Local hero Brady keeps West of Ireland dream alive at Rosses Point
David Brady en route to victory over cousin Aodhagan in the last 16. Picture: Brian Keogh
He might be playing out of Straffan but County Sligo’s David Brady dares to dream of a home win after mounting an epic comeback to beat hot favourite Matt McClean on the 19th and keep his West of Ireland Championship dream alive at Rosses Point.
Born and bred on the links but now working for Bank of America in Dublin, the 27-year-old is bidding to become the first pre-qualifier to win the championship.
If yesterday’s dramatics are any indication — not to mention the fact that he survived a two-shot penalty for arriving late for his second qualifing round on. Saturday, fate is on his side.
After beating first cousin Aodhagan Brady (18) by holing a 30-footer for birdie on the 18th in the last 16, he came back from three down after 13 holes and two down with two to play to knock out Walker Cup star McClean at the first extra hole in the quarter-finals.
“I’m delighted,” Brady said after he’d won the 17th in par and the 18th with a birdie to level the match before winning with a brilliant par at the 19th, hitting the green from a precarious hanging lie above a bunker.
“I didn’t think walking off the 17th tee I’d be winning that match, so happy out.”
David Brady. Picture: David Lloyd/Golffile
He was three down to a metronomic McClean but won the 14th with a conceded birdie and birdied the 15th to get back to one down only to three-putt the 16th, where McClean brilliantly two-putted from the swale on the right to save par.
“I was a little annoyed after the three-putt,” Brady admitted. "But I thought, anything can happen on 17, and a four got it done there, and then 18 can be a birdie hole, and I was thankful to roll one in there.”
McClean opened the door with a poor approach to the last, and Brady walked through, holing a 12-footer to force extra holes before taking advantage of the Malone man’s failure to hit the fairway or the green at the 19th.
He now faces Castleknock’s Paul Coughlan for a place in the final and dares to dream of going all the way.
“It would mean a lot (to win),” he confessed. “As a kid, all of us here grew up watching guys like Rory and Paul Cutler winning the West and it would be pretty cool to follow in their footsteps.”
Brady birdies 18. Did the same against his cousin this morning. Up 19. @CountySligoGC pic.twitter.com/Yn3l1UUuMs
— Brian Keogh (@IrishGolfDesk) April 1, 2024
He faces a tough match against Coughlan, who dodged a bullet when he beat Berehaven’s Joe O’Neill on the 21st before digging deep to beat Elm Park’s Robert Galligan by one hole in the quarters.
Two down after nine, he made a 15-footer for a half in birdies at the 10th and went on to win the next four holes to go two up before closing out the match on the last.
“Ten was the turning point,” Coughlan (32) said. “Rob chipped in for birdie on 10 and I holed from 15 feet for a half to stay two down.”
Beaten in the Irish Close semis in 2017 and also in the last four at the South last year, Coughlan knows the gallery will be pulling for Brady but feels he’s putting well thanks to help from Gordon Smyth at Slieve Russell.
“It will be a big crowd but we will have to silence them in some way,” he said. “It will be fun.”
In the bottom half of the draw, Carton House’s Keith Egan beat his. clubmate Paul O’Hanlon 2 and 1 before putting brilliantly to beat Co Louth’s Evan Farrell 4 and 3.
David Brady beats Matt McClean on the 19h. pic.twitter.com/BRaVcxuJNY
— Brian Keogh (@IrishGolfDesk) April 1, 2024
“I played lovely, very solid,” said Egan, who was runner-up in the South in 2019. “I just got it going on the greens. Any chance I had, I just took advantage of it. So another one down, two more to go.”
Egan faces Clandeboye’s Ross Latimer, who survived a late comeback from senior Eddie McCormack — three down with four to play — to win with a par on the 23rd (18th) in the last 16 before doing the same to beat Colm Campbell on the 19th.
Three down after nine, the Warrenpoint man birdied the 18th to force extra holes, but he lost a ball right on the 19th and conceded after taking six shots to find the green.
“Eddie deserved to win that,” Latimer said of his last-16 match. "Tee to green, he was pretty flawless, but he just struggled early on the greens.
“Then against Colm, I didn’t expect him to do that on 19,” added Latimer (24), a former boys' and men’s Ulster interprovincial, as he trudged in. “I’m just absolutely knackered now.”
Meanwhile, world No 2 Brendan Lawlor carded a three-over 74 to lead after the first day of the 36-hole ISPS Handa G4D at the West.
“It was lovely out there, quite breezy from the star,” said Lawlor, who eagled the fifth and leads by three shots from current ISPS Handa Irish Open for Golfers with a Disability champion, Alan Gaynor from Co Sligo.
“I didn’t get off to a flyer, plus two after four holes. I had a lovely eagle on five, which was a high point to the round. But I had a triple bogey on seven followed up by two bogeys.
“I was five over after the front nine and shot two coming back in, so plus three for the tournament, so delighted.”
Roganstown’s Cian Arthurs lies third after an 81.
West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by Connolly Motor Group, Co Sligo GC
Third round
D Brady (Straffan) bt A Brady (Co Sligo) 1 up;
M McClean (Malone) bt J Whelan (Grange) 4/3;
P Coughlan (Castleknock) bt J O’Neill (Berehaven) 21st;
R Galligan (Elm Park) bt J Fox (Portmarnock) 2/1;
K Egan (Carton House) bt P O’Hanlon (Carton House) 2/1;
E Farrell (Co Louth) bt D Howard (Fota Island) 4/3;
R Latimer (Clandeboye) bt E McCormack (Galway Bay) 23rd;
C Campbell (Warrenpoint) bt D Gwilliam (Coventry, Eng) 4/3.
Quarter-finals
D Brady (Straffan) bt M McClean (Malone) 19th;
P Coughlan (Castleknock) bt R Galligan (Elm Park) 1 up;
K Egan (Carton House) v E Farrell (Co Louth) 4&3;
R Latimer (Clandeboye) bt C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 19th.
Today Semi-finals
0800 D Brady (Straffan) v P Coughlan (Castleknock)
0812 K Egan (Carton House) v R Latimer (Clandeboye)
Final (1315).
