltinglass) 80 73, Luke Cunningham (Galway Bay) 79 74, Ben Cahill (Dundalk) 72 81, Jamie Larkin (Palmerstown House) 77 76;
154 Eoin Burrows (Belvoir Park) 75 79, Eoin Magill (East Clare) 72 82, Ross McCormack (Palmerstown House) 76 78, Robert Galligan (Elm Park) 76 78, Steven Gormley (Blainroe) 75 79;
155 Adam Challoner (Galway Bay) 77 78;
156 David Joyce (Powerscourt) 79 77, Sean Rooney (Fortwilliam) 77 79, Finn Jolly (Dun Laoghaire) 78 78, Cathal Gallagher (Gweedore) 81 75, Danny Lyne (Lahinch) 81 75;
157 Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock) 76 81, Ryan O'Doherty (Enniscrone) 76 81, Graham Callaghan (Co Louth) 77 80, Morgan O'Sullivan (Ballyneety) 77 80, Ryan Corrigan (Castlebar) 73 84, Tom Glennon (Kilkenny) 77 80, Sean Downes (Royal Dublin) 83 74, Seán McLoughlin (Co Sligo) 79 78;
158 William Josh Nicholl (Galgorm Castle) 79 79, Andrew Gavin (Black Bush) 77 81, Patrick Burke (Foxrock) 75 83, David O'Malley (Black Bush) 78 80;
159 Fergal Coyle (Athenry) 77 82, Sean Cooper (Enniscorthy) 82 77, Brian Lane (Muskerry) 79 80, Sean Murphy (Grange) 81 78;
160 Eoin Lisibach (Goyer) 83 77, Mark Doyle (Westmanstown) 77 83, Kevin Barry (Castlebar) 82 78, William Walshe (Delgany) 79 81, Lorcan O'Connor (Edmondstown) 77 83;
161 Michael Joyce (Mulranny) 83 78, Adam Allahbachani (Powerscourt) 83 78;
162 Evan Maher (Mountrath) 81 81, Diarmuid Harrington (Doneraile) 83 79;
163 Freddie Bracken (Portmarnock) 82 81, Mikie Grealy (Galway Bay) 80 83, Thomas Plunkett (Crover House) 80 83;
164 Finlay Eager (Royal Belfast) 83 81;
165 Jonathan Hayden (Royal Dublin) 81 84;
166 Tadhg Burns (Headfort) 80 86;
168 Johnny Napier (Scrabo) 80 88;
169 Donnacha Cleary (Tipperary) 81 88;
170 Jamie Anderson (Greystones) 84 86;
175 James Fenlon (Bunclody) 91 84;
WD David Howard (Fota Island) 75 WD, Ryan Lyons (Blarney) WD WD, James Fox (Portmarnock) WD WD, David Lally (Blainroe) WD WD;
NS: Ryan Murray (Balmoral) NS NS, David Marshall (Naas) NS NS, Mike Kelly (Naas) NS NS.
