Amateur golf, The McGinley FoundationBrian KeoghApril 21, 2025West of Ireland Championship, Dylan Holmes, Barry Anderson, Colm Campbell, Keith Egan, Jonathan Keane, Stuart Grehan, James Fox, Harry Gillivan, County Sligo GCComment

Big dreams at stake for Grehan, Campbell, Holmes and Anderson in West of Ireland semis

County Louth’s Stuart Grehan. Credit: Ben Brady/Inpho

Stuart Grehan powered his way into the semi-finals of the Connolly Motor Group-sponsored West of Ireland Championship and confessed he has one eye on making next year's Walker Cup at Lahinch.

The Tullamore native (32), who is playing in his first championship since regaining his amateur status after seven years in the professional ranks, edged out his strength and conditioning coach Robbie Cannon on the 19th in the last 16 before cruising to a 6&5 win over Portmarnock's James Fox in the quarterfinals.

Now playing out of County Louth, big-hitting Grehan faces the experienced Warrenpoint man Colm Campbell for a place in the final at Rosses Point’s County Sligo links.

Having won the East and South of Ireland titles during the first stage of his amateur career, he'd love to add the West to his collection.

But he's also thinking long term and after a broken arm he sustained four months before the matches put paid to his Walker Cup ambitions in 2017, he's dreaming of a return to Lahinch next year.

"With Rory completing the Slam last week, it would be nice to do it," said Grehan, who believes claiming the third leg of the provincial Grand Slam would give him momentum for a Walker Cup bid over the next 12 months.

"But I am not thinking about that, just the match."

He believes he's a far better player than in 2017, and he's not giving up on his dream of playing for Great Britain and Ireland at Lahinch.

"Next year in Lahinch would be incredible, but there's a lot of golf to be played between now and then, but I feel like a much better player now."

He's not the only player with big dreams this week.

Campbell (37) has two Irish Amateur Opens, an East of Ireland and a South of Ireland title on his CV.

But after losing in the semi-finals in 2016, he's hoping to go at least one better today after following a 5&3 win over Royal Dublin's Jack McDonnell with a hard-fought 2&1 win over Westport native Harry Gillivan in the afternoon.

"Obviously, I've had a decent enough record here over the last number of years," said Campbell, who made a 20-footer at the 17th to close out Gillivan.

"It would be the icing on the cake, but there's a long way to go between now and tomorrow afternoon."

Twenty years after Rory McIlroy won on his debut as a 15-year-old, Greystones' Dylan Holmes (18) is making a splash in his first senior championship.

Cork Golf Club’s Barry Anderson birdies the 18th to force extra holes against defending champion Keith Egan. Credit: Ben Brady/Inpho

He faces 2017 champion and 2023 runner-up Barry Anderson (34) in the other semi-final after making birdie at the 19th to nip ahead for the first (and most crucial time) in his clash with Lahinch's Jonathan Keane.

"It was intense," said Holmes, who beat Athenry's David Kitt one up in the last 16. "Winning on 18 this morning was stressful, to say the least, but this was probably more winning on 19 with a birdie. It was nice.

"This morning, it felt like I was protecting something. This afternoon, it was different. I felt a lot freer."

Anderson beat Castleknock's David Reddan 5&4 in the morning before edging out defending champion Keith Egan on the 19th in the tie that attracted a big local following on a day of showers and light breezes

He went one down when he three-putted the 17th but made a clutch birdie at the last to take the match to the 19th, where Egan knifed his approach out of bounds, then almost slam dunked his fourth.

Egan's approach rebounded off the bottom of the pin and off the green, and he conceded when his chip for a five failed to drop, and Anderson chipped up to six feet in three.

Anderson moved to his father's native Rosses Point as a 13-year-old, and while he won playing out of Royal Dublin in 2017, he hopes to bring Cork Golf Club its first West of Ireland title today.

"This Championship means everything to me,” said Anderson, who lost to England’s James Claridge in the 2023 final.

"It's the best tournament in my eyes. It's the championship that got me into the game, coming here as a six or seven-year-old.

"It was the one that inspired me to want to play and practice more. To win it was amazing, and to have a chance again tomorrow maybe to make it two is just class."