Rafferty shows his class to move one clear at The Island
Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) on the 10th tee at the Flogas Irish Men's Amateur Open Championship 2023 at The Island Golf Club. Picture: Thos Caffrey / Golffile
He’ll likely have to win more than one championship but former Walker Cup player Caolan Rafferty will be looking to give the R&A selectors some food for thought in his limited starts this summer after snatching the halfway lead in the Flogas Irish Amateur Open at The Island.
No longer a full-time golfer after opting to take up a position on the greens staff at Dundalk during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 30-year-old was at his ball-striking best as he added a 68 to his opening 69 to lead by a shot from England’s Harley Smith on seven-under-par.
It was a perfect links day at The Island and the sunny and only moderately breezy conditions were reflected in the scoring with 23 sub-par scores recorded compared to just 12 on day one.
Portmarnock’s Geoff Lenehan shone as brightly as the sun, matching the amateur course record set by Kevin LeBlanc in club play and equalled by Smith on Thursday, as he improved by 13 strokes on his first round and made just one bogey as he moved up 82 places to 29th on three-over.
The top 50 and ties after Saturday’s third round will make the cut and while Lenehan is two strokes inside the projected mark, he has work to do if he’s close the gap on fellow part-timer Rafferty,
The Dundalk man - winner of the South of Ireland and West of Ireland titles — has made just three bogeys in 36 holes and plotted his way around.
“Yeah, delighted,” he said after polishing off his round by hitting a nine iron to 10 feet (compared to a 2-iron on Thursday) to set up his sixth birdie of the day at the 18th.
“Playing steady, just going my own thing and staying in my own little world out there. So everything's going according to plan so far. I am not playing a lot - bits and pieces, nine holes with the lads here and there. I'm not doing anything wild and wonderful, just playing within myself.”
To put his performance in perspective, Rafferty cut greens in Dundalk before heading for The Island.
“I was up at 6 am doing a bit of work as I would've been sitting around the house doing nothing otherwise,” he told Golf Ireland.
Smith added a second-round 71 to his opening 67 to sit a shot off the pace on six-under with compatriot Zachary Chegwidden a shot further back.
Portmarnock’s James Fox is tied fourth on two under after a 70 with 2013 winner and new Dad, Robbie Cannon a shot further back on one under after a 69 let him in a five-man group that includes East of Ireland champion Alex Maguire and Enniscrone’s David Shiel.
The Laytown and Bettystown man bogeyed three of his first five holes and then bogeyed the last two but he played a six-hole stretch from the ninth in five-under for his 72.
John Gough’s 69 got him back to level alongside the likes of Keith Egan while last year’s runner-up Matt McClean is lurking on one-over.
There was some impressive golf too from Sean Keeling, who made seven birdies but was left to rue three bogeys and double bogeys at the eighth and 18th in a 72 that leaves him alongside Lenehan and Gerarrd Dunne (69) on three-over.
Flogas Irish Men's Amateur Open Championship (The Island, Par 72)
137 C Rafferty (Dundalk) 69 68
138 H Smith (The Rayleigh) 67 71
139 Z Chegwidden (Orsett) 71 68
142 J Fox (Portmarnock) 72 70, M Roberts (Royal Porthcawl) 71 71
143 R Cannon (Balbriggan) 74 69, R Laird (Glenbervie) 68 75, A Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown) 71 72, D Shaw-Radford (Huddersfield) 72 71, D Shiel (Enniscrone) 73 70
144 A Edwards-Hill (Chelmsford) 73 71, K Egan (Carton House) 70 74, J Gough (The Berkshire) 75 69
