West of Ireland Championship: Alan Glynn didn't read the script. Instead of accepting his remit as a peripheral character in the Standard Life-sponsored West of Ireland Championship at Co Sligo, he almost commandeered the leading role. The 18-year-old from Harrow, in London, came within a whisker of dumping teen sensation Rory McIlroy out of the tournament.
Glynn - his mother hails from Cong in Mayo and father from Wexford - played for Connacht in the Boys interprovincials last season, winning five from a possible six points. Yesterday he again proved to be a doughty competitor, forcing his opponent to go to four tie holes before the issue was resolved in favour of McIlroy.
Indeed, Glynn was one up going down the 18th, and McIlroy had to hole a 20-foot birdie putt to win the hole and send the match down the 19th. A gallery of over 300 people were enthralled as the teenagers halved 19, 20 and 21 in par, birdie, birdie, before McIlroy knocked a seven-iron to 15 feet at the par three, fourth extra hole and rolled in the birdie putt to provide a fitting finale to the contest.
It could all have been a bit less fraught for the 15-year-old from the Holywood club. McIlroy was three up after as many holes, with his opponent starting nervously. But then it was the junior Ryder Cup player who tossed away that advantage, losing the fourth, seventh and ninth to regulation figures.
When Glynn won the 11th and 13th with birdies to go two up, an upset was a distinct possibility, but he bogeyed the 14th and 15th to hand back the initiative.
The pair swapped the last two holes, with McIlroy's birdie on 18 speaking volumes for the young man as a competitor.
"Rory didn't play his best today but he was the only player I wanted to play against," a generous Glynn said. "He's known all around the world already and he's a fantastic prospect."
McIlroy, for his part, conceded that a lack of focus mid round contributed to his problems in the morning, but there were no such aberrations in the afternoon.
His iron play was of a much higher calibre against Hermitage's Greg Massey, closing out the match on the 16th green.
In the semi-final he'll face Rory Leonard, who in 1999 was beaten by Finland's Mikko Ilonen in the final of the West at Enniscrone.
Leonard eased past local hope Gary McDermott 2 and 1 in the morning, before edging out the 2003 Irish Close champion, Galway's Mark O'Sullivan, in the afternoon by one hole.
The other semi-final will be contested by 38-year-old Mallow jeweller David Finn and University of Ulster business student Conor Doran.
Finn enjoyed an excellent, one-hole victory over Seán McTernan in the morning, but was less extended after lunch in beating Galway's Joe Lyons on the 15th.
Doran accounted for Mullingar's Des Morgan by one hole before putting out Sweden's last hope of victory, Nicklas Glans, at the second tie hole.
The 22-year-old Banbridge golfer looked in serious trouble when Glans birdied 15 and 16, but a par on 17 won the hole and a birdie at the 20th, when he chose a three-wood off the tee and hit a pitching wedge 110 yards to five feet, closed out the match.
The former Munster Boys and Leinster Youths champion and current Ireland senior panellist will be hoping he can set up an all Banbridge final against Leonard.
LAST 16
J Lyons (Galway) bt S Crowe (Dunmurry) 20th; D Finn (Mallow) bt S McTernan (Co Sligo) 1 hole; C Doran (Banbridge) bt D Morgan (Mullingar) 1 hole; N Glans (Sweden) bt S Heavey (Co Sligo) 2 holes; G Massey (Hermitage) bt G Nugent (Kilkenny) 2 and 1; R McIlroy (Holywood) bt A Glynn (Porters Park) 22nd; R Leonard (Banbridge) bt G McDermott (Co Sligo) 2 and 1; M O'Sullivan (Galway) bt R Karlberg (Sweden) 1 hole.
Quarter-finals
Finn bt Lyons 4 and 3; Doran bt Glans 20th; McIlroy bt Massey 3 and 2; Leonard bt O'Sullivan 1 hole.
The Draw
Semi-finals (8.0): Finn v Doran; (8.15): McIlroy v Leonard. Final: (1.0).
