Defending champion Rory McIlroy struggled to a four over par 75 as Co Louth's Simon Ward led the qualifiers in the Radisson-SAS West of Ireland Amateur Open.

Bidding for a hat-trick of titles at Rosses Point, McIlroy carded two birdies, two bogeys and two doubles bogeys but qualified for the matchplay stages with three shots to spare as the cut for the top 64 fell at five over par 147.

Reigning South of Ireland champion Ward, 20, birdied the last for a 70 and a 36-hole total of five under par 137 that left him one stroke clear of 18-year-old English Boys International Andrew Johnston and Esker Hills' Shane Lowry.

"Tomorrow it will be okay because it is matchplay," said McIlroy, who finished on two over par 144. "It would be nice to be the leading qualifier but as they say, the leading qualifier never wins."

McIlroy bogeyed the first and then double bogeyed the par three fourth when he missed the green right and watched his recovery roll down a steep slope to his feet.

He bogeyed the eighth after driving into a fairway bunker to slip to four over par and while he birdied the 10th and 11th he plugged his tee shot in the front bunker at the short 13th and ran up another double bogey.

Watched for a few holes by Ryder Cup star Paul McGInley, McIlroy added: “I should really go out with the mindset of winning the qualifying but I just lost a bit of concentration.

"I hit a couple of loose drives early on but I got it back on the back nine and hit a few really good irons shots and few nice drives. Everything else seems pretty good and If I can hole a few putts, which you usually do in matchplay, I will be okay I think.

“I just need to get my head in it a bit more tomorrow and knuckle down. The course is still quite tough because it is bouncy and getting bouncier all the time. It is still playing at its easiest because there is no rough and the greens are not that firm.”

Overnight leader Stephen Grant followed his course record 64 with a 75 to qualify in fourth place on a day when the best score was a three under par 68 by Galway's Eddie McCormack.

Luke Lennox, Alex McCloy and Rory Leonard led the Ulster challenge as they finished on two under par 140 but Stephen Crowe and Andrew McCormick missed the cut after disappointing rounds of 74.

Radisson-SAS West of Ireland Amateur Championship

Qualifiers
137 S Ward (Co Louth) 67 70
138 A Johnston (North Middlesex, UK) 68 70, S Lowry (UCD/Esker Hills) 68 70
139 S Grant (Birr) 64 75
140 L Lennox (Moyola Park) 71 69, N Kearney (Royal Dublin) 70 70, A McCloy (Ballymena) 70 70, R Leonard (Banbridge) 68 72
141 R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) 71 70, C O'Connor (UCD/Athlone) 71 70, T McGowan (Strandhill) 71 70, R Boal (Scrabo) 70 71, R McNamara (Headfort) 69 72, P Sheehy (Limerick) 66 75
142 D Crowe (Dunmurry) 73 69, A Condren (Greystones) 73 69, D Kelleher (Portmarnock) 71 71, G McDermott (Co Sligo) 71 71, B Cashman (Belvoir Pk.) 70 72
143 K O'Neill (Strandhill) 73 70, C Curley (Newlands) 73 70, P Errity (Delgany) 72 71, J Hurst (Shaw Hill, UK) 72 71, D Downie (Sutton) 71 72, P Murray (Limerick) 68 75
144 E McCormack (Galway) 76 68, C Doran (Banbridge) 75 69, M Crowe (Elm Park) 75 69, D Sutton (Lockerbie, UK) 75 69, D Lernihan (UCD/Castle) 73 71, H Diamond (Holywood) 72 72, J Lyons (Galway) 72 72, D Vaughan (Ardglass) 71 73, D Scully (Galway) 71 73, W McCully (Donaghadee) 70 74, R McIlroy (Holywood) 69 75, A Hogan (Newlands/UCD) 69 75, P McGrath (Dromoland) 69 75
145 E O'Sullivan (The Island) 76 69, A Dunbar (Rathmore) 74 71, M Hammond (Moyola Park) 74 71, P Cutler (Portstewart) 74 71, P Connolly (Clontarf) 74 71, G Boyd (Donaghadee) 74 71, D Coyle (Co Louth) 70 75
146 D Kneafsey (Sudbury, UK) 77 69, P Killeen (Claremorris) 76 70, C Hughes (Royal Portrush) 75 71, N Gorey (Lee Valley) 75 71, E Saxel (Petersfield, UK) 74 72, D Morgan (Mullingar) 73 73, D Finn (Mallow) 73 73, G O'Flaherty (Cork) 72 74, R McCarthy (Island) 72 74, G O'Connor (Malahide) 72 74, G Hall (Edenderry) 70 76, N Grant (Knock) 69 77
147 E Kennedy (Strabane) 76 71, M Lavelle (K Club) 76 71, D Coyne (Tuam) 75 72, J Hughes (Douglas) 75 72, T Walsh (Claremoris) 75 72, J Moore (Laytown & Bettystown) 75 72, B Walton (UCD/Island) 75 72

