Castkeknock’s Mark Doogue surprised himself by leading the qualifiers in the West of Ireland Championship but he’s keen to keep his dream run going in the matchplay stages at Rosses Point.

The Baltinglass schoolteacher (26) got the best of the early weather but as conditions deteriorated as he reached the turn, he was happy to chisel out a two-over 73 in southerly winds gusting up to 25 mph and win the Pat Ruddy Perpetual Trophy as the leading qualifier by two strokes from Carton House’s Keith Egan and Enniscrone’s David Shiel on two-under-par.

“It's something I didn't really imagine at the start of the week to be honest, but it's only half the job,” Doogue said after being confirmed as the silver medalist in the Connolly Motor Group sponsored classic.

“The main thing now it to put the head down tomorrow and just take it hole by hole and see where that brings me.”

He faces Royal Portrush’s Oscar Murphy in round one at 7:45 am after the cut for the top 64 fell at 12-over par 154 as the southerly wind made the last five holes a massive test.

Just two players broke par — Egan with a 70 and Rugby’s Darryl Gwilliam, a former. professional who celebrated his 42nd birthday by carding a superb 69 in the worst of the wind.

“I  was happy enough with how I played there and gave myself a couple of chances,” added Doogue, who mixed birdies at the first, fifth and eighth with bogeys at the second and fourth, before battling home in three-over with dropped shots at the 13th, 15th and 17th.

“I struggled coming in a little bit and left myself too far away from the flags. But the wind was really, really strong. It was calm early on but it picked up around the eighth and ninth.

“It's absolutely a bonus from here. I'll just take one match at a time and see what happens.”

Egan, a former South of Ireland finalist, made an incredible 17 pars to go with his lone birdie four at the fifth to shoot 70 and match Shiel, who was disappointed to hit a four-iron out of bounds at the 16th en route to a 73.

“The main thing is to set up the match play. I’m comfortable in the qualifying which is nice. I just love this place, feel really in control this week and raring to go for the match play,” said Shiel. 

“I absolutely love the head-to-head duel battle. I got tons of match play under my belt last year so really looking forward to that experience.”

Egan was also happy.

“It was definitely a lot harder today, even putting on the green it was very difficult,” said Egan. “But it was more so a mental battle today rather than yesterday when there was much better scoring conditions. So it was a grind from start to finish. 

“We were all grinding trying to hole putts. Especially from 14 in, it was unbelievably hard, there was no easy hole at all. Even 18, 18 is usually an easy hole but it was difficult today. I think I ripped a six iron and barely got it there.

“It was a totally different day today so I think we are all happy enough.”

Castleknock’s Paul Coughlan and Elm Park’s Robert Galligan tied for fourth on one-over but the cream came to the top with last year’s beaten finalist Barry Anderson the only big name missing from the matchplay draw.

Gwilliam could certainly be a dark horse, having recently finished runner-up to Tom Osborne and Charlie Daughtry in the Sunningdale Foursomes with partner William Shucksmith.

Now working in the railway industry in Co Kildare, he regained his amateur status in 2019 after playing for a dozen years on the Europro and MENA tours.

The ever-green Irish Seniors Close champion and 2007 West winner Joe Lyons (51) and Walker Cup player Matt McClean made it safely through on three-over while 2021 champion Hugh Foley was happy to shoot 72 and qualify on five-over after rediscovering some consistency on the greens.

“I'm still a bit off but holed out better and hit better putts from ten feet,” he said. “Pace putting feels really tricky at times out there, but maybe it's just a lack of competitive golf.

“But I started to get at the end there. So looking forward now to freer golf for your golf and freer putts and a good week ahead.”

With South of Ireland champion Colm Campbell and Peter O’Keeffe also through, there is no shortage of experience in the draw as well as a host of young guns looking to take some scalps.

They include 16-year-old Rory Gallagher from Galway Bay, 19-year-old Freddy Dortmans (the grandson of Tony Jacklin) and Roganstown’s Mark Cadden (16), who was playing off a handicap of 19 just two years ago.

Four Co Sligo men also made the cut, including David Brady, who was docked two strokes for arriving late for his tee time and opened with a seven.

