Patrick Keeling takes Irish Amateur Open lead as wind plays havoc at Seapoint
Patrick Keeling overcame a stiff north wind that transformed Seapoint Golf Links to take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Flogas Irish Amateur Open.
Scores were sent soaring after two days of low scoring.
But Roganstown talent Keeling, who shot a course-record 62 on Friday, overcame the club selection guessing game to card a one over 73 and lead by a shot from Carton House’s Darragh Flynn (70) and Edmondstown’s Thomas Abom (75) on nine under.
“I had a nine iron from 115 yards that ballooned up in the air,” Keeling said. “There’s no number anymore – total feel, and trying to get the ball flight right.”
He was three over through nine holes for the second time in three days, but birdied the short 17th and got up‑and‑down at the 18th to save par and shoot 73.
“Just had fun with my caddy, Tom,” he said. “Even when it wasn’t going well, we were cracking jokes.”
Flynn, who shot 70, simply tried to play careful golf.
“You don’t have to go low when it’s as windy as this,” he said. “Just be cautious with tee shots, keep your pace on putts.”
He made three straight birdies from the 10th, including a four iron from 200 yards to 12 feet at the 12th.
Gerard Dunne sits two shots behind in a tie for fourth with Warrenpoint’s Stephen Coulter (75) on seven under after a hard-fought 73 despite taking two drops after driving into unplayable lies.
“I didn’t have my driver at all – I was coming down (the stretch) into the breeze just thinking, get it down the fairway somehow,” Dunne said. “It felt like a winter league at Baltray. I held a few good putts coming in.”
The cut fell at three over 219, with 52 players advancing.
Defending champion Stuart Grehan was in a nine-man tie for sixth on four under, five shots off the pace, after a 74.
Keeling admitted nerves will be a factor in the final round, but he feels ready to try and notch his first amateur Major.
“Same mission,” he said. “One shot at a time, get a rhythm earlier, and see what happens.”
On the DP World Tour, Yurav Premlall took a stranglehold on the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship as a stunning third-round 63 earned him a five-shot lead - and potentially a significant bonus.
The South African's ten birdies, with just a solitary bogey, took him clear of the field on 19 under par and left him in position to scoop the $50,000 prize on offer for the Course Record presented by Nexo.
Playing partner and 36-hole co-leader Stefano Mazzoli was his nearest challenger at 14 under.
On the HotelPlanner Tour, Chris Wood and Barclay Brown share a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the Italian Challenge Open at Golf Nazionale.
Brown shot a five under 67 to Wood’s 68 to leave them tied in 16 under, one stroke clear of Portugal’s Tomás Gouveia.
Galway’s Ronan Mularney was joint 23rd on nine under after a 69, while Mallow’s James Sugrue was 50th on six under after a 70.
Flogas Irish Amateur Open, Seapoint Golf Links (Par 72)
After 54 holes
207 Patrick Keeling (Roganstown) 72 62 73
208 Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 71 67 70, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 69 64 75
209 Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 69 67 73, Stephen Coulter (Warrenpoint) 64 70 75
212 Greg Holmes (Royal Birkdale) 75 68 69, Dylan Shaw-Radford (Huddersfield) 72 66 74, Ryan Griffin (The Royal Dublin) 71 70 71, David Reddan (Castleknock) 71 67 74, David Howard (Fota Island) 70 69 73, Conor Stapleton (Westport) 70 69 73, Tom Hughes (Formby) 69 69 74, Stuart Grehan (Co. Louth) 67 71 74, Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 65 71 76
213 Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock) 73 69 71, Gary Collins (Rosslare) 72 72 69, Isaac Oliver (Glasson) 71 70 72, Cian Harkin (The Island) 70 71 72, Chris Somers (Murcar Links) 70 70 73
214 Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 74 67 73, Harry O’Hara (Clandeboye) 72 70 72, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 72 70 72, Ethan Roos (Thorndon Park) 72 68 74, Lewis Gowdy (Bangor) 71 70 73
215 William O’Riordan (Greystones) 73 70 72, Adam Fahey (Portmarnock) 71 74 70
