At the start of this week, the name of Gareth Maybin may have meant little to Irish golf fans, but yesterday he stormed to victory in the North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Royal Portrush, with a one-hole win over Clandeboye's Chris Moriarty.
The Ballyclare 21-year-old - last year's Leinster Youths' champion and leading qualifier in the Irish Close - said: "It is like someone winning the British Open as far as Ballyclare members are concerned. They gave me tremendous support and my caddie, Simon McConnell, who is a close friend from the club, was just terrific in the final."
Maybin revealed that his game had gone off the boil somewhat a few weeks ago and he contacted his college coach in Alabama, Jim Johnston, whose advice helped him shoot a course-record 65 during captain's day at Ballyclare.
Yesterday's superb final was tight as a drum all the way. Moriarty went one up with a birdie three at the seventh hole from eight feet and stayed ahead until the short 14th - aptly named Calamity Corner - where Maybin levelled with a par. Both missed the green but Maybin got up and down; Moriarty didn't.
Maybin then nosed ahead with another par at the 15th hole and after failing to clinch the title at the 17th, where first he almost chipped into the cup and then his birdie putt hit the hole, he rolled home a great eight-footer on the home green to grab victory.
"I didn't spend time over that putt as I wanted to get it over and done with," smiled the champion who punched the air as the ball dropped. "Playing in college golf in America has helped me tremendously both mentally and psychically. We do a lot of running and training over there."
Moriarty (29) who has a degree in biochemistry, but works with Open Fairways, paid a glowing tribute to his conqueror. "For sheer competitiveness Gareth is the best player I have ever played against and I have played Paddy Gribben and Graeme McDowell," said the Clandeboye member.
In the semi-finals, Maybin had to go to the 19th hole before squeezing out Galway's Mark O'Sullivan who had been three up after 11 holes. Maybin pitched beautifully from rough on top of a hill to six feet and holed for birdie to go one ahead at 16 but lost the 18th after being in rough off the tee. He then birdied the first extra hole.
It was an easier morning for Moriarty who beat Noel Crawford (Mourne) by 4 and 3. The only hole that the winner lost was the 10th.
SEMI-FINALS: C Moriarty (Clandeboye) bt N Crawford (Mourne) 4 and 3; G Maybin (Ballyclare) bt M O'Sullivan (Galway) at 19th. FINAL - Maybin bt Moriarty one hole.