His father Terry was acting as starter at the time but while Brady, now playing out of Straffan, shot 79, he made the top 64 but now faces Royal Dublin star Foley in round one.

West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by Connolly Motor Group, Co Sligo GC (Par 71)

Matchplay draw

Round 1

0745 M Doogue (Castleknock) v O Murphy (Royal Portrush);
0754 A Buchanan (Royal Portrush) v A Brady (Co Sligo);
0803 H Foley (Royal Dublin) v D Brady (Straffan);
0812 F Dortmans (Sunningdale, Eng) v S Dorman (Bangor);  
0821 M McClean (Malone) v C Ó’Muirithe (Belmullet);  
0830 D Mallon (Dungannon) v H Gillivan (Portmarnock);
0839 G Collins (Rosslare) v E Magill (East Clare);
0848 J Whelan (Grange) v J McDonnell (Royal Dublin);  
0857 P Coughlan (Castleknock) v S McDermott (Slieve Russell);  
0906 L Gowdy (Bangor) v D O’Riordan (Fermoy);  
0915 R Nelson (Belvoir Park) v J O’Neill (Berehaven);
0924 J Keane (Lahinch) v T Abom (Edmondstown);
0933 R Galligan (Elm Park) v S Kavanagh (St Anne’s);
0942 S Cullen (Slieve Russell) v A Benson (West Lothian, Sco);
0951 J Fox (Portmarnock) v D Keenaghan (Mullingar);
1000 L Lynch (Naas) v L O’Meara (Tullamore);
1009 K Egan (Carton House) v P Curran (Edmondstown);  
1018 D Flynn (Carton House) v R Carvill (Warrenpoint);  
1027 P O’Hanlon (Carton House) v P O’Keeffe (Douglas);
1036 A Smith (Mullingar) v L Mitchell (Portmarnock);
1045 J Lyons (Galway) v D Howard (Fota island);
1054 R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) v M Cadden (Roganstown);
1103 R Gallagher (Galway Bay) v J Foley (Elm Park);
1112 E Farrell (Co Louth) v V Hundeboll (Silkeborg, Den);
1121 D Shiel (Enniscrone) v A Allahbachani (Powerscourt);  
1130 R Latimer (Clandeboye) v C Stapleton (Connemara);
1139 E McCormack (Galway Bay) v D O’Keeffe (Hermitage);
1148 J Stenson (The Island) v R O’Connor (Co Sligo);
1157 D Gwilliam (Coventry, Eng) v J Temple (Portmarnock);
1206 J Walsh (Douglas) v A Kiernan (Forrest Little);  
1215 C Campbell (Warrenpoint) v L Flynn (Dun Laoghaire);
1224 TJ Ford (Co Sligo) v T McLarnon (Massereene).

Qualifiers

140 M Doogue (Castleknock) 67 73 (Leading qualifier, Pat Ruddy Perpetual Trophy);

142 K Egan (Carton House) 72 70, D Shiel (Enniscrone) 69 73;

143 P Coughlan (Castleknock) 71 72, R Galligan (Elm Park) 71 72;

144 D Gwilliam (Coventry, Eng) 75 69;

145 G Collins (Rosslare) 71 74, R Gallagher (Galway Bay) 69 76, J Lyons (Galway) 72 73, M McClean (Malone) 71 74;

146 C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 74 72, J Fox (Portmarnock) 72 74, E McCormack (Galway Bay) 71 75, R Nelson (Belvoir Park) 72 74, P O'Hanlon (Carton House) 70 76;

147 F Dortmans (Sunningdale, Eng) 74 73, H Foley (Royal Dublin) 75 72, A Smith (Mullingar) 74 73, J Stenson (The Island) 70 77;

148 E Farrell (Co Louth) 73 75, T Ford (Co Sligo) 73 75, J Keane (Lahinch) 75 73, L Lynch (Naas) 74 74, J Whelan (Grange) 71 77;

149 D Mallon (Dungannon) 74 75;

150 R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 76 74, A Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 71 79, S Cullen (Slieve Russell) 74 76, D Flynn (Carton House) 72 78, L Gowdy (Bangor) 74 76, R Latimer (Clandeboye) 73 77, J Walsh (Douglas) 76 74;

