Symes leads as Fanagan goes out

Amidst the carnage and heartbreak wreaked on scorecards by some devilish rough and greens fast enough to test the upper limits of a stimpmetre, honour prevailed in the Irish Amateur Close Championship, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, at The Island Golf Club yesterday.

On a day when some of the game's big guns departed somewhat prematurely and boys' international Robin Symes headed the strokeplay qualifying, Walker Cup player Jody Fanagan signed his own exit warrant.

Fanagan showed that golf is basically a game of honour when, after signing his card for a 77, which would have enabled him to sneak through to the matchplay stages right on the cut-off mark of 157, a doubt that something was amiss gnawed away in his mind. On returning to the championship office to re-check his card, the Milltown player discovered two discrepancies and immediately disqualified himself.

Although he did have a second round 77 for 157, Fanagan's marker had credited him with a five at the 12th instead of a four, and a four at the 17th in place of a five. When originally signing his card, Fanagan hadn't noticed the mistakes but something in his mind told him things were not quite right and his worse fears were subsequently realised.

It proved to be a harsh lesson, but others exited in far tamer fashion. Ken Kearney, the defending champion, relinquished his crown with barely a wimper after posting a second round 84 for 161, while Noel Fox, the West of Ireland champion, also incurred a bad day on the north Dublin links (which, it must be said, is in magnificent condition for the national championship) by adding an 82, also for 161.

And Adrian Morrow, also a current international, was another casualty, failing to survive on the cut mark of 157. Indeed, 16 players finished on that score, but just 10 made it into the matchplay with the others, Morrow amongst them, falling by the wayside on a course where the rough hungrily devoured any wayward shots. In fact, some 50 club members, in distinctive red baseball caps, acted as "spotters" to aid and assist in the search for errant balls.

None of which unduly bothered Symes, another player to emerge from the Shandon Park nursery. The 18-year-old fired a second round 72 for a one over par total of 143, which gave him a one stroke margin over youths' international, Alan Thomas, of Tramore. Eddie Power, a two-time champion and first round leader, added a second round 77 for 146. "It's all about qualifying," he remarked philosophically, "and I've done that."

Symes has hinted at a precocious talent. He was an inspiring figure in the Irish team that won the Home Internationals for the first time last season - and he's been selected on the team for next month's European Boys' Championship in Gullane in Scotland - and, after suffering a double bogey six at the third where he missed the green and then three-putted, he showed commendable composure by collecting four birdies.

The Ulster player's round was back-boned by a run of three birdies in four holes: at the ninth, the hit a seven iron tee-shot through the back of the green but pitched in from 10 feet; he was on the par five 10th in two and proceeded to two-putt, and then hit a sand wedge approach in to four feet for another birdie at the 12th.

Although he incurred back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th, Symes performed the considerable feat of covering the closing holes in pars. However, the 18th - a fantastic finishing hole - wasn't as intimidating as the first day, given that the GUI moved the tee forward by some 15 yards after a number of players' voiced protests about its length.

Still, Enda McMenamin showed how it should be played by firing in a four iron approach to eight feet for a rare enough birdie at the finishing hole. It gave the Donegal player a second round of 71 (which, with former Laois footballer Michael Turley, was the joint-best round of the day) for 145, where he joined East of Ireland champion Garth McGimpsey.

McGimpsey three-putted on four occasions but his ball-striking was highly impressive and he garnered five birdies on his way to a 73. Indeed, McGimpsey's front nine was most unusual, a splattering of four birdies, four bogeys and a solitary par. But he professed the course to be in "great shape," a comment which has met with near universal consent.

Of the other current internationals, Bryan Omelia, the pre-championship favourite, David Dunne and Andrew McCormick comfortably negotiated their way through to the matchplay stages. But if the surprises generated by the 36-holes strokeplay qualifying is anything to go by, then the matchplay fare should prove very interesting indeed.