Paul Dunne is seven under par after two rounds in the East of Ireland at Baltray. Archive picture by Pat Cashman. 2020 Greystones’ Paul Dunne will take a four-stroke lead over Headfort’s Brian Casey into the final two rounds of the East of Ireland Amateur Open at County Louth.

The 20-year old University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) player added a 68 to his opening 69 to lead on seven under par 137 in warm, calm conditions at Baltray.

The halfway cut for the top 51 players fell at 150 with Matt McKnight the only player on that mark to miss out.

Dunne certainly found the greens to his liking as he made seven birdies and putted exceptionally well in an impressive display.

Starting on the back nine, he bogeyed the 11th but then birdied the 13th from 20 feet and the made amends for missing a three-footer for birdie at the 14th with a birdie from 15 feet at the short 15th.

Par saves from 12 feet at the 17th and 18th, where he was bunkered off the tee, helped him turn in one under 34.

A bogey at the first was only a minor set back for Dunne, who has two Irish Boys titles on his CV. 

He got up and down from 50 yards for birdies at the par-five third and driveable fourth and followed a bogey at the trikcy par-three fifth with threee birdies in his last four holes.

After chipping dead for birdie at the par-five sixth, he holed  a 20 footer at the seventh for a two and then ran home a 20 footer at the ninth to equal Morgan with best round of the weekend so far.

East of Ireland Amateur Open, Co Louth (Par 72)

Third and fourth round tee-times:

1st tee/10th tee

(7:00/12:15 J Greene (Portmarnock) J Hopkins (Royal Dublin) J Yates (Naas)

(7:10/12:25) M Brett (Portmarnock) K Purcell (Dun Laoghaire) A Carrick (Douglas Park)

(7:20/12:35) S McGlynn (Carton House) M McAlpin (Royal Portrush) D Holland (Castle)

(7:30/12:45) C O’Rourke (Naas) B Anderson (Royal Dublin) J Fox (Portmarnock)

(7:40/12:55) S Bryan (Delgany) S Moran (Carton House) C Melvin (Corrstown)

(7:50/13:05) JR Galbraith (Whitehead) H Diamond (Belvoir Park) J Hume (Rathsallagh)

(8:00/13:15) K Lynch (Skibbereen) I O’ Flynn (Cork) M Mullen (Wexford)

(8:10/13:25) J Walsh (Castle) A Kearney (Castlerock) M Sinclair (Knock)

10th Tee/1st Tee

(7:00/12:15) S Flanagan (Co. Sligo) I Brennan (Greenore) R Cannon (Balbriggan)

(7:10/12:25) T McLarnon (Massereene) P Murray (Limerick) J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle)

(7:20/12:35) N Foley (The Island) D Carey (Carton House) P Reavey (Warrenpoint)

(7:30/12:45) G Lenehan (Portmarnock) S Walsh (Portmarnock) G Bohill (Co. Louth)

(7:40/12:55) D Byrne (Greystones) D Morgan (Mullingar) P McBride (The Island)

(7:50/13:05) K Quigg (City of Derry) G Collins (Rosslare) S Carter (Stackstown)

(8:00/13:15) S Ward (Co. Louth) S Healy (Claremorris) E Smith (Ardee)

(8:10/13:25) S O’Connor (Luttrellstown Castle) B Best (Rathmore) G McDermott (Co Sligo)

(8:20/13:35) S Grehan (Tullamore) B Casey (Headfort) P Dunne (Greystones).

After 36 holes

137 P Dunne (Greystones) 69 68

141 B Casey (Headfort) 72 69

142 S Grehan (Tullamore) 71 71

143 G McDermott (Co. Sligo) 75 68, B Best (Rathmore) 71 72, S O’Connor (Luttrellstown Castle) 71 72

144 E Smith (Ardee) 72 72, S Healy (Claremorris) 72 72, S Ward (Co. Louth) 71 73

145 S Carter (Stackstown) 73 72, G Collins (Rosslare) 73 72, K Quigg (City of Derry) 71 74, P McBride (The Island) 70 75, D Morgan (Mullingar) 68 77

146 D Byrne (Greystones) 76 70, G Bohill (Co. Louth) 75 71, S Walsh (Portmarnock) 71 75, G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 71 75

147 P Reavey (Warrenpoint) 80 67, D Carey (Carton House) 75 72, N Foley (The Island) 74 73, J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) 74 73, P Murray (Limerick) 73 74, T McLarnon (Massereene) 71 76

148 R Cannon (Balbriggan) 80 68, I Brennan (Greenore) 76 72, S Flanagan (Co. Sligo) 76 72, M Sinclair (Knock) 76 72, A Kearney (Castlerock) 74 74, J Walsh (Castle) 73 75, M Mullen (Wexford) 72 76, I O’ Flynn (Cork) 72 76, K Lynch (Skibbereen) 72 76, J Hume (Rathsallagh) 71 77

149 H Diamond (Belvoir Park) 77 72, J Galbraith (Whitehead) 76 73, C Melvin (Corrstown) 76 73, S Moran (Carton House) 76 73, S Bryan (Delgany) 75 74, J Fox (Portmarnock) 74 75, B Anderson (The Royal Dublin) 74 75

