Lally has just completed his junior year at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and while he was disappointed by bogeys at the fourth and 17th, he was pleased to make five birdies and turn some good recent form into low scores.
“I’m happy enough so far,” he said. “I played pretty well in my last couple of tournaments in America but my scores hadn’t quite reflected that.
“I was confident enough and I’d be playing with my mates and stuff back in Blainroe and playing pretty well. I never want to put expectations on myself but I definitely was confident in my game coming into this week.”
Local hope Farrell shot an excellent 69 to lie just two behind McDonnell in third place with one of the pre-tournament favourites in world number 78 Max Kennedy from Royal Dublin, who carded a 71.
But a lot can happen over the final 36 holes at Baltray, where players frequently come storming through the field to win.
Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty, the runner-up for the last two years, is just three shots off the pace on four-under alongside clubmate Eoin Murphy, Millicent’s Brian Doran, former winner Paul O’Halon from Carton House and Fota Island’s David Howard, who eagled the last to shoot a best-of-the-day, five-under 67.
Roscommon’s Simon Walker shot 74 but he shares 10th alongside Irish Amateur Open champion Matt McClean after he aced the 15th to record the third hole-in-one of the week.
Twenty players are in the red and when the group on two-under features the likes of former South of Ireland champion TJ Ford, current South of Ireland champion Colm Campbell and Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley—who needs only the East to become the first man to win all four provincial titles— the size of the task facing McDonnell becomes all the more apparent.
East of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Kingspan, County Sligo GC (Par 72)
After 36 holes
137 Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 66 71;
138 David Lally (Blainroe) 68 70;
139 Evan Farrell (Co Louth) 70 69, Max Kennedy (Royal Dublin) 68 71;
140 Brian Doran (Millicent) 71 69, Eoin Murphy ((Dundalk)) 72 68, Paul O’Hanlon ((Carton House)) 72 68, Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) 71 69, David Howard (Fota island) 73 67;
141 Sean McAufield (Ardee) 73 68, TJ Ford (Co Sligo) 71 70, Simon Walker (Roscommon) 67 74, Matthew McClean Malone 70 71;
142 Mark Gazi (Tralee) 73 69, Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 69 73, Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock) 67 75, Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin) 71 71, Stephen Grant (Birr) 71 71, Adam Smith (Mullingar) 72 70, Jake Whelan (Grange) 70 72;
144 Cian O’Connor (Roscommon) 71 73, Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 70 74, David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 71 73, Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 73 71, Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu) 71 73, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 74 70, Gavin O’Neill (Malahide) 70 74, Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 69 75, David Kitt (Athenry) 73 71;
145 Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell) 73 72, Jack Blake (The Island) 71 74, Adam Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 74 71, Adam Fahey (Portmarnock) 72 73, Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 72 73, Jamie Butler (Naas) 74 71, Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) 74 71, Seamus Cullen (Slieve Russell) 71 74, Stephen Walsh (Baltusrol) 73 72, David Reddan (Nenagh) 75 70, Gerard Dunne (Co Louth) 77 68, Matthew Grehan ((Tullamore)) 71 74;
146 John Cleary (Elm Park) 72 74, Conor Hickey (Dooks) 71 75, Ryan McNelis (Fintona) 74 72, Jordan Boles (Charleville) 74 72, Ian Lynch ((Rosslare)) 72 74, Seán Desmond (Monkstown) 73 73, Ross Latimer (Clandeboye) 75 71, Luke O’Neill (Connemara Golf Links) 72 74, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 75 71, Morgan Cain (Cork) 72 74, Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) 71 75, Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay) 74 72, Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 71 75.
