Grant leads Irish Amateur after 69
Knock's Nicky Grant scorched to a superb 69 to snatch the clubhouse lead in the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin.
Nicky GrantThe 22 year old former boys and youths international had five birdies and two bogeys to lead by a stroke in the clubhouse from Germany's Philipp Westermann on three over par 147.
Winner of the Faldo Junior Series Under 18 title in 2003, Grant was suspended for six months by the GUI for disciplinary reasons in 2006 and hasn't played for Ireland since then.
Beaten by eventual winner Niall Kearney in the quarter-finals of last year's South of Ireland Championship, Grant fell to Kearney in the second round of this year's West of Ireland when the Royal Dublin man closed out a 3 and 2 win with a hole in one at the 16th.
A plus two handicapper, Grant said: "I am just taking it easy and enjoying my golf."
147: N Grant (Knock) 78 69
148: P Westermann (Germany) 78 70
151: R McCarthy (The Island) 77 74
152: M Thistleton (England) 79 73, R Leonard (Banbridge) 77 75
154: P Purdy (Shandon Park) 79 75
155: E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 81 74, S Borrowman (Scotland) 80 75, P Betty (Scotland) 76 79
156: S Hodgson (England) 80 76, M Durcan (Co. Sligo) 80 76, H Satama (Finland) 80 76, J Fox (Portmarnock) 75 81
157: R Prophet (England) 79 78, B Walton (The Island) 79 78, J Monaghan (The Island) 78 79
158: L Lennox (Moyola Park) 82 76, G McGrane (The Royal Dublin) 82 76, S Moloney (Castletroy) 78 80, M Veijalainen (Finland) 75 83
159: M Violas (Portugal) 85 74, S Brown (England) 82 77, C Doran (Banbridge) 81 78, M Rivard (Canada) 81 78, G Paterson (Scotland) 80 79, D Ruddy (Thurles) 79 80, R Laino (England) 78 81
160: C Robb (Scotland) 83 77, J Carlota (Portugal) 82 78, J Morris (Rosslare) 82 78, C Durnian (England) 82 78, I Brennan (Greenore) 82 78, C Drumm (Rosslare) 82 78, R McNamara (Headfort) 79 81, M Bookless (Scotland) 79 81, R Durnin (Laytown & Bettystown) 79 81, B Anderson (Co. Sligo) 78 82
161: T McGowan (Strandhill) 84 77, D O'Donovan (Muskerry) 83 78, G McGee (Malone) 82 79, L Brady (The Royal Dublin) 79 82
162: K McDonagh (Athlone) 84 78, S Binning (Scotland) 84 78, C O'Malley (Westport) 83 79, R Cannon (Laytown & Bettystown) 80 82
163: T Fay (Rush) 84 79, D Murphy (Portarlington) 82 81
164: J Jóia (Portugal) 87 77, M Downes (England) 85 79, B Reiter (Austria) 82 82, T Dogil (Germany) 82 82, G Dillon (The Heath) 80 84, T Pulkkanen (Finland) 79 85
165: P Dunne (Greystones) 84 81, G Lawlor (Newbridge) 82 83, T O' Flynn (Fota Island) 81 84, J McGinn (Laytown & Bettystown) 80 85, M Cunningham (Scotland) 79 86
166: C Schroder (Germany) 90 76, R Cronheim (USA) 88 78, C Wilson (USA) 82 84
167: O Sharpe (England) 86 81, O Mikkola (Finland) 83 84, M Hammond (Moyola Park) 82 85
168: A Dooley (Glasson) 88 80, R McGee (Ireland) 86 82
169: K Nicol (Scotland) 89 80, C Thomson (Scotland) 83 86, R Bridges (Stackstown) 83 86
170: J Hendrick (Scotland) 88 82, A Kirstein (Germany) 83 87
173: G O'Connor-Brooks (USA) 86 87
174: M Reardon (USA) 86 88
175: M Aurnhammer (Germany) 89 86, A Llorente (Colombia) 88 87
178: G Perne (Slovenia) 90 88
DQ: E Kennedy (England) 85 DQ, D Morgan (Mullingar) 82 DQ