GOLF:KELAN McDONAGH from Athlone is poised to go one better than last year as the South of Ireland enters its fifth and final day at Lahinch today.
The 21-year-old lost 2 and 1 to Carlow’s John Greene in the final 12 months ago but has reached this morning’s semi-finals after a series of impressive performances highlighted by his defeat of the talented Rathsallagh teenager Jack Hume in a classic encounter yesterday afternoon.
McDonagh meets Andrew Hogan of Newlands in the first semi-final at 8.30am and they are followed 15 minutes later by Robbie Cannon, the 2009 champion from Balbriggan, and Stephen Walsh of Baltinglass, a scholarship student at UCD.
Hume again gave a magnificent account of himself and lost no esteem in defeat. The 17-year-old made heavy weather of beating Chris Moulds (Lisburn) in the third round before getting home at the 17th and he again started slowly, losing three of the first holes to McDonagh, who recently achieved a bachelor of arts degree at NUI Maynooth where he was a member of the Paddy Harrington scholarship group.
The youngster drew level at the 15th, where he did well to get up and down from a bunker for a winning par. McDonagh reacted in style by knocking in a 12-footer for a birdie two at the 16th before finishing it at the next where he sank another birdie putt, this time from about 30 yards.
“Jack and I work with the same coach, Brendan McDaid, so I knew I was facing a very tough match,” said McDonagh. “He came back well at me after getting off to a bad start but every time I come to this course, I feel completely at home and that stood to me. I took a lot of positives out of reaching last year’s final when John Greene virtually putted me off the course, but there is still a long way to go.”
McDonagh acknowledged his clash with Hogan, who has an excellent record over the past few years without winning a major event, will be another severe test.
Robbie Cannon, at 32 the eldest of the four survivors, again demonstrated his liking for the Lahinch links when withstanding a strong recovery effort by Ulsterman Chris Selfridge to win on the 17th, although the dark horse now could well be Stephen Walsh, a 21-year-old Dubliner entered from Baltinglass, and who showed himself a fine ball striker in beating David Ryan on the 14th.
THIRD-ROUND RESULTS: N Grant (Knock) bt I Murphy (Waterford) 4 and 3; A Hogan (Newlands) bt N Morrison (Lahinch) 2 and 1; J Hume (Rathsallagh) bt C Moulds (Lisburn) 2 and 1; K McDonagh (Athlone/NUI Maynooth) bt C O'Rourke (Naas/NUI Maynooth) 2/1 R Cannon (Balbriggan) bt D Ruddy (Co Tipperary) 2 and 1; C Selfridge (Moyola Park) bt L Hutchinson (Royal Dublin) 1 hole; D Ryan (Grange) bt R Bridges (Stackstown) 20th; S Walsh (Baltinglass/UCD) bt R Burke (Castle) 2 and 1.
Quarter-finals: Hogan bt Grant 1 hole; McDonagh bt Hume 2 and 1; Cannon bt Selfridge 2 and 1; Walsh bt Ryan 5 and 4.
Semi-finals: Hogan v McDonagh, 8.30; Cannon v Walsh, 8.45. Final: 2pm.
