Great players produce great shots at the opportune time and Edmondstown’s Thomas Abom hit what he described as the best shot of his short career to win the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship at the second tie hole.

The 19-year-old hit a 148-yard nine iron to three feet at Dun Laoghaire’s 18th hole and knocked in the putt to deny home player Richard Sykes a fairytale win after they had tied on six-under-par at the end of a sun-splashed day in the shadow of the Sugarloaf.

Older readers will recall how David Sheahan denied Edmonstown’s Mark Bloom the Close title in the 1970 final at Grange before Martin O’Brien broke the heart of another Edmondstown man, Joey Bryan, at Cork Golf Club in the 1975 Close final.

But Abom, who had his sister Anna, a girls’ international, on his bag, finally ended the Dublin club’s long wait for a major men’s amateur champion.

He went into the final two rounds tied for second place, four shots behind 17-year-old Roganstown star Sean Keeling, who was hoping to head to Texas Tech University today with the men’s and boys’ Close titles in his carry-on luggage.

But Keeling’s title chances all but evaporated after two visits to water led to with a quintuple bogey nine at his sixth hole (the 15th) in a third-round 79 before he regrouped to shoot 73 and finish fifth on one-under.
Victory went to Abom when, for much of the day, it looked destined for Sykes, a 32-year-old former hockey international playing in just his third championship.

Abom carded a one-under 71 in the morning round to head Sykes, who shot 70, by one stroke on six-under.
The Dun Laoghaire man played magnificently to turn in two-under and forge a two-shot lead early on the back nine.

He parred his next eight holes to lead Abom, who was playing two matches behind in the final group, by a shot playing the last.

But he fatally overshot the green and pitched 12 feet past, finishing with a bogey to shoot 71 and set the target at six-under.

News filtered back that Abom had two-putted for a birdie four at the 17th to take the lead but he too faltered at the last, coming up a yard off the front of the green with his approach.

He took three to get down from there, chipping 15 feet past before missing the return.

But after both men parred the driveable, 290-yard 13th in sudden death — Abom lipping out from 20 feet for the title as Sykes two putted from long range — the eventual champion made no mistake on their return to the 18th.

As Sykes hit his approach to 25 feet, Abom rifled a 146-yard nine-iron to three feet below the hole and, after his rival had shaved the hole, confidently rolled in the putt for victory.

“Definitely the best in my career,” Abom said of his glory shot. “Yeah, you can't really top that, right at the pin, definitely number one in the circumstances.”

He certainly wasn’t going to be short after his bogey at the 72nd hole.

“I clubbed up, actually,” he said of his first approach to the 18th. “Yesterday, I hit one way over the green, but I was in the rough, so I was kind of scared of going long.

"And then this time, I just knew if I struck it good, it was the number. So I did that and worked out.”
As for having his sister on the bag, he said: “We were actually kind of laughing. I brought her on the bag because she won a scratch cup here last year. So, I thought she might be able to give me some of the local knowledge, and it seemed to work out.  “Obviously, it's extra special, having her on the bag, so I'm very happy.”

Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley was third on three-under after a closing 69 with Ballybofey and Stranolar’s Ryan Griffin fourth after a closing 66.

It remains to be seen now who gets to join Max Kennedy, our leading player on WAGR, in the Amgen Irish Open at Royal County Down.

The other spot will go to the leading WAGR points winner from a mini order of merit comprising the St Andrews Links Trophy, the Amateur Championship, the European Individual Amateur and the AIG Irish Close.

The place appears to be between Foley and Keeling with the difference between the two almost negligible.

AIG Irish Men's Amateur Close Championship, Dun Laoghaire GC (Par 72)

Final

Detailed scores

282 Richard Sykes (Dun Laoghaire) 68 73 70 71, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 66 73 71 72

Abom won with a birdie at the 2nd tie hole

285 Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin) 70 71 75 69;

287 Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) 75 73 73 66, Sean Keeling (Roganstown) 66 69 79 73;

288 Luke O’Neill (Connemara) 72 76 71 69, Gavin O’Neill (Malahide) 68 75 71 74;

289 Brian Doran (Millicent) 69 70 78 72;

290 Calum Ward (Carton House) 73 75 69 73, TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 73 69 76 72, Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 73 69 73 75;

291 Seán McLoughlin (Co. Sligo) 74 73 71 73, Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) 69 72 77 73;

292 Harry McArdle (Warