Grehan completes Open-Close double at Westport
County Louth’s Stuart Grehan made history as he claimed the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship at a sunny Westport Golf Club.
Twenty years after a 16-year-old Rory McIlroy became the youngest winner of the title at the Mayo venue, Grehan closed with rounds of 70 and 71 to win by two strokes from Carton House’s Alex Kerins on 13 under and add the ‘Close’title to his win in May’s Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open at Seapoint.
He is the third player to do the double in the modern era, following in the footsteps of Padraig Harrington (1995) and Peter O’Keeffe (2021)
“My game, I feel like it’s really good, really strong,” said Grehan (pictured above by Tom Maher / Inpho) who will be hoping for a Walker Cup call-up on Monday.
“I can probably be a bit too hard on myself and I’m always trying to work on that but I was getting a little bit frustrated just with the putting, but I’m absolutely delighted to be standing here as a Close champion.”
Kerins made the big move on Sunday, when he made nine birdies in a scintillating, bogey-free 64 to claim the clubhouse lead on 11 under.
Grehan had posted a 65 on Friday and 73 in the second round, and after a 70 earlier on Sunday, he only had one shot to spare when Kerins signed for his score.
The Tullamore native had bogeyed the par-three 12th but soon steadied the ship with back-to-back pars.
Grehan had birdied the fourth and fifth earlier in his round and that put him in the ascendency while his playing partner Benjamin Oberholzer struggled.
The Clandeboye man made bogeys at the fourth, sixth and 10th and that put paid to his chances as a birdie at the 13th left him still three shots in arrears.
Grehan regained his amateur status before the start of the season and he showed all of his experience down the back nine before making a birdie at the 15th to edge closer to victory.
“It was a little bit stressful coming in there but I felt my game all day, ball-striking wise, was very strong so just kind of backed it up then coming in and very happy now,” said Grehan.
“I had 18 as my target, 18-under, but it was a bit trickier today. I definitely hit it well enough, just my putting wasn’t the best today, but I was delighted to get over the line.
“I hit the shots I needed to hit coming down the stretch, so delighted.”
AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship, Westport GC (Par 73)
Final
279 1. Stuart Grehan (Co. Louth) 65 73 70 71
281 2. Alex Kerins (Carton House) 73 72 72 64
283 3. Benjamin Oberholzer (Clandeboye) 70 70 70 73
285 4. Paddy Quill (Cork) 70 78 70 67
286 5. Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 70 71 72 73
288 T6. Keith Egan (Carton House) 71 75 69 73, Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 74 71 73 70, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 71 73 74 70
289 T9. Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 70 74 71 74, Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 73 70 73 73, Mark Gazi (Tralee) 68 74 71 76
290 T12. Cian Harkin (Letterkenny) 70 74 69 77, Ross Latimer (Knock) 72 71 73 74, James Walsh (Douglas) 77 70 71 72, Jack Murphy (Douglas) 70 77 70 73
291 T16. Bruce MacDonald (Lisburn) 72 71 77 71, Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 72 75 70 74, TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 71 76 75 69
292 T19. Calum Ward (Carton House) 74 71 74 73, David Kitt (Athenry) 73 71 76 72
293 T21. John William Burke (Ballyhaunis) 72 74 73 74, Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 70 73 75 75
294 T23. Rafael Poli (Holywood) 74 75 71 74, David Reddan (Castleknock) 75 72 77 70
295 25. Aodhagan Brady (Co. Sligo) 76 69 72 78
296 T26. Conor Hickey (Dooks) 74 72 75 75, Luke O'Neill (Connemara) 76 70 69 81
297 T28. Dylan Holmes (Greystones) 70 75 75 77, Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 76 70 80 71, Cormac Ó Muirithe (Belmullet) 74 72 72 79
299 T31. Conor Stapleton (Westport) 73 73 76 77, Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 77 71 77 74
301 T33. Mark Muldoon (Royal Dublin) 75 75 70 81, Padraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore) 75 73 76 77, James O'Rourke (Naas) 76 72 78 75
302 36. Sean Reddy (Douglas) 76 73 78 75
303 37. Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park) 74 76 80 73
304 38. Evan Farrell (Co. Louth) 74 74 79 77
306 39. Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 75 75 78 78
307 40. Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 80 70 78 79
309 41. Barry O'Neill (Tramore) 78 71 86 74
311 42. Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 73 77 81 80
DNF Jake Foley (Elm Park) 73 77 76
After 54 holes
208 1. Stuart Grehan (Co. Louth) 65 73 70;
210 2. Benjamin Oberholzer (Clandeboye) 70 70 70;
213 T3. Cian Harkin (Letterkenny) 70 74 69, Mark Gazi (Tralee) 68 74 71, Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 70 71 72;
215 T6. Keith Egan (Carton House) 71 75 69, Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 70 74 71, Luke O'Neill (Connemara) 76 70 69;
216 T9. Ross Latimer (Knock) 72 71 73, Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 73 70 73;
217 T11. Alex Kerins (Carton House) 73 72 72, Aodhagan Brady (Co. Sligo) 76 69 72, Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 72 75 70, Jack Murphy (Douglas) 70 77 70;
218 T15. Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 74 71 73, Paddy Quill (Cork) 70 78 70, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 71 73 74, Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 70 73 75, James Walsh (Douglas) 77 70 71, Cormac Ó Muirithe (Belmullet) 74 72 72;
219 T21. John William Burke (Ballyhaunis) 72 74 73, Calum Ward (Carton House) 74 71 74;
220 T23. Mark Muldoon (Royal Dublin) 75 75 70, Dylan Holmes (Greystones) 70 75 75, Rafael Poli (Holywood) 74 75 71, David Kitt (Athenry) 73 71 76, Bruce MacDonald (Lisburn) 72 71 77;
221 T28. Conor Hickey (Dooks) 74 72 75;
222 T29. Conor Stapleton (Westport) 73 73 76, TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 71 76 75;
224 T31. Padraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore) 75 73 76, David Reddan (Castleknock) 75 72 77;
225 T33. Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 77 71 77;
226 T34. Jake Foley (Elm Park) 73 77 76, James O'Rourke (Naas) 76 72 78, Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 76 70 80;
227 T37. Sean Reddy (Douglas) 76 73 78, Evan Farrell (Co. Louth) 74 74 79;
228 T39. Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 75 75 78, Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 80 70 78;
230 41. Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park) 74 76 80;
231 T42. Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 73 77 81;
235 43. Barry O'Neill (Tramore) 78 71 86
WD Quentin Carew (Castleknock) 72 73 WD.
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.
Pictured below: Stuart Grehan with his wife Carla and son Kai. Photo: Tom Maher / Inpho
Communications and Media Manager at Golf Ireland