Irish face massive overseas invasion at Royal Dublin
Back to defend. Reigning champion Robbie Cannon lines up a putt in last year's playoff for the Irish Amateur Open. Picture: Eoin Clarke www.golffile.ie
Recently-crowned West of Ireland champion Jack Hume will be among the home favourites looking to hold back an international invasion when the Irish Amateur Open begins at The Royal Dublin next Thursday, writes the GUI.
No fewer than 19 countries are represented in the draw for the Championship, with 70 overseas players in the starting field of 120. This includes a strong South African challenge, spearheaded by South African Amateur champion Thriston Lawrence and Free State Open champion Christiaan Bezuidenhout who will be looking to become the first South Africans to capture the Championship since Louis Oosthuizen in 2002.
There will also be a strong challenge from Great Britain with no fewer than 22 Scottish and 13 English players making the trip, including England’s Haydn McCullen, who recently won the Peter McEvoy Trophy – the same event The Island’s Gavin Moynihan captured two years ago before he clinched the Irish Amateur Open title.
Of the Scottish players, meanwhile, teenager Bradley Neil appears to be the one with the most form, having notched up two runner-up finishes at major international events recently – the South African Stroke Play and the Individual event at the European Nations Cup at Sotogrande.
They will be joined in the field by the 2013 Welsh Amateur Champion Jack Bush who captured his national title at Ashburnham last August.
Among the other nations, the Netherlands also stand out as regular challengers at The Royal Dublin, with their challenge this year led by the consistent Robbie Van West, who has chalked up top-10 finishes at the Portuguese and Spanish Amateur Championships, in addition to the Individual event at the European Nations Cup.
Van West will be joined at Royal Dublin by his European team-mate from the Bonallack Trophy match last month, Dermot McElroy.
In addition to Hume, Ballymena’s McElroy – the highest World-ranked player in the field from Ireland – has his credentials as a serious contender.
Also present among the 50 home players will be Headfort’s Rory McNamara, Irish Close champion Cormac Sharvin (Ardglass), 2013 Spanish Amateur champion Reeve Whitson (Mourne), and Robin Dawson (Faithlegg) – the current Irish Boys champion and a member of the 2013 GB&I Jacques Leglise Trophy side.
Balbriggan's Robbie Cannon, who lost to Hume in the West of Ireland final recently, will be back to defend his title.
The big change this year is the move from three to four days with a 54-hole cut rather than a 36-hop cut for the top-50 and ties.
Irish Amateur Open - Thurs 8 May - Sunday 11 May, Royal Dublin
| Time R1 | Match | Time R2 | No. | Name | Club |
| 0700 | 1 | 1051 | 3 | Roy Connolly Palmerstown Stud | Palmerstown Stud |
| 1 | Scott Borrowman Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 2 | David Brady Co. Sligo | Co. Sligo | |||
| 0711 | 2 | 1102 | 6 | Ashley Mason England | England |
| 4 | James Fox Portmarnock | Portmarnock | |||
| 5 | Eanna Griffin Waterford | Waterford | |||
| 0722 | 3 | 1113 | 7 | Jeff Hopkins Royal Dublin | Royal Dublin |
| 8 | Louis Lazarus England | England | |||
| 9 | Declan Reidy Co. Sligo | Co. Sligo | |||
| 0733 | 4 | 1124 | 10 | Colm Campbell Warrenpoint | Warrenpoint |
| 11 | Nick Macandrew Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 12 | Gus Mottershead England | England | |||
| 0744 | 5 | 1135 | 13 | Axel Geers Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 14 | Ryan Gribben Warrenpoint | Warrenpoint | |||
| 15 | Kealan Quigg City of Derry | City of Derry | |||
| 0755 | 6 | 1146 | 16 | Laurens Jansen Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 17 | Kieran Mccarthy Castlemartyr | Castlemartyr | |||
| 18 | Sean Moran Carton House | Carton House | |||
| 0806 | 7 | 1157 | 21 | Sem Westdijk Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 19 | Jack McDonald Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 20 | Rory McNamara Headfort | Headfort | |||
| 0817 | 8 | 1219 | 22 | Christiaan Bezuidenhout South Africa | South Africa |
| 24 | Harry Casey England | England | |||
| 23 | Robert Cannon Balbriggan | Balbriggan | |||
| 0828 | 9 | 1230 | 25 | NJ Arnoldi South Africa | South Africa |
| 27 | Dermot McElroy Ballymena | Ballymena | |||
| 26 | Craig Howie Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 0839 | 10 | 1241 | 29 | Henry Tomlinson England | England |
| 30 | Reeve Whitson Mourne | Mourne | |||
| 28 | Thriston Lawrence South Africa | South Africa | |||
| 0850 | 11 | 1252 | 31 | Hinrich Arkenau Germany | Germany |
| 32 | Cormac Sharvin Ardglass | Ardglass | |||
| 0901 | 12 | 1303 | 36 | Robbie van West Netherlands | Netherlands |
| 35 | Janes Lombardo Germany | Germany | |||
| 34 | Stuart Grehan Tullamore | Tullamore | |||
