Frustrated Rory McIlroy will have to come from behind to win the AIB Irish Amateur Open over the final 36 holes at Royal Dublin today.

The 18-year-old drove into the drain and bogeyed the 18th for a two over par 74 that left him two shots behind Richie Ramsay of Scotland, Richard Kilpatrick of Banbridge and Welshman Rhys Enoch who lead on one over par 145.

The Island’s Robert McCarthy sits alone in fourth place on two over par after a 72 with McIlroy in a share of fifth place with Limerick’s Pat Murray and the Finn Joonas Granberg on three over par.

“It is just very frustrating,” said McIlroy. “I am probably being a little impatient to be honest but I should be playing better.”

Joint leader Ramsay, the winner of this title in 2005, also drove into the hazard at the 18th and was disappointed with his score after getting to three under par for his round with seven holes to play.

“I could have opened up a slight lead but I didn’t finish it off,” said Ramsay. “By my standards that is not good enough. I am not out there to be content.”

Joint leader Kilpatrick spent the winter working at Lake Nona in Florida and admitted that he has learnt a lot from playing practice rounds with residents such as Ben Curtis, Graeme McDowell, Trevor Immelman and Maarten Lafeber.

“I get to play and practice as much as I want and I’ve had quite a few rounds with the boys,” Kilpatrick said. “You learn that they are not as impressive as you think they are - until you see their short games, which are amazing.”

AIB Irish Amateur Open, Royal Dublin, after 36 holes

145 R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) 74 71, R Ramsay (Scotland) 73 72, R Enoch (Wales) 72 73

146 R McCarthy (The Island) 74 72

147 P Murray (Limerick) 75 72, R McIlroy (Holywood) 73 74, J Granberg (Finland) 72 75

148 N Grant (Knock) 75 73, J Caldwell (Clandeboye) 74 74

149 R Kellett (Scotland) 80 69, E Richardson (England) 76 73, S Henry (Scotland) 76 73, Z Gould (Wales) 76 73, P Cutler (Portstewart) 75 74, R Bechu (France) 74 75, P Figueiredo (Portugal) 74 75, P O’Hara (Scotland) 74 75, L Saltman (Scotland) 72 77, M Novy (Czech Republic) 71 78

150 M Thistleton (England) 79 71, D Lernihan (Castle/UCD) 78 72, M Armitage (England) 78 72, A Runcie (Wales) 78 72, D Leathem (Lisburn) 77 73, M Veijalainen (Finland) 76 74, K Le Sager (France) 75 75, B Fotheringham (Scotland) 75 75, R Thuillier (France) 75 75, B Walton (The Island/UCD) 74 76, G Campbell (Scotland) 74 76,
R Zwahlen (France) 73 77, K McNicoll (Scotland) 72 78

151 S Lowry (UCD/Esker Hills) 79 72, D Morgan (Mullingar) 79 72, A Hogan (Newlands/UCD) 77 74, C Macaulay (Scotland) 76 75, R McKnight (Scotland) 75 76, C Doran (Banbridge) 74 77, N Edwards (Wales) 74 77

152 S McEwan (Scotland) 79 73, J McGinn (Laytown & Bettystown) 77 75, N Kearney (Royal Dublin) 77 75, X Poncelet (France) 76 76, L Lennox (Moyola Park) 74 78, C Geraghty (England) 74 78, J Morris (Rosslare) 73 79

(Non-qualifiers)
153 G Carew (Edenderry) 81 72, C Cousins (Wales) 80 73, M Gaynor (U.S.A.) 77 76, P McLean (Scotland) 77 76, J Carvill (Warrenpoint) 77 76, B Evans (England) 76 77

154 T Sistonen (Finland) 81 73, B Norton (U.S.A.) 79 75, M Sinclair (Knock) 78 76, G O’Neill (Jersey) 78 76, R Thomas (Wales) 77 77, L Allen (England) 76 78, S McAllister (Scotland) 74 80

155 S Grant (Birr) 82 73, P O’Hanlon (Curragh) 82 73, M Barbosa (U.S.A.) 81 74, W Rieder (Austria) 79 76, S Ward (Co Louth) 78 77, J Lyons (Galway) 78 77, B Westgate (England) 77 78, B Grace (South Africa) 76 79, G Cambis (France) 76 79, K McAlpine (Scotland) 73 82

156 E O’Connell (The Fox Club) 80 76, M McCoy (U.S.A.) 80 76, J Smedley (England) 79 77, G Lawlor (Citywest) 77 79, A McCloy (Ballymena) 76 80, Z Saltman (Scotland) 76 80

157 R Boal (Scrabo) 84 73, M O’Sullivan (Stow Acres) 81 76, S Kindsted (Finland) 80 77, A Rosado (Portugal) 77 80

158 N Catesson (France) 83 75, C Vance (England) 80 78, S Doherty (Malone) 79 79, T Ortner (Austria) 78 80,
J Savolampi (Finland) 77 81

159 W McCully (Donaghadee) 86 73, M Salminen (Finland) 82 77, J Dale (England) 81 78, E McAnoy (Knock) 79 80, A Ross (Canada) 77 82

160 N Henriques (Portugal) 80 80, B Jones (England) 80 80

161 R Merchant (Wales) 89 72, A Fadel (U.S.A.) 86 75, A Gabella Wenne (Sweden) 85 76, B Kosmin (France) 85 76, E Saxel (England) 83 78, J Pernaa (Finland) 79 82, J Guillet (France) 79 82

162 C Mivis (Belgium) 83 79, T Halpen (Canada) 81 81, S Archibald (England) 81 81

163 C Scotto (France) 86 77, J Vickery (Wales) 83 80, E Mercadier (France) 81 82, L Matthews (Wales) 80 83,
R McNamara (Headfort) 78 85

164 P Nelson (South Africa) 82 82

166 K Hammer (U.S.A.) 84 82, N Kirchner (Austria) 83 83, J Haglund (Finland) 80 86

167 T Wyatt (U.S.A.) 87 80

168 R Leonard (Banbridge) 81 87

169 S O’Brien (U.S.A.) 82 87

171 C Levitte (France) 90 81, J Shufflebotham (Wales) 89 82

172 N Tyry (Finland) 88 84

174 T McGowan (Strandhill) 88 86

179 R Maunder (England) 93 86

NR R Cannon (L’town & B’town) 77 NR

DQ E O’Sullivan (The Island) 78 DQ