Walker Cup hopeful Stuart Grehan bounced back from his South of Ireland disappointment to storm into an impressive seven-stroke halfway lead in the Sherry Fitzgerald Davitt & Davitt sponsored Mullingar Scratch Trophy.

Beaten in the second round at Lahinch, the Tullamore talent carded 15 birdies as he posted a brace of five-under par 67s around the classic James Braid course.

As a result, he’s got a huge, seven-stroke lead on 10-under par 134 over fellow Walker Cup panelist Robin Dawson from Tramore and Portmarnock’s Geoff Lenehan, a former winner of the title.

Raining marred the morning for the 90-strong field but it didn’t seem to bother Grehan, who birdied the fourth and ninth to go out in 33, then followed back to back bogeys at the 10th and 11th by finishing with five successive birdies from the 14th.

His 67 gave him a one-stroke lead over former Irish Close champion Tiarnan McLarnon and a two-shot advantage over Dawson with Corrstown’s Dave Lowry (70) and Lenehan (71) the only other players to break par.

But as the rain cleared up in the afternoon, Grehan remained equally impressive and while he mixed three birdies with three bogeys in level par outward nine, he again came home in five under 32 thanks to birdies at the 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th.

Lenehan added a 71 in the afternoon and Dawson a 72 to leave them tied for second on three under par with Lowry two shots further back after a 73.

The cut for the leading 51 players fell at 12-over par with Mullingar’s Adam Smith making it on the mark. 

Mullingar Scratch Trophy (sponsored by Sherry Fitzgerald Davitt & Davitt), Mullingar GC (Par 72)

Tee-times (Monday)

1. 06:30  11:30  Adam Smith (Mullingar) Keith Murphy (Charlesland) Cathal Butler (Kinsale) 
2. 06:40  11:40  Jamie Knipe (Royal Portrush) Colm Hughes (Galway) T J Ford (Co.Sligo) 
3. 06:50  11:50  Lorcan O ' Sullivan (The Heritage) Paraic Connolly (Killeen Castle) Marc Boucher (Carton House) 
4. 07:00  12:00  Ryan McKinstry (Cairndhu) Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) Ross Mckinley (Mullingar) 
5. 07:10  12:10  Desmond Morgan (Carton House) Daniel Murphy (Portarlington) Gavin Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick) 
6. 07:20  12:20  Neil McKinstry (Cairndhu) John Murphy (Kinsale) Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint) 
7. 07:30  12:30  James Sugrue (Mallow) Billy McGarry (Birr) Gareth Carr (Mullingar) 
8. 07:40  12:40  Liam Grehan (Mullingar) Paul Carey (Nenagh) Gary Ward (Kinsale) 
9. 07:50  12:50  Barry Anderson (Royal Dublin) Robbie Pierse (Grange) Colin Cunningham (Carton House) 
10. 08:00  13:00  Robert Brazill (Naas) Seamus Cullen (Slieve Russell) Ross Dutton (Tandragee) 
11. 08:10  13:10  Ronan Mullarney (Galway) John Hickey (Cork) Rory Williamson (Holywood) 
12. 08:20  13:20  Eoin Leonard (Killiney) Peter O' Keeffe (Douglas) Michael Jnr Ryan (New Ross) 
13. 08:30  13:30  Eoin O'Brien (Clontarf) Shane McDermott (Cavan) Ruairi O'Connor (Co.Sligo) 
14. 08:40  13:40  Devin Morley (Oughterard) Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin) Nicholas Grant (Shandon Park) 
15. 08:50  13:50  Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) Conor Purcell (Portmarnock) Tiarnan McLarnon (Massereene) 
16. 09:00  14:00  Joe Lyons (Galway) Jonathan Yates (Naas) Dave Lowry (Corrstown) 
17. 09:10  14:10  Robin Dawson (Tramore) Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock) Stuart Grehan (Tullamore)
18. Detailed scores

After 36 holes

134 S Grehan (Tullamore) 67 67

141 G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 71 70; R Dawson (Tramore) 69 72

143 D Lowry (Corrstown) 70 73

145 J Yates (Naas) 73 72; J Lyons (Galway) 72 73; T McLarnon (Massereene) 68 77

146 C Purcell (Portmarnock) 73 73

147 P Coughlan (Castleknock) 75 72; N Grant (Shandon Park) 74 73; H Foley (Royal Dublin) 72 75

148 D Morley (Oughterard) 72 76; R O’Connor (Co.Sligo) 72 76

149 S McDermott (Cavan) 75 74; E O’Brien (Clontarf) 74 75; M Ryan (New Ross) 74 75; P O' Keeffe (Douglas) 74 75; E Leonard (Killiney) 72 77

150 R Williamson (Holywood) 80 70; J Hickey (Cork) 79 71; R Mullarney (Galway) 77 73; R Dutton (Tandragee) 77 73; S Cullen (Slieve Russell) 72 78

151 R Brazill (Naas) 79 72; C Cunningham (Carton House) 77 74; R Pierse (Grange) 77 74; B Anderson (Royal Dublin) 76 75; G Ward (Kinsale) 76 75

152 P Carey (Nenagh) 78 74; L Grehan (Mullingar) 78 74; G Carr (Mullingar) 77 75

153 B McGarry (Birr) 80 73; J Sugrue (Mallow) 79 74; J Fletcher (Warrenpoint) 78 75; J Murphy (Kinsale) 77 76; N McKinstry (Cairndhu) 76 77

154 G Fitzmaurice (Balcarrick) 79 75; D Murphy (Portarlington) 79 75; D Morgan (Carton House) 79 75; R Mckinley (Mullingar) 78 76; A McCormack (Castletroy) 76 78; R McKinstry (Cairndhu)  75  79; M Boucher (Carton House)  75 79; P Connolly (Killeen Castle)  73  81       

155 L O ‘ Sullivan (The Heritage) 82 73; T Ford (Co.Sligo) 82 73; C Hughes (Galway) 80 75; J Knipe (Royal Portrush) 80 75; C Butler (Kinsale) 79 76; K Murphy (Charlesland) 74 81

156 A Smith (Mullingar) 78 78 

Missed the cut

156 A Doran (Ardee) 78 78; 

157 C Feeney (Co. Sligo) 82 75; M McCormack (Ashbourne) 81 76; L McMillan (Millicent) 79 78; D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh) 77 80; K Murray (Charlesland) 76 81; 

158 A McDaid (Palmerstown) 83 75; J Temple (Portmarnock) 79 79; 

159 S Brady (Galway) 83 76; J Fox (Portmarnock) 82 77; D Tynan (Mullingar) 82 77; J Swarbrigg (Mullingar) 82 77; T Collins (Dun Laoghaire) 81 78; 

160 T Plunkett (Mullingar) 83 77; D Brophy (Castleknock) 81 79; S McGlynn (Portmarnock) 80 80; D Sweeney (Westmanstown) 78 82; J Whelan (Newlands) 76 84; 

161 T O’Connor (Athlone) 82 79; C Dowling (Mallow) 81 80; 

162 M McKinstry (Cairndhu) 84 78; C Melvin (Corrstown) 81 81; J Mc Donnell (Forrest Little) 76 86; 

163 E O’Donovan (Dun Laoghaire) 82 81; B Doran (Baltinglass) 80 83; M McCormack (Mullingar) 79 84; S Sweeney (Vista Valencia) 76 87; 

164 H Gillivan (Westport) 86 78; 

165 D Brady (Co. Sligo) 86 79; S O’Connor (Carton House) 83 82; P Burke (Mullingar) 83 82; 

167 S Murtagh (Mullingar) 88  79; 

171 D O’Neill (Carton House)  84  87    

WD J Pierse (Portmarnock) 75 WD; R Knightly (Royal Dublin) 80 WD; C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 79 WD

NR A Grant (Dundalk) 

RTD J O’Rourke (Mullingar); C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown).