EAST OF IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP:PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE not always found in a golfer's lexicon, but Cian Curley – who at times must have wondered if he'd ever get his hands on some silverware – has proved it can be a worthy ally.
Yesterday the 24-year-old Dubliner made a major breakthrough when firing a final round 72 for 281, seven-under, to secure the East of Ireland amateur championship at Co Louth Golf Club.
On a grey and overcast day which provided a blustery wind to ensure players were kept alert on shot-making and club selection, Curley – who’d held the midway lead on Sunday only to relinquish the advantage to Eddie McCormack after yesterday’s third round – got the job done in impressive style. The Newlands golfer had two shots to spare over Co Sligo’s Gary McDermott, with Paul Cutler and Dessie Morgan tied-third, a further two strokes adrift.
McCormack, sadly, fell away with a final round 79.
It was a fitting win for Curley in more ways than one. Not only was it the biggest success of his career, on a Baltray links where he’d made his interprovincial debut for Leinster and also earned his first Ireland cap in the Home Internationals, but his winning putt came on the very same green where his great friend Shane Lowry captured the Irish Open just over a year ago.
Indeed, one of the first calls Curley received as he stood in the car park was from Lowry. “I’m sure I’ll be meeting him for a pint later,” quipped Curley, who will seek to bring the momentum of this win into next week’s British Amateurs at Muirfield and the upcoming Irish Close at Royal Dublin. Down the road, he plans to attend the European Tour Qualifying School later in the year.
“It feels great, a nice relief, I suppose,” said Curley of finally discovering the knack of winning.
“I’ve had a few chances (in championships) but not quite finished them. You have to be up there a few times first and I took good experience from those days and it has paid off.”
Nowhere was this more emphasised than in the cool manner in which he approached the final round. Remember, Curley had carried a four-stroke lead into the third round only to shoot a 73 which left him two shots adrift of McCormack.
Curley’s main challenger turned out to be a player three groups ahead as McDermott went three-under through six holes.
Curley – playing alongside Morgan and McCormack – simply stayed focused and stuck to his one hole at a time philosophy.
Even after missing a tap-in par putt on the second, Curley kept calm and responded with a birdie on the third. The critical birdie, however, came on the 332-yards par-four 14th where he drove to within 20 yards of the green but was left with a difficult shot off a tight downhill lie. He executed the shot to perfection, pitching to within two feet.
“Yeah, I just tried to run it up the hill and it came out perfect, just skipped and checked and that was great,” he recalled.
It gave him the breathing space he needed as, up ahead, McDermott was bogeying the 16th.
“I’ve always said once I get one I think it’s really going to kick me on. I’ll get a lot of confidence from this because I know I can win now,” said Curley.
DETAILS:
281 – C Curley (Newlands) 68 68 73 72.
283 – G McDermot (Co. Sligo) 72 71 70 70
285 – P Cutler (Portstewart) 68 74 69 74, D Morgan (Mullingar) 67 73 70 75
286 – E McCormack (Galway) 68 72 67 79
288 – P Dunne (Greystones) 71 72 73 72
289 – P Murray (Limerick) 71 73 70 75. 290 – L Lennox (Moyola Park) 76 71 67 76, G Bohill (Co Louth) 75 72 69 74, P Purdy (Shandon Park) 72 74 70 74, D Lernihan (Castle) 72 70 74 74. 291 – T O’Flynn (Fota Isl) 76 69 71 75, E Maguire (Seapoint) 75 68 72 76, D Downie (Sutton) 73 72 74 72, R O’Donovan (Lucan) 73 70 75 73, A Kearney (Castlerock) 73 69 78 71, 292 J Hume (Rathsallagh) 78 70 70 74, H Diamond (Belvoir Park) 74 69 74 75, R Cannon (Laytown Bettystown) 71 76 71 74, R McCarthy (The Island) 71 76 68 77, G McGee (Malone) 71 75 74 72, S Devey (Skerries) 70 75 71 76, D Crowe (Dunmurry) 69 75 73 75, 293 S Crowe (Dunmurry) 76 70 73 74, D Coghlan (The Royal Dublin) 74 73 74 72, J Monaghan (The Island) 74 73 67 79, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 72 74 72 75, R McNamara (Headfort) 71 72 74 76, J Fox (Portmarnock) 70 73 74 76, 294 J Lyons (Galway) 74 72 69 79, R Newman (Brookman’s Park) 74 69 74 77. 295 C Martin (Kilkenny) 70 75 74 76. 296 G McGrane (The Royal Dublin) 75 72 77 72, L Harnett (Milltown) 72 73 77 74, D McElroy (Ballymena) 70 75 75 76, S Walsh (Baltinglass/UCD) 70 75 72 79, I O’Rourke (Cork) 69 77 73 77. 297 R Kenny (Hermitage) 76 71 72 78, G Boyd (Donaghadee) 75 71 72 79, D Coyle (Co Louth) 72 75 74 76. 298 D Kernohan (Galgorm Castle) 73 72 74 79. 299 M Sinclair (Knock) 74 73 69 83, C Doran (Banbridge) 74 71 76 78. 300 D Mallon (Dungannon) 76 71 73 80, D King (Tramore) 70 77 75 78. 302 J Greene (Carlow) 79 69 74 80, J Hopkins (Skerries) 76 72 78 76. 303 J Mulready (Castle) 76 71 79 77. 304 D O’Donovan (Muskerry) 73 72 78 81, P O’Kane (Moyola Park) 72 75 79 78 306 M Brett (Portmarnock) 73 74 78 81
