GOLF/West of Ireland Amateur Championship: It's inbred, this capacity to win when the chips are down. And it's an attribute that Rory McIlroy, for sure, possesses as he proved yet again in defending the West of Ireland Amateur championship at Rosses Point yesterday, defeating Paul O'Hanlon by 3 and 1 in a final that demonstrated the quality in the domestic game.

He's a bit special, this kid: a wise head on young shoulders, with a treasure chest of imaginative golf shots.

Yesterday, McIlroy won twice and did so in different ways. First, the Holywood teenager with star appeal outlasted England's David Horsey in a ding-dong semi-final that stretched to the 21st hole; then, he outgunned leading qualifier O'Hanlon, from The Curragh, in a final that produced nine birdies between them.

If, in the past, there were those who felt putting might prove to be a chink in McIlroy's game; well, that seems to be well wide of the mark. Time and time again throughout this West, sponsored by the Radisson SAS Hotel, McIlroy holed the putts that really mattered.

That may be due in part to the work he has done with GUI national coach Neil Manchip, and the 1,500 square feet of artificial putting green installed in his back garden.

"You know, every putt I looked at this week and needed to hole went in," remarked McIlroy. "I've worked on my putting for two months solid. I can read the lines (on greens) better. I'm starting putts on the right line and I'm holing them. I'm just so confident."

Such confidence was shown in his semi-final win over Horsey, the English Counties' champion of champions.

McIlroy never led in the match until he sank a birdie putt on the third tie hole. In fact, the 16-year-old was two down with four holes to play, but he won the 15th after Horsey drove into the right rough, and then levelled the match on the par-four 17th, the course's signature hole, when he holed a 15-foot, left-to-right, downhill par putt, which was greeted with his trademark fisted salute to the gallery. He knew how important that putt was.

"I sort of calmed down after that," recalled McIlroy. "I was really calm, and he was the one who made a mistake first."

McIlroy finished off the match on the par-five third hole of sudden-death after Horsey snap-hooked his drive and was forced to lay up. McIlroy, in contrast, put his second shot 20 feet from the pin and, after his eagle putt shaved the hole, he sank the two-footer for birdie to take a prized scalp.

O'Hanlon, who celebrates his 21st birthday today, had shown resilience of his own to overcome Andrew McCormick of Scrabo in a tight semi-final. It took a shot of class, pitching to within inches of the hole on the 18th, to secure a one-hole win.

And in the final O'Hanlon proved to be a tenacious and worthy adversary for McIlroy.

McIlroy was one up at the turn, but O'Hanlon rolled in an 18-footer for birdie on the 10th to restore parity.

But McIlroy regained the initiative with a birdie on the par-five 12th, where he two-putted from 40 feet. In contrast, O'Hanlon's putter momentarily deserted him when his first putt from the front of the green travelled the length of the putting surface and rolled off the back.

One down walking to the 13th green, O'Hanlon overheard a man ask his two daughters who they were supporting.

One opted for McIlroy, the other for O'Hanlon. "When I heard that, I felt as if I was somebody important for the day," said O'Hanlon, who proceeded to roll in an 18-footer for birdie. All square again.

In such circumstances, true champions find something extra; and that is what McIlroy proceeded to do. He rolled in a 10-footer for birdie on the 14th, then sank a 20-footer for birdie on the 15th to go two up. And he retained his title on the 17th green when O'Hanlon three-putted from just over the back.

"To defend here is something special. If anything, it even beats last year's win. It was an accomplishment to win last year, but to come back this year with all the expectations and being favourite, it is more of a self-accomplishment to go out and win," said McIlroy. He is the first player since Niall Goulding in 1991 to defend the championship.

McIlroy, who is still a fortnight shy of his 17th birthday, heads to New Zealand tonight to play for Europe in the Bonallack Trophy against Asia-Pacific, after which he takes in a series of top amateur championships, including the Irish Amateur Open.

However, his priority for the season is the British Amateur championship at Sandwich in June.

"The British Amateur is my biggest goal this year. I said to myself, 'if Brian (McElhinney) can do it, so can I'."

Who'd bet against him?