Pugh, that was close! Welsh teen wins Irish Amateur in play-off

GUI President, Eugene Fayne (right), presents the Irish Amateur Open trophy to Rhys Pugh (Wales). Also pictured is JJ Murphy, Captain, The Royal Dublin Golf Club. Credit: Pat Cashman, courtesy GUI.Welsh teenager Rhys Pugh took a giant step towards securing his Walker Cup place when he claimed the Irish Amateur Open after dramatic three-hole aggregate play-off at a wind-lashed Royal Dublin.

As Greystones’ Paul Dunne agonisingly missed out on the extra time action by a shot after lipping out at the last, the 17-year old international from Pontypridd grabbed the first senior win of his career when he beat 22-year old Scot Gordon Stevenson by four shots over the 16th, 17th and 18th in winds gusting over 30 mph.

Pugh said: “It’s probably the biggest win of my career so far. It pushes me up to the next level. Walker Cup, who knows? Hopefully. I don’t pick the team. I’m just looking forward to the St Andrews Links Trophy, which is my next event.”

Pugh led by a shot overnight from Stevenson on two-under par before extending his advantage to three shots over the Scot and defending champion Alan Dunbar after a third round 74.

They eventually finished level on six over par 294 as Stevenson found sand off the tee and bogeyed the last for a 75. Playing partner Pugh holed a testing five footer for a gutsy par and battling 78. However, the Welsh schoolboy ran out an easy winner in the play-off.

After sharing the 282-yard 16th in par fours, Stevenson ran up a triple bogey seven at the 17th when he carved his tee shot right of the road and out of bounds.

Pugh made bogey there to take a two-stroke lead to the 487-yard 18th and could afford to make another bogey as Stevenson racked up another triple bogey seven after finding the same bunker off the tee.

“It was a good day and I played really well,” said Stevenson, who three putted the last with the title already a lost cause. “There are so many positives to take from it.

“Rhys and I had a great game today and unfortunately a poor tee shot on 17 cost me it. Full credit to him. He took his opportunity and it was ballsy of him to make his par up the last in regulation to force the playoff.”

Playing in his last event for six weeks as he prepares to sit his Leaving Certificate, Dunne finished tied for third with Holland’s Daan Huizing after cruelly missing out on the play-off when he lipped out from 15 feet for par at the last after a tremendous final round charge.

“It’s good to be back in contention,” said a disappointed Dunne after his closing 72. “For the last while I have been caddying for people in the last round of tournaments like this. I played well today but I came up just short.”

For a while it looked likely that the title would head to continental Europe for the first time.

Huizing, a 20 year old from Utrecht, was leading by a shot from Pugh and Stevenson on three over par with two holes to play but bogeyed the 17th after a misjudged pitch and then ran up a triple bogey seven at the last when he aggressively fired at the pin but sent his three-iron approach out of bounds.

Knock’s Nicky Grant, whose third round 71 was the only sub-par sore of the day, finished alone in fifth place on nine over par after a final round 77.

In another good week for our top Walker Cup hopefuls, West of Ireland champion Paul Cutler of Portstewart and defending champion Dunbar tied for sixth place on 10 over.

Irish Amateur Open, Royal Dublin (par 72)

Final scores

294 G Stevenson (Scotland) 74 69 76 75, R Pugh (Wales) 72 70 74 78 (Pugh won the three-hole aggregate play-off at the 16th, 17th and 18th, 14 strokes to 18, 4-5-5 to 4-7-7)

295 D Huizing (Netherlands) 77 70 74 74, P Dunne (Greystones) 73 71 79 72

297 N Grant (Knock) 77 72 71 77

298 P Cutler (Portstewart) 75 71 75 77, A Dunbar (Rathmore) 73 72 74 79

300 L Bjerregaard (Denmark) 81 70 73 76

301 K Nicol (Scotland) 75 72 74 80

302 C Selfridge (Moyola Park) 78 73 72 79, R Whitson (Mourne) 76 69 76 81

303 J Findlay (Scotland) 76 74 75 78

304 A Hogan (Newlands) 82 68 73 81, R Kind (Netherlands) 71 76 79 78

305 S Barry (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 71 81 75, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 76 75 75 79, J Greene (Carlow) 73 76 76 80

306 M Veijalainen (Finland) 76 70 78 82, E McCormack (Galway) 74 70 82 80

307 P Shields (Scotland) 79 73 76 79, W Harmston (England) 79 71 78 79, D McElroy (Ballymena) 79 70 81 77, P Murray (Limerick) 78 72 76 81, T Salminen (Finland) 78 71 77 81, F McKenna (Scotland) 77 73 79 78, R Van West (Netherlands) 76 73 77 81

308 K McCarthy (Kinsale) 82 70 80 76, R McNamara (Headfort) 80 69 78 81, C Doran (Banbridge) 79 73 78 78, B Casey (Headfort) 77 75 77 79

309 A Eckhardt (Finland) 79 72 80 78, C O’Malley (Westport) 77 73 81 78

310 H Beins (Germany) 81 70 81 78

311 J Brittain (England) 75 76 76 84

312 D Murphy (Portarlington) 78 74 76 84

313 R Dhondt (Belgium) 81 66 81 85, M Gaspar (Portugal) 75 75 83 80

319 J Evans (England) 75 74 86 84

321 C Fairweather (Knock) 73 78 81 89