West of Ireland - Monday's race to the semis
17:45 — Balbriggan's Robbie Cannon, Mourne's Reeve Whitson, Naas' Jack Hume and West Waterford's Gary Hurley are through to tomorrow's semi-finals of the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Championship at Rosses Point.
Cannon beat Lucan's Richard O'Donovan 5 and 4 and will meet Whitson, who ended the dreams of Co Sligo's Steffan O'Hara with a comfortable 5 and 3 win.
In the other semi-final, Hume will meet close pal Hurley after both men had differing routes to the last four.
Hume had to hole three clutch putts on the 14th, 15th and 16th before eventually seeing off the combative Colm Campbell of Warrenpoint on the 17th by 3 and 1.
But Hurley had placid 8 and 6 win over veteran and 2007 winner Joe Lyons, winning the first three holes and then taking the fifth and sixth to go five up after the Galway player three-putted both greens in a desperate attempt to claw back some ground.
Semi-finals (Tuesday)
(8.0) Robert Cannon (Balbriggan) v Reeve Whitson (Mourne)
(8.15) Jack Hume (Naas) v Gary Hurley (West Waterford)
Quarter-finals
Robert Cannon (Balbriggan) bt Richard O’Donovan (Lucan) 5/4
Reeve Whitson (Mourne) bt Steffan O’Hara (Co Sligo) 5/3
Jack Hume (Naas) bt Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 3/1
Gary Hurley (West Waterford) bt Joe Lyons (Galway) 8/6
13:13 — Lucan's Richie O'Donovan dramatically holed a 60 foot putt from just off the green to beat Dermot McElroy on the 19th and clinch a quarter-final clash with Balbriggan's Robbie Cannon in the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Championship at Rosses Point.
"I hit my tee shot in the left rough with an iron and it ended up perfect," said O'Donovan, who looked on as McElroy missed a 30 footer to extend the match. "I hit a six iron just off the green and holed a 60-footer, I'd say.
"It made up for the three mistakes I made coming in. I doubled 16 and bogeyed 17 and 18. You have to putt well to win matches."
Steffan O'Hara, 22, kept Co Sligo interest alive when he came from behind to beat Stackstown's Richard Bridges 2 and 1 and will now face leading qualifier Reeve Whitson, who beat Royal Dublin's Jeff Hopkins 3 and 1.
"He won 15 to go two up after I hit a good shot that trickled over the back," Hopkins said. "We halved 16 and then on 17 I hit a bad drive right and gave him the hole. Other than that it was steady enough. I'm getting there."
Jack Hume cruised to an emphatic 5 and 4 win over Dungarvan's Kevin Stack and now faces Warrenpoint's Colm Campbell who edged out Harry Diamond 2 and 1.
West Waterford's Gary Hurley showed no mercy as he beat Portmarnock's James Fox 7 and 5 to set up a quarter-final against Galway's Joe Lyons.
Lyons beat Conor O'Rourke by one hole in a tight encounter, coming from behind to win the 15th and 17th in birdies.
He holed a six footer to at the 15th to square the match and then drained a left to right 35 footer from the fringe that fell into the hole on the last roll at the tough 17th for a crucial winning birdie.
O'Rourke had a birdie putt from just inside 10 feet on the 18th to force extra holes but it just slipped past the cup.
"I was one up going to 15 and he birdied 15 and 17. The putt on 17 was a brilliant putt. It was going to be stone dead and I had an eight footer down the hill for par. I had a chance at the last but it was not to be.
"I played really well and I feel I could have gone all the way if I could have got past Joe. But he's an experienced campaigner — crafty — and very tough to beat. It would have been nice to play Gary, who I played with a Maynooth. But it's still encouraging for me for the rest of the season."
Quarter-finals
13:30 Robert Cannon (Balbriggan) v Richard O’Donovan (Lucan)
13:45 Steffan O’Hara (Co Sligo) v Reeve Whitson (Mourne)
14:00 Jack Hume (Naas) v Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint)
14:15 Joe Lyons (Galway) v Gary Hurley (West Waterford)
Third round
Robert Cannon (Balbriggan) bt John Ross Galbraith (Whitehead) 4 and 2
Richard O’Donovan (Lucan) bt Dermot McElroy (Ballymena) 19th
Steffan O’Hara (Co Sligo) bt Richard Bridges (Stackstown) 2/1
Reeve Whitson (Mourne) bt Jeff Hopkins (The Royal Dublin) 3/1
Jack Hume (Naas) bt Kevin Stack (Dungarvan) 5/4
Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) bt Harry Diamond (Belvoir Park) 2/1
Joe Lyons (Galway) bt Conor O’Rourke (Naas) 1 hole
Gary Hurley (West Waterford) bt James Fox (Portmarnock) 7 and 5.
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12:01 — Robbie Cannon, Jack Hume and Gary Hurley are through to this afternoon's quarter-finals of the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Championship.
Cannon beat 20 year old John Ross Galbraith of Whitehead 4 and 2 while Hume of Naas beat Dungarvan's Kevin Stack 5 and 4. Hurley then beat James Fox of Portmarnock 7 and 5.
"I started off pretty well," said Cannon, who was two up after two. "I gave him a couple of holes around the turn and started playing sold again. I made birdies at the right time. My game is good and I controlled my swing and controlled my mind. I'm looking forward to the afternoon.
"I won the first two holes and kept going from there. The windier the better for me."
West Waterford's Gary Hurley is six up after 11 to James Fox. Lucan's Richie O'Donovan is also coming right back to form and now 2 up after 14 against Dermot McElroy. Co Sligo's Steffan O'Hara has turned around his match against Richard Bridges and now leads the Stackstown left-hander by one up after 16.
Mourne's Reeve Whitson is two up after 15 holes in his match against Jeff Hopkins.
11:00 — It's fine and sunny at Rosses Point but the wind is back with a steady east-southeast breeze gusting up to 25mph to keep the last 16 honest in the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Championship.
There is no more than a hole in it in five of the eight matches with West Waterford's Gary Hurley racing into a four up lead against Portmarnock's James Fox after six in the last match out.
Warrenpoint's Colm Campbell is 2 up at the turn against Harry Diamond while Jack Hume of Naas, one of the pre-tournament favourites, is three up after nine against Dungarvan's Kevin Stack.
In the first match of the day, Balbriggan's Robbie Cannon turned one up against John Ross Galbraith of Whitehead with Richie O'Donovan and Dermot McElroy all square at the turn.
Co Sligo's Steffan O’Hara was also level with left-hander Richard Bridges heading down the 10th, as were Jeff Hopkins and leading qualifier Reeve Whitson and Naas' Conor O'Rourke and Galway's Joe Lyons (through 6).