Royal Dublin's Max Kennedy continued his love affair with Portmarnock Links when he fired a four-under 67 to win the opening TaylorMade Summer Series event yesterday.

A bumper, 186-strong field was champing at the bit to get going after a 95-day COVID-19 lockdown—the timesheet sold out inside one hour when it was released on 8 June.

The field included 12 golfers from Fota Island, who travelled overnight and stayed in the hotel, and they enjoyed Open Championship style conditions.

Course manager Fintan Brennan and his team had the greens stimping at 10, and with the weather gods providing sunny skies and a light, north-easterly breeze, scoring was excellent with 11 players breaking par.

Reigning Faldo Series Europe champion Kennedy, who is a regular prize winner during the Winter Series, had a superb round that featured two two's and a three at the par-threes.

He made further birdies at the par-five sixth and the 14th before his closing birdie for a 67 gave him a one-stroke win in the gross over Portumna's Sam Murphy.

Murphy recovered from an opening bogey with an eagle three at the sixth, and while he would drop shots at the tough 12th and 17th holes, birdies at the 10th, 11th, 13th and 18th saw him skate home in 33 shots for his three-under 68.

Royal Dublin's Hugh Foley also shot 68, the plus three Leinster Interprovincial making up for bogeys at the first and fifth with birdies at the fourth, sixth, seventh, 12th and 15th.

Three players also shot 68 to share the three nett prizes with the top prize going to two handicapper Mike Kelly from Naas Golf Club.

Kelly got off to a slow start dropping two shots over the first seven holes, but he birdied the eighth, 15th and 16th to come home in 33 shots for a very fine round of 70 gross, 68 nett. 

Mornington teenager Daniel Mulligan (16) played golf well beyond his years to pip playing partners, Leslie Walker from Dundalk (69) and brother Thomas Mulligan (71) to take the second gross.

Out in level par as he sandwiched birdies at the sixth and seventh between bogeys at the first and eighth, the young scratch handicapper moved through the gears on the back nine.

He made birdies at the 10th, 13th and 14th, dropped back to two-under with a bogey at the 16th but finished in grand style with a tap in birdie on the last for 68.

Eoin McDermott, a five handicapper from The Heritage, claimed the third gross prize. Out in 38 with a birdie at the sixth, he came home in level par with dropped shots at the 10th and 17th cancelled out by birdies on the 11th and 18th. 

Naas' Jonathan Yates, who was among the prize winners in Monday's Irish Scratch Series event at Seapoint, posted the only bogey-free round of the day as he made 17 pars and a birdie at the 13th in an excellent 70.

TaylorMade Summer Series, Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links (Par 71, CSS 73)

Gross

1. Max Kennedy (+2) Royal Dublin 67

2. Sam Murphy (+2) Portumna 68

3. Hugh Foley (+3) Royal Dublin 68

Nett

1. Mike Kelly (2) Naas GC 68

2. Daniel Mulligan (0) Portmarnock Links 68

3. Eoin McDermott (5) The Heritage 68