Sometimes it’s written in the stars but when Pat Murray got out of jail to beat Scotland’s Keith Mackenzie on the 19th in the second round of the Clare Coat Hotels sponsored South of Ireland Championship, the clouds parted and he was lit up by a celestial ray of sunshine.

The 43-year old, who finally achieved his life’s ambition by winning the “South” in 2012, arrived at the County Clare links facing two major challenges.

The first of them was purely physical — a stomach bug which has knocked for six since he helped Munster to their second Interprovincial title in the last three years just last Thursday.

The second is even more daunting. Given the hugely competitive amateur scene, he knows that in all likelihood, he must win the title for the second time here on Wednesday to have any chance of making the 11-man Ireland team for next month’s Home International matches in Wales.

“I was here to win anyway,” Murray said after beating Mackenzie with a bogey five on the first extra hole of a match that he clawed back to all square with a hole-in-one — an albatross — on the 279-yard, par-four 13th. 

“And if you are going to win you are probably going to have to get out of jail at least once.”

It was not his first albatross in championship competition having also aced the 16th at Royal Dublin in the Irish Amateur Open.

“It started down the right, moved a bit left and ran up the slope at the back of the green,” Murray said of his tee shot with a driver. “I didn’t see it but I’m told it came back down in slow motion and went in.”

Both men had chances to edge in front over the last five holes with Mazkenzie, an impressive 8 and 6 winner over Clare hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald on Saturday, holing from 10 feet at the 17th to remain all square before missing a 10 footer for a birdie and the match at the 18th.

The Scot looked favourite to go through when he hit a huge drive down the 19th and Murray hooked his tee shot into the first bunker on the left. 

But his approach rolled off the green into the front trap and with Murray safely on the green in three, he flew the green with his third, chipped to three feet and missed the putt to send the Limerick Golf Club secretary manager into the third round.

Murray now faces 15-year old Sean Doyle from Athlone, who was surprisingly omitted from the Boys side for next week’s Home Internationals.

While Murray survived, there was no luck for his Munster team mate Gary O’Flaherty of Cork, who was beaten on 20th when Ballybunion’s Ed Stack hit his approach to six feet and holed for a winning eagle three.

The vast majority of the fancied contenders cruised into the third round with international hopeful Geoff Lenehan easing to a 4 and 3 win over Clonmel’s Ronan Purcell, 2009 champion Robbie Canon beating Greg Carew 3 and 2 and North of Ireland champion Chris Selfridge beating Ardee’s Evan Farrell 2 and 1.

Shane Lowry never won the South but his younger brother Alan, 21, had to dig deep to defeat 2010 runner up Kelan McDonagh on the 18th.

“I was five down after five,” Lowry said with a sheepish green. “He birdied two and I doubled two and bogeyed the fifth so after that I managed to steady the ship.

Veterans Arthur Pierse (63) and Eddie Power (49) also eased their way in the third round with comfortable wins over Dungarvan’s Jack Leacy and Carton House’s Colin Cunningham respectively.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” Power said. “Just steady stuff. There’s a lot of golf to be played yet.”

South of Ireland Amateur Open (sponsored by Clare Coast Hotels), Lahinch GC

(Second rd)

(1st quarter)

G Lenehan (Portmarnock) bt R Purcell (Clonmel) 4/3
G Mungovan (Headfort) bt E Haugh (Castletroy) 2/1
G Young (Birr) bt D Finn (Doneraile) 1 up
C O’Rourke (Naas) bt Brian O’Reilly (Athenry) 2 up
C Kennedy (Forrest Little) bt T O’Connor (Athlone) 3/2
A Pierse (Tipperary) bt J Leacy (Dungarvan) 3/2
J Hickey (Cork)  bt C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown) 1 up
W Herring (Keith Hills Country Club) bt C Tormey (Corballis Links) 1 up
E Griffin (Waterford) bt J Grace (Bath Golf Club) 4/2
J Pierse (Portmarnock) bt R Mullarney (Galway) 1 up 
E Power (Kilkenny) bt C Cunningham (Carton House) 5/3
M Boucher (Carton House) bt K Kennedy (Thurles) 1h
K Egan (Carton House)  bt D Reidy (Co. Sligo) 3/2
D O’Driscoll (Ballybunion) bt B Best (Rathmore) 2/1
F Deasy (Cork) bt R Kenneally (Portmarnock) 4/3
E Hickey (Shannon) bt S Cullen (Slieve Russell) 1h

(2nd quarter)

C Fairweather (Knock) bt N Foley (The Island) 3/1
S Walsh (Portmarnock) bt M Kemmy (Limerick) 2/1
D Holland (Castle)  bt E Craddock (Gort) 3/2 
M Mullen (Wexford) bt J Hopkins (The Royal Dublin) 2/1 
D Coyle (Co Louth) bt M King (Cregmore Park) 5/4
S Bleakley (Shandon Park) bt S Ryan (The Royal Dublin)  2 up
M Ryan (New Ross) bt R Kenny (Naas) 3/1 
K Murphy (Charlesland)  bt  O’Connor (Ballybunion) 2/1
S Loftus (Lahinch)  bt J Monaghan (The Royal Dublin) 1 up
B Daly (Edmondstown) bt C Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 4/2
J Whelan (Newlands) bt S Carter (Stackstown) 4/3
S Hogan (Nenagh) bt S Alley (Co Tipperary) 2/1
P Burke (Mullingar) bt M McClean (Balmoral) 3/2 
D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) bt K Crowley (Fota Island) 1h
D Byrne (Athenry) bt J Greene (Portmarnock) 2/1
R Cannon (Balbriggan) bt G Carew (Edenderry) 3/2

(3rd quarter)

C Daly (Castletroy) bt J McLaughlin (Portumna) 19th 
R McKinstry (Cairndhu)  bt E O’Connor (Elm Park) 1 up
D Loftus (Castlebar) bt J O’Leary (Dromoland Castle) 1 up 
A Magee (Powerscourt) bt B McGarry (Birr) 2/1
S Bryan (Delgany) bt K Cummings (Elm Park) 5/3
T Cleary (Dromoland Castle) bt E Murphy (Cork) 2 up
A Lowry (Esker Hills) bt K McDonagh (The Royal Dublin) 1 up
T Neenan (Lahinch) bt S Healy (Carton House) 2/1
L Robinson (Bundoran) bt D Lally (Mullingar) 6/5
J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) bt S Flanagan (Co. Sligo) 19th 
R Connolly (Palmerstown Stud) bt L Harnett (Milltown) 22nd
D Coghlan (Portmarnock) bt J Yates (Naas) 4/3
S O’Hara (Co. Sligo) bt L Doran (Ardee) 2/1
C Carroll (Shandon Park) bt D Hunt (Nenagh) 6/4
T Fay (Rush) bt R O’Doherty (Rush) 1 up
A Gleeson (Castle) bt E O’Brien (Dun Laoghaire) 3/2

(4th quarter)

P Murray (Limerick) bt K MacKenzie (Bruntsfield Links GS) 19th
S Doyle (Athlone) bt A Wilson (Portmarnock) 3/2
M Buggy (Castlecomer) bt J Howard (Fota Island) 3/2
I O’Rourke (The Royal Dublin) bt S Kinch (Hollystown) 2/1
S McGlynn (Carton House) bt A McCormack (Newcastle West) 4/3
J Hood (Galgorm Castle) bt M Ryan (Grange) 2/1
P Coughlan (Moate) bt S Moloney (Castletroy) 4/3
E Stack (Ballybunion) bt G O’Flaherty (Cork) 20th
T McLarnon (Massereene) bt R Neville (The Links Portmarnock) 3/1
W Russell (Clandeboye) bt J Lyons (Galway)  1 up
M O’Kelly (Limerick) bt P O’Hara (Kilkenny) 2/1
S O’Connor (Luttrellstown Castle) bt N Morrison (Cahir Park) 3/2
G Smyth (Clonmel)  bt G Nugent (Kilkenny) 19th
R Knightly (The Royal Dublin) bt Stephen McCarthy (Black Bush) 3/2
D O’Donovan (Muskerry) bt P Sheehan (Ballybunion) 2/1
C Selfridge (Moyola  Park) bt E Farrell (Ardee) 2/1

(Today - Monday)

(3rd round, from 7am at 9mins)

(1st quarter)

G Lenehan (Portmarnock) v G Mungovan (Headfort) 
G Young (Birr) v C O’Rourke (Naas) 
C Kennedy (Forrest Little) v A Pierse (Tipperary)
J Hickey (Cork) v W Herring (Keith Hills Country Club) 
E Griffin (Waterford) v J Pierse (Portmarnock)
E Power (Kilkenny) v M Boucher (Carton House)
K Egan (Carton House) v D O’Driscoll (Ballybunion) 
F Deasy (Cork) v E Hickey (Shannon)

(2nd quarter)

C Fairweather (Knock) v S Walsh (Portmarnock) 
D Holland (Castle)  v M Mullen (Wexford)
D Coyle (Co Louth) v S Bleakley (Shandon Park) 
M Ryan (New Ross) v K Murphy (Charlesland)
S Loftus (Lahinch) v B Daly (Edmondstown)
J Whelan (Newlands) v S Hogan (Nenagh)
P Burke (Mullingar) v D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown)
D Byrne (Athenry) v R Cannon (Balbriggan)

(3rd quarter)

C Daly (Castletroy) v R McKinstry (Cairndhu)
D Loftus (Castlebar) v A Magee (Powerscourt)
S Bryan (Delgany) v T Cleary (Dromoland Castle)
A Lowry (Esker Hills) v T Neenan (Lahinch)
L Robinson (Bundoran) v J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle)
R Connolly (Palmerstown Stud) v D Coghlan (Portmarnock)
S O’Hara (Co. Sligo) v C Carroll (Shandon Park)
T Fay (Rush) v A Gleeson (Castle)

(4th quarter)

P Murray (Limerick) v S Doyle (Athlone)
M Buggy (Castlecomer) v I O’Rourke (The Royal Dublin)
S McGlynn (Carton House) v J Hood (Galgorm Castle)
P Coughlan (Moate) v E Stack (Ballybunion) 
T McLarnon (Massereene) v W Russell (Clandeboye)
M O’Kelly (Limerick) v S O’Connor (Luttrellstown Castle)
G Smyth (Clonmel) v R Knightly (The Royal Dublin)
D O’Donovan (Muskerry) v C Selfridge (Moyola  Park)