Being the oldest swinger in town is not great news in the modern amateur game.
But for 53-year-old Tipperary native Pat Murray (the oldest to make the cut), the lure of Lahinch and the South Ireland Amateur Open remains irresistible.
While the game might creak at times compared to 2012, when he finally lifted the trophy after seven crushing semi-final defeats, the general manager at Tramore Golf Club cruised into the matchplay stages with ease as he used his considerable experience to negotiate a westerly wind that gusted to 30 mph at times.
Ballybofey and Stranorlar’s Ryan Griffin topped the qualifiers in the Pierse Motors VW-sponsored classic on seven-under-par as he added a 71 to his opening 66 early in the day.
But Murray—who first played in the Championship in 1990 when the last four comprised eventual champion Darren Clarke, Pádraig Harrington, Jim Carvill and Paul McGinley—was thrilled to make the knockout stages.
“I just love it here and as a former champion, I just have to come back,” Murray said, clutching a dog-eared and weather-beaten course planner.
“I still have my old course planner here with all the slope adjustments I’ve noted down over the years.”
He followed his opening 70 with a solid 72 in demanding conditions yesterday and while another tilt at the title would be a major surprise against some of the best young talent in the country, he could prove a difficult man to shift.
“It’s matchplay,” he said. “Anything can happen. The good thing about getting older is there’s nothing out there that surprises me, no place I haven’t been and no lie I haven’t faced before.
“After all the rain we’ve had, all I know is you want to stay out of that rough. It’s very juicy.”
The rough posed few problems for 24-year-old Maynooth University star Griffin, who won the R&A Student Series over the winter season and didn’t look out of his depth taking on some of the top Americans in the recent Arnold Palmer Cup match at Lahinch.
“I’d have taken 71 before I went out,” Griffin said. “There are some difficult holes out there, and the place is playing quite tough, so I was delighted to make my pars and sprinkle in a few birdies and try to keep the mistakes off my card.”
The Walker Cup comes to Lahinch in 2026 and it remains to be seen how many Irishmen will be in contention for a place on the team.
Griffin knows the Great Britain and Ireland captain Dean Robertson well through their involvement in the R&A Student Series and he’d love to give the Scot reason to consider him by picking up some silverware this week.
“After seeing how fantastic the Arnold Palmer Cup was at Lahinch, I know the Walker Cup would be even more unbelievable,” he said. “I try and play in all the events they look at for Walker Cup selection, and I know Dean very well. He has my number anyway.
“Next year is at Cypress Point but it would be lovely to play in at any time. I’d like to give the professional game a go at some stage, but first, I want to get a bit of parchment under my belt, so I am back to Maynooth again this year to do my Masters.”
Griffin’s seven-under total left him four shots clear of Castleknock’s Quentin Carew and American Patrick Adler, who is an overseas member of Lahinch.
Murray was tied for fourth on two-under with Ardee’s Evan Farrell (71-71) and 18-year-old Co Sligo talent Aodhagan Brady (69-73).
Athenry’s Cathal Penney, Galgorm’s Joshua Hill, Roscommon’s Thomas Higgins and Berehaven’s Joe O’Neill were the only other players in the red on one-under.
Title holder Colm Campbell cruised into the matchplay on level par after a 74 on a day when only eight players broke par.
Castleknock’s Ian O’Connell, the joint first-round leader, crashed to an 81 but still made the six-over cut with three shots to spare but there was no joy for Elm Park’s Jake Foley, whose 79 saw him miss out on a countback.
He can blame Galway Bay’s Paraic McGrath, who birdied the last two holes to shoot 76 and move into the top 64.
As for big-name casualties, former Bridgestone Order of Merit winner and Irish international David Shiel was the most prominent as he finished two shots outside the cut line.