216 Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 73 73 70, Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 72 69 75, Dylan Holmes (Greystones) 71 73 72, John Doyle (Fota Island) 69 75 72
217 Patrick Martin (Carrick-On-Shannon) 75 71 71, Tadhg Murphy (Millicent) 74 70 73, Aodhagan Brady (Co. Sligo) 73 72 72, Ian Lynch (Rosslare) 73 71 73, Quentin Carew (The Heritage) 73 67 77, Mark Cadden (Roganstown) 72 75 70, Alexander Brand (Bern) 72 72 73, Padraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore) 71 74 72, Matthew McClean (Malone) 70 74 73
218 Conor Hickey (Dooks) 75 71 72, Patrick Curran (Edmondstown) 75 68 75, Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 72 70 76, Sean Keeling (Roganstown) 71 74 73, Alex Kerins (Carton House) 71 73 74, Bryn Thomas (Cardigan) 71 72 75, Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 70 75 73, John William Burke (Ballyhaunis) 70 75 73
219 Robbie Cannon (Balbriggan) 75 73 71, Joe O’Neill (Berehaven) 74 70 75, Ewen Farquhar (New St Andrews) 73 72 74, Charlie Rusbridge (Colne Valley) 73 71 75, Oscar Murphy (Royal Portrush) 72 71 76
Missed the cut
220 John Moran (Portmarnock) 78 74 68, William Walshe (Delgany) 75 72 73, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 74 70 76, Kai Laing (Broomieknowe) 72 75 73, Conor Clarke (Balmoral) 70 73 77
221 Brian Doran (Millicent) 75 71 75, Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 74 71 76, Jordan Boles (Carton House) 72 73 76, Paul O Hanlon (Carton House) 72 72 77, Finlay Galloway (The St Andrews) 72 70 79
222 Sean David (Pyle and Kenfig) 77 73 72, Ciaran Murphy (Grange) 77 73 72, Kiron Gribble (Dunbar) 76 73 73, Kyle McCarron (North West) 74 76 72, Ellis Kinnaird (Mississippi) 74 72 76, Bruce MacDonald (Lisburn) 74 70 78, Barry O’Connell (Douglas) 70 74 78, Mark Muldoon (Royal Dublin) 69 75 78
223 Luke Furlong (Wexford) 79 72 72, Keith Egan (Carton House) 77 71 75, Luke Kelly (Dunfanaghy) 75 66 82, James Fox (Portmarnock) 74 75 74, James Walsh (Douglas) 74 70 79, Jamie Anderson (Greystones) 72 79 72
224 Seán McLoughlin (Co. Sligo) 80 70 74, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 77 74 73, Fergal Coyle (Athenry) 76 74 74, Louis Goodman (Co. Louth) 76 73 75, James O’Rourke (Naas) 75 70 79, Ben Cahill (Dundalk) 74 77 73, Thomas Beaumont (Bangor) 74 73 77, Aaron Ryan (Thurles) 73 75 76, Harris Fleming (Galgorm Castle) 73 73 78, Ryan Murray (Balmoral) 72 74 78
225 Lorcan O'Connor (Edmondstown) 78 77 70, David Kitt (Athenry) 78 73 74, Shane McDermott (PGA National Slieve Russell) 78 72 75, Paddy Quill (Cork) 75 76 74, William Beatty (Royal Portrush) 75 75 75, Charlie McDonnell (Concra Wood) 70 75 80
226 Shane McGlynn (Portmarnock) 78 75 73, George Holland (Southport & Ainsdale) 77 76 73, Patrick Tuffy (Strandhill) 76 76 74, Neil Patterson (Baltinglass) 76 75 75, James Hewitt (Tandragee) 76 74 76
227 Finn Jolly (Dun Laoghaire) 81 70 76, Ross Latimer (Knock) 80 73 74, Aaron Naughton (Hermitage) 79 71 77, Conor McCarthy (Headfort) 77 77 73, Michael Roche (Harpenden Common) 75 73 79, Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay) 75 71 81
228 Caelan Coleman (Galway Bay) 79 73 76, Edward Reed (Royal Birkdale) 78 76 74, Lorenzo Fior (Asiago) 78 76 74, Luke Cunningham (Galway Bay) 76 77 75
229 Anthony Nadal (Biarritz Le Phare) 77 74 78, Evan Farrell (Co. Louth) 76 74 79, Daniel O'Brien (Co. Louth) 74 76 79
230 Harry Watkins (Royal Porthcawl) 81 73 76
231 Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 79 74 78
232 Stephen Barker (Mourne) 82 69 81
233 Cian Poland (Elm Park) 82 75 76, Robert Walsh (Douglas) 80 79 74, James Maginn (Mourne) 74 80 79
234 Cole Henderson (Galgorm Castle) 80 73 81, Harry Thomas (Eaton) 75 75 84
235 Matthew Dodd (St. Anne’s) 81 78 76, Harley Phipps (Co. Louth) 79 77 79, Sean Reddy (Douglas) 76 81 78
237 Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 79 78 80, Conor Crudden (Newbridge) 77 80 80
243 Mikie Grealy (Galway Bay) 79 77 87
246 Eoin Magill (East Clare) 85 81 80
249 David O'Malley (Black Bush) 80 84 85
WD / DNF / DQ Sean Barry (Fota Island) 75 77 WD; Danny Lyne (Lahinch) 75 82 WD; Michael Green (Greenore) 78 81 WD; James Everard (Kilkenny) 81 76 DNF; Mikkel Bergum Johansen (Drøbak) 78 75 DQ; James Temple (Portmarnock) DNF WD
