Crushing defeat for Smyth

Des Smyth suffered a crushing 18th hole defeat as Spaniard Juan Quiros snatched the weather-lashed Irish Seniors Open by a shot thanks to a spectacular birdie four at the death.

Blasted by driving rain and 25 mph winds, the 52-year old was level with Smyth playing the 580-yard 18th, but pipped him at the post when he fired a 132-yard wedge to just two feet for a closing birdie four.

Bidding to end Ireland's 10-year win for a home winner, Smyth had to get up and down from 30-yards to force a play-off but came up 20 feet short and failed with his birdie putt.

Gutted at the finish, Smyth said: “The back nine was horrendous, it was lashing rain and it was blowing a gale. It was very difficult to play golf but, in fairness to him, he hit a wonderful shot at the last.

“I was about 30 yards short and he was about 130 yards out and he hit it stiff and I didn’t get up and down. It was difficult for every player out there today.

“I played great early on but then the rain came and made it so difficult to play. Whatever about the wind, the rain was horrendous.

“I just lost my feel coming down there. I couldn’t figure out the greens at all. I was finding it hard to swing actually and make good contact with the ball on the back nine.

“Still, I had a chance. I hit a poor pitch on that last. He hit a great shot in. I just hit too many bad shots down the back nine.

“I enjoyed my week. I’m just disappointed with the way it turned out and it’s a pity we didn’t get a better day than that but it was the same for everybody. No point in blaming the weather.”

In the end the man from La Linea, 52, was the only player in red figures at the finish as he carded a one-over par 72 to Smyth’s 74 to finish one stroke clear on one-under par and pocket a cheque for €67,500 for his third European Seniors Tour win.

Leading by a shot from Quiros and Gordon J Brand overnight, Smyth birdied the first and fifth to move three shots clear of his rivals before the Spaniard fought back.

Birdies at the sixth and seventh and a 25-foot par save at the ninth, left the Andalucian just one behind Smyth playing the back nine on a day when only four players in the 75-man field broke par.

Struggling with the weather, Smyth dropped four shots in a three-hole stretch with bogeys at the 11th and 12th and a double bogey at the 13th leaving him one adrift of Quiros, who also bogeyed the 13th.

The Drogheda man was then handed a lifeline at the 14th where the Spaniard tangled with the rough and three-putted for a double bogey seven as Smyth birdied to go one clear again.

But he couldn't finish the job as the weather got progressively worse and after a bogey at the 16th left them tied on one under, both men bogeyed the 17th to go to the last with the title on the line.

Quiros drove into the right rough but played a superb five wood back into play and then sealed his third European Seniors Tour victory with that closing master-stroke.

He said: “The course was okay this morning but an hour before I started the conditions changed, the wind was coming in from the beach and it was unbelievable. I can’t remember the last time I played in conditions like that. But that’s golf and you have to play. The greens were perfect and the course was in perfect condition.

“In my first year on the Seniors Tour I won in Switzerland at Bad Ragaz. Then last year I won in France. And now I win here. It is one win every year so far. I am a lucky man.”

Irish Seniors Open, Ballyliffin (Old Links, par 71)

Final:

212 J Quiros (Esp) 71 69 72 (€67,500);

213 D Smyth (Irl) 71 68 74 (€45,000);

216 G Cali (Ita) 69 75 72; L Carbonetti (Arg) 69 76 71; D Russell (Eng) 72 70 74; S Owen (Nzl) 71 73 72; N Job (Eng) 71 73 72; G Brand (Eng) 70 70 76 (€20,865 each);

217 I Woosnam (Wal) 76 67 74; G Encina (Chi) 75 71 71; D O'Sullivan (Irl) 72 70 75; J Chillas (Sco) 72 71 74; S Torrance (Sco) 71 70 76; B Cameron (Eng) 72 74 71;

218 B Charles (Nzl) 71 75 72; D Good (Aus) 71 73 74; S Ginn (Aus) 74 77 67; R Drummond (Sco) 73 76 69; T Gale (Aus) 75 71 72;

219 S Ebihara (Jpn) 75 75 69; T Allen (Eng) 74 74 71; M Piñero (Esp) 71 74 74; A Fernandez (Chi) 75 73 71;

220 A Sowa (Arg) 72 76 72; T Charnley (Eng) 72 74 74; A Barrera (Arg) 70 72 78; L Higgins (Irl) 73 75 72; B Heuchan (Can) 73 74 73; K Tomori (Jpn) 71 76 73; K Spurgeon (Eng) 74 72 74; D Hospital (Esp) 76 67 77; C Rocca (Ita) 71 71 78; D Cambridge (Jam) 73 71 76; H Carbonetti (Arg) 74 75 71; B Longmuir (Sco) 71 70 79;

221 J Bland (RSA) 72 73 76; M Gray (Sco) 80 70 71; S Lyle (Sco) 73 73 75; A Murray (Eng) 73 72 76; E Rodriguez (Esp) 73 69 79;

222 M Bembridge (Eng) 77 74 71; P Teravainen (USA) 77 70 75; E Darcy (Irl) 77 73 72; J Heggarty (Nir) 76 75 71; C Mason (Eng) 75 70 77; E Polland (Nir) 74 75 73;

223 A Garrido (Esp) 73 77 73; T Rastall (Eng) 73 79 71; B Lincoln (RSA) 73 76 74; T Johnstone (Zim) 74 77 72;

224 M Poxon (Eng) 75 75 74; B Larratt (Eng) 74 81 69; T Price (Wal) 76 74 74; B Boyd (USA) 77 76 71; J Hall (Eng) 76 74 74; I Mosey (Eng) 80 70 74; J Rivero (Esp) 74 76 74; E McMenamin (am) (Irl) 74 75 75;

225 J Sallat (Fra) 73 72 80; J Benda (USA) 77 72 76; P Dugeny (Fra) 74 78 73; D Merriman (Aus) 72 72 81; P O'Hagan (Irl) 74 75 76;

226 M Miller (Sco) 77 76 73; P Leonard (Nir) 77 74 75; G McGimpsey (am) (Nir) 75 73 78;

227 P Oakley (USA) 78 73 76;

228 A Tapie (USA) 67 83 78; A Franco (Par) 74 72 82; T Giedeon (Ger) 73 72 83; J Rhodes (Eng) 73 74 81;

229 V Smyth (am) (Irl) 77 77 75;

230 J Bruner (USA) 78 79 73;

231 J Hoskison (Eng) 73 77 81;

241 G Hopkins (USA) 83 82 76.