122nd South of Ireland Amateur Open, Lahinch (Old, Par 72)
Sponsored by Pierse Motors VW
Round one – Friday
7:00 Ryan Griffin v Senan Carroll;
7:09 Jordan Boles v James Walsh;
7:18 Gerard Dunne v David Reddan;
7:27 Stephen Loftus v Niels Knudsen;
7:36 Pat Murray v Simon Walker;
7:45 Mark Doogue v Patrick Keeling;
7:54 Aodhagan Brady v Evan Monaghan;
8:03 Luke O’Neill v Jordan Hood;
8:12 Paul Coughlan v William Hemauer;
8:21 Paul O’Hanlon v Ian O’Connell;
8:30 Joe O’Neill v Rory McConnell;
8:39 Tomás Pepper v Shane McDermott;
8:48 Patrick Adler v David Lally;
8:57 Jonathan Keane v Eoin Murphy;
9:06 Thomas Higgins v TJ Ford;
9:15 David Kitt v Jack Hearn;
9:24 Keith Egan v Allan Kiernan;
9:33 Finlay Eager v Conor Dean;
9:42 Harry McArdle v Richard Sykes;
9:51 Jamie Butler v Brian Doran;
10:00 Evan Farrell v Thomas Abom;
10:09 Ross McKeever v Rory Gallagher;
10:18 Cathal Penney v Lewis Gowdy;
10:27 Darragh Flynn v James Marriott;
10:36 Colm Campbell v Robert Walsh;
10:45 Hugh Foley v Gavin O’Neill;
10:54 Charlie Cooley v Jack Blake;
11:03 Darren McCormack v Seán McLoughlin;
11:12 Quentin Carew v Paraic McGrath;
11:21 Jack McDonnell v Aaron Naughton;
11:30 Joshua Hill v Dean O’ Riordan;
11:39 Mads Jensen v Seán Desmond.
Detailed scores / Matchplay draw
Qualifiers
137 Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) 66 71;
141 Patrick Adler (North Shore USA) 72 69, Quentin Carew (Castleknock) 70 71;
142 Evan Farrell (Co Louth) 71 71, Pat Murray (Tramore) 70 72, Aodhagan Brady (Co Sligo) 69 73;
143 Cathal Penney (Athenry) 70 73, Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) 70 73, Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) 68 75, Joe O’Neill (Berehaven) 67 76;
144 Charlie Cooley (Belvoir Park) 71 73, Harry McArdle (Warrenpoint) 71 73, Gerard Dunne (Co Louth) 71 73, Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 70 74, Stephen Loftus (Lahinch) 70 74, Jamie Butler (Naas) 67 77;
145 Darren McCormack (Corrstown) 77 68, Tomás Pepper (Ardee) 74 71, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 71 74, David Kitt (Athenry) 71 74, Keith Egan (Carton House) 71 74, Mads Jensen (Odense Eventyr, Den) 69 76, Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 69 76;
146 Luke O’Neill (Connemara) 76 70, Mark Doogue (Castleknock) 74 72, Ross McKeever (Castle) 72 74, Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 71 75, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 70 76;
147 Paul O’Hanlon (Carton House) 77 70, Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin) 74 73, Finlay Eager (Royal Belfast) 73 74, Jordan Boles (Charleville) 72 75, James Walsh (Douglas) 71 76, Conor Dean (Blainroe) 68 79, Gavin O’Neill (Malahide) 67 80, Ian O’Connell (Castleknock) 66 81;
148 Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 76 72, Aaron Naughton (Hermitage) 76 72, Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay) 75 73, Patrick Keeling (Roganstown) 74 74, Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) 74 74, James Marriott (West Surrey) 72 7, Seán Desmond (Monkstown) 71 77, Jack Hearn (Tramore) 71 77, Shane McDermot (PGA National Slieve Russell) 71 77, Seán McLoughlin (Co Sligo) 71 77, Brian Doran (Millicent) 71 77, Niels Knudsen (Lyngbygaard, Den) 70 78, David Reddan (Nenagh) 68 80;
149 Richard Sykes (Dun Laoghaire) 76 73, Jack Blake (The Island) 75 74, Rory McConnell (Belvoir Park) 75 74, TJ Ford (Co Sligo) 70 79, Dean O’ Riordan
(Fermoy) 69 80;
150 Lewis Gowdy ((Bangor)) 77 73, Evan Monaghan (Tullamore) 77 73, Simon Walker (Roscommon) 75 75, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 75 75, Paraic McGrath (Galway Bay) 74 76, David Lally (Blainroe) 74 76, William Hemauer (Bluemound, USA) 74 76, Robert Walsh (Douglas) 74 76, Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) 73 77, Senan Carroll (Ballybunion) 72 78.
