Gavin Moynihan drives at the 14th en route to victory in the Irish Amateur Open at Royal Dublin. Picture by Pat CashmanIrish golf witnessed a changing of the guard at a windswept Royal Dublin yesterday when 17-year old schoolboy Gavin Moynihan of The Island closed with rounds of 76 and 75 to win the Irish Amateur Open by a stroke.

On the same day that Ryder Cup stalwart Philip Walton, once the quintessential schoolboy prodigy, finished 22nd on his European Senior Tour debut in Mallorca, Moynihan proudly flew the flag for Malahide when he hit a 198-yard three-wood to five feet at the 17th to set up a title winning birdie three.

Final day photo gallery

The Irish boys international went into the final round tied for the lead with Stackstown left-hander Richard Bridges on four over par with 20-year old Dutchman Robin Kind a shot further back.

But as Bridges was blown away on a cruel southwest wind that gusted over 40 mph at times, shooting 84, Kind and Moynihan emerged as the true title contenders on a day of high winds and high drama.

The Irishman eventually clinched victory by the narrowest of margins on seven over par 295 thanks to his wondershot at the penultimate hole.

Playing in the group in front of Moynihan, Kind bogeyed the 18th for a closing 75 to set the clubhouse target at eight over par 296.

Flame-haired Moynihan found the 18th fairway with a three wood but it was not until he had nudged a four-iron well left of the green - and well left of the out of bounds right of the green - that he learned that he could afford to bogey and win the most prestigious title in Irish amateur golf.

Gavin Moynihan celebrates with fellow members of The Island following his win at Royal Dublin. Picture by Pat CashmanIt mattered little to him that his 10 foot par putt horseshoed out and he is looking forward to taking up one of the many US golf scholarships he has been offered - Graeme McDowell’s alma mater, the University of Alabama Birmingham is one of the pretenders - when he completes his Leaving Certificate next year.

“It’s just amazing,” Moynihan said after a final round featuring five bogeys and two bogeys. “I don’t know what the wind was gusting to but it was seriously tough and my short game saved me on the back nine. I’m absolutely thrilled with the win.

Gavin Moynihan (The Island) winner of the 2012 Irish Amateur Open Championship at Royal Dublin Golf Club. Picture by Pat Cashman“That’s probably the best two rounds of putting I have had for a while. I’ve hit drives 350 yards and 220 yards today. It was just one of those days where you had to grind it out.”

Moynihan came into the championship with form having joined Lee Westwood and Justin Rose on the list of winners of the prestigious Peter McEvoy Trophy for under 18’s at Copt Heath near Birmingham last month.

“The 17th was the key,” Moynihan said. “The tee was up and the bunkers were in play but I hit a good drive and bulleted a three-wood from 198 yards into the teeth of the wind to five feet and rolled in the left to right putt.

“I knew walking up to my chip shot at the last that I could take three from there and win. The back nine was just brutal and I am just delighted to have held up.”

Scoring soared in the morning despite the fact that the GUI took the precaution of shortening the course by around 125 yards, mainly on the back nine.

Belvoir Park’s Harry Diamond - who led by a stroke from the Moynihan, Kind, Dutchman Daan Huizing and American Mike Miller after 36 holes - started his day with two birdies but eventually carded a third round 81 and followed it with a 76 to finish sixth on 12 over.

Conditions were so tough that the CSS in round three was 79 with European Amateur Open champion Manuel Trappel of Austria signing for an 87.

The weather didn’t appear to bother Stackstown left-hander Bridges, who shot a 73 to set the 54-hole target at four over 220 before being joined at the top by Moynihan, who holed an eight footer for par at the 17th and a 25 footer for another par at the 18th for a 76.

The leading duo were a stroke clear of Kind with 2010 winner Alan Dunbar and Dutch world number seven Huizing a further shot back on six over. But with the wind rising, officials decided to lop another 100 yards off the back nine.

It was still a brute and with no control downwind on the front nine, Bridges (who was out in the sixth last group) turned in six over 41 and eventually signed for an 84 to finish on 16 over.

Headfort’s Brian Casey, who won last week’s Munster Strokeplay at Cork by 10 strokes on 15 under par, closed with rounds of 74 and 72 to set the clubhouse target at 10 over par.

And for a while it looked as though he had posted a formidable total as the wind continued to play havoc with the field.

Gavin Moynihan driving from the 8th tee during the final round. Picture by Pat Cashman.Kind started the final round brilliantly, turning in one under par to lead by two shots from Moynihan, who parred the first six holes and then bogeyed the seventh and eighth to slip to six over.

The championship was decided at the death, though it could be argued that Moynihan won it with his performance at the start of the back nine. As Kind followed a bogey at the 10th with pars at the 11th and 12th to lead on five over, Moynihan bogeyed the 10th to go to seven over but then played the next four holes in one under, single putting each time.

After a birdie at the 11th, he sank par putts at the 12th, 13th and 14th and went from two behind to one ahead when Kind double bogeyed the 13th.

“I made a couple of mistakes,” Kind said. “On 13 I tried to hit a really low one with a three iron but there was a little upslope before my ball which I didn’t see. It hit the upslope and stayed there, so I made a double there. I also had two three-putts, at the second and the fifth. The weather was tough but I’ve come up one shot short.”

