Mountrath’s Niall Hearns fired four birdies and an albtross two at the 475-yard 16th, holing out with a eight iron, in a seven-under 64 on the Valley Links to take the first round lead in qualifying for the North of Ireland Amateur Open at Royal Portrush.

He leads by a stroke from Co Sligo’s TJ Ford, Cairndhu’s Marc McKinstry and Castle’s Robert Moran, who also played the shorter of the two championship courses at the north coast links.

Royal Portrush’s Patrick McCrudden shot a best of the day, four-under 68 on the Dunluce Links that will host The Open in 12 months’ time with his brother Richard the next best there with a 69.

Edenmore's David McAleenon and Portstewart's Christopher Barber were the only other players to match par there.

A field of 300 plays both courses with the leading 64 scores after today’s second qualifying round going through the matchplay stages tomorrow.

North of Ireland Amateur Open, Royal Portrush

Detailed scores

Dunluce Par 72

68 P McCrudden (Royal Portrush)

69 R McCrudden (Royal Portrush)

72 D McAleenon (Edenmore), C Barber (Portstewart)

73 D Ross (Portadown), R Emerson (Lurgan), M O'Donovan (Castlerock), J Temple (Portmarnock), J Cleary (Elm Park)

74 S Kelly (Lurgan), J Hayden (Royal Dublin), S McMahon (St Patrick's), M Healy (Kinsale), S Myatt (Ennis), G Moore (Lurgan)

75 E Goggin (Tralee), P Cunnane (Malone), M McAvoy (Lurgan), S Lindsay (Ardglass), P Davidson (Knock), J Robinson (Ballymena)

76 C McCaughey (Dungannon), J Rowe (Tandragee), C Hull (Massereene), R Nelson (Belvoir Park), D Crawford (Moyola Park), K Berryman (Castlerock), D Barron (Warrenpoint), A Dillon (Carrickfergus)

77 M Shiel (Galway Bay), K McCormack (Portarlington), B Smyth (Howth), L Burns (Mourne), C Coghlan (Newlands), J Greer (Greenisland), R McCullough (Massereene), R McCrory (Lurgan)

78 C Hynds (Ardglass), R Evans (Moyola Park), J McGrath (Dun Laoghaire), T Dillon (Mourne), J Tuohy (Galway Bay), P Cummins (Lurgan), M Hayes (Belvoir Park), J Murphy (Greenore), 7C Dowling (Mallow), T Peters (Rathmore), A McCormick (Scrabo), T O’Leary (Rosslare), W Hewitson (Castlerock), P Kelly (Co Armagh), T Stout (Royal Belfast), P Brennan (Belvoir Park), E McKeever (Castle)

79 M Sinclair (Knock), G Arthur (Carrickfergus), A Kerr (Clandeboye), M Lenihan (Goldcoast), G Boyd (Donaghadee), C Murphy (Clandeboye), P Dallat (Galgorm Castle), G McErlean (Greenore), B Galway (Cairndhu), R Thompson (Greenacres), D Lamont (Machrihanish Dunes), J Taylor (Shandon Park), M Timmins (Coollattin), J Heaslip (Ballyclare), I Scott (Massereene), T Dowdall (Woodbrook), D Dolan (Strandhill)

80 J Feenan (Ardglass), C Tracey (Co Louth), D Brady (Co Sligo), K Eccles (Clandeboye), T Beaumont (Bangor), A Butler (Ennis), N Wilson (Enniskillen), C Henry (Strandhill), T Gracey (Dunmurry ), M Monaghan (Killymoon), K Lynch (Skibbereen), L O’Meara (Tullamore), J Ward (Banbridge), D Flynn (Carton House)

81 J McKenna (Ardglass), C Wilton (Banbridge), D McKee (Massereene), S Macpherson (Bothwell Castle), R Mcnelis (Fintona), J McNeill (Galgorm Castle), D McMenamin (Letterkenny), G Wade (Seapoint), G McBride (Kirkistown Castle), D Downie (Kirkistown Castle), A Gaynor (Co Sligo), J McReynolds (Co Armagh), G Hodgen (Kirkistown Castle), L Reilly (Ballycastle), M McSherry (Lurgan), K O’Meara (Grange)

82 G Clarke (Lurgan), I Witherspoon (Ballyclare), C Feeney (Co Sligo), G McDowell (Rathmore), P Hasson (City of Derry), J Turner (Royal Portrush), H Clark (Shandon Park), D Carlin (Balmoral), M Fitzsimons (Ardglass), E O’Brien (Clontarf), D Pollock (Belvoir Park), H Gillivan (Westport), A Brown (Kirkistown Castle), B Cohen (Wexford), J Linter (Knock)

83 A Lowe (Dun Laoghaire), S McCaw (Royal Belfast), C Wallace (Dungannon), S Hughes (Killymoon), G Mann (Tullamore), C Lally (Blainroe), E Gaughan (Co Sligo), A Lennie (Clandeboye), D Brazil (Castle Barna)

84 M Weatherall (Donaghadee), G Tyre (Blairmore and Strone), R Steedman (Courtown), L Crawford (Scrabo), C Roe (Powerscourt), S Stevenson (Co Armagh)