151 A Benson (West Lothian, Sco) 75 76, A Brady (Co Sligo) 78 73, M Cadden (Roganstown) 74 77, R Carvill (Warrenpoint) 77 74, H Gillivan (Portmarnock) 74 77, V Hundeboll (Silkeborg, Den) 73 78, A Kiernan (Forrest Little) 74 77, J McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 73 78, T McLarnon (Massereene) 72 79, L O'Meara (Tullamore) 71 80, D O’Riordan (Fermoy) 75 76, C Stapleton (Connemara) 75 76;

152 T Abom (Edmondstown) 74 78, D Brady (Straffan) 73 79, S Dorman (Bangor) 74 78, L Mitchell (Portmarnock) 74 78, R O'Connor (Co Sligo) 74 78, P O'Keeffe (Douglas) 73 79, J O'Neill (Berehaven) 72 80, D O’Keeffe (Hermitage) 72 80;

153 L Flynn (Dun Laoghaire) 77 76, J Foley (Elm Park) 77 76, D Howard (Fota island) 75 78, D Keenaghan (Mullingar) 78 75, E Magill (East Clare) 76 77, J Temple (Portmarnock) 72 81, C Ó'Muirithe (Belmullet) 75 78;

154 A Allahbachani (Powerscourt) 76 78, P Curran (Edmondstown) 76 78, S Kavanagh (St Anne's) 77 77, S McDermott (Slieve Russell) 76 78, O Murphy (Royal Portrush) 76 78.


Non-qualifiers

154 C Smyth (Slieve Russell) 75 79, T Finnegan (Co Sligo) 73 81, T O'Connor (Athlone) 72 82;

155 B Doran (Millicent) 73 82, D O’Reilly (Farnham Estate) 76 79, C Smith (Co Sligo) 75 80, C Ward (Carton House) 75 80;

156 B Anderson (Co Sligo) 77 79, R McCormack (Palmerstown House) 77 79, L McKeen (Co Louth) 78 78, L O'Connor (Edmondstown) 75 81, K Robinson (Castlewarden) 77 79, R Walsh (Douglas) 76 80;

157 D Basquill (Enniscrone) 77 80, D Beirne (Carrick on Shannon) 74 83, G Callaghan (Co Louth) 74 83, F Eager (Royal Belfast) 77 80, D Kelleher (Portmarnock) 79 78, C Kelly (Naas) 78 79, J McCarthy (Grange) 76 81, C Mooney (Ballinasloe) 77 80;

158 C Davis (Bray) 77 81, S Deasy (Douglas) 79 79, S Flanagan (Portmarnock) 77 81, C Harkin (Letterkenny) 77 81, J Hewitt (Tandragee) 73 85, C Keenan (Belvoir Park) 79 79, C Murphy (Grange) 75 83, R Murray (Balmoral) 79 79;

159 S Allister (Belvoir Park) 76 83, T Cafferky (Ballinasloe) 76 83, A Dooley (Carton House) 74 85, L Hutchinson (Royal Dublin) 75 84, R Lonergan (Kilkenny) 79 80, A Mulholland (Castlerock) 80 79, J O'Callaghan (Ballybunnion) 76 83;

160 R Lyons (Douglas) 78 82, N Patterson (Baltinglass) 80 80, A Scott (Lochmaben, Sco) 82 78;

161 P Carey (Nenagh) 77 84, C Duane (Naas) 75 86, M Green (Greenore) 78 83, C Hickey (Dooks) 82 79, J McIlhatton (Massereene) 81 80;

162 J Adler (Nenagh) 77 85, I Lynch (Rosslare) 79 83, T McGowan (Edmondstown) 80 82, G Sillett (Ballykisteen) 80 82;

163 J Hall (Whitehead) 84 79;

165 L Curran (Castleknock) 77 85, R Fitzpatrick (Naas) 82 83, S O'Neill (Malahide) 83 82;

166 J Cunningham (Carton House) 80 86;

172 E Rogers (Ardee) 84 88;

NR L Harris (Hermitage) 78 NR;

NS R Thompson (Galgorm Castle) NS -