North: Strong Portrush presence in last 16

Christopher Moulds (Lisburn) driving at the 16th tee in the final round of the 2017 Irish Mid Amateur Open Championship at Clandeboye. Picture by Pat Cashman

Rosslare might have two players in the last 16 but there's a great chance of a home winner in the North of Ireland Amateur Open at Royal Portrush.

Royal Portrush's Richard and Patrick McCrudden, Tyrone Clarke and Matt McAlpin are through to the third round with Rathmore's Ben Best also there.

Clarke (19) will be trying to follow in the footsteps of his father Darren, who famously holed a massive putt to deny Paul McGinley in the 1990 final.

Now playing golf in college in Florida, he beat Elm Park’s Jim Cleary 5 and 4 and Castle’s Robert Moran 2 and 1 to set up a third round clash with Best, who beat Greenore's Cian Dullaghan 6 and 4 and Warrenpoint's Irish Close champion Jamie Fletcher 5 and 4 to reach the third round.

Peter O'Keeffe and Tiarnan McLarnon bowed out in round one before Lisburn’s Christopher Moulds pulled off one the biggest surprises of the second round with a 2 and 1 win over South of Ireland champion James Sugrue.

Moulds now faces Rosslare's Ian Lynch while leading qualifier Matt McClean takes on Castle's Peter McKeever after wins over Fergal Kennedy and Stephen Watts.

North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Royal Portrush

Match play draw

Third round - Thursday, July 12

1. 0730 M Ryan Jnr (New Ross) v E Griffin (Waterford);
2. 0745 C Moulds (Lisburn) v I Lynch (Rosslare);
3. 0800 B Cashman (Belvoir Park) v S Coulter (Warrenpoint);
4. 0815 P McKeever (Castle) v M McClean (Malone);
5. 0830 R McCrudden (Royal Portrush) v M McAlpin (Royal Portrush);
6. 0845 P McCrudden (Royal Portrush) v K Babbage (The Players Club);
7. 0900 T Clarke (Royal Portrush) v B Best (Rathmore);
8. 0915 A Mulhall (Ardglass) v G Collins (Rosslare).

Second round - Wednesday, July 11

1. M Ryan Jnr (New Ross) bt D Ross (Portadown) 5/4;
2. E Griffin (Waterford) bt H Byers (Walton Heath) 1h; 
3. C Moulds (Lisburn) bt J Sugrue (Mallow) 2/1; 
4. I Lynch (Rosslare) bt J Maginn (Mourne) 2/1; 
5. B Cashman (Belvoir Park) bt A Hill (Athenry) 4/3;
6. S Coulter (Warrenpoint) bt M Mullen (Rosslare) 2/1;
7. P McKeever (Castle) bt  M McKinstry (Cairndhu) 7/6;
8. M McClean (Malone) bt S Watts (Cairndhu) 3/1;
9. R McCrudden (Royal Portrush) bt P Coughlan (Castleknock) 6/5;
10. M McAlpin (Royal Portrush) bt K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire) 1h;
11. P McCrudden (Royal Portrush) bt C Thornton (Fulford) 3/2;
12. K Babbage (The Players Club) bt C Denvir (Elm Park) 1h;
13. T Clarke (Royal Portrush) bt R Moran (Castle) 2/1
14. B Best (Rathmore) bt J Fletcher 5/4; 
15. A Mulhall (Ardglass) bt R Brazill (Naas) 3/2;
16. G Collins (Rosslare) bt D McAleenon (Edenmore) 8/6.

First round - Wednesday, July 11

1. Michael Ryan Jnr (New Ross) bt Jack Madden (Royal Portrush) 4/3;
2. David Ross (Portadown) bt Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene) 2/1;
3. Eanna Griffin (Waterford) bt Liam Power (Galway) 19th; 
4. Harvey Byers (Walton Heath) bt Peter O'Keeffe (Douglas) 4/2; 
5. Christopher Moulds (Lisburn) bt Paul Murphy (Rosslare) 1 hole; 
6. James Sugrue (Mallow) bt Marc Norton (Belvoir Park) 2/1; 
7. Ian Lynch (Rosslare) bt Jacob Oakley (Styal) 20th; 
8. James Maginn (Mourne) bt Paraic Connolly (Killeen Castle) 4/2; 
9. Allan Hill (Athenry) bt TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 22nd; 
10. Barry Cashman (Belvoir Park) bt Oisin Devereux (Carton House) 2/1; 
11. Mark Mullen (Rosslare) bt Jack Walsh (Castle) 3/2; 
12. Stephen Coulter (Warrenpoint) bt John Gough (Stoke Park) 3/2;
13. Peter McKeever (Castle) bt Ross Dutton (Tandragee) 4/3;
14. Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu) bt Ruairi O'Connor (Co. Sligo) 4/2;
15. Stephen Watts (Cairndhu) bt Jake Rowe (Tandragee) 4/2; 
16. Matthew McClean (Malone) bt Fergal Kennedy (The Island) 3/1;
17. Richard McCrudden (Royal Portrush) bt Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little) 19th;
18. Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) bt Owen Crooks (Bushfoot) 3/2;
19. Matthew McAlpin (Royal Portrush) bt Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) 1 h;
20. Keith Murphy (Dun Laoghaire) bt Gregory Royston (Cotswold Downs) 3/2;
21. Patrick McCrudden (Royal Portrush) bt John Robinson (Ballymena) 2/1;
22. Charlie Thornton (Fulford) bt Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick) 1h;
23. Charlie Denvir (Elm Park) bt Jake Whelan (Newlands) 2h;
24. Kieran Babbage (The Players Club) bt Jack Hearn (Tramore) 1h;
25. Robert Moran (Castle) bt Matthew Grehan (Tullamore) 5/4;
26. Tyrone Clarke (Royal Portrush) bt John Cleary (Elm Park) 5/4;
27. Ben Best (Rathmore) bt Cian Dullaghan (Greenore) 6/4;
28. Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint) bt Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 3/2; 
29. Adam Mulhall (Ardglass) bt Conor McCaughey (Dungannon) 3/2;
30. Robert Brazill (Naas) bt Christopher Barber (Portstewart) 1h;
31. Gary Collins (Rosslare) bt Michael O'Donovan (Castlerock) 6/5;
32. David McAleenon (Edenmore) bt Dan Sheehan (Knowle) 3/2.