Non-qualifiers
150 Jake Foley (Elm Park) 71 79;
151 Dominic Dougan (Trump International) 77 74, Ruairi O’Connor (Co Sligo) 77 74, Ciaran Murphy (Grange) 76 75, Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 76 75, Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 75 76, Gary Collins (Rosslare) 75 76, Danny Lyne (Lahinch) 75 76, Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 75 76, Morgan Cain (Cork) 75 76, Sean McAufield (Ardee) 73 78, Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 73 78, Michael Roche (Harpenden Common) 71 80, Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 71 80;
152 Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 79 73, Adam Smith (Mullingar) 78 74, Conor Stapleton (Connemara) 78 74, Ross McCormack (Palmerstown House Estate) 77 75, Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) 76 76, Jack Connolly (Portmarnock) 75 77, Rían Carvill (Warrenpoint) 75 77, Ciaran Vaughan (Limerick) 74 78, Joe Lyons (Galway) 73 79, Aaron McNulty (Lahinch) 73 79, David Howard (Fota Island) 73 79, Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 72 80, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 71 81, Julius Lange (Hubbelrath, Ger) 71 81;
153 Shea Dorman (Bangor) 79 74, Tom Cafferky (Ballinasloe) 79 74, James Stenson (The Island) 77 76, Darren O’Sullivan (Tralee) 77 76, Cian Harkin (Letterkenny) 75 78, Conor Byrne (Strabane) 74 79, Gavin Tiernan (Co Louth) 73 80, Jake Whelan (Grange) 71 82;
154 Colum Kenny (Portmarnock) 78 76, Luke Kelly (Dunfanaghy) 77 77, Dylan Cairns (Royal Troon) 75 79, Morgan O’Sullivan (Ballyneety) 74 80, Colm Hughes (Galway) 72 82, Conor Hickey (Dooks) 72 82;
155 Jonathon Keith (Inverness) 80 75, Calum Ward (Carton House) 76 79;
156 Lorcan O’Connor (Edmondstown) 79 77, Robert Galligan (Elm Park) 79 77, David Marshall (Naas) 79 77, Oscar Murphy (Royal Portrush) 77 79, Ronan McCrory (Lurgan) 77 79, Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) 74 82;
157 Valdemar Hundeboll (Silkeborg, Den) 80 77, Shane O’Neill (Malahide) 80 77, Sean Cooper (Enniscorthy) 79 78, Ryan Lundh (Royal Antwerp, Bel) 78 79, David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 77 80, David O’Malley (Black Bush) 76 81;
158 Justin Nagy (Henderson Lake, Can) 83 75, Alex King (Faithlegg) 82 76, Ian Lynch (Rosslare) 77 81, Conor Clarke (Balmoral) 76 82;
159 Charlie Smyth (PGA National Slieve Russell) 84 75, Sean Murphy (Grange) 80 79, Oscar Cuthbert (Harpenden Common) 80 79, Adam Allahbachani (Powerscourt) 80 79, Sean Reddy (Douglas) 79 80, Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu) 78 81;
160 Jason Rackard (Bunclody) 80 80, Ryan Lyons (Douglas) 78 82, Mark Gazi (Tralee) 74 86;
161 James Temple (Portmarnock) 87 74, Donnacha Cleary (Tipperary) 80 81, Dan Byrne (The Els Club Dubai) 78 83;
162 Peter Sheehan (Ballybunion) 84 78, Jack Murphy (Douglas) 81 81, Conor McGrogan (The Heritage) 80 82, Sean Deasy (Douglas) 76 86;
163 Caelan Coleman (Galway Bay) 77 86
164 Jack Phipps (Ardee) 82 82, Robbie Hynes (Royal Dublin) 80 84;
165 Rob Fitzpatrick (Naas) 84 81;
167 Sean Gallagher (Castleknock) 82 85
WD Cian O’Connor (Roscommon) 70 WD, Jack Pierse (Portmarnock) 78 WD;
DNF Michael Reid (Galgorm Castle) 78 DNF, Aidan Dooley (Carton House) 79 DNF
DQ James McGeoch (The Berkshire) DQ