Moynihan three-putted the 15th to fall back into a tie for the lead with Kind on seven over. The Dutch international parred the 16th and then got up and down for another par at the 17th, holing a five footer there for his four.

Playing in the final group, Moynihan parred the 16th and then made that brilliant birdie at the 17th as Kind was attempting to get up and down from left of the 18th for his par four.

The visitor hit a poor pitch, however, coming up well short before two putting for a bogey five an a 75.

Moynihan was equal to the task and insisted afterwards that it was his short game that helped him join major winners Padraig Harrington and Louis Oosthuizen on the list of Irish Amateur Open champions.

“I’ve done a lot of hard work on my short game since I joined The Island from Donabate last year,” he said. “I’ve worked on it constantly and it’s improved leaps and bounds. The facilities down there are just class so that’s what it’s down to - the short game.”

Final

295 Gavin Moynihan (The Island) 74 70 76 75

296 Robin Kind (Netherlands) 73 71 77 75

298 Brian Casey (Headfort) 80 72 74 72

299 Daan Huizing (Netherlands) 74 70 78 77, Mike Miller (USA) 71 73 79 76

300 Harry Diamond (Belvoir Park) 73 70 81 76

301 Eddie McCormack (Galway) 77 70 79 75

303 Eoin Arthurs (Forrest Little) 75 75 76 77

304 Gary McDermott (Co. Sligo) 78 74 76 76, Aaron Kearney (Castlerock) 76 70 79 79, Richard Bridges (Stackstown) 75 72 73 84, Dermot McElroy (Ballymena) 71 74 79 80

305 Paul O’Kane (Moyola Park) 77 74 75 79, Matt McAlpin (Royal Portrush) 76 73 78 78, Alan Dunbar (Rathmore) 75 73 74 83, Richard O’Donovan (Lucan) 74 76 78 77

306 Rory McNamara (Headfort) 76 70 77 83, Simon Ward (Co. Louth) 70 75 81 80

308 C Selfridge (Moyola Park) 78 74 76 80, Q Carew (Edenderry) 77 73 80 78, M Sinclair (Knock) 76 76 79 77, R Whitson (Mourne) 74 76 82 76, P Shields (Scotland) 74 74 83 77, T McLarnon (Massereene) 70 77 82 79

310 B Walton (The Island) 77 75 76 82, A Hogan (Newlands) 76 76 78 80

311 G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 75 75 75 86, C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 74 71 81 85, K McDonagh (Athlone) 72 76 80 83

314 R Burke (Castle) 74 77 80 83, C Doran (Banbridge) 73 72 79 90

315 K McCarthy (Kinsale) 78 74 83 80, M Shanahan (Castlemartyr) 75 72 87 81, J White (Scotland) 74 77 79 85

317 G Bohill (Co. Louth) 78 74 85 80, J Greene (Portmarnock) 78 73 84 82

318 T Grava (France) 76 76 84 82, E Smith (Ardee) 75 75 85 83, M Durcan (Co. Sligo) 75 75 84 84, J Evans (England) 74 73 82 89

320 M Trappel (Austria) 73 72 87 88

323 A Cooper (Australia) 78 74 84 87

RTD S McConnell (Ballyclare) 73 78 78 RTD

WTD J Carvill (Banbridge) 76 75 79 WTD

DQ J De Poyen (France) 75 71 DQ

After 54 holes

220 R Bridges (Stackstown) 75 72 73, G Moynihan (The Island) 74 70 76

221 R Kind (Netherlands) 73 71 77

222 A Dunbar (Rathmore) 75 73 74, D Huizing (Netherlands) 74 70 78

223 R McNamara (Headfort) 76 70 77, M Miller (USA) 71 73 79

224 C Doran (Banbridge) 73 72 79, H Diamond (Belvoir Park) 73 70 81, D McElroy (Ballymena) 71 74 79

225 A Kearney (Castlerock) 76 70 79, G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 75 75 75

226 B Casey (Headfort) 80 72 74, P O’Kane (Moyola Park) 77 74 75, E McCormack (Galway) 77 70 79, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 75 75 76, C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 74 71 81, S Ward (Co. Louth) 70 75 81

227 M McAlpin (Royal Portrush) 76 73 78

228 G McDermott (Co. Sligo) 78 74 76, C Selfridge (Moyola Park) 78 74 76, B Walton (The Island) 77 75 76, R O’Donovan (Lucan) 74 76 78, K McDonagh (Athlone) 72 76 80

229 J Evans (England) 74 73 82, S McConnell (Ballyclare) 73 78 78, T McLarnon (Massereene) 70 77 82

230 Q Carew (Edenderry) 77 73 80, A Hogan (Newlands) 76 76 78, J Carvill (Banbridge) 76 75 79, J White (Scotland) 74 77 79

231 M Sinclair (Knock) 76 76 79, R Burke (Castle) 74 77 80, P Shields (Scotland) 74 74 83

232 R Whitson (Mourne) 74 76 82, M Trappel (Austria) 73 72 87

234 M Durcan (Co. Sligo) 75 75 84, M Shanahan (Castlemartyr) 75 72 87

235 K McCarthy (Kinsale) 78 74 83, J Greene (Portmarnock) 78 73 84, E Smith (Ardee) 75 75 85

236 A Cooper (Australia) 78 74 84, T Grava (France) 76 76 84

237 G Bohill (Co. Louth) 78 74 85

DQ J De Poyen (France) 75 71 DQ