84 C Thompson (Lurgan), C Cooke (Strabane), R Burgess (Scrabo)

85 D O'Hara (Belvoir Park), C Steele (Ballyclare), J McElroy (Dungannon), M Quinn (Northern Wairoa), S Hollywood (Greenore)

86 S O'Neill (Co Cavan)

87 C Stone (Co Meath), L Moore (City of Derry)

88 E McAleer (Omagh)

89 M Murphy (Clandeboye)

90 S Smyth (Co Armagh)

92 T Corcoran (Carlow)

WD B Kennedy (Palmerstown Stud), D Kelly (Hermitage)

NR B Martin (Killymoon), S Gilmour (Machrihanish)

Valley Par 71

64 N Hearns (Mountrath)

65 T Ford (Co Sligo), M McKinstry (Cairndhu), R Moran (Castle)

66 P Murphy (Rosslare)

67 P Coughlan (Castleknock)

67 M McClean (Malone), T Mclarnon (Massereene), C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire), Aa Mulhall (Ardglass)

68 A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire), C Thornton (Fulford), T Clarke (Royal Portrush), S Barker (Mourne), M Mullen (Rosslare), I Lynch (Rosslare), G Dunne (Co Louth), J Sugrue (Mallow), B Best (Rathmore), P O’Keeffe (Douglas), G Collins (Rosslare), A Morris (Royal Portrush)

69 R Symington (Lisburn), P Connolly (Killeen Castle), S Miskelly (Knock), J Hore (Roganstown), J Owens (Bangor), R O'Connor (Co Sligo), R Dutton (Tandragee), C Denvir(Elm Park), R Brazill (Naas), E Griffin (Waterford), M Grehan (Tullamore), H Byers (Walton Heath ), J Maginn (Mourne), G Royston (Cotswold Downs), C O'Brien (Mid Herts), M McAlpin (Royal Portrush), J Oakley (Styal), N Simpson (Kirkistown Castle), L Power (Galway)

70 K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire), J Gough (Stoke Park), M Boucher (Carton House), P Mckeever (Castle), J Knipe (Royal Portrush), N Crawford (Mourne), R Black (Hilton Templepatrick), C Hughes (Royal Portrush), J Walsh (Castle), S Coulter (Warrenpoint), O Devereux (Carton House), J Hewitt (Tandragee), D Shaw (Belvoir Park), G Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick)

71 C Moulds (Lisburn), S Watts (Cairndhu ), I Collins (Bray), B Anderson (Royal Dublin), W Russell (Clandeboye), R McCormack (Palmerston House), C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown), A Hill (Athenry), J Lyons (Galway), W Dodds (Styal), O Crooks (Bushfoot), E Farrell (Ardee), R Kelly (Galway Bay), D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh), J Fletcher (Warrenpoint), S McDermott (Co Cavan), J Hearn (Tramore), J Stothers (Tandragee), N Mccann (Lurgan), D Crawford (Bundoran), D Sheehan (Knowle), D Brophy (Castleknock), M Ryan (New Ross), T Carlson (the Concession), G Copeland (Ardglass)

72 R McKeever (Castle), H Foley (Royal Dublin), S Hamilton (Notts), B Cashman (Belvoir Park), S Flanagan (Co Sligo), G Ward (Kinsale), S O'Connor (Castlebar), G O'Mahony (Fota Island), C Butler (Kinsale), J Whelan (Newlands), E McCormack (Galway Bay)

73 K Babbage (the Players Club), M Norton (Belvoir Park), H Young-Alls (Notts), C Dunphy (Killeen Castle), R Berkeley (Dun Laoghaire), R McKinstry (Cairndhu), A Kearney (Castlerock), F Kennedy (The Island), M Nolan (Dun Laoghaire), M Looby (Greystones), J McCarthy (Stackstown), D Cunningham (Tandragee), D McCusker (Moyola Park), J Gourley (Shandon Park), H O’Hare (Fortwilliam), M Reid (Galgorm Castle), J Madden (Royal Portrush), R Gribben (Warrenpoint)

74 D Jackson (Massereene), G Carr (Mullingar), A McDaid (Palmerstown Stud), W Farrell (Balmoral), T Coffey (Slieve Russell), R Latimer (Knock), R Pierse (Grange), J Hickey (Cork), H Duggan (Kilkenny)

75 J Timlin (Dungannon), R Williamson (Holywood), A Doran (Co Louth), S Greenberg (Tandragee), P Kerr (Royal Portrush), L Curtis (Peninsula Kingswood)

76 C Dullaghan (Greenore), J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle), J McDonnell (Forrest Little), J Doherty (Carton House), E Cunniffe (Aes), S Underwood (Co Sligo), E Leonard (Wentworth & Killiney), M Robinson (Clandeboye)

77 E Smith (Laytown & Bettystown), G McAuley (Dunmurry), C Morrison (Rockmount), R Clarke (The Island)

78 P O’Sullivan (Old Conna), D Donohoe (Slieve Russell), M McKenna (Dun Laoghaire), D McDonald (Old Conna), M McCormack (Moss Creek)

79 C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire), D Turkington (Massereene), L Bresnahan (Omagh)

80 D Morley (Oughterard), G McKenna (Donaghadee), N McClay (Cairndhu), G Davidson (Dungannon), 

82 K McCarron (North West)

83 M Kennelly (Galway Bay)