145 T Bowen (Welshpool) 75 70, G Graham (Blairgowrie) 73 72, M McClean (Malone) 73 72, R Williamson (Holywood) 74 71
146 M Boucher (Carton House) 73 73, R Brazill (Naas) 71 75, C Burford (Rhuddlan) 76 70, P Coughlan (Castleknock) 70 76, M Cowie (Dumfries & County) 70 76, D Lundgren (Kristianstads) 74 72, T Matthews (Oswestry) 71 75, L Nolan (Galway) 73 73, B St John (Portmarnock) 73 73, M Wilson (Forres) 71 75
147 J Claridge (Enville) 76 71, G Dunne (Co. Louth) 78 69, P Keeling (Roganstown) 74 73, S Keeling (Roganstown) 75 72, J Kelso (Kings Hill) 74 73, G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 80 67, J McDonnell (Forrest little) 72 75, R Moran (Castle) 76 71, E Sullivan (Portmarnock) 72 75
148 J Ashton (Kedleston Park) 76 72, S Cave (Coxmoor) 75 73, D Kitt (Athenry) 75 73, R Lindsay (Turnberry) 74 74, P Mullins (Whitchurch) 73 75, C Murtagh (The Island) 71 77, A Smith (Mullingar) 75 73
149 A Brady (The Vines) 72 77, J Brooks (The Mere) 75 74, A Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 75 74, S Cooper (Enniscorthy) 77 72, M Gazi (Tralee) 75 74, C Harkin (Letterkenny) 78 71, J Hewitt (Tandragee) 75 74, J McPhail (Southport & Ainsdale) 76 73, E Murphy (Dundalk) 75 74, J Nash (Ormskirk) 73 76, D Reddan (Nenagh) 71 78
Projected cut (top 50 and ties after 54 holes)
150 G Ash (Hallowes) 76 74, M Berrisford (Ilkley) 78 72, Q Carew (Castleknock) 76 74, A Carrick (Craigielaw) 79 71, H Foley (Royal Dublin) 79 71, C Graham (Blairgowrie) 75 75, N Illi (Golfclub Davos) 76 74, R Knightly (Royal Dublin) 76 74, R Latimer (Clandeboye) 78 72, L Martin (Sandhill) 79 71, P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 77 73, S Potter (Kedleston Park) 78 72, M Stockdale (Woburn) 76 74, J Whelan (Grange) 72 78
151 L Abom (Edmondstown) 79 72, A Benson (West Lothian) 79 72, C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 77 74, J Cleary (Elm Park) 74 77, A Finnie (Royal Burgess) 74 77, T Ford (County Sligo) 72 79, H Gillivan (St Annes) 74 77, C Hickey (Dooks) 72 79, J Hood (Galgorm Castle) 74 77
152 R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 76 76, C Boggan (Co.Meath) 76 76, J Boles (Charleville) 74 78, O Hausammann (Limpachtal) 74 78, H Hayward (Kedleston Park) 81 71, J Hill (Galgorm Castle) 74 78, R Hynes (Royal Dublin) 78 74, K LeBlanc (The Island) 78 74, M Lever (Bolton) 77 75, J Lyons (Galway) 78 74, P O Dochartaigh (Gweedore Golf Club) 74 78, G O'Neill (Malahide) 78 74
153 T Abom (Edmondstown) 76 77, J Byrne (Baltinglass) 76 77, G Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 77 76, S McDermott (Slieve Russell) 78 75, B Ronan (Co. Louth) 76 77, C Wilson (Castle Park) 78 75
154 A Charlton (Ramside) 76 78, W Coxon (Carus Green) 78 76, F Dobbin (Malone) 80 74, D Flynn (Carton House) 76 78, J Garbely (Oberkirch) 73 81, J Leversidge (Abbeydale) 72 82, J Walsh (Douglas) 76 78
155 J Berry (Doncaster) 77 78, M Ford (Royal Queensland) 74 81, J Garnett (Five Lakes) 75 80, L O'Connor (Edmondstown) 80 75
156 G Collins (Rosslare) 80 76, F Kennedy (The Island) 78 78, T Lecomte (ASGI) 76 80, G Liljeberg (Vasatorps) 78 78, C Mukherjee (Gullane) 75 81, I O'Connell (Castleknock) 80 76, M Steinhauser (Zürichsee) 80 76, J Temple (Portmarnock) 80 76
157 G Callaghan (Co. Louth) 76 81, J Millington (The Players) 81 76, D O'Sullivan (Tralee) 82 75
158 D Cleary (Tipperary) 87 71
159 P Connolly (The Links Portmarnock) 83 76, R Griffin (Rosapenna) 81 78, D O Riordan (Fermoy) 82 77, R Walsh (Douglas) 78 81
160 C Mooney (Ballinasloe) 78 82
161 L Irvine (Kirkhill) 80 81, M Morgenstern (Lipperswil) 80 81, D Sweeney (Corrstown) 81 80
162 A Brady (Co. Sligo) 86 76, M Cain (Cork) 81 81
163 L Hutchinson (The Royal Dublin) 84 79
164 S McAufield (Stonebridge) 84 80
165 A Foley (Edmondstown) 84 81
167 D Browne (Blarney) 86 81
