NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD Gary Hurley of West Waterford, the only member of the recently announced 11-man Irish team for next month’s Home International Championship in action, made a surprise exit in yesterday’s second round of the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch.
The 111st staging of the country’s oldest provincial comes at a particularly busy stage of the season and this year is sandwiched in between the Interprovincial Championship at Royal Co Down, won by Munster on Thursday last, and the European Individual Championship at Carton House next month.
Accordingly, most of the country’s finest amateurs decided to take a rest prior to an event carrying the attractive incentive for the winner of a place in the 2013 British Open.
There was also the disappointment of the withdrawal of a number of notable players exempted into yesterday’s second round. John Greene of Portmarnock, the 2010 champion, was promoted from Saturday’s preliminary round to join the lower handicappers yesterday but as luck would have it, he still lost at the 18th against Alan Purdy of Ballyclare
Hurley was probably feeling the effects of an arduous week in the Interpros, although he was always facing a tough match against another of the younger school as John Hickey, a son of Cork Golf Club professional Peter, was full value for his 18th-green victory.
There was another blow for the youthful contingent when Jack Hume from Rathsallagh, winner of all four boys provincial titles back in 2010, went down by 4 and 3 against Brian Ronan of Co Louth.
The championship was notable for the 50th successive appearance in the field of the former Clare hurler Noel Pyne. It’s a record that is likely never to be rivalled and after beating his Ennis club-mate Bob Loftus in Saturday’s first round, he was well beaten yesterday by Keith Shannon from Greenore.
Pyne says he will now hang up the clubs where the “South” is concerned but such is the degree of consistency he has managed over such a lengthy period, few would bet against him qualifying with the handicap limit again next year in which case the temptation could well be too great for this most affable and popular of sportsmen.
The holder, Stephen Walsh of Portmarnock, enjoyed one of the biggest wins of the day against Ian Lynch of Rosslare while Pat Murray (Limerick), a man who has graced the semi-finals on seven occasions without ever getting through to the decider, also cruised through against Royal Dublin’s Liam Hutchinson and now goes on to meet 1993 champion Peter Sheehan of Ballybunion.
And there was another upset in the very last match on the golf course when Greene lost on the final green to Purdy.
