Battling Fox made to fight for survival

Noel FOX smiled and shrugged: "nobody wants to beat me." On yesterday's evidence at the Golfsure-sponsored Irish Amateur Close Championship he may have a point.

Having qualified on the cut-off mark of 155 in the 36 holes strokeplay over the weekend, he found himself three down after 10 holes in the first round against The Island's Eoin O'Sullivan.

A decisive moment in their match unfolded at the 11th: O'Sullivan missed from two feet, his opponent holed from four for birdie, thereby reducing the deficit to two down. It was the beginning of Fox's recovery that saw him triumph on the home green by one hole.

Having escaped fortuitously in the morning he could hardly have envisaged similar good fortune in the afternoon. Three up with four to play against Alabama University graduate and Ballymena golfer Chris Devlin, Fox appeared to be coasting. When Devlin drove the 15th for a two putt birdie and a win, it seemed like a last defiant gesture from the Ulster golfer.

Fox's largesse over the next two holes, he three putted 16 from eight feet and drove into the rough on the 17th before conceding the hole, ensured that the match travelled down 18 all square. The Portmarnock golfer demonstrated his mettle when, after finding a green side bunker with his second shot and coming out to nine feet, he holed the tricky downhill putt for a half.

The East of Ireland and Irish Open Strokeplay champion again found sand with his second shot at the first tie hole, splashing out to 18 feet and two putting for a bogey. Devlin's second shot found the apron at the back of the green but his untimely three putt sent the match down the 20th.

When Fox hooked his drive into the rough, potential victory was once again thrust towards Devlin but the Ballymena golfer hit a poor second shot. His opponent extricated himself from the penal rough with a pitching wedge before hitting a glorious sand wedge stone dead: Fox's birdie proved decisive.

He admitted: "I played a little better in the afternoon but I have not prepared as I would like for this championship. I didn't have much time last week." The Walker Cup panellist now faces Limerick's Tim Rice in the last 16. He laughed: "I haven't played him before but I know him well. I don't think there'll be too many fairways hit."

While Fox survived, Garth McGimpsey, winner of 14 championships was an afternoon casualty, losing at the 20th to Balmoral's Peter Martin. The former Irish Youths international was three down after seven holes but was level by the 11th, making up two holes with birdies and a par good enough to win the eight.

When McGimpsey birdied the 17th he appeared to have grasped a decisive advantage but drove into the rough on the last and failed to make par. The first tie hole was halved in regulation fours before the 23-year-old Martin, a beaten finalist in last year's South of Ireland, hit a three wood, five iron to 10 feet. Despite missing his eagle putt, a birdie sufficed to close out the match.

He now faces Michael Sinclair who also journeyed to the 20th before slipping past local player Ricky Elliott.