Mark Doogue on the sixteenth tee. Image: David Lloyd | Golffile.
The starter talked the rookies by all of it on the primary tee, then despatched them off with the joyful rejoinder — “That is tropical, lads!”
A lightweight southerly breeze and funky however usually dry climate, punctuated by a few showers (one thundery), meant County Sligo barely confirmed its fangs within the opening spherical of the one hundred and first West of Eire Newbie Open Championship.
But for all that, simply 5 gamers within the 120-man discipline, a lot of them rusty after a protracted winter, broke par at Rosses Level within the Connolly Motor Group curtain-raiser to Eire’s newbie season.
College instructor Mark Doogue ended the day on the head of affairs, rolling in a ten-footer on the 18th for a birdie and a four-under 67 on his West of Eire debut.
Taking part in out of Castleknock, the 26-year-old plus-two Baltinglass man leads by two photographs after displaying the type of persistence and course administration that’s essential for these hoping to make the highest 64 after right now’s second spherical and put their title in Sunday’s matchplay draw.
“I hit the ball very well and took care of the par fives,” stated Doogue, who tried to get by the pre-qualifier final yr however missed out by a shot.
“I used to be simply hitting fairways and greens and staying affected person, and it paid off.”
A major faculty instructor in Ballymun in Dublin, he was three underneath after 5 holes after he chipped and putted for birdie on the second, then two putted the par-five third and fifth holes.He picked up two extra birdies on the eleventh and twelfth earlier than following bogeys on the difficult fifteenth and seventeenth with that satisfying closing three.
He leads by two strokes from Enniscrone’s David Shiel, final yr’s Bridgestone Order of Benefit winner, and 16-year-old Galway Bay starlet Rory Gallagher, who was 4 underneath after 5 holes in a lightweight southerly breeze earlier than bogeys on the seventh and 14th noticed him signal for a wonderful 69.
“I wasn’t actually getting pissed off, simply letting it occur,” stated Doogue, whose massive objective is to make the lower. “Clearly, when a few putts begin dropping, it is so much simpler.”
He’s on observe to win the Pat Ruddy Trophy as main qualifier however refuses to look too far forward.
“Making the lower could be my objective for the week, and successful a few matches within the matchplay could be nice. However the objective is to remain grounded, put one other rating collectively, and see what occurs.”
Shiel has but to win a Championship, however after topping the Order of Benefit to win his first cap final yr, he is eager to maintain enhancing his recreation.
He birdied three of his first 5 holes, then adopted bogeys on the ninth and eleventh with three birdies in a row from the twelfth to achieve 4 underneath.
Whereas he double-bogeyed the fifteenth and dropped one other shot on the sixteenth, he was happy to complete par-birdie for his 69.
“A four-three end is at all times good,” Shiel stated. “I am not considering too far forward or considering of successful this or that.
“I’ve a few issues in my recreation that I am actually targeted on — scoring and technique particularly. I put that in play very well right now. In order that’s my major focus.”
Carton Home’s Paul O’Hanlon and The Island’s James Stenson tied for fourth after 70s whereas the eight-man group on stage par included Walker Cup participant Matt McClean from Malone and skilled championship gamers resembling Eddie McCormack, Paul Coughlan and Jake Whelan.
Irish Senior Shut champion Joe Lyons was in a ten-man group to shoot 72 regardless of taking 37 putts.
“It was stable sufficient, however I might wish to get just a few extra places to drop tomorrow,” stated McClean, who’s seeking to peak for the massive summer time occasions, such because the Newbie Championship at Ballyliffin.
Douglas’ Peter O’Keeffe was two-under with 4 holes to go however misplaced focus and ran up a triple bogey on the fifteenth after a poor tee shot and dropped one other shot on the seventeenth en path to a 73 as 2021 winner Hugh Foley signed for a four-over 75.
That left Foley on the lower line for the highest 64 whereas final yr’s overwhelmed finalist, Co Sligo’s Barry Anderson, has work to do after a 77.
West of Eire Newbie Open, sponsored by Connolly Motor Group, Co Sligo GC (Par 71)
First spherical
67 M Doogue (Castleknock);
69 R Gallagher (Galway Bay), D Shiel (Enniscrone);
70 P O’Hanlon (Carton Home), 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), Ok Egan (Carton Home), D Flynn (Carton Home), 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 Home), 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 Home), 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 Property), 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 Keen (Royal Belfast), S Flanagan (Portmarnock), L Flynn (Dun Laoghaire), J Foley (Elm Park), C Harkin (Letterkenny), S Kavanagh (St Anne’s), R McCormack (Palmerstown Home), C Mooney (Ballinasloe), Ok Robinson (Castlewarden);
78 A Brady (Co Sligo), M Inexperienced (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 Home), 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 Corridor (Whitehead), E Rogers (Ardee);
85 L Curran (Castleknock);
NS R Thompson (Galgorm Fort).
