SHANE LOWRY is on course to become the sixth man in the 86-year history of the Radisson-Blue West of Ireland championship to successfully defend his title after surviving a mixture of stormy conditions and tenacious opponents at Rosses Point yesterday.
Lowry was made to fight all the way by Malahide’s Gavin O’Connor in the morning’s third round, while his afternoon assignment against Strandhill’s Tommy McGowan drew an enormous crowd and saw the local favourite put up a spirited challenge.
“I was glad to get through that day,” Lowry said as he faced into an 8am tee-off for this morning’s semi-final against Newlands’ Cian Curley. “I played really well this morning, but Gavin holed some great putts. He got up and down from everywhere and I found it very hard to shake him off.
“This afternoon I knew there was going to be a big crowd for Tommy. I knew it was going to be a tough match – I just tried to play my own game and it worked out well.”
Lowry had been one down at the turn against O’Connor, who only received a last-minute call-up for the championship. But he levelled the match at the 10th, and then clinched the game thanks to winning pars at the 16th and 17th into the teeth of the wind.
McGowan faltered early on in the quarter-final to yield Lowry a two-hole advantage by the time they stood on the sixth tee, but that lead was halved at the ninth, and it was only on the long 12th that Lowry reasserted his advantage. A birdie at the 15th put him three ahead once again, and despite a miraculous up-and-down at the short 16th from his opponent, he two-putted from 35 feet to book his place in the last-four.
His opponent today, Curley, was made to fight all the way in both of his matches, against England’s Michael Hearn and Castle’s Jim Mulready, before the Newlands man triumphed on the 18th green on both occasions.
“The weather was just awful so you have to be really patient,” Curley reflected of the high winds and driving rain that Rosses Point served up. “I just tried to stick to my game plan. I made it hard for myself – I’ve been doing it all week. It’s not good for the heart.”
Another who had to scrap for his place in the last four was Royal Dublin’s Niall Kearney, who came from behind against Knock veteran Michael Sinclair to win at the final green thanks to a nerveless birdie three.
Kearney then went on to eliminate another seasoned campaigner, Limerick’s Pat Murray, by 3 and 2 in the quarter-finals.
Kearney plays England’s David Corsby in today’s second semi-final, after Corsby beat his compatriot Jonathan Hurst to advance to the last eight and then overturned a one-hole deficit with five holes to play to beat Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar on the 18th.
WEST OF IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP
(at Rosses Point) – Third round: J Mulready (Castle) bt J Monaghan (The Island) 4 and 2, C Curley (Newlands) bt M Hearn (England) 1 hole, T McGowan (Strandhill) bt C Drumm (Rosslare) 19th, S Lowry (Esker Hills) bt G O’Connor (Malahide) 2 and 1, N Kearney (Royal Dublin) bt M Sinclair (Knock) 1 hole, P Murray (Limerick) bt L Lennox (Moyola Park) 3 and 2, A Dunbar (Rathmore) bt K McDonagh (Athlone) 6 and 5, D Corsby (England) bt J Hurst (England) 3 and 1.
Quarter-finals: Curley bt Mulready 1 hole, Lowry bt McGowan 3 and 2, Kearney bt Murray 3 and 2, Corsby bt Dunbar 2 holes.
Semi-final draw: 8am: Curley v Lowry. 8.15: Kearney v Corsby.
