Rafferty and Sugrue chasing Lamb at St Andrews Links Trophy
Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk). Picture by Pat Cashman
Walker Cup hopefuls Caolan Rafferty and James Sugrue are in contention for the St Andrew Links Trophy after a low scoring day at the Home of Golf.
Dundalk star Rafferty is tied for third on 10-under par but seven shots behind runaway leader Matty Lamb from Hexham, who followed his opening 64 on the Jubilee Course with a 63 on the Old Course to lead by six shots from Saunton’s Jake Burnage (64) on 17-under.
Rafferty bogeyed the fourth but then made eight birdies (5th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th) for a magnificent, seven-under 65 to take the clubhouse lead on 10-under before Lamb posted the low round of the day,
Mallow’s Sugrue, who like Rafferty is a former South of Ireland champion, followed his opening 67 with an eight-birdie 68 to share fifth place on nine-under.
Just five of the 13-strong Irish contingent made the cut with Galway’s Ronan Mullarney, who made a hole-in-one on the ninth at the Jubilee Course in an opening 68, carding five birdies in a second-round 70 to share 16th on six-under par.
The consistent Tiarnan McLarnon from Massereene shot 71 and Hermitage’s Rowan Lester a 73 to leave them joint 21st on five-under, just one stroke inside the four-under cut mark for the top 40.
Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell shot 68 but paid for a bogey at the 17th as he missed out by one stroke alongside Portmarnock’s Conor Purcell, who shot 73, and Douglas’ Peter O’Keeffe, who posted a 74.
Naas’ Robert Brazill (70) and Forrest Little’s Jack McDonnell (72) ended up on level par with defending champion John Murphy (72) and Oughterard’s Devin Morley (75) a shot further back.
Wentworth’s Eoin Leonard, who recently graduated from Yale, opened with a 75 after coming down with the Norovirus and while he tried to play in the second round, he was forced to withdraw.
Last year’s Irish Close runner up, Leonard had been vomiting since Wednesday but he hopes to be fit enough to tee it up in the Amateur Championship on June 17-18 at Portmarnock and The Island.
St Andrews Links Trophy, St Andrews (Jubilee, Old)
127 Matty Lamb (Hexham Golf Club) 64 63
133 Jake Burnage (Saunton Golf Club) 69 64
134 Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk Golf Club) 69 65, Thomas Plumb (Yeovil Golf Club) 64 70
135 James Sugrue (Mallow Golf Club) 67 68, Alexander Frances (Denmark) 66 69
136 Charles Larcelet (France) 70 66, Joseph Bryce (Bathgate Golf Club) 68 68
137 Ben Hutchinson (Howley Hall Golf Club) 69 68, David Hague (Malton & Norton Golf Club) 69 68, Harry Hall (West Cornwall Golf Club) 69 68, Connor McKinney (Australia) 69 68, Martin Vorster (South Africa) 68 69, James Wilson (Balmore Golf Club Ltd) 67 70, Joshua Greer (Australia) 67 70
138 Euan Walker (Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club) 71 67, Jack Thompson (Australia) 70 68, Max Martin (Harborne Golf Club) 69 69, Ronan Mullarney (Galway Golf Club) 68 70, Ben Caton (New Golf Club St Andrews) 67 71
139 Angus Flanagan (St George's Hill Golf Club) 71 68, Claude Churchward (France) 71 68, Gaelen Trew (Westhill Golf Club) 71 68, Max O'Hagan (West Hill Golf Club) 70 69, Sam Done (Kenwick Park Golf Club) 70 69, Luca Filippi (South Africa) 70 69, David Langley (Castle Royle Golf & Country Club) 69 70, Daniel O'Loughlin (Ruddington Grange Golf Club) 68 71, Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene Golf Club) 68 71, Charles Osborne (USA) 68 71, Rowan Lester (Hermitage Golf Club) 66 73
140 Charlie Strickland (Ham Manor Golf Club) 74 66, Robin Williams (Peterborough Milton Golf Club) 71 69, Bailey Gill (Lindrick Golf Club) 70 70, Jake Benson (Beeston Fields Golf Club) 70 70, George Saunders (Lee-on-the-Solent Golf Club) 70 70, Euan McIntosh (Turnhouse Golf Club Ltd) 69 71, Giovanni Tadiotto (Belgium) 69 71, Kyle Michel (Australia) 66 74, Stuart Easton (Irvine Golf Club) 66 74
CUT
