Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) remains on top of the leaderboard in County Louth. Photo: Thos Caffrey / Golffile.

Winning your first major is never easy but Royal Dublin’s Jack McDonnell passed an important stress test when he recovered from a mid-round haymaker from Baltray to land two late birdies and take a one-shot lead into the final two rounds of the Kingspan sponsored East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship.

While he’s won the Home Internationals with Ireland and the Interprovincial title with Connacht, McDonnell has yet to land one of the big six titles that define amateur careers — an Irish Close or Open or one of the four provincial titles.

The 29-year-old Dubliner came close in 2021 when he teed it up on the 72nd hole at County Louth needing a birdie four to force a playoff with Alex Maguire. But he drove into an unplayable lie and took six instead to finish two shots behind.

The ‘East’ only comes alive over the final 36 holes and McDonnell has given himself a chance to get the job done today, when he tees it up in the final group with Blainroe’s David Lally and County Louth’s Evan Farrell.

The Dubliner felt the game was easy yesterday when he birdied the fourth, sixth and seventh to get to nine-under through the turn.

But he bogeyed the 10th, double-bogeyed the tough 11th and dropped another shot at the 12th before regrouping with birdies at the 16th and 18th.

“I was cruising,” McDonnell said after adding a 71 to his opening 66 to lead by a shot from 20-year-old Lally, who shot 70, on seven-under.

“It was easy work. I started off nicely and then just golf caught up with me.

“I just thought golf was easy through nine holes and then after hitting a few bad shots to go back to one over total for the day, the head was nearly gone.

“I thought the scoring would be lower today, so when I checked it through 13 holes, there was no one running away with it and that kept me in it then. But it’s still only halfway through.”

David Lally (Blainroe) has also been impressive this week at the East. Photo: Thos Caffrey / Golffile.

Lally has just completed his junior year at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and while he was disappointed by bogeys at the fourth and 17th, he was pleased to make five birdies and turn some good recent form into low scores.

“I’m happy enough so far,” he said. “I played pretty well in my last couple of tournaments in America but my scores hadn’t quite reflected that.

“I was confident enough and I’d be playing with my mates and stuff back in Blainroe and playing pretty well. I never want to put expectations on myself but I definitely was confident in my game coming into this week.”

Local hope Farrell shot an excellent 69 to lie just two behind McDonnell in third place with one of the pre-tournament favourites in world number 78 Max Kennedy from Royal Dublin, who carded a 71.

But a lot can happen over the final 36 holes at Baltray, where players frequently come storming through the field to win.

Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty, the runner-up for the last two years, is just three shots off the pace on four-under alongside clubmate Eoin Murphy, Millicent’s Brian Doran, former winner Paul O’Halon from Carton House and Fota Island’s David Howard, who eagled the last to shoot a best-of-the-day, five-under 67.

Roscommon’s Simon Walker shot 74 but he shares 10th alongside Irish Amateur Open champion Matt McClean after he aced the 15th to record the third hole-in-one of the week.

Twenty players are in the red and when the group on two-under features the likes of former South of Ireland champion TJ Ford, current South of Ireland champion Colm Campbell and Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley—who needs only the East to become the first man to win all four provincial titles— the size of the task facing McDonnell becomes all the more apparent.

East of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Kingspan, County Sligo GC (Par 72)

After 36 holes

137 Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 66 71;

138 David Lally (Blainroe) 68 70;

139 Evan Farrell (Co Louth) 70 69, Max Kennedy (Royal Dublin) 68 71;

140 Brian Doran (Millicent) 71 69, Eoin Murphy ((Dundalk)) 72 68, Paul O’Hanlon ((Carton House)) 72 68, Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) 71 69, David Howard (Fota island) 73 67;

141 Sean McAufield (Ardee) 73 68, TJ Ford (Co Sligo) 71 70, Simon Walker (Roscommon) 67 74, Matthew McClean Malone 70 71;

142 Mark Gazi (Tralee) 73 69, Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 69 73, Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock) 67 75, Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin) 71 71, Stephen Grant (Birr) 71 71, Adam Smith (Mullingar) 72 70, Jake Whelan (Grange) 70 72;

144 Cian O’Connor (Roscommon) 71 73, Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 70 74, David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 71 73, Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 73 71, Marc McKinstry (Cairndhu) 71 73, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 74 70, Gavin O’Neill (Malahide) 70 74, Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 69 75, David Kitt (Athenry) 73 71;

145 Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell) 73 72, Jack Blake (The Island) 71 74, Adam Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 74 71, Adam Fahey (Portmarnock) 72 73, Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 72 73, Jamie Butler (Naas) 74 71, Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) 74 71, Seamus Cullen (Slieve Russell) 71 74, Stephen Walsh (Baltusrol) 73 72, David Reddan (Nenagh) 75 70, Gerard Dunne (Co Louth) 77 68, Matthew Grehan ((Tullamore)) 71 74;

146 John Cleary (Elm Park) 72 74, Conor Hickey (Dooks) 71 75, Ryan McNelis (Fintona) 74 72, Jordan Boles (Charleville) 74 72, Ian Lynch ((Rosslare)) 72 74, Seán Desmond (Monkstown) 73 73, Ross Latimer (Clandeboye) 75 71, Luke O’Neill (Connemara Golf Links) 72 74, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 75 71, Morgan Cain (Cork) 72 74, Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) 71 75, Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay) 74 72, Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 71 75.

