Alex Maguire celebrates with the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship. Photo: Thos Caffrey / Golffile.

Bookies' favourite Alex Maguire became the first player for 30 years to successfully defend the East of Ireland Amateur Championship when he beat Dundalk's Carolan Rafferty and Portumna's Sam Maguire in a three-hole aggregate playoff at a sun-splashed County Louth.

They tied on nine-under-par 279 in front of a huge gallery before the Laytown and Bettystown star (22) went par-birdie-birdie at the first, second and ninth to win by a shot from Rafferty (par-birdie-par) and by three from Murphy (par-par-bogey).

Banbridge's Raymie Burns was the last man to successfully defend the "East" in 1993, and Florida Atlantic University golf scholarship student Maguire was simply relieved to win his third domestic major, having won the North in 2021.

“I've been under pressure for the whole week, and I'm delighted,” said Maguire, who holed a 20-footer for par at the 17th and a 10-footer for birdie at the last to card a 72 to a five-under 67 by Rafferty and a 70 by Murphy. “I set myself with high expectations and I felt like I was losing it out there in the back nine but held two clutch putts in the last two holes. I'm just glad it’s all over, it’s a relief. Last year it was more fun and enjoyment because of how I did it but this is more relief being in contention from day one.“

In the playoff, he two-putted the second for his birdie to match Rafferty before pitching to four feet at the ninth to set up a winning birdie after Murphy and Rafferty found trouble off the tee.

He went into the final day two strokes behind Slieve Russell's Shane McDermott, whose eight-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole refused to drop, and he added a 71 to his morning 73 to miss the playoff by a shot on eight-under.

Alex Maguire and his father (Sean Maguire) celebrate a brilliant win. Photo: Fran Caffrey / Golffile.

Maguire carded a three-under-par 69 in the third round to lead by a shot from Murphy (72) and McDermott (73) on nine-under par before coming out on top in an epic afternoon battle.

"I was walking to the bathroom at lunch and looking at the winners' board to see who won it back to back, and I said, no, no, get back into the zone," he said. "When everyone says your favourite, you start to believe it, so I just tried to go out there and have fun."

He turned in level par to head by Murphy by two shots before the Portumna man birdied the 10th from 18 feet and 11th from around 25 feet to draw level.

But both Maguire and Murphy double-bogeyed the 12th — the Laytown man pulling a driver into deep rough and losing a ball as Murphy's second shot way right into deep rough, and he failed to move his third shot.

McDermott made an outrageous birdie from around 40 feet there to join them in a share of the lead.

But while Murphy birdied the 13th to edge in front, he bogeyed the 14th after missing the green left before McDermott bogeyed the 15th to fall into a four-way tie for the lead with Rafferty, who was four-under through 16 holes.

The Dundalk man birdied the 17th from around 18 feet to edge ahead as Murphy saved a great par from 20 feet at the 16th.

And victory for Alex Maguire with 4 4 3 -2; Rafferty 4 4 4 -1; Murphy 4 5 5 +1 pic.twitter.com/ccODftRaHV
— Brian Keogh (@IrishGolfDesk) June 5, 2023

It was Maguire's turn to make a 25-footer for par at the 17th, and with Rafferty only making par at last for a 67 for nine-under after bunkering his second short, the final three-ball needed birdies to force a playoff.

Murphy two-putted from the swale left of the green for a 70, and Maguire made a 10-footer for his four and a 72, but McDermott could not match them from around eight feet and ended up in fourth place on eight-under after a 71.

In the playoff, all three parred the first before Rafferty made a 10-footer at the second to match Maguire's two-putt birdie.

At the ninth, Murphy hit a fairway wood into the sand and made a bogey, but while Rafferty salvaged a great par four from around 10 feet after a poor drive into deep rough right, Maguire hit his approach from the right rough to four feet and rolled in the putt for victory.

East of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by the D Hotel Drogheda, County Louth (Par 72)

Detailed scores

279 Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) 71 69 72 67, Sam Murphy (Portumna) 70 67 72 70, Alex Maguire (Laytown and Bettystown) 68 70 69 72;

Maguire won after a three-hole aggregate playoff at the first, second and ninth - Maguire 11 (4 4 3), Rafferty 12 (4 4 4), Murphy 14 (4 5 5)

280 Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell) 68 68 73 71;

281 Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 67 71 72 71;

284 David Shiel (Enniscrone) 72 69 72 71, Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin) 70 74 71 69, Matthew McClean (Malone) 70 73 70 71, John Cleary (Elm Park) 70 70 72 72, Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little) 69 72 72 71;

285 Paul O’Hanlon (Carton House) 74 70 68 73, Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 71 71 73 70, Robbie Cannon (Balbriggan) 70 74 70 71, Rory Williamson (Holywood) 69 73 74 69;

286 Simon Ward (Belvoir Park) 71 71 73 71

287 Charlie Mooney (Ballinasloe) 69 73 71 74

288 Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) 72 73 76 67, David Kitt (Athenry) 71 69 73 75

289 Adam Doran (Co. Louth) 75 68 73 73, Michael Reid (Galgorm Castle) 71 72 73 73, David Lally (Blainroe) 71 72 73 73

290 Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 73 69 72 76;

291 Fionn Dobbin (Malone) 74 71 74 72, Cian Harkin (Letterkenny) 73 71 73 74, Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) 73 70 70 78, Keith Egan (Carton House) 70 75 73 73, Lewis Gowdy (Bangor) 70 72 74 75, Gareth Bohill (Co Louth) 69 74 72 76, Ross Latimer (Clandeboye) 68 72 74 77;

292 Max Stanley (Roehampton) 75 69 74 74, Jamie Butler (Killeen) 74 70 74 74, Ian Lynch (Rosslare) 73 71 71 77, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 72 73 71 76, TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 72 73 70 77, James Fox (Portmarnock) 72 71 73 76, Niall Carroll (Dunmurry) 69 73 72 78

293 Cian Dullaghan (Greenore) 70 73 75 75, Lee O’Meara (Tullamore) 68 73 78 74

296 Conor Murtagh (The Island) 70 73 77 76

297 Evan Farrell (Co. Louth) 75 70 77 75, Conor Harrington (Royal Dublin) 73 72 77 75;

300 Eoghan O’Donnell (Tralee) 69 73 78 80

302 Adam Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 70 75 78 79