| 0912 | 13 | 1314 | 39 | Richard O'Donovan Lucan | Lucan |
| 37 | Dylan Boshart Netherlands | Netherlands | |||
| 38 | Bradley Neil Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 0923 | 14 | 1325 | 41 | Jordan Smith England | England |
| 42 | Connor Syme Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 40 | Eddie Mccormack Galway | Galway | |||
| 0945 | 15 | 1336 | 43 | Ben Best Rathmore | Rathmore |
| 45 | Jack Hume Naas | Naas | |||
| 44 | Alexander Culverwell Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 0956 | 16 | 1347 | 46 | Kristian Kulokorpi Finland | Finland |
| 48 | Gary McDermott Carton House | Carton House | |||
| 47 | Sigot Lopez Spain | Spain | |||
| 1007 | 17 | 1358 | 50 | Geoff LenehanPortmarnock | Portmarnock |
| 49 | Miki Kuronen Finland | Finland | |||
| 51 | Jamie Richardson Royal Portrush | Royal Portrush | |||
| 1018 | 18 | 1409 | 53 | Lauri Ruuska Finland | Finland |
| 52 | Ian O'Rourke Royal Dublin | Royal Dublin | |||
| 54 | Gordon Stevenson Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1029 | 19 | 1420 | 56 | Harry Diamond Belvoir Park | Belvoir Park |
| 55 | Robin Dawson Faithlegg | Faithlegg | |||
| 57 | John Duff Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1040 | 20 | 1431 | 60 | Shaun O'Connor Luttrellstown Castle | Luttrellstown Castle |
| 59 | Tiarnan McLarnon Massereene | Massereene | |||
| 58 | Greig Marchbank Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1051 | 21 | 0700 | 62 | Eugene Smith Ardee | Ardee |
| 63 | Alexander Verschaeren Luxembourg | Luxembourg | |||
| 61 | Paul Reilly Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1102 | 22 | 0711 | 66 | Daniel Holland Castle | Castle |
| 64 | James Allan England | England | |||
| 65 | Scott Gibson Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1113 | 23 | 0722 | 69 | Matt Kippen England | England |
| 67 | Simon Bryan Delgany | Delgany | |||
| 68 | Ewen Ferguson Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1124 | 24 | 0733 | 71 | Rowan Lester Hermitage | Hermitage |
| 70 | Daniel Kay Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 72 | James Yeomans England | England | |||
| 1135 | 25 | 0744 | 73 | Richard Bridges Stackstown | Stackstown |
| 75 | Haydn McCullen England | England | |||
| 74 | Lukas Lipold Austria | Austria | |||
| 1146 | 26 | 0755 | 76 | Eddy Holland England | England |
| 78 | William Russell Clandeboye | Clandeboye | |||
| 77 | Kyle McClung Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1157 | 27 | 0806 | 81 | Tom Gandy Isle of Man | Isle of Man |
| 79 | Eoin Arthurs Forrest Little. | Forrest Little. | |||
| 80 | Adam Dunton Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1219 | 28 | 0817 | 82 | Michael Harradine Switzerland | Switzerland |
| 83 | Vitor Lopes Portugal | Portugal | |||
| 84 | Cameron Mills Shandon Park | Shandon Park | |||
| 1230 | 29 | 0828 | 85 | Paul McBride Island | Island |
| 86 | Adrien Michellod Switzerland | Switzerland | |||
| 87 | Adam Wilson Wales | Wales | |||
| 1241 | 30 | 0839 | 88 | Jack Bush Wales | Wales |
| 90 | Joao Magalhaes Portugal | Portugal | |||
| 89 | Chris Carroll Shandon Park | Shandon Park | |||
| 1252 | 31 | 0850 | 91 | Goncalo Costa Portugal | Portugal |
| 92 | Conor O'Rourke Naas | Naas | |||
| 93 | Alan Sutherland Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1303 | 32 | 0901 | 94 | Assaf Choen Israel | Israel |
| 95 | Gerard Lawlor Newbridge | Newbridge | |||
| 96 | Jamie Savage Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1314 | 33 | 0912 | 98 | Mark Shanahan Castlemartyr | Castlemartyr |
| 99 | Yair Taler Israel | Israel | |||
| 97 | Gareth Lappin Belvoir Park | Belvoir Park | |||
| 1325 | 34 | 0923 | 102 | Gaetan Van Baarle Belgium | Belgium |
| 101 | Kevin Le Blanc Island | Island | |||
| 100 | John-Ross Galbraith Whitehead | Whitehead | |||
| 1336 | 35 | 0945 | 105 | Steffan O'Hara Co. Sligo | Co. Sligo |
| 103 | Petr Dedek Czech Republic | Czech Republic | |||
| 104 | Louis Leysen Belgium | Belgium | |||
| 1347 | 36 | 0956 | 108 | Luis Thiele Brazil | Brazil |
| 106 | David Carey Carton House | Carton House | |||
| 107 | Craig Ross Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1358 | 37 | 1007 | 110 | Gary Collins Rosslare | Rosslare |
| 111 | Andre Tourinho Brazil | Brazil | |||
| 109 | Colin Baird Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 1409 | 38 | 1018 | 114 | Simon Zach Czech Republic | Czech Republic |
| 113 | Stephen Healy Claremorris | Claremorris | |||
| 112 | Darragh Coghlan Portmarnock | Portmarnock | |||
| 1420 | 39 | 1029 | 116 | Shane McGlynn Carton House | Carton House |
| 115 | Anthony Blaney Scotland | Scotland | |||
| 117 | Marco Penge England | England | |||
| 1431 | 40 | 1040 | 120 | Daniel Young Scotland | Scotland |
| 119 | Ross Hopwood England | England | |||
| 118 | Barry Anderson Royal Dublin | Royal Dublin |
