Hurley and McElroy top Irish at Lytham

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West Waterford's Gary McDermott made a solid start with a 72 in the Lytham Trophy. Picture: Thos Caffrey / www.golffile.ie

West Waterford’s Gary Hurley and Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy are just three shots off the lead after opening with two over 72s in the 50th edition of the Lytham Trophy at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Just two players in the 144-strong field shot par or better at the storied Lancashire links, but the Irish pair survived the breezy, early conditions to end the day in an 11-man logjam for ninth place behind Germany’s Hurly Long.

Plus-three handicapper Long was the only player to break par as he took advantage of a drop in the wind in the afternoon, making his only bogey at the 10th before picking up birdies at two of his last three holes for a one under 69 and a one-shot lead over Slovenia’s Tim Gornik.

Munster star Hurley had three bogeys on the tough front nine but birdied the last for his 72 before being joined on two over by McElroy, who followed a birdie at the first with bogeys at the second, third and seventh before reeling off 11 consecutive pars to finish.

“It was breezy this morning and there was very little wind this afternoon so I’ll take 72,” McElroy said. “It’s a good start to the tournament because the front nine was playing very hard into a left-to-right wind. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

West of Ireland champion Jack Hume from Naas, who lost in a playoff for the title last year, is well in the hunt after a 74 while Stackstown left hander Richard Bridges, Massereene’s Tiarnan McLarnon and Headfort’s Rory McNamara could not be too displeased with 75s.

"I had to hang in on the front nine," said Bridges, who had six bogeys and one birdie. "I felt quite ill for some reason but got better around the turn and finished strongly. It's so hard even in good conditions.

"There are bunkers everywhere, punishing most wayward shots  — I was only in one off the tee on 15 but I found four around the greens. So I'm happy enough with the score because it's good to hang tough on days when your not quite right."

McNamara, who warmed up by winning the Dundalk Scratch Cup by five shots last weekend, was out in the first group of the day and got the worst of the wind.

"It was cold and windy this morning but nice from 12 on," said McNamara, who was disappointed to come home in 40 having played the tough front nine in just one over. "Played the easy holes very badly but I'm content with the score."

Following Saturday's second round the leading 40 and tied then play 36 holes on Sunday which means that Mourne's Reeve Whitson and Rosslare's Gary Collins (76), Ardee's Eugene Smith (78), Irish Close champion Cormac Sharvin from Ardglass (79) have work to do to make the cut.

