Amateur golfBrian KeoghTramore Golf Club, Irish Amateur Close, Robbie Cannon, Robin Dawson, Eddie Power, Ben Murray, Thomas Mulligan, Daniel Holland, Simon McConnell, Alex Gleeson, Mark Shanahan, Eugene Smith, Caolan Rafferty, Jamie Fletcher, Marc Nolan, Jordan Hood, Stuart Grehan, Tiarnan McLarnonComment

Cannon keeps firing as Grehan's gun is silenced in Tramore

Amateur golfBrian KeoghTramore Golf Club, Irish Amateur Close, Robbie Cannon, Robin Dawson, Eddie Power, Ben Murray, Thomas Mulligan, Daniel Holland, Simon McConnell, Alex Gleeson, Mark Shanahan, Eugene Smith, Caolan Rafferty, Jamie Fletcher, Marc Nolan, Jordan Hood, Stuart Grehan, Tiarnan McLarnonComment
Cannon keeps firing as Grehan's gun is silenced in Tramore

Robin Dawson (Faithlegg) driving at the 11th hole during the first day of matchplay at the 2015 Irish Amateur Close Championship at Tramore Golf Club (20/05/2015). Picture by Pat Cashman

Stuart Grehan's hopes of a hat-trick of champions wins this term were ended on the 20th but Robbie Cannon is on track to add a third Major title to his resumé in the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at Tramore.

The 36-year old Balbriggan native beat Delgany's Simon Bryan by one hole and Dundalk's Aaron Grant 5 and 4 to set up a last 16 showdown with Ardee's Eugene Smith, conqueror of South and East of Ireland champion Grehan.

Smith had a one hole win over Forrest Little's Eoin Arthurs in the morning before beating Grehan on the second extra hole in the afternoon.

The third round draw is an interesting mixture of youth and experience with a host of familiar names also in the mix in search of that maiden championship success.

While there was no fairytale win for three-time Close champion Eddie Power, who fell in the afternoon to Waterford Castle's Ben Murray on the 19th, the presence in the last 16 of young talents such as 16-year old Thomas Mulligan or international Robin Dawson —the Tramore man playing out of Faithlegg— is a plus for the game.

Cannon's ambition is to win all six amateur majors during his career but the likes of Dawson, Holland and Geoff Lenehan, not to mention Rafferty or Jordan Hood, are all desperate for that silverware.

AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship, Tramore Golf Club, August 18-22 2015

First Round

  1. Shaun Carter (The Royal Dublin) bt Colin Fairweather (Knock) 1 Hole
  2. Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) bt Ian Spillane (Mallow) 5/4
  3. Gavin Smyth (Clonmel) bt Colm Crowley (Woodbrook) 4/3
  4. Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene) bt Brian Doran (Palmerstown Stud) 3/2
  5. Jeff Hopkins (The Royal Dublin) bt Sean Barry (Fota Island) 4/3
  6. Marc Nolan (Delgany) bt John Reynolds (Dungarvan) 3/1
  7. Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint) bt Cathal Nolan (Galway) 3/1
  8. David Kiely (Tramore) bt Sean Flanagan (Co. Sligo) 3/1
  9. Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) bt Jonathan Yates (Naas) 4/2
  10. Gary Collins (Rosslare) bt Jack Walsh (Castle) 1 Hole
  11. Ronan Mullarney (Galway) bt Ted Collins (Dun Laoghaire) 6/4
  12. Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock) bt Mark Mullen (Wexford) 1 Hole
  13. Robert Cannon (Balbriggan) bt Simon Bryan (Delgany) 1 Hole
  14. Aaron Grant (Dundalk) bt James Fox (Portmarnock) 1 Hole
  15. Eugene Smith (Ardee) bt Eoin Arthurs (Forrest Little) 1 Hole
  16. Stuart Grehan (Tullamore) bt Gavin Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick) 2/1
  17. Robin Dawson (Faithlegg) bt David Reddan Jnr (Nenagh) 5/4
  18. Stuart Bleakley (Shandon Park) bt Stefan Greenberg (Tandragee) 4/3
  19. Eddie Power (Kilkenny) bt Eanna Griffin (Waterford) 4/3
  20. Ben Murray (Waterford Castle) bt Theo Coffey (Slieve Russell) 1 Hole
  21. Robbie Pierse (Grange) bt Alan Lowry (Esker Hills) 6/5
  22. Alan Thomas (Dungarvan) bt Cian Geraghty (Laytown / Bettystown) 3/2
  23. Stephen Healy (Carton House) bt Rob Brazill (Naas) 3/2
  24. Thomas Mulligan (Co. Louth) bt Ronan Twomey (Muskerry) 4/3
  25. Conor O'Rourke (Naas) bt Richard Knightly (The Royal Dublin) 22nd
  26. Mark Shanahan (Castlemartyr) bt Gavin Young (Birr) 3/2
  27. Kevin Power (Kilkenny) bt Neil McKinstry (Cairndhu) 2/1
  28. Daniel Holland (Castle) bt Pat Murray (Limerick Golf Club) 20th
  29. Simon McConnell (Ballyclare) bt Kevin Stack (Dungarvan) 1 Hole
  30. Rory Williamson (Holywood) bt Bill Murray (Waterford Castle) 9/7
  31. Jack Mc Donnell (Forrest Little.) bt Shane Hogan (Nenagh) 5/4
  32. Alex Gleeson (Castle) bt Michael Ryan (New Ross) 4/3.

Second round

  1. Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) bt Shaun Carter (The Royal Dublin) 5/4
  2. Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene) bt Gavin Smyth (Clonmel) 4/3
  3. Marc Nolan (Delgany) bt Jeff Hopkins (The Royal Dublin) 2/1
  4. Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint) bt David Kiely (Tramore) 2/1
  5. Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) bt Gary Collins (Rosslare) 2/1
  6. Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock) bt Ronan Mullarney (Galway) 3/2
  7. Robert Cannon (Balbriggan) bt Aaron Grant (Dundalk) 5/4
  8. Eugene Smith (Ardee) bt Stuart Grehan (Tullamore) 20th
  9. Robin Dawson (Faithlegg) bt Stuart Bleakley (Shandon Park) 4/3
  10. Ben Murray (Waterford Castle) bt Eddie Power (Kilkenny) 19th
  11. Robbie Pierse (Grange) bt Alan Thomas (Dungarvan) 7/5
  12. Thomas Mulligan (Co. Louth) bt Stephen Healy (Carton House) 3/2
  13. Mark Shanahan (Castlemartyr) bt Conor O'Rourke (Naas) 4/2
  14. Daniel Holland (Castle) bt Kevin Power (Kilkenny) 2/1
  15. Simon McConnell (Ballyclare) bt Rory Williamson (Holywood) 4/2
  16. Alex Gleeson (Castle) bt Jack Mc Donnell (Forrest Little) 5/4

Third round tee-times

  1. 0730 Hood v McLarnon
  2. 0740 Nolan v Fletcher
  3. 0750 Rafferty v Lenehan
  4. 0800 Cannon v Smith
  5. 0810 Dawson v Murray
  6. 0820 Pierse v Mulligan
  7. 0830 Shanahan v Holland
  8. 0840 McConnell v Gleeson