South Africa’s Christo Lamprecht might not have much links experience, but he knows he must hit more fairways at Baltray on Monday if he’s to become the first overseas winner of the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship.
A product of the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Academy, the six-foot-seven 17-year-old became the youngest winner in the 110-year history of the South African Amateur Championship last year.
But were he to capture the title at Baltray today, he knows he would boost his chances of making the three-man team for the Eisenhower Trophy which will be held at Carton House later this summer.
After opening with a six-under-par 66 in ideal conditions on Saturday to finish in a six-way tie for the lead, he started and finished with bogeys on Sunday but made six birdies in between to lead by a stroke on 10-under-par from former Irish Boys international Devin Morley from Oughterard, and by two from Massereene’s Tiarnan McLarnon, the 2015 Irish Close champion.
“This is a really nice course and a great test,” said Lamprecht, who started with a bogey at the 10th but birdied the 15th, 16th and 18th and then reeled off three birdies in a row from the fourth before dropping a shot at the ninth.
‘Good round’
“I had a good round today and hit a lot of greens, but the driver was off and I missed a few fairways here and there.
“It was a pity to drop one on the last – I hit it left into the thick stuff on the ninth – and even though I pitched it on the front of the green, it rolled all the way over the back.
“Like all links courses, you really have to keep it in short grass if you want to control the ball. You have to to be in the right place to come into the greens in the right spots for some of these flags.
“I struggled for my first few holes and didn’t make any birdies, but I hit a really nice eight-iron to five feet at the fifth and rolled it in and that got my game going again.”
With a light southeast breeze blowing across a firm and fast links, 20-year-old Morley drove the ball long and straight, and that allowed him to take on some tight pins positions.
“I had a nice run of three birdies in a row from the 18th to the second,” said the University of Louisville star after adding a 69 to his opening 66.
‘Excited’
“I was disappointed to three-putt the third for par, but that stretch got my round going. My game feels good, so I’m excited about tomorrow.”
International McLarnon, 26, got to 10-under-par with two holes to go, but then got out of position off the tee at the eighth and ninth and finished with two bogeys for a 70 that leaves him just two strokes behind.
He sits alone in third on eight-under-par with Dundalk international Caolan Rafferty (69), Co Sligo’s TJ Ford (69), Cairndhu’s Marc McKinstry (71) and Cork’s John Hickey (72) tied for fourth on six-under.
Eight of the 12 Irish senior panellists in action made the level par cut with Kilkenny’s Mark Power (68) and Hermitage’s Rowan Lester (71) nicely placed in a share of eighth on five-under alongside Malone’s Matthew McClean (73), Argentina’s Marcos Montenegro (71) and Black Bush talent Sean Doyle (73).
East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Co Louth GC (Par 72) sponsored by The d Hotel Drogheda
Qualifiers
134 C Lamprecht (RSA) 66 68;
135 D Morley (Oughterard) 66 69;
136 T McLarnon (Massereene) 66 70;
138 C Rafferty (Dundalk) 69 69; T Ford (Co Sligo) 69 69; M McKinstry (Cairndhu) 67 71; J Hickey (Cork) 66 72;
139 M Power (Kilkenny) 71 68; R Lester (Hermitage) 68 71; M Montenegro (Arg) 68 71; S Doyle (Black Bush) 66 73; M McClean (Malone Golf Club) 66 73;
140 D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 70 70; R Arnorsson (Ice) 70 70; F Carr (Kirkistown Castle) 69 71; C Mansfield (RSA) 69 71; E Griffin (Waterford) 67 73; R Mullarney (Galway) 67 73 ;
141 C Woodroofe (Dún Laoghaire) 71 70; M Ryan (New Ross) 71 70; J Madden (Royal Portrush) 71 70; J Schaper (RSA) 70 71; C Purcell (Portmarnock) 69 72; G O'Flaherty (Cork) 67 74; T Nel (RSA) 66 75;
142 S Healy (The Royal Dublin) 74 68; K Egan (Carton House) 71 71;
143 H O'Hare (Fortwilliam) 76 67; R Knightly (The Royal Dublin) 74 69; S Watts (Cairndhu) 72 71; J Fox (Portmarnock) 71 72; J Mc Donnell (Forrest Little) 71 72; G Dunne (Co Louth) 70 73; P O'Brien (Co Louth) 69 74; G Cullen (Beaverstown) 69 74; J Murphy (Kinsale) 68 75;
144 A Dowling (Hermitage) 72 72; P McKeever (Castle) 72 72; P Coughlan (Castleknock) 71 73; J Sugrue (Mallow) 71 73; G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 71 73; A Lowry (Esker Hills) 70 74; E Smith (Laytown & Bettystown) 68 76.
Non-Qualifiers
145 G Smyth (Clonmel) 75 70; W Small (Tandragee) 74 71; J Lyons (Galway) 74 71; D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh) 72 73; A Ryan (Thurles) 71 74; P O' Keeffe (Douglas) 71 74;
146 R Black (Hilton Templepatrick) 75 71; H Thordarson (Ice) 75 71; G Bohill (Co Louth) 75 71; T Clarke (Royal Portrush) 75 71; A Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown) 73 73; A Wilson (Portmarnock) 73 73; W Russell (Clandeboye) 71 75; R Brazill (Naas) 71 75; M Collins (Killeen Castle) 71 75;
147 M Lezcano (Arg) 75 72; K Bornemann (Douglas) 75 72; N Hearns (Mountrath) 73 74; T O'Connor (Athlone) 73 74; J Whelan (Newlands) 73 74; P O'Hanlon (Carton House) 71 76;
148 A Marshall (Lisburn) 75 73; G Ward (Kinsale) 73 75; P Murray (Clontarf) 72 76; M Nolan (Dún Laoghaire) 72 76; S Mc Dermott (Co Cavan) 72 76; R Pierse (Grange) 72 76; C Butler (Kinsale) 72 76; D Brophy (Castleknock) 70 78;
149 P Connolly (Killeen Castle) 79 70; J Hearn (Tramore) 77 72; D Coghlan (Portmarnock) 75 74; E Leonard (Killiney/Wentworth) 74 75; M O'Rourke (Royal Tara) 74 75; S Flanagan (Co Sligo) 73 76; R Williamson (Holywood) 72 77;
150 R Cannon (Balbriggan) 77 73; G Collins (Rosslare) 76 74; D McAleenon (Edenmore) 74 76; M Reid (Galgorm Castle) 74 76; J Greene (Portmarnock) 73 77; P Murphy (Rosslare) 73 77; A Kearney (Castlerock) 73 77; R Dutton (Tandragee) 70 80;
151 R Moran (Castle) 77 74; J Doherty (Carton House) 77 74; D Holland (Castle) 75 76; C Moulds (Lisburn) 75 76; G Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick) 75 76; D Kitt (Athenry) 75 76; H Foley (The Royal Dublin) 75 76; A McCormack (Castletroy) 74 77; M Norton (Belvoir Park) 74 77; I O'Rourke (The Royal Dublin) 73 78;
152 S Ryan (The Royal Dublin) 78 74; A Hill (Athenry) 77 75; V Jonasson (Ice) 77 75; L Armour (Australia) 76 76; J Walsh (Castle) 76 76; S Greenberg (Tandragee) 74 78;
153 M Kennedy (The Royal Dublin) 78 75; A Fahy (Dún Laoghaire) 73 80; A Grant (Dundalk) 72 81;
154 J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) 80 74; C Ryan (Dún Laoghaire) 80 74; C Feeney (Co Sligo) 78 76; P Brennan (Belvoir Park) 78 76; R McKinstry (Cairndhu) 77 77; G Copeland (Ardglass) 76 78;
155 T Collins (Dún Laoghaire) 79 76; C Dullaghan (Greenore) 79 76; C Denvir (Elm Park) 78 77; S Cullen (Slieve Russell) 78 77; J Fletcher (Warrenpoint) 74 81;
156 D Brady (Co Sligo) 79 77; S Sweeney (Vista Valencia) 73 83;
157 B Anderson (The Royal Dublin) 75 82; J Blake (The Island) 74 83;
158 L Mills (Australia) 77 81;
159 E Farrell (Ardee) 79 80; J Byrne (Baltinglass) 75 84;
160 A McDaid (Palmerstown Stud) 81 79;
WD E McCormack (Galway Bay) 71 WD;
RTD P Kirby (Dún Laoghaire); J Carvill (Banbridge); M Kane (Larne); S Carter (The Royal Dublin); B Murray (Waterford Castle); L Power (Galway).