Missed cut

147 Theodor M Bjørge (Aalesund, NOR) 76 71, Marcus Audun Goosen (Sunnfjord, NOR) 69 78, Shane Gannon (GC YBrig, SUI) 72 75, Gary Collins (Rosslare) 72 75, Calum Ward (Carton House) 73 74, Colin Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 74 73;

148 Evan Monaghan (Tullamore) 73 75, Daniel Werner Nilsson (Oslo GC, NOR) 77 71, Ross McCormack (Palmerstown House Estate) 72 76, Luke Kelly (Dunfanaghy) 73 75, Oscar Murphy (Royal Portrush) 76 72, Jonathon Keith (Inverness) 73 75, Graham Callaghan (Co Louth) 77 71, Jake Foley (Elm Park) 78 70, Darren McCormack (Corrstown) 77 71, Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) 74 74, Charlie Denvir (Elm Park) 72 76;

149 James Temple (Portmarnock) 73 76, Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) 74 75, Simon Ward (Belvoir Park) 71 78, Cian Harkin (Letterkenny) 73 76, Fridtjof Farhang (Oslo GC, NOR) 76 73, Jack Phipps (Ardee) 75 74, Keith Egan (Carton House) 73 76, Gavin Tiernan ((Co Louth)) 79 70, Quentin Carew (Castleknock) 77 72, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 73 76;

150 Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin) 75 75, Samuel Gammell (Naas) 74 76, Ian O’Connell (Castleknock) 75 75, Stephen Healy (Royal Dublin) 78 72, Joe O'Neill (Berehaven) 76 74;

151 Dean O’Riordan (Fermoy) 78 73, Seán McLoughlin (Co Sligo) 75 76, Rory McConnell (Belvoir Park) 75 76, Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 79 72, Jack Hearn (Tramore) 74 77, Mark Doogue (Castleknock) 76 75;

152 Shea Dorman ((Bangor)) 73 79, Eoin Rogers (Ardee) 75 77, Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 78 74, Mark Shanahan (Rosslare) 74 78, Gordon Sillett Ballykisteen 77 75, Gareth Bohill (Co Louth) 77 75, Sean Cooper (Enniscorthy) 75 77, Lee O'Meara (Tullamore) 75 77, Edward Rowe (Belvoir Park) 74 78, Dwayne Mallon (Dungannon) 74 78, Lewis Gowdy (Bangor) 75 77, Matthew Giles (Greenore) 74 78;

153 Shane O'Neill (Malahide) 78 75, Eoin O’Carroll (St Anne’s) 74 79, Mark Feenan (Mourne) 74 79, James Stenson (The Island) 77 76;

154 Ryan Murray (Balmoral) 77 77, Mark Mullen (Rosslare) 74 80, Mikkel Bergum Johansen (Drøbak GK, NOR) 77 77, Adam Doran (Co Louth) 80 74;

155 Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) 75 80, Sean Reddy (Douglas) 79 76, Charlie Cooley (Belvoir Park) 77 78, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 79 76, Ben Phipps (USA) 75 80, Ruairi O’Connor (Co Sligo) 75 80;

156 Kevin LeBlanc (The Island) 73 83, Tom Cafferky (Ballinasloe) 78 78;

157 Adam Cromwell (Co Armagh) 75 82;

158 Lucas McKeen (Co Louth) 81 77;

162 Sean Murphy (Grange) 77 85, Mark Cadden (Roganstown) 82 80, Edward Reed (Royal Birkdale) 81 81;

163 Robert Walsh (Douglas) 83 80;

166 Cornelius Farhang (Oslo GC, NOR) 80 86, Donal O’Reilly (Farnham Estate) 83 83;

172 Harley Phipps (Co Louth) 85 87.

NR David Keenaghan (Mullingar), Craig Kelly (Grange) Castle, Jason Law East (Cork)

Final day tee-times

10th tee
7:30/12:45 Cain, Gallagher, Flynn
7:4112:56 O’Neill, O’Keeffe, Shiel
7:52/1:07 Lynch, Desmond, Latimer
8:03/1:18 Hickey, McNelis, Boles
8:14/1:29 Dunne, Grehan, Cleary
8:25/1:40 Cullen, Walsh, Reddan
8:36/1:51 Gillivan, Butler, Hogg
8:47/2:02 Blake, Buchanan, Fahey
8:58/2:13 Keating, Kitt, McDermott

1st tee
7:30/12:45 McKinstry, Abom, O’Neill
7:41/12:56 O’Connor, Foy, Marshall
7:52/1:07 Smith, Whelan, Sullivan
8:03/1:18 Lenehan, Foley, Grant
8:14/1:29 McClean, Gazi, Campbell
8:25/1:40 McAufield, Ford, Walker
8:36/1:51 O’Hanlon, Rafferty, Howard
8:47/2:02 Kennedy, Doran, Murphy
8:58/2:13 McDonnell, Lally, Farrell.