Defending champion Eddie McCormack was one of the high profile players to miss the cut as three players grabbed a share of the lead heading into the final 36 holes of the Connacht Strokeplay Championship at Portumna.

McCormack was undone by a 10 at the par-five 17th in an opening 81 and added a 78 to miss the 11-over cut by four strokes.

Waterford Castle’s Ben Murray, Castle’s Peter McKeever and Roscommon’s Simon Walker lead by one stroke on three-over par from Westport’s Harry Gillivan, Malone’s Matt McClean and Thurles’ Aaron Ryan.

McKeever and Walker opened with two-under 70s to lead by a shot from Co Sligo’s Ruairi O’Connor but Nenagh’s Scott O’Brien was the only player to break par in the afternoon, carding a 71 on a day of gusting winds to make the cut on the mark.

Exactly 39 players qualified for Sunday’s final 36 holes in the Murray Timber Group sponsored championship on 155.

Connacht Strokeplay Championship, Portumna (Par 72)

Detailed scores

147 B Murray (Waterford Castle) 74 73, P McKeever (Castle) 70 77, S Walker (Roscommon) 70 77

148 H Gillivan (Westport) 7474, M McClean (Malone) 73 75, A Ryan (Thurles) 73 75

149 G Dunne (Co. Louth) 76 73, L O’Neill (Connemara) 75 74, H O’Hare (Fortwilliam) 75 74 149 , D Leufer (Athenry) 75 74, R Latimer (Knock) 74 75, S Walsh (Portmarnock) 73 76, R O’Connor 9 (Co. Sligo) 71 78

150 B McGarry (Portumna) 78 72, M Kennedy (Royal Dublin) 77 73, E Griffin (Waterford) 77 73, J Sabir (Moate) 75 75

151 H Foley (Royal Dublin) 76 75, J McLoughlin (Portumna) 76 75, R O’Doherty (Enniscrone) 75 76M Boucher (Carton House) 75 76, E Long (Monkstown) 73 78, M Nolan (Dun Laoghaire) 72 79, R Dutton (Tandragee) 72 79

152 J Tuohy (Galway Bay) 76 76, S Murphy (Portumna) 75 77, L Grehan (Mullingar) 74 78 

153 TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 78 75, H Duggan (Kilkenny) 76 77, J Lyons (Galway) 74 79, R Hynes (Royal Dublin) 74 79

154 T O’Connor (Athlone) 78 76, L Power (Galway) 78 76, J Byrne (Baltinglass) 76 78, E Murphy (Dundalk) 75 79,

155 S O’Brien (Nenagh) 84 71, S Brady (Galwa 80 75, D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh) 79 76, M Burke (Galway) 77 78, T Dowdall (Woodbrook) 76 79

CUT

156 K McMcCormack (Portarlington) 83 73, M Horan (Birr Golf Club) 79 77, J Temple (Portmarnock 79 77, K Murphy (Dun Laoghaire) 78 78, C Kenny (Portmarnock) 78 78, J McCarthy (Grange) 76 80,

157 C Butler (Kinsale) 79 78, A McCormack (Castletroy) 78 79, D Crawford (Bundoran) 78 79, M McKinstry (Cairndhu) 78 79, J Cleary (Elm Park) 77 80,

158 C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 80, E Farrell (Ardee) 78 80, 

159 D Flynn (Carton House) 83 76, E McCormack (Galway Bay) 81 78, M Healy (Kinsale) 78 81, 

161 N Carroll (Athlone) 82 79, R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 81 80, M Shiel (Galway Bay) 78 83, S Hogan (Nenagh) 77 84, 

162 C Nolan (Galway) 82 80, S Downes (Royal Dublin) 80 82, G O’Mahony (Fota Island) 80 82, D Brady (Co. Sligo) 78 84, 

163 C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 81 82,

167 C Stone (Carton House) 81 86

168 S McGlynn (Portmarnock) 86 82, T Plunkett (Crover House) 82 86

WD R Kenny (Millicent) 78 79 157

NR M McCormack (Moss Creek, USA) 83 83

RTD R Knightly (Royal Dublin) 78 WD

WD MJ Kennelly (Galway Bay) 80 WD, P Connolly (Killeen Castle) 83

NR K Lynch (Skibbereen) 84 NR

RTD A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire)