Phelan best of Irish in France; Kearney closes with 66
Alexander Knappe. Picture: Goran Soderqvist
The Irish quartet of Kevin Phelan, Chris Selfridge, Rory McNamara and Gary Hurley made the cut in the Cordon Golf Open in France but remain well off the pace set by Germany's Alexander Knappe.
Knappe tied the course record with a scintillating 61 at Golf Blue Green de Pléneuf Val André to take a two-shot lead into the weekend on 11 under par.
Phelan is the best of the Irish quartet, tied 42nd and 10 strokes behind Knappe on one under after a level par 70 featuring two birdies and two bogeys.
Selfridge is another shot back after following a sensational outward nine of five under 30 with a three over back nine for a 68 that leaves him on level par.
As for McNamara (71-70) and Hurley (71-70), they made one over cut on the mark.
Knappe took a maiden European Challenge Tour title at this season’s Swiss Challenge and he arrived in Brittany on good form, with two tied-sixth finishes in his past three outings.
The 27 year old is currently ninth in the Road to Oman Rankings and showed his European Tour potential by equalling Phillip Archer’s course record from 2011.
As Road to Oman Rankings leader Romain Langasque highlighted the Challenge Tour’s talent on the world stage by sharing the halfway lead of the Omega European Masters on the European Tour, 18 of the 44 Frenchmen in the field made the cut.
Kearney closes with 66 at Hawkstown Park
Niall Kearney closed with a five under 66 to knock £546.25 off the cost of his entry fee and travel expenses as James Maw won the COBRA PUMA GOLF Championship by two strokes at Hawkstone Park Golf Club.
The Dubliner finished tied 16th on seven under par, nine adrift of the winner, whose final round included a hole in one
The Sheffield golfer began the last 18 as one of four players tied for the lead on ten under, but got off to a flier with an ace at the second on the par-71 Championship Course.
He stumbled with a bogey at the fith but put together an outstanding run of five birdies in six holes from the 10th, with some championship-winning putting giving him distance from the field.
By the time Maw (Rockliffe Hall; 62, 70, 65) played the last he was two strokes clear of Curtis Griffiths (Wentworth; 69, 63, 67) and three better than playing partner Chris Lloyd (The Kendleshire; 66, 66, 68), and the top three remained the same after the last group had completed the tournament.
Jonny Caldwell won £385 for his week's work as he closed with a 70 to share 30th on five under.
The COBRA PUMA GOLF Championship at Hawkstone Park Golf Club
T16 Niall Kearney The Royal Dublin -5 F -7 69 71 66 206 £546.25
T30 Jonathan Caldwell Clandeboye -1 F -5 71 67 70 208 £385.00
