Grehan and McDermott rewarded at Portmarnock Links
Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links
Tullamore's Stuart Grehan made four birdies and two bogeys in a two-under 69 to win the TaylorMade Winter Series outing at Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links.
Just 55 players took to the links due to an adverse weather forecast, but the predicted high winds never arrived and while it was a breezy day, only Grehan broke par off the whites, winning the nett by three strokes from fellow professional Steven Quinlan and Newlands' Dermot Usher.
In the gross, Grange Golf Club professional Michael McDermott was back in the prizes, carding a level par 71 to edge of Portmarnock Links member AJ McCabe after a countback with Daniel Mulligan third with a 72.
Grehan birdied the fourth to turn in one-under, then came home in one-under as he birdied the 10th, bogeyed the 12th but birdied the 14th and 15th before dropping another shot at the tough par-three 17th.
Quinlan birdied the first and sixth to get to two-under but bogeyed at the seventh, 10th and 17th for his 72, while Usher, playing off two on the day, birdied the second and 16th in an excellent round.
McDermott started with back to back bogeys, but after following a birdie at the sixth with a bogey at the ninth, he came home two-under thanks to birdies at the 13th and 15th holes for his 71.
He edged out plus four handicapper McCabe, who went out in one under as he followed birdies at the fourth and sixth with a bogey at the seventh.
He double-bogeyed the 10th and bogeyed the 11th to slip to two-over but birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th before dropping a shot at the 17th.
Mulligan bogeyed the first and eighth but birdied the sixth to turn in one-over before coming home in level par by following a bogey on the 12th with a birdie on the 13th.
TaylorMade Winter Series, Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links (Par 71), 15 February
Nett
Stuart Grehan (Pro) Tullamore GC 69
Steven Quinlan (Pro) SQ Golf 72
Dermot Usher (1.5) Newlands GC 72
Gross
Michael McDermott (Pro) Grange GC 71
AJ McCabe (+3.2) Portmarnock Links 71
Daniel Mulligan (Pro) Portmarnock Links 72
22 February: No Winter Series
March: Five outings, starting on 1 March