Schoolboy star Keating moves closer to Open dream
Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell playing his approach to the third playoff hole at Baltray, the par-four 9th
Seapoint teenager Dylan Keating fired a six-under 66 in Regional Qualifying for The Open at Baltray to keep alive his dream of playing at Royal Portrush.
He was one of 15 Irish players to come through one of 13 Regional Qualifying sites in the UK and Ireland and make it to 36-hole Final Qualifying for just 12 places next week.
Kilkenny's Luke Donnelly fired a three-under 67 to tie for second in the race for 11 spots at Kedleston Park as Mount Juliet's Kevin Phelan shot a four-under 68 to tie for sixth and win one of 13 spots on offer at Minchinhampton.
Dundalk Grammar schoolboy Keating (17), a nephew of former Boyzone star Ronan Keating and the reigning Irish and Ulster Under 16 champion, hit the high notes at County Louth as he fired seven birdies in a sensational round to win of 13 places on offer there.
"It would be phenomenal to qualify for The Open,” said Dylan, who got just five hours sleep after playing the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters in the UK at the weekend.
Dylan Keating (Seapoint) reacts to a missed putt on the 12th green in the 2018 Irish Under 16 Boys Amateur Open Championship at Castle Dargan Golf Resort. Picture by Pat Cashman
“It’s one of those things you don’t think you can do when you are 17 years old but I am totally backing myself to get through."
No fewer that 1,400 hopefuls teed it up for 150 spots at 13 Regional Qualifiers around the UK and Ireland and Keating was thrilled to make it through after only flying in late on Sunday having finished tied 30th in the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters.
He will now bid to join Pádraig Harrington, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and newly-crowned Amateur champion James Sugrue at Royal Portrush and he’s confident he can give it a good go.
He felt it wasn’t going to be his day at Baltray after he lipped out from four feet for birdie at the first and for par at the fourth.
“I normally expect myself to do quite well,” said Dylan, who won last year’s Irish Under 16s and Ulster Under 16s titles and will now head to St Andrews or Prince’s once he’s played in this week’s Irish Boys Championship at New Forest, where he headed for a practice round straight after his heroics at County Louth.
“But I only flew in from the Henry Cooper Junior Masters in the UK last night. So I had about five hours sleep and I was so tired getting out of bed this morning. But then I hit my approach to four feet at the first and lipped out and thought, ‘Oh God, please don’t be this kind of day’.
“I lipped out for about the first four holes and then birdied the fifth and then birdied five in a row from the seventh to the 11th and then made another birdie from 20 feet the 16th with cameras from BBC and Sky around me.”
“People call me the nephew of Ronan Keating, but in Dundalk, I am known as the grandson of Alf Dwyer!” he added, referring to his maternal grandfather, a much-loved Dundalk personality who passed away last year.
While former World Snooker champion Shaun Murphy finished second last in the 115-strong field after an 84, Keating won by one stroke from Dooks professional Danny Sugrue, who is enjoying a remarkable recovery from a liver transplant, and Galway amateur Joe Lyons, a former West of Ireland winner and the current Munster Strokeplay champion
Laytown and Bettystown’s Thomas Mulligan, Holywood’s Tom McKibbin and Massereene’s Irish international Tiarnan McLarnon and professionals Conor O'Rourke and Brian Casey also got through after 68s on a day when play was suspended close to midday due to lightning.
Moyola Park’s Gareth Shaw, The Island’s Paul McBride and amateurs Hugh Foley and Shaun Carter from Royal Dublin and Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell also progressed after eight of the ten players who shot 69 contested a late evening playoff that went three holes.
Royal Dublin’s Richard Knightly, Naas' Robert Brazill, American amateur Greysen Huff and professionals Richard Kilpatrick and Brendan McCarroll had to settle reserve spots.
Last year’s Irish Close runner-up, Eoin Leonard from Wentworth and Killiney, shot a one-under 71 at Fairhaven to tie for 13th and miss out on one of 12 spots by just one shot and claim a reserve spot.
There was also a reserve spot for Noel Quinn, who shot a one-under 71 to miss out in a five-man playoff for the last two spots at Frilford Heath.
Royal Portrush professional Gary McNeill shot 78 at Baltray to miss out but could still play in The Open on the Dunluce Links.
If an odd number of players make the cut, then a marker will be required to play alongside the early starter and McNeill, as the local Head Professional, would get that honour.
Final Qualifying with be held at four venues across the UK to determine the 12 places – three from each venue – in the field for Royal Portrush.
The qualifiers will be played at St Annes Old Links, Fairmont St Andrews, Prince’s and Notts Hollinwell next Tuesday.
Meanwhile, host Paul McGinley announced yesterday that Amateur champion Sugrue will tee it up in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Pro-Am at Lahinch before he is expected to head to Sweden with the Irish team for the following week’s European Amateur Team Championships.
The Open, Regional Qualifying ( *amateur)
Qualifiers
66 D Keating (*Seapoint);
67 D Sugrue (Dooks), J Lyons (*Galway);
68 T Mulligan (*Laytown & Bettystown), T McKibbin (a*Holywood), C O'Rourke (Naas), T McLarnon (*Massereene), B Casey (Headfort);
69 (after playoff) G Shaw (Moyola Park), H Foley (*Royal Dublin), P McBride (The Island), C Campbell (*Warrenpoint), S Carter (*Royal Dublin).
Non-qualifiers
69 R Knightly (*Royal Dublin) Res. 5, B McCarroll (West Cliffs) Res. 22, R Brazill (*Naas) Res. 31, R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) Res. 48, G Huff (*USA) Res 57; 70 C Hagstrom (Swe) Res. 74.
At Kedleston Park
Qualifier, T2 L Donnelly (Kilkenny/PGA Catalunya) 67.
At Minchinhampton
Qualifier, T6 K Phelan (Mount Juliet) 68
At Fairhaven
Non-qualifier, T13 E Leonard (*Wentworth/Killiney) 71, Res. 61
At Wildernesse
Non-qualifier, T28 M Dallat 73.
At Frilford Heath
Non qualifier. T12, N Quinn 71, Res. 21.
Burhill
Non-qualifier: T70 Craig Kearney (Champ'93 Academy)