Missed cut
147 Theodor M Bjørge (Aalesund, NOR) 76 71, Marcus Audun Goosen (Sunnfjord, NOR) 69 78, Shane Gannon (GC YBrig, SUI) 72 75, Gary Collins (Rosslare) 72 75, Calum Ward (Carton House) 73 74, Colin Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 74 73;
148 Evan Monaghan (Tullamore) 73 75, Daniel Werner Nilsson (Oslo GC, NOR) 77 71, Ross McCormack (Palmerstown House Estate) 72 76, Luke Kelly (Dunfanaghy) 73 75, Oscar Murphy (Royal Portrush) 76 72, Jonathon Keith (Inverness) 73 75, Graham Callaghan (Co Louth) 77 71, Jake Foley (Elm Park) 78 70, Darren McCormack (Corrstown) 77 71, Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) 74 74, Charlie Denvir (Elm Park) 72 76;
149 James Temple (Portmarnock) 73 76, Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) 74 75, Simon Ward (Belvoir Park) 71 78, Cian Harkin (Letterkenny) 73 76, Fridtjof Farhang (Oslo GC, NOR) 76 73, Jack Phipps (Ardee) 75 74, Keith Egan (Carton House) 73 76, Gavin Tiernan ((Co Louth)) 79 70, Quentin Carew (Castleknock) 77 72, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 73 76;
150 Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin) 75 75, Samuel Gammell (Naas) 74 76, Ian O’Connell (Castleknock) 75 75, Stephen Healy (Royal Dublin) 78 72, Joe O’Neill (Berehaven) 76 74;
151 Dean O’Riordan (Fermoy) 78 73, Seán McLoughlin (Co Sligo) 75 76, Rory McConnell (Belvoir Park) 75 76, Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 79 72, Jack Hearn (Tramore) 74 77, Mark Doogue (Castleknock) 76 75;
152 Shea Dorman ((Bangor)) 73 79, Eoin Rogers (Ardee) 75 77, Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 78 74, Mark Shanahan (Rosslare) 74 78, Gordon Sillett Ballykisteen 77 75, Gareth Bohill (Co Louth) 77 75, Sean Cooper (Enniscorthy) 75 77, Lee O’Meara (Tullamore) 75 77, Edward Rowe (Belvoir Park) 74 78, Dwayne Mallon (Dungannon) 74 78, Lewis Gowdy (Bangor) 75 77, Matthew Giles (Greenore) 74 78;
153 Shane O’Neill (Malahide) 78 75, Eoin O’Carroll (St Anne’s) 74 79, Mark Feenan (Mourne) 74 79, James Stenson (The Island) 77 76;
154 Ryan Murray (Balmoral) 77 77, Mark Mullen (Rosslare) 74 80, Mikkel Bergum Johansen (Drøbak GK, NOR) 77 77, Adam Doran (Co Louth) 80 74;
155 Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) 75 80, Sean Reddy (Douglas) 79 76, Charlie Cooley (Belvoir Park) 77 78, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 79 76, Ben Phipps (USA) 75 80, Ruairi O’Connor (Co Sligo) 75 80;
156 Kevin LeBlanc (The Island) 73 83, Tom Cafferky (Ballinasloe) 78 78;
157 Adam Cromwell (Co Armagh) 75 82;
158 Lucas McKeen (Co Louth) 81 77;
162 Sean Murphy (Grange) 77 85, Mark Cadden (Roganstown) 82 80, Edward Reed (Royal Birkdale) 81 81;
163 Robert Walsh (Douglas) 83 80;
166 Cornelius Farhang (Oslo GC, NOR) 80 86, Donal O’Reilly (Farnham Estate) 83 83;
172 Harley Phipps (Co Louth) 85 87.
NR David Keenaghan (Mullingar), Craig Kelly (Grange) Castle, Jason Law East (Cork)
Final day tee-times
10th tee
7:30/12:45 Cain, Gallagher, Flynn
7:4112:56 O’Neill, O’Keeffe, Shiel
7:52/1:07 Lynch, Desmond, Latimer
8:03/1:18 Hickey, McNelis, Boles
8:14/1:29 Dunne, Grehan, Cleary
8:25/1:40 Cullen, Walsh, Reddan
8:36/1:51 Gillivan, Butler, Hogg
8:47/2:02 Blake, Buchanan, Fahey
8:58/2:13 Keating, Kitt, McDermott
1st tee
7:30/12:45 McKinstry, Abom, O’Neill
7:41/12:56 O’Connor, Foy, Marshall
7:52/1:07 Smith, Whelan, Sullivan
8:03/1:18 Lenehan, Foley, Grant
8:14/1:29 McClean, Gazi, Campbell
8:25/1:40 McAufield, Ford, Walker
8:36/1:51 O’Hanlon, Rafferty, Howard
8:47/2:02 Kennedy, Doran, Murphy
8:58/2:13 McDonnell, Lally, Farrell.