141 Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint Golf Club) 73 68, Rory Franssen (Auchterarder Golf Club) 72 69, Sam Bairstow (Hallowes Golf Club) 72 69, Kartik Sharma (India) 71 70, Jeong weon Ko (France) 70 71, Adrien Dumont de Chassart (Belgium) 70 71, Alex Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire Golf Club) 70 71, Simon Björkén (Sweden) 70 71, John Paterson (New Golf Club St Andrews) 70 71, Clement Charmasson (France) 69 72, Conor Purcell (Portmarnock Golf Club) 68 73, Peter O'Keeffe (Douglas Golf Club) 67 74
142 Joseph Pagdin (USA) 74 68, Niklas Regner (Austria) 73 69, Timo Vahlenkamp (Germany) 73 69, Tom Sloman (Taunton & Pickeridge Golf Club) 73 69, Rodi Vlasveld (Netherlands) 72 70, Falko Hanisch (Germany) 72 70, Matthew Clark (Kilmacolm Golf Club) 71 71, Runar Arnorsson (Iceland) 71 71, Kieran Cantley (Liberton Golf Club) 71 71, Graysen Huff (USA) 71 71, Jayden Schaper (South Africa) 71 71, Olly Huggins (Frilford Heath Golf Club) 70 72, Sam Broadhurst (Atherstone Golf Club) 70 72, Kyle De Beer (South Africa) 70 72, Nicklas Blyth (Germany) 70 72, Jeff Wright (Forres Golf Club) 68 74, Harry Goddard (Hanbury Manor Golf Club) 67 75, Callum Farr (Northamptonshire County Golf Club) 66 76
143 Matt Roberts (Royal Porthcawl Golf Club) 77 66, David Micheluzzi (Australia) 77 66, Ben Chamberlain (Padeswood & Buckley Golf Club) 75 68, Casey Jarvis (South Africa) 75 68, Jack Dyer (Boyce Hill Golf & Country Club) 74 69, Alex Hietala (Finland) 73 70, Victor Veyret (France) 73 70, Gerold Folk (Austria) 72 71, Santeri Lehesmaa (Finland) 72 71, Matias Honkala (Finland) 72 71, James Johnston (Ayr Belleisle Golf Club) 71 72, Joshua Armstrong (Australia) 70 73, John Gough (Stoke Park Club) 69 74, Tom Thurloway (Chartham Park) 69 74, Jerry Ji (Netherlands) 68 75
144 Robert Brazill (Naas Golf Club) 74 70, Aiden Didone (Australia) 73 71, Claudio Consul (Germany) 72 72, Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little Golf Club) 72 72, Mathias Lorentzen (Denmark) 71 73, Jordan Duminy (South Africa) 71 73, Oliver Farrell (Evesham Golf Club) 71 73, Christiaan Burke (South Africa) 70 74
145 Jamie Stewart (Old Course Ranfurly Golf Club Ltd) 77 68, Oliver Rath (Austria) 75 70, David Ravetto (France) 75 70, Mats Markovits (Netherlands) 74 71, Luke Harries (Tenby Golf Club) 74 71, Jonatan Jolkkonen (Finland) 74 71, Sam Rook (Lindrick Golf Club) 73 72, John Murphy (Kinsale Golf Club) 73 72, Tom Forster (Elton Furze Golf Club) 72 73, Blake Collyer (Australia) 70 75, Devin Morley (Oughterard Golf Club) 70 75, Jake Bolton (Ogbourne Downs Golf Club) 68 77
146 Guillaume Fanonnel (France) 77 69, Curtis Knipes (Chelmsford Golf Club) 76 70, Brandon Dietzel (Germany) 76 70, Callum Bruce (Duff House Royal Golf Club) 74 72, Jake Hapgood (Southerndown Golf Club) 73 73, Yurav Premlall (South Africa) 72 74, Joshua McMahon (Wallasey Golf Club) 72 74, Lukas Lipold (Austria) 72 74, Dewi Merckx (Belgium) 71 75, Paul Kamml (Austria) 71 75, Darren Howie (Peebles Golf Club) 70 76
147 Lewys Sanges (Newport (Gwent) Golf Club) 76 71, Casper Simberg (Finland) 75 72, Samuel Simpson (South Africa) 75 72, Billy McKenzie (Rowlands Castle Golf Club) 75 72, Rhys Nevin-Wharton (Hartford Golf Club) 75 72, Jediah Morgan (Australia) 74 73, Jarle Volden (Norway) 73 74, Stephen Roger (Peebles Golf Club) 72 75
148 Michael Hirmer (Germany) 75 73, Jean de Wouters d'Oplinter (Belgium) 74 74, Joe Long (Lansdown Golf Club) 72 76, Robert Foley (Switzerland) 72 76, Joshua Hill (United Arab Emirates) 71 77
149 Jordan Garner (Australia) 78 71, Bradley Bawden (Rochford Hundred Golf Club) 76 73, Christopher Crabtree (Australia) 76 73, Therion Nel (South Africa) 74 75
150 Mateo Fernandez De Oliveira (Argentina) 73 77, Benjamin Jones (Northamptonshire County Golf Club) 72 78
151 Charlie Thornton (Fulford Golf Club) 77 74, Wilco Nienaber (South Africa) 75 76
152 Matt Saulez (South Africa) 80 72
153 Kyler Tate (USA) 80 73, Exequiel Rodriguez Barri (Argentina) 78 75
155 Hampus Wijkstrom (Sweden) 77 78
156 Jack Turner (New Zealand) 78 78
WD Eoin Leonard (Wentworth Golf Club) 75 WD, Oskar Ambrosius (Denmark) 77 WD
