Boucher feeling ace in Mullingar; Power and Fahy one back
Marc Boucher (Carton House) during the Mullingar Scratch Trophy. Picture: Golffile | Oisín Keniry
Carton House’s Marc Boucher aced the fifth en route to a five-under 67 and a slender, one-shot lead heading into Sunday's final 36 holes of the prestigious Mullingar Scratch Trophy.
Early morning fog delayed the start of the Sherry Fitzgerald Davitt & Davitt and Pinergy sponsored classic by two and a half hours in, forcing organisers to cancel the second round and reduce the event to 54 holes.
But Boucher (23) took advantage of being in the first group of the day and after an early bogey at the second, he holed a seven-iron from 194 yards the fifth and made up for another bogey at the 15th with birdies at the sixth, ninth, 14th, 16th and 18th.
“I got off to a little bit of a slow start through the first three but then obviously it’s a bonus getting the hole in one, that sort of kick-started my round,” said Boucher, a former Irish and Scottish U15 Boys champion.
"It felt like I made birdies where I should, a couple of short par fours and the par fives. I was really happy with the round."
His hole-in-one at the fifth was his third in competition and it was just the boost he needed after that slow start.
“Tight little draw, bounced about six-feet short right, took the break and fell in at a nice pace,” said Boucher, who returned from the University of North Carolina with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and hopes to help Carton House win this year’s AIG Senior Cup. “That’s my 3rd - all in competition. “I had one in the Irish Boys in Tuam a few years back and one in Shoal Creek, Alabama in a college tournament.”
US collegiate golf has clearly helped his game but he won’t have things all his own way on Sunday with Wake Forest’s Mark Power (20) from Kilkenny, a two-time Irish Boys champion, tied for second with Dun Laoghaire’s Alan Fahy after making an eagle, four birdies and one bogey in a 68.
“I was over in college in America for my last year, so obviously when the Coronavirus sort of hit we had to call that short. I got back around mid-March and didn’t really touch a club for a while. I had the duvet set up in the back garden to keep ticking over but I was raring to go.
“I played a lot in the club and did a bit of practice and as soon as the championships came back around I felt like my game was in good shape. I’ve been out of the winner’s circle, so I need to get back in there.”
Amateur champion James Sugrue from Mallow ls lurking in a nine-man group after a 70 as the cut for the top 39 qualifiers fell at two-over 74.
The Cork golfer didn’t drive the ball well and was one-over after six holes and still one over after 12 before he played his last six holes in three-under-par thanks to birdies at the 13th, 14th and 16th.
“To be honest, I didn’t play great for the front nine, “ said Sugrue. “Even the first ten holes I wasn’t hitting the driver well at all, the thing that is usually my strongest point of the game, I was just winging it everywhere.
“I just kind of held on to it, my chipping was unreal, every time I had a chip it was inside a foot and without that I would have definitely been a few over. I’ve figured something out and started hitting it a little bit better. Coming in here there are a good few birdies chances.
“I remember Justin Rose saying last week that he almost stole a few from the course, I almost feel the same today. I definitely scrambled around pretty well.”
The big group on two-under features a wealth of talent with Sugrue joined by Portmarnock’s James Temple, Mullingar’s Liam Grehan, Enniscorthy’s Jason Rackard, Royal Portrush’s Richard McCrudden, Alex Maguire from Laytown & Bettystown, Galgorm Castle’s Joshua Hill, Alan Ryan from Thurles and Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy.
It was a quieter day for some of the other internationals with Caolan Rafferty and Peter O’Keeffe signing for 72s, Colm Campbell a 73, former winner Tiarnan McLarnon and Matthew McClear a pair of 74’s.
Rowan Lester (75) and Keith Egan (79) missed the two-over cut for the top 39.
Mullingar Scratch Trophy, Mullingar Scratch Trophy (Par 72, CSS Round1, 74; Round 2, cancelled)
Third round tee times
Final round starts at 12.30 pm (1st) and 12.35 pm (10th)
07:35 (10) Matthew McClean (Malone) Sam Murphy (Portumna) Shane Hogan (Nenagh)
07:46 (10) Gareth Lappin (Belvoir Park) Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) Desmond Morgan (Carton House)
07:57 (10) James Hewitt (Tandragee) Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) Dylan Keating (Seapoint)
08:08 (10) Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene) Joseph Byrne (Baltinglass) Liam Nolan (Galway)
08:19 (10) David Kitt (Athenry) Jack Doherty (Carton House) Colm Jnr Cambell (Warrenpoint)
08:30 (10) Jack Mc Donnell (Forrest Little) Gary Ward (Kinsale) Eoin Sullivan (Carton House)
08:41 (10) Peter O' Keeffe (Douglas) Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk)
07:30 (1) Robert Moran (Castle) Ross Latimer (Knock) Joshua McCabe (Roganstown)
07:41 (1) David Shiel (Powerscourt) Jake Whelan (Newlands) Shaun Carter (Royal Dublin)
07:52 (1) Max Kennedy (Royal Dublin) Aaron Ryan (Thurles) Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle)
08:03 (1) Alex Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown) Richard McCrudden (Royal Portrush) Jason Rackard (Enniscorthy)
08:14 (1) Liam Grehan (Mullingar) James Temple (Portmarnock) James Sugrue (Mallow)
08:25 (1) Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) Mark Power (Kilkenny) Marc Boucher (Carton House)
After 18 holes
67 M Boucher (Carton House)
68 M Power (Kilkenny), A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire)
70 J Sugrue (Mallow), J Temple (Portmarnock), L Grehan (Mullingar), J Rackard (Enniscorthy), R McCrudden (Royal Portrush), A Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown), J Hill (Galgorm Castle), A Ryan (Thurles), M Kennedy (Royal Dublin)
71 S Carter (Royal Dublin), J Whelan (Newlands), D Shiel (Powerscourt), J McCabe (Roganstown), R Latimer (Knock), R Moran (Castle)
72 C Rafferty (Dundalk), R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire), P O' Keeffe (Douglas), E Sullivan (Carton House)
73 G Ward (Kinsale), J McDonnell (Forrest Little), C Campbell (Warrenpoint), J Doherty (Carton House), D Kitt (Athenry)
74 L Nolan (Galway), J Byrne (Baltinglass), T McLarnon (Massereene), D Keating (Seapoint), A McCormack (Castletroy), J Hewitt (Tandragee), D Morgan (Carton House), G Dunne (Co. Louth), G Lappin (Belvoir Park), S Hogan (Nenagh), S Murphy (Portumna), M McClean (Malone)
Missed cut
75 C Butler (Kinsale), T Ford (Co. Sligo), D Mulligan (The Links Portmarnock), G Cullen (The Links Portmarnock), H Foley (Royal Dublin), A Hill (Athenry), R Lester (Hermitage), G Donohoe (Enniscorthy)
76 S Desmond (Monkstown), A Smith (Mullingar), W Small (Tandragee), H Gillivan (Westport), P Conroy (Enniscorthy), S Jones (Belvoir Park), B Murray (Waterford Castle), L O'Neill (Connemara), A McCabe (The Links Portmarnock), P Coughlan (Castleknock), R Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar), F Kennedy (The Island), C Denvir (Elm Park), D Flynn (Carton House), R Nelson (Belvoir Park), R Knightly (Royal Dublin), M McKinstry (Cairndhu), R Milne (Faithlegg)
77 J Lyons (Galway), C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire), C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown)
78 C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire), E Murphy (Dundalk), E Griffin (Waterford), M Deasy (Lee Valley), G O'Mahony (Fota Island), J Blake (The Island)
79 S McDermott (Co. Cavan), K Quigg (Ballyliffin), P McKeever (Castle), K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire), B Doran (Baltinglass), K Egan (Carton House), T O'Connor (Athlone), D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh)
80 S O'Connor (Castlebar)
81 R Cannon (Balbriggan)
82 G Collins (Rosslare), P Connolly (Killeen Castle), J Hood (Galgorm Castle)
83 M Norton (Belvoir Park)
85 T Dowdall (Woodbrook)
86 D O'Neill (The Links Portmarnock)
