Irish Amateur Strokeplay championship: Finland's Antti Ahokas put friendship firmly to one side when he beat Rory McIlroy to capture the AIB Irish Amateur Open after a dramatic three-hole aggregate play-off at Portmarnock yesterday.
The 21-year-old left-hander from Latteenranta in southeast Finland, took the title when he holed an 18-foot birdie putt on Portmarnock's ninth green to win by a stroke - 11 shots to 12.
"This is the biggest win of my career," Ahokas beamed afterwards. "I won the Finnish Amateur Open two years ago and was second in Portugal this year but this was winning on a links and I have never won on a links before."
Ahokas and McIlroy played on the European side that beat Asia-Pacific in the Michael Bonallack Trophy in New Zealand last month. But the Finn showed little mercy to his friend on a rain-lashed final day as he holed a series of vital putts at the right time.
Tied for the lead entering the final round on two over par, McIlroy held a two-stroke advantage with eight holes to play but finished level with the Finn on three over par as they traded punches over the back nine and carded one-over-par rounds of 73. One of the key moments came with a two-shot swing at the 190-yard 15th, where McIlroy bunkered his tee shot and then failed to save par as Ahokas rammed in a 25-footer to go one stroke clear.
The left-handed Finn bogeyed the par-five 16th, however, to let McIlroy draw level again and then saved a dramatic "half" at the 17th by holing a 20-foot par putt from the fringe.
Both men parred the 18th as well, with McIlroy coming up short from 18 feet and Ahokas missing from 15 feet for the title.
But in the play-off it was the Finn who came out on top. After par fours at the first, Ahokas made a brilliant four at the second when he put his tee shot in deep rough, played up 60 yards short of the green and almost holed his third, finishing six inches away.
McIlroy overshot the green by a yard after driving into the rough but Ahokas hit a massive tee shot and holed an 18-foot birdie putt to clinch a dramatic victory.
"I thought I was going to win this week but I came close enough," McIlroy said. "I didn't expect him to hole that par putt on the 17th, or the birdie on the 15th either. I had a good chance to birdie the second play-off hole but I played well all week and I can't complain."
McIlroy carded a 74 and Ahokas a two-over-par 76 to leave them tied for the lead on two over par, one stroke clear of Jonathan Caldwell (77), after 54 holes. The two leaders bogeyed the opening hole, however, leaving them tied at the top with Caldwell on three over before McIlroy pulled away.
Back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth saw him turn for home in 35, one stroke clear of the left-handed Finn and two ahead of Caldwell. But he was soon two clear of the field when both Ahokas and Caldwell bogeyed the 370-yard 10th.
His stroll to the title stuttered at the short 12th, where he overshot the green and bogeyed as Ahokas missed a 10-foot birdie chance to draw level at the top.
But the Finn made no mistake when he got that second chance to turn things around at the 15th and then brilliantly saved par at the 17th when McIlroy looked odds on to take a one-stroke lead to the 72nd hole.
Earlier in the day, lightning struck twice for Shane Lowry of Esker Hills when he was disqualified for the second time in a row in a senior amateur championship.
The 19-year-old Offaly native posted a best-of-the-day 74 to take the clubhouse lead early in the third round but was disqualified minutes later for failing to sign his scorecard.