150 C O’Rourke (Naas) 80 70, D Holland (Castle) 78 72, M McAlpin (Royal Portrush) 78 72, S McGlynn (Carton House) 77 73, A Carrick (Douglas Park Golf Club) 77 73, K Purcell (Dun Laoghaire) 77 73, M Brett (Portmarnock) 76 74, J Yates (Naas) 76 74, J Hopkins (The Royal Dublin) 76 74, J Greene (Portmarnock) 75 75,

Non-qualifiers

150 M McKnight (LPGA International) 74 76

151 M Shanahan (Castlemartyr) 77 74, N Gorey (Muskerry) 76 75, K Le Blanc (The Island) 76 75, I Lynch (Rosslare) 75 76, E O’Connor (Elm Park) 75 76, P Coughlan (Moate) 74 77, C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown) 74 77, C Kennedy (Forrest Little) 74 77, S Coulter (Warrenpoint) 73 78, N Grant (Knock) 73 78

152 C Doran (Banbridge) 77 75, G O’Flaherty (Cork) 76 76, L Ashby (Killerig) 76 76, K McDonagh (Athlone) 76 76, C Drumm (Rosslare) 75 77, A Grant (Dundalk) 73 79, E Farrell (Ardee) 72 80

153 R Lester (Hermitage) 79 74, T O’Leary (Wexford) 79 74, M Reid (Galgorm Castle) 78 75, M Collins (Killeen Castle) 77 76, C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 77 76, S O’Hara (Co. Sligo) 77 76, E McCormack (Co. Cavan) 76 77, S Ryan (The Royal Dublin) 76 77, D Downie (Sutton) 76 77, C Rafferty (Greenore) 76 77, M Wylie (Quinta da ria Portugal) 76 77, A Lowry (Esker Hills) 75 78, G Mungovan (Headfort) 74 79

154 G Dunne (Co. Louth) 81 73, A Hogan (Newlands) 80 74, C Deegan (Castle) 80 74, R Kenny (Naas) 79 75, Q Carew (Edenderry) 79 75, D Shaw (Belvoir Park) 79 75, J Carvill (Banbridge) 78 76, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 77 77, M Buggy (Castlecomer) 76 78, S Brady (Co. Sligo) 75 79, T O’Connor (Athlone) 74 80, J Pierse (Grange) 73 81

155 M Morrissey (Mount Wolseley) 83 72, C Selfridge (Moyola Park) 83 72, A Gleeson (Castle) 81 74, S Dwyer (Lucan) 80 75, D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 79 76, K McCarthy (Kinsale) 79 76, E O’Keeffe (Corrstown) 78 77

156 A Kiernan (Forrest Little) 82 74, P O’Brien (Co. Louth) 82 74, K Crowley (Fota Island) 81 75, C McKenna (Mallow) 81 75, S Hogan (Nenagh) 79 77, S Cullen (Slieve Russell) 78 78, C Martin (Kilkenny) 77 79, M McClean (Balmoral) 76 80

157 D Lally (Mullingar) 83 74, R Bridges (Stackstown) 81 76, L Hutchinson (The Royal Dublin) 81 76, A McCloy (Ballymena) 80 77, A Kelly (Muskerry) 80 77, T Collins (Dun Laoghaire) 79 78, J Lyons (Galway) 79 78, R McKinstry (Cairndhu) 78 79, J Leacy (Dungarvan) 77 80, G Lappin (Belvoir Park) 77 80, P Connolly (Clontarf) 76 81, R O’Reilly (Headfort) 75 82

158 S Cannon (Loughrea) 84 74, D O’Neill (Carton House) 83 75, G Carew (Edenderry) 81 77, N Beirth (Co. Louth) 81 77, M O’Rourke (Royal Tara) 81 77, K Egan (Carton House) 80 78, E Griffin (Waterford) 78 80, G Lawlor (Newbridge) 78 80

159 D McCusker (Moyola Park) 80 79, J Timlin (Dungannon) 80 79, G McKenna (Fortwilliam) 78 81, C Tormey (Mullingar) 77 82, G McGrane (The Royal Dublin) 76 83

160 R Durnin (Laytown & Bettystown) 85 75, C Fairweather (Knock) 83 77, R Symington (Lisburn) 81 79, C O’Sullivan (Fota Island) 81 79, J Whelan (Newlands) 78 82

162 J Sabir (Glasson) 80 82

163 J Monaghan (The Royal Dublin) 84 79, J Conroy (Bray) 81 82, D Loftus (Castlebar) 80 83

166 D Barry (Mahon) 84 82, H Coyne (Carton House) 84 82, A Hanley (The Royal Dublin) 81 85

NR L McMillan (Carton House) 81 NR, D Regan (Co. Meath) 85 NR, D O’Connor (Athlone) 89 NR

DQ A Dowling (Hermitage) 78 DQ, M Kane (Whitehead) 79 DQ

WTD S Mc Carthy (Killeen Castle) 80 WTD, P Cullen (Royal Tara) 85 WTD, A Lynch (Castleknock) 90 WTD

Monday's draw for rounds 3 & 4