British Amateur Championship: Simon Ward, who has been relaxing by going on the roller-coasters at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach, survived a spirited fightback by Jack Senior to reach the third round of the Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham and St Anne's yesterday.
The 20-year-old County Louth star won the first two holes and was five up after 11 - but then came a Senior backlash as he took 12, 14 and 15 to get right back into the game.
Halves at 16 stopped the rot for Ward, who then struck a magnificent four iron to within two feet of the stick at the 17th, and that effectively closed out the match.
"I wobbled a little and I am glad to get that one over," said Ward. He now plays Drew Weaver of the US for a place in the last 16.
Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell, who qualified in joint 10th place, took out a notable scalp in Royal Birkdale's Ben Parker.
Caldwell was four up after 11 holes but Parker fought back and took advantage of a three-putt lapse by the Irishman at the 12th. Back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 reduced the deficit to just one. But Caldwell birdied the 16th to regain his two-hole advantage and a half at the next ended the match.
Lurgan's Gareth Shaw was involved in one of only three first-round matches and in a game in which there were 13 birdies he beat Wales's Adam Runcie by 3 and 1.
Shaw faced Shane Lowry of Esker Hills in the second round. Lowry was three up with three to play but lost 16 and 17 to go down the last before holding on there for victory. This morning he faces England's Gary Boyd.
The main disappointment from the Irish viewpoint was the 2 and 1 defeat of the national and European champion Rory McIlroy by the Rotherham teenager Daniel Willett.
Willett,a student at Jacksonville State University, won five of the first seven holes to leave McIlroy shell-shocked. But the 18-year-old from Holywood refused to go down without a fight. "I birdied 8, 10, 11 and 16 and was five under for the last nine but it was too late," said McIlroy.
Muskerry's Niall Turner lost 3 and 2 to Australia's Rohan Blizard while Royal Dublin's Niall Kearney lost 5 and 4 to the Welsh teenager Rhys Enoch. Peter O'Keeffe also bowed out, losing on the last to the Welsh junior cap Jason Shufflebotham.