Lytham Trophy, Royal Lytham & St Annes (Par 70) Live scoring

Gross Leaderboard			R1	R2	R3	R4	Total	Par
1st		Hurly Long Germany	69				69	-1
2nd		Tim Gornik Slovenia	70				70	LEVEL
3rd		Marcus Kinhult Sweden	71				71	+1
4th		Mark Young Longridge	71				71	+1
5th		Mathias Eggenberger Switzerland	71				71	+1
6th		Darius Van Driel Netherlands	71				71	+1
7th		Niklas Noergaard Moeller Denmark	71				71	+1
8th		Harry Casey Enfield	71				71	+1
9th		Ashley Chesters Hawkstone Park	72				72	+2
10th		Thriston Lawrence South Africa	72				72	+2
11th		Gary Hurley West Waterford	72				72	+2
12th		Louis Tomlinson West Lancashire	72				72	+2
13th		Toby Tree Golf at Goodwood	72				72	+2
14th		Dermot McElroy Ballymena	72				72	+2
15th		Haydn McCullen Delamere Forest	72				72	+2
16th		Joe Dean Lindrick	72				72	+2
17th		L Johnson Kings Lynn	72				72	+2
18th		P Kinnear Formby	72				72	+2
19th		Sebastian Von Den Hoff Germany	72				72	+2
20th		Christopher Dammert Germany	73				73	+3
21st		Ciaran Paul Doherty Bury	73				73	+3
22nd		Paul Howard Southport & Ainsdale	73				73	+3
23rd		Severiano Prins Netherlands	73				73	+3
24th		Dominic Foos Germany	73				73	+3
25th		Maximilian Mehles Germany	73				73	+3
26th		Alasdair Dalgliesh Haywards Heath	73				73	+3
27th		Jack McDonald Kilmarnock (Barassie)	73				73	+3
28th		Mathias Gladbjerg Denmark	73				73	+3
29th		Andrew Wilson Darlington	73				73	+3
30th		Oscar Granstrom-Livesey Royal Mid-Surrey	73				73	+3
31st		Oskar Bergqvist Sweden	73				73	+3
32nd		Jamie Dick Forest Hills (Gloucestershire)	73				73	+3
33rd		Joel Girrbach Switzerland	73				73	+3
34th		Graeme Robertson Glenbervie	74				74	+4
35th		Jack Anthony Hume Naas	74				74	+4
36th		Daniel Brown Bedale	74				74	+4
37th		Kristian Krogh Johannessen Norway	74				74	+4
38th		Daniel Young Craigie Hill	74				74	+4
39th		Daniel Wasteney Lindrick	74				74	+4
40th		Ryan Evans Wellingborough	74				74	+4
41st		Jonathan Hurst Pleasington	74				74	+4
42nd		Ashton Turner Kenwick Park	74				74	+4
43rd		Jordan Smith Bowood Golf & Country Club	74				74	+4
44th		Scott Borrowman Dollar	74				74	+4
45th		Craig David Ross Kirkhill	74				74	+4
46th		Scott Gibson Southerness	74				74	+4
47th		Robbie Van West Prise d Eau	74				74	+4
48th		Adam Dunton McDonald	75				75	+5
49th		Alfie Plant Rochester & Cobham Park	75				75	+5
50th		Toby Crisp Links (Newmarket)	75				75	+5
51st		Adam Chapman Windermere	75				75	+5
52nd		Victor Joffray France	75				75	+5
53rd		John Douglas Aberdour	75				75	+5
54th		Richard Bridges Stackstown	75				75	+5
55th		Julien Cosentino France	75				75	+5
56th		Tiarnan McLarnon Massereene	75				75	+5
57th		Jack Barrie Yule Middleton Hall	75				75	+5
58th		Edouard Amacher Switzerland	75				75	+5
59th		Rory McNamara Headfort	75				75	+5
60th		Bradley Neil Blairgowrie	75				75	+5
61st		Ben Bradley Germany	76				76	+6
62nd		Freddie Sheridan-Mills Walsall	76				76	+6
63rd		Reeve Whitson Mourne	76				76	+6
64th		Ian Kenwright Haydock Park	76				76	+6
65th		Vince Van Veen Netherlands	76				76	+6
66th		Bobby Keeble Crowlands Heath	76				76	+6
67th		Christian Braeunig Germany	76				76	+6
68th		Gary Collins Rosslare	76				76	+6
69th		Jamie Savage Cawder	76				76	+6
70th		Vitek Novak Czech Republic	76				76	+6
71st		Jimmy Mullen Royal North Devon	76				76	+6
72nd		Gordon Stevenson Whitecraigs	76				76	+6
73rd		Alexander Culverwell Dunbar	76				76	+6
74th		Nick Marsh Huddersfield	76				76	+6
75th		Michael Saunders Dartford	76				76	+6
76th		Alasdair Mcdougall Elderslie	76				76	+6
77th		Jack Singh Brar Remedy Oak	76				76	+6
78th		Sean Towndrow Southport & Ainsdale	76				76	+6
79th		Sigot Lopez Spain	76				76	+6
80th		Kristoffer Ventura Norway	76				76	+6
81st		Dominic S Barnes Caldy	76				76	+6
82nd		John Carroll Huyton & Prescot	76				76	+6
83rd		Robert Burlison Oxley Park	77				77	+7
84th		Christiaan Bezuidenhout South Africa	77				77	+7
85th		Ewen Ferguson Bearsden	77				77	+7
86th		MD Duncalf Formby	77				77	+7
87th		Martin Keskari Germany	77				77	+7
88th		Anthony Renard France	77				77	+7
89th		Daniel Kay Dunbar	77				77	+7
90th		Craig Howie Peebles	77				77	+7
91st		Thomas Lawton Wilmslow	77				77	+7
92nd		Jacopo Jori Italy	77				77	+7
93rd		Oliver Carr Heswall	77				77	+7
94th		Greig Marchbank Thornhill	77				77	+7
95th		Eugene Smith Ardee	78				78	+8
96th		S Edwards Bigbury	78				78	+8
97th		Albert Eckhardt Finland	78				78	+8
98th		Connor Syme Dumfries & County	78				78	+8
99th		Jack Cardy Ipswich	78				78	+8
100th		Felix Kvarnstrom Sweden	78				78	+8
101st		Michael Hirmer Germany	78				78	+8
102nd		W P Shucksmith Alwoodley	78				78	+8
103rd		Javier Ballesteros Spain	79				79	+9
104th		Nick Watson Stoke Rochford	79				79	+9
105th		James McCormick Styal	79				79	+9
106th		Allyn Dick Kingsknowe	79				79	+9
107th		Alyn Torrence Wrexham	79				79	+9
108th		Oliver Roberts Hong Kong	79				79	+9
109th		Michael Smyth Royal Troon - Old Course	79				79	+9
110th		Patrick Bell Royal Lytham & St Annes	79				79	+9
111th		Cormac Sharvin Ardglass	79				79	+9
112th		Adam Blomme Sweden	79				79	+9
113th		Mark Phillip Collins Chart Hills	79				79	+9
114th		Maximilian Roehrig Germany	79				79	+9
115th		Henry Tomlinson Royal Lytham & St Annes	79				79	+9
116th		Robin Roussel France	79				79	+9
117th		Tom Robson Weymouth	80				80	+10
118th		Juuso Kahlos Finland	80				80	+10
119th		S Whitaker Blankney	80				80	+10
120th		Adam Wilson Mold	80				80	+10
121st		Fraser Moore Glenbervie	80				80	+10
122nd		Nicolai Kristensen Denmark	80				80	+10
123rd		Martino Morszeck Germany	80				80	+10
124th		Ben Amor Marlborough	80				80	+10
125th		Jorge Simon de Miguel Spain	80				80	+10
126th		Alastair Jones Radyr	80				80	+10
127th		Frederic Lacroix France	80				80	+10
128th		Kenny Subregis France	80				80	+10
129th		Lee Jones Conwy(Caernarvonshire)	80				80	+10
130th		Markus Maukner Austria	80				80	+10
131st		Andre Tourinho Brazil	81				81	+11
132nd		J S Bower Meltham	81				81	+11
133rd		Alexander Stubbs Oxfordshire (The)	81				81	+11
134th		Nicholas Arnoldi South Africa	81				81	+11
135th		KYLE McCLUNG Wigtownshire County	82				82	+12
136th		Jean-Michel Hall Woburn	82				82	+12
137th		Simon Zach Czech Republic	83				83	+13
138th		Johannes Diederichs Germany	83				83	+13
139th		Marcel Ohorn Germany	84				84	+14
140th		Steve McGlynn Preston	84				84	+14
141st		Mark Porter Sherwood Forest	86				86	+16
142nd		Luis Thiele Brazil	86				86	+16
143rd		Geoff Lenehan Portmarnock	87				87	+17
144th		Jake McNulty Canada	96				96	+26