Magical McKeever makes three eagles to lead Leinster Youths by four
Castle's Peter McKeever. Picture by Pat Cashman
Castle's Peter McKeever made a sensational start to the Leinster Youths Amateur Open Championship when he blasted three eagles in a four under 68 to grab massive four-shot lead after the opening round at Charlesland Golf Club in Co Wicklow.
Runner up to James Sugrue in last year's Munster Youths at Dungarvan, McKeever birdied the par-three second but then followed bogeys at the third and fourth with an eagle three at the 479-yard fifth and an eagle two at the 275-yard sixth.
He parred the next three to turn in 33, double bogeyed the par-four 12th and bogeyed the 409-yard 14th to go back to level par but then eagled the 441-yard, par-five 15th and birdied the 17th and 18th for what was clearly the round of the day.
A Senior Cup winner with Castle in 2012, McKeever's sensational round gave him a commanding lead over a six-man group on level par 72s — Castle clubmate Jack Walsh, Balcarrick's Ross Mohan, Bushfoot's Owen Crooks, Galway's Ronan Mullarney and Colm Hughes and Fota Island's Darragh O'Connor.
Leinster Youths Amateur Open Championship 2015 at Charlesland GC (Par 72 CSS 74)
68 Peter McKeever (Castle)
72 Ross Mohan (Balcarrick), Jack Walsh (Castle), Owen Crooks (Bushfoot), Ronan Mullarney (Galway), Colm Hughes (Galway), Darragh O'Connor (Fota Island)
74 Jack Patton (Letterkenny), Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock), Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle), Sean Walsh (Carton House)
75 Colin Woodroofe (Blainroe), Robbie Hynes (The Royal Dublin), Erik Jonasson (Sweden), Ted Collins (Dun Laoghaire), Neil McKinstry (Cairndhu), John Bolger (Courtown), Adam Mulhall (Ardglass)
76 Mark Healy (Kinsale), Liam Grehan (Mullingar), Keith Murphy (Charlesland), Luke Robinson (Bundoran), Shane Mc Dermott (Co. Cavan), David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown), John Murphy (Kinsale), Ross Steedman (Balcarrick), Conor Coyne (Youghal), Jack Blake (The Island)
77 Jamie Dunne (Borris), Rory Murphy (Dun Laoghaire), Matthew Fitzsimons (Ardglass), Evan Farrell (Ardee), Matthew Grehan (Tullamore), Paul Tobin (Cork), Conor Rice (Athlone), Paul Murphy (Rosslare), Conor Keown (Greystones), Oisin Fleming (Bray), Conor Ryan (Dun Laoghaire)
78 Sean Desmond (Monkstown), Dominic Pollock (Belvoir Park), Darragh Conlon (Athenry), Craig Melvin (Corrstown), Mark MacGrath (Limerick), Eoin Conway (West Waterford), Marc Nolan (Delgany), Matthew McGowan (Donegal), Sean Kestell (Charlesland), William Small (Tandragee), Sean Doyle (Athlone)
79 Alastair McQuillan (Cushendall), Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little.), Dylan Brophy (Castleknock), Sam Lewis (Greystones), David Clince (Craddockstown), Max Thallon (Bangor), Kevin Power (Kilkenny), Rory Williamson (Holywood)
80 Brian Doran (Palmerstown Stud), Adam Price (Delgany), Ryan Corry (Clandeboye), Conor Mooney (Black Bush), Eoin J O'Brien (Clontarf), Jason Murphy (Warrenpoint), Paul Twohig (Fota Island)
81 Sean Murphy (Charlesland), Brian Murtagh (Gort), Marc Boucher (Carton House), John McCarthy (Stackstown), Daniel Brennan (Shannon), Charlie Denvir (Milltown), Jamie Keenan (Woodbrook)
82 Robert Williams (Cork), Jake Whelan (Newlands), Eoin O'Hehir (Naas), Daniel Cosgrove (Kilcock), Michael Ryan (New Ross), John Corbett Jnr (Thurles), Craig Bolger (Carlow), Marc McCormack (Ashbourne), Darragh Flynn (Carton House)
83 Harry Duggan (Kilkenny), Mark Power (Kilkenny), Robert Moran (Castle), Cameron Raymond (Newlands), Adam McCormick (Scrabo), Jamie Knipe (Royal Portrush)
84 Jamie Foley (Letterkenny), Robert Browne (Castle), Darragh Crawford (Bundoran)
85 James Temple (Portmarnock), Mark Doogue (Baltinglass), Jack Brophy (The Royal Dublin), Oisin Devereux (Carton House), Craig Foley (Cork)
86 Luke Cummins (West Waterford)
87 Darragh Hobbs (Courtown)
89 Paul Kelly (Glasson)
DQ Daniel Curry (Coollattin), Gary Lawlor (Beaverstown)
WD Roy O Neill (Borris)