Non-qualifiers
147 C Cannon (East Sussex National, UK) 74 73, P Higgins (Mullingar) 74 73, R Durnin (Laytown & Bettystown) 73 74, S Crowe (Dunmurry) 73 74, S Doherty (Malone) 72 75, K McCarthy (Kinsale) 72 75, B Reddan (Co Louth) 71 76
148 M Thistleton (Hayling, UK) 78 70, G Carew (Edenderry) 74 74, A McCormick (Scrabo) 74 74, D McNeill (Ballybofey) 72 76, P O'Hanlon (Curragh) 72 76
149 D Carroll (Grange) 78 71, D McInerney (Lahinch) 75 74, R Branigan (Co Louth) 75 74, J Toner (Woodbrook) 74 75, S Loftus (Ennis) 74 75, D Lally (Tuam) 73 76, A Wilson (Cairndhu) 73 76, A Dowling (Hermitage) 72 77
150 D O'Brien (Laytown & Bettystown) 77 73, M Sinclair (Knock) 76 74, S Healy (Claremorris) 74 76, D Boyle (Cruit Island) 74 76, S Paul (Tandragee) 74 76, S Courtney (The Chase, UK) 72 78
151 P O'Kane (Moyola Park) 82 69, M Buggy (Castlecomer) 79 72, I Keane (Malahide) 78 73, G Managh (Knock) 78 73, S Dwyer (Newlands) 77 74, G Nugent (Kilkenny) 77 74, P Graham (Galgorm Castle) 75 76, R McGee (Spain) 73 78, M Rowe (Glasson) 73 78
152 N O'Connor (Elm Park) 78 74, M McGinley Jnr (Grange) 78 74, R Maher (Nenagh) 75 77, D McNamara (Connemara) 75 77, T Burden (Hayling, UK) 75 77, J Waldron (Muskerry) 74 78, D Leathem (Lisburn) 72 80
153 D King (Tramore) 80 73, J Patterson (Knock) 79 74, A Dooley (NUIG/Glasson) 79 74, M Horan (Birr) 78 75, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 78 75, J Mulready (Castle) 77 76, J McIntyre (City of Derry) 75 78, M Poucher (Limerick) 75 78, J McGinn (Laytown & Bettystown) 74 79, K Condren (Greystones) 73 80
154 J Turner (Royal Portrush) 78 76, R Cannon (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 76, G Hamill (Ardglass) 75 79, J Gannon (Seapoint) 75 79
155 T O'Neill (Rathsallagh) 80 75, L Butler (West Waterford) 77 78, K Kennedy (Co Tipperary) 77 78, J Timony (Headfort) 77 78, D Cantrell (Woodbrook) 77 78, D Ruddy (Thurles) 77 78, S Miskelly (Knock) 75 80, R Williams (Baltinglass) 75 80
156 T Cleary (East Clare) 81 75, J Coey (Clandeboye) 80 76, M Kemmy (Limerick) 77 79, B Galway (Cairndhu) 74 82
157 C Martin (Kilkenny) 83 74, G Mallon (North West) 80 77, T McClements (Holywood) 75 82
158 B Christie (Skerries) 83 75
159 D Branigan (Seapoint) 80 79, À Meharg (Scrabo) 78 81
161 D Hogan (Killeen) 79 82
162 A Wynne (Strandhill) 81 81, J McNicholas (Ballyhaunis) 80 82

RT E McAnoy (Knock) 82 RT, N Lavin (Royal Dublin) 76 RT