IRISH CLOSE: PLAYERS AT the Golfsure Irish Close Championship were given a demonstration of the difference a day can make, as the links at Enniscrone – which had given much trouble to Ireland's best and brightest on Saturday – took a much more benign form yesterday.
While scores soared into the 90s and even 100s amid Saturday’s gales, birdies were plentiful yesterday, particularly for last year’s runner-up, Castle’s Darragh Lernihan, who continued his love affair with the Close by clinching the leading qualifier’s medal.
His second round of four-under 69 was 12 shots better than his first effort, in which he had dropped seven shots in the last five holes as he admitted, “I just wanted to get off the course”.
Yesterday, though, was a different story. “Yeah, I played pretty well,” he said after his round, which included seven birdies, three bogeys and eight pars.
“It was nice to have a lot more control over the game. I didn’t think it was ever going to end (on Saturday). It took over six hours, but it couldn’t be helped with the wind.
“The course is playing okay – it’s a bit shorter now. The big difference was putting – it was so difficult in the wind, but it was much easier. I didn’t hole a huge amount of putts either – I just played steady all round.”
County Sligo’s Michael Durcan was also rightfully pleased with his weekend’s work. On Saturday morning, he could have seriously contemplated an early exit when he was seven over after four holes. But he fought back for a creditable 85, and yesterday blitzed Enniscrone for a five-under 68.
A birdie at the second set him on his way, and despite a bogey at the par-five fourth, a sublime five-iron approach to the difficult fifth yielded another birdie.
More birdies followed at the fifth, seventh and ninth to put him out in four-under 33. Birdies followed on the 10th, 14th and 16th, offset by a single dropped stroke at the 15th – the most difficult hole on the course.
A similar turnaround was conjured by Portmarnock’s James Fox, who added a 69 to his disastrous 87. His second round included a rare birdie two at the tricky 17th, one of six birdies in a round that would see him safely make the cut.
Another who professed himself pleased with the turn in conditions was Banbridge’s Connor Doran, who yesterday morning battled the fatigue that was residual from his late start on Saturday afternoon to shoot a one-under 72.
“I was shattered,” he said of his demeanour on Saturday. “It was like being in a bloody boxing ring, to be honest. It was crazy – six-and-a-half hours to get round. That was without being held up, or holding anyone else up either.
“After the East last week, it’s easy to feel over-golfed, particularly when you have to work as well. Other people can lie in bed while you’re up at nine o’clock. But it was set up much easier today. They watered the greens and the GUI moved the tees a bit forward, which was unusual. Par is 73 but you could actually shoot 70 pretty easily out there. All the par fives are on in two.
“It’s still a difficult course, but it’s better like that.”
