Thornton wins 36-hole Irish PGA at Galway Bay
Tulfarris Golf Resort’s Simon Thornton
Tulfarris Golf Resort’s Simon Thornton won the rain-affected 108th Irish PGA Championship at Galway Bay Golf Resort and the 2018 PGA in Ireland Order of Merit.
The remnants of Storm Callum forced the second round to be halted on Friday and then heavy rain battered the players when they returned on Saturday to complete round two.
With the forecast promising further heavy rain, PGA officials declared Thornton the winner after 36 holes. It's his second Irish PGA Championship success following victory at Seapoint in 2011.
“Traditionally I always start the season pretty poorly, it doesn't matter what Tour I am playing on,” said the 41-year-old Newcastle based player who finished the tournament on three under par after rounds of 71 and 70, one ahead of Banbridge’s Richard Kilpatrick.
“I said to myself back in February that I wasn't going to let it happen this year and I put some more work in so I could compete straight away and that paid dividends.
“I have played really nicely, had some really good scores and this caps off a really good year.”
Thornton’s opening 71 on Thursday left him three shots behind Kilpatrick and he proved strongest when the second and ultimately the final round was eventually completed in torrential rain the following day.
“It was very windy when we started round two on Friday,” added Thornton, a former European Tour winner. “The last half hour before we came off the course was brutal.
“It is a golf course where the wind comes at you from different angles so it was just a matter of hitting the ball in the place you wanted to miss best rather than going at flags.”
He continued: “It was actually quite benign this morning when we started off.
“I played lovely and hit a nice tee shot at our first hole of the day which was the 15th.
“I birdied 16, 17, 18 and the second and then I doubled three. It was fine when we teed off at the third but by the time we got to the green it was like a monsoon but that is the way it goes, you just have to plug away, I'm delighted to win.”
Kilpatrick finished in second place after following up his opening round 68 with a two over par 74 with Waterville’s David Higgins taking on one-under after adding a 69 to his opening round 74.
Michael McGeady was fourth on one-over but that wasn’t enough to prevent Thornton from edging past him in the Order of Merit with Higgins lying third.
The leading three points winners qualify for the PGA Play-Offs in Turkey from November 21-23.
108th Irish PGA Championship, Galway Bay Golf Resort (Par 72)
Sponsored by TLC Nursing Homes
141 Simon Thornton (Tulfarris Golf Resort) 71 70 (€3,600);
142 Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge) 68 74 (€2,400);
143 David Higgins (Waterville Golf Links) 74 69 (€1,920);
144 Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin) 72 72 (€1,320);
145 Michael McGeady (Evolve Golf Coaching) 73 72 (€996);
146 Tim Rice (Limerick) 71 75 (€840);
147 Jimmy Bolger (Kilkenny ) 72 75, Neil O'Briain (Old Conna ) 71 76, Damien McGrane (Carlow) 75 72 (€708 each);
148 Richard Weldon (Black Bush) 75 73 (€576);
149 Mark Staunton (Delgany) 69 80, Damian Mooney (Damian Mooney Golf) 74 75, Colm Moriarty (Glasson Hotel & GC) 75 74, Paul O'Neill (Shannon) 74 75 (€492 each);
150 Brian Jnr McCormack (Royal Dublin) 77 73, Brian McElhinney (North West) 72 78, Shane Franklin (Cregmore Park) 74 76, Seamus Clinton (Gormanstown Driving Range & Golf) 73 77 (€396 each);
151 Raymond Ryan (Thurles) 77 74, Kenny Fahey (GUI National Academy) 75 76 (€324 each);
152 Michael Mulryan (Cregboy Golf Academy) 72 80 (€300);
153 Mark Whelan (Castlewarden Golf & CC) 76 77, Eamonn Brady (Clontarf ) 74 79, Brian O'Reilly (Glenlo Abbey) 78 75, Brian Carroll 77 76, Derry Kiely (Faithlegg) 77 76 (€265.92);
154 Steven Quinlan (SQ Golf ) 71 83, Padraig McGrath (P & M Golf Superstore Ltd) 74 80, David Mortimer (Galway) 77 77, Gerard Hall (Edenderry Golf Academy) 78 76 (€243.60 each);
155 Leslie Walker (Dundalk) 77 78 (€232.80);
156 Shane Jenkinson (St Margaret's Golf & CC) 74 82, David Ryan (Cahir Park) 75 81, Richard Bridges (Castle) 79 77, Michael O'Shea (Rathsallagh) 78 78, John Dignam (Slade Valley ) 78 78 (€211.20);
157 Mark O'Mahony (Titleist National Fitting Centre) 80 77, Gerry Burke (Royal Curragh) 80 77, Thomas Minshull (Royal Portrush) 79 78, James Quinlivan (Mullingar) 82 75, Enda Maguire (Co. Louth) 76 81 (€175.68 each);
158 Brian Doheny (Callan) 78 80, Gary Madden (Glenlo Abbey), 80 78, Darren Walsh (Wexford) 78 80, Mark Beckett (Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort) 77 81 (€151.20 each);
159 Michael McDermott (Grange) 82 77, Graham Byrne (Palmerstown House Estate) 76 83 (€136.80 each);
160 Stephen McCarthy (Black Bush) 75 85, Brendan Walton (Roganstown Golf & CC) 83 77 (€127.20 each);
161 Ciaran Hegarty (Millicent) 79 82 (€120);
162 Ted Higgins (www.tedhiggins.com) 80 82, Sean Cannon (Athenry) 84 78;
163 Shane Irwin (Monkstown) 80 83, David Hughes (Massereene) 77 86;
164 Richard O'Donovan (Dun Laoghaire) 83 81;
166 Peter O'Hagan (Luttrellstown Castle ) 87 79, John McQuaid (Rossmore) 82 84;
167 Sean Whelan (Athenry) 85 82;
168 Bernard Quigley (Tullamore) 81 87, Michael Alexander (Holywood) 83 85;
169 Stephen Walsh (Sutton) 81 88, Colm Dunne (Castlewarden Golf & CC) 85 84;
170 Bradley Cohen (Wexford) 82 88, Shane Ryan (Thurles) 88 82;
DQ Mark Sutton (Hollywood Lakes);
RTD Patrick Small (Galway);
NR Stephen Rayfus (Knightsbrook Golf & CC), Emmanuel Riblet (Knightsbrook Golf & CC), John Casey (Tralee), Donard MacSweeney (Mullingar), Donal Murphy (Grange Castle), Roy O'Neill (Galway).
-- Stephen Crooks (Holywood), Christopher Gallaher (Green Acres Golf Centre).
