Euro debuts for O'Rourke, McBride, Gleeson and Grehan; Brennan leads Leinster Boys
Conor O'Rourke (Naas) driving at the 8th tee in the second round of the 2016 Flogas Irish Amateur Open Championship at The Royal Dublin Golf Club today (06/05/2016). Picture by Pat Cashman
St Andrews Links Trophy winner Conor O’Rourke is one of four debutants named in the GUI side for the European Team Championship in Chantilly, France from 5-9 July.
Naas 24-year-old O’Rourke, who is earning a first senior cap for Ireland, will make his European debut alongside Alex Gleeson (Castle), Stuart Grehan (Tullamore/MU) and Paul McBride who was a semi-finalist at The Amateur Championship last week.
World number four Jack Hume will lead the Ireland team into battle along with Flogas Irish Amateur Open Champion Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint).
The GUI’s team captain Tony Goode confirmed the six-man line-up for Chantilly, where he hopes to build on last year’s fifth place finish in Sweden. Hume is the only surviving member of last year’s side, which lost out to England in the quarter-finals before finishing fifth thanks to wins against Spain and France. Ireland were runners-up in 2014, when they were beaten by Spain in the final.
Grehan, Gleeson and McBride made their senior debuts at last year’s Home Internationals, where Ireland retained the Raymond Trophy at Royal Portrush. Gleeson and O’Rourke are familiar with this year’s course, having played the French Amateur Championship at Chantilly in May.
There are two rounds of stroke play qualifying at the Europeans, where the best five cards will count towards the team total. The top eight teams will progress to Flight A and the Championship is decided over three days of match play, a mixture of foursomes and singles in each round. Scotland are the reigning European champions.
GUI team for the European Team Championship:
- Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint),
- Alex Gleeson (Castle),
- Stuart Grehan (Tullamore/Maynooth University),
- Jack Hume (Naas), Paul McBride (The Island),
- Conor O’Rourke (Naas).
Brennan heads Leinster Boys after 70
Leinster Boys — Belvoir Park's Patrick Brennan shot a two under 70 to take a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Leinster Boys Amateur Open at Mullingar.
Leinster Boys Amateur Open Championship 2016, Mullingar GC (Par 72 CSS 73)
70 Patrick Brennan (Belvoir Park)
72 John Brady (Rosslare), Matthew Grehan (Tullamore), Greg Barrett (Mallow), Zachariah Glynn (Bray), David Kitt (Athenry)
73 Lorcan O'Sullivan (The Heritage), Michael Shiel (Athenry), Jack Doherty (Carton House), Joseph O Neill (Tralee)
74 Andrew Hickey (Ballyhaunis), Jason Murphy (Greenore), Brendan Rossiter (Rosslare), Harry Duggan (Kilkenny), Gareth Carr (Mullingar)
75 Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick), Conor Glennon (Glasson), Adam Brady (Australia), A.J. McCabe (Malahide), Niall Hearns (Mountrath), Robert Moran (Castle)
76 Jack Tuohy (Galway Bay), Conor Collier (Howth), Brian Houston (Lisburn), Mark Healy (Kinsale), David McAleenon (Edenmore), Liam Power (Galway), Andrew Mulhall (Waterford Castle), Jack Madden (Dungannon), Ross Latimer (Knock), Nathan McCann (Lurgan), Jordan Logue (Hilton Templepatrick), Patrick Somers (Grange), Dylan Graham (Woodenbridge)
77 Cillian Lawless (Athenry), David Twomey - Juv Golf (Elm Park), Louis O'Hara (Athenry), John Twomey (Waterford), Ciaran Vaughan (Limerick), Harry Gillivan (Westport), Michael Mc Gurk (Warrenpoint), Sean Burke (Galway), Ben Hynes (Greystones)
78 Andrew Gavin (Black Bush), Ryan Eccles (Carton House), Bill Hannan (Carton House), Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire), Shane Hogan (The Heritage), Owen Crooks (Bushfoot), Charlie Mc Donnell (Castleblayney), Ciaran Gregan (Forrest Little.), Eamonn O'Driscoll (FRANCE), Paddy Bird (Co. Sligo), Barry Howlin (The Heritage), Ryan Corry (Clandeboye), Cathal Hastings (Castlebar)
79 Conor Kavanagh (Newbridge), Conor Byrne (USA), Shane Conroy (Mountrath), James Cronin (Woodbrook), Cian McCormack (The Island), Conor Rice (Athlone), James Temple (Portmarnock), Sean Kestell (Charlesland), Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu), Ryan Thompson (Greenacres), Craig Blakeney (Royal Tara), Peter Cummins (Lurgan)
80 Eric Rumley (Kinsale), Liam Whelan (Mount Wolseley), Jack Small (Elm Park), Harry McGeary (Dungannon), Jake Vickers (Balbriggan), Jonathan Hayden (The Royal Dublin), Aaron Bagnall (Millicent), Paddy Culhane (Galway), Conor McDonald (Lurgan), Stephan Campbell (The Island), Ross Kelly (Tuam), Shane Kearney (Esker Hills), Kevin Power (Kilkenny)
81 Brian Staunton (Mount Juliet), Darragh Rochford (Bray), Evan Hollowed (Newlands), Roy Whelan (Mallow), Brian Jnr Fehily (Newlands), Ross Murphy-Sweeney (Glasson)
82 Sean Doyle (Athlone), Donal Groome (Moyvalley), Christopher Guiller (Cairndhu), Niall Grant (The Island), Darragh Smith (Castle), Jason Davis (Carton House), Ryan Sheerin (Tullamore), Gabriel Gribben (Fortwilliam), Ben Graham (Knock), Charlie Dawson (Tramore)
83 Mikey Burke (Galway), Eoin Aherne (Mallow), Patrick O'Riordan (Bantry Bay), Joseph Keyes (Co. Sligo), Ronan Cowhey (Elm Park), Joseph Hanney (The Island)
84 Daniel Tully (Royal Tara), Eoin Murphy (Naas), Conor Roe (Powerscourt)
85 Brian Reidy Jnr (Mullingar), Eoin McCarthy (Faithlegg), Brian McGuinness (Claremorris), Christopher Rabbette (Esker Hills)
86 Seán Dodd (St. Anne's), Luke Merrigan (Bray)
88 Jack Claffey (Glasson), Robert Downes (Galway Bay), Calum Spicer (Dromoland)
91 Josh Hogan (Fota Island)
92 Shane Irwin (Killeen), Thomas Plunkett (Crover House)
DQ Odhrán Maguire (Slieve Russell)