Moriarty and Jenkinson hit the front in Irish PGA at Roganstown
Colm Moriarty. Picture by Pat Cashman
The cream rose to the top in the opening round of the 110th Irish Professional Championship as St Margaret’s Shane Jenkinson and title favourite Colm Moriarty opened with three-under-par 68’s to lead by two shots at Roganstown Hotel and Country Club.
Jenkinson started with bogeys at the first two holes but went birdie-birdie-eagle at the next threein the 54-hole event for a €32,000 prize fund.
In the end, he made four bogeys, six birdies and that eagle three at the fifth in his 68 to lead in the clubhouse before being joined at the top by the in-form Moriarty.
The Glasson professional has yet to win this prestigious title but he looks like he means business after he made 15 pars to go with birdies at the third, fourth and 10th in a bogey-free effort.
Athenry’s Sean Cannon and the Tulfarris professional Simon Thornton, a two-time winner of the title, are lurking just two shots off the pace after one-under 70s while Hazel Kavanagh heads a group on level that includes Clontarf’s Eoin O’Brien, Cahir Park’s Paul Eivers, 2012 champion David Higgins and Old Conna’s Neil O Briain.
Defending champion Damien McGrane was three-under after six holes but the Carlow professional bogeyed the eighth before dropping six shots in his last six holes to post a four-over 75 that left him tied for 28th.
110th Irish Professional Championship, Roganstown Hotel & Country Club, 1-3 September 2020
After 18 holes
68 Shane Jenkinson (St Margaret's Golf & CC), Colm Moriarty (Glasson)
70 Sean Cannon (Athenry), Simon Thornton (Tulfarris Golf Resort)
71 Hazel Kavanagh (Impact Golf At Leopardstown), Eoin O'Brien (Clontarf),Paul Eivers (Cahir Park), David Higgins (Waterville Golf Links), Neil O'Briain (Old Conna)
72 Jimmy Bolger (Kilkenny),Patrick Devine (Sutton)
73 John McDermott (Grange),Michael McGeady (Evolve Golf Coaching), Sean O'Donoghue (Mount Wolseley Golf & CC), Richard O’Donovan (Unatt.), Nathan Kernaghan (Massereene),Niall McGlynn (GUI National Academy), Richard Kilpatrick (Banbridge)
74 Conor Coyne (Lisheen Springs),Paul Behan (Black Bush),Eric Byrne (Rathfarnham),Conor Gorevan (Portmarnock),Tim Rice (Limerick),Ciaran Molloy (Golf4Kids), Donal Gleeson (Old Conna),Enda Maguire (Co. Louth),Raymond Ryan (Thurles)
75 Andrew Gorman (Unatt.), Mark O'Mahony (Titleist National Fitting Centre), Damien McGrane (Carlow),Jack Howard (Fota Island),Andy Hogan (Edmondstown),Brian Doheny (Callan),Shane Franklin (Cregmore Park), Jerry Scullion (J Scullion Golf), Sebastien McShane (Carton House)
76 Mark Sutton (The Ward Golf Centre), Paul O'Neill (Shannon), Gary Madden (Glenlo Abbey),Richard Bridges (Castle),Damian Mooney (Damian Mooney Golf), Steven Quinlan (SQ Golf), Roy O'Neill (Galway)
77 Joe Murray (Roganstown Golf & CC), John Dignam (Spawell Golf Academy), Wesley Ramsay (Knockbracken Golf Academy), Noel Murray (Hole in One Golf Academy), Mark Murphy (Beech Park), Michael O'Shea (Palmerstown House Estate)
78 Graham Byrne (Palmerstown House Estate), Josh Adams (Stackstown),Brian Jnr McCormack (McCormack Golf Ltd), Brian O'Reilly (Glenlo Abbey), Keith McDermott (Hermitage)
79 Craig Stewart (Craig Stewart Golf Limited), Brendan Walton (Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links), Peter O'Hagan (Luttrellstown Castle), Glen Robinson (Craddockstown), Cian McNamara (Monkstown), David Barry (Ballyneety),Keith Shannon (Cloverhill), Michael Alexander (Blackwood Golf Centre)
80 Peter Jones (Athy Driving Range), Kevin McMillan (P & M Golf Superstore Ltd), Richard Weldon (Black Bush)
81 Mark Higgins (Limerick),Derry Kiely (Faithlegg), Philip Walton (Unatt.), John Casey (Tralee),Philip Ring (McGuirks Golf Blancharstown)
82 Bernard Fitzgerald (Westmanstown),Shane Irwin (Monkstown),Leonard Owens (Unatt.)
83 Mark O'Boyle (Heath)
84 Daniel Sheehan (Carr Golf Services), Leo Hynes (Killiney), John McQuaid (Unatt.), Nicholas Grant (Knock)
85 Bradley Cohen (Wexford)
86 Ronan Higgins (Balbriggan)
88 Michael Gielty (Grange)
89 Ciaran Hegarty (Millicent)
90 Peter Hickey (Cork),Matthew Looby (Greystones)
RTD Stephen Barry (Royal Tara), Eoin O'Connor (Kilkenny), Leslie Walker (Dundalk)
NR Philip Duff (Laytown & Bettystown), David Rock (County Meath), Conor Russell (Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links)
WD Michael McDermott (Grange), Gary McGrane (Sutton), James Quinlivan (Mullingar),Emmanuel Riblet (Knightsbrook Golf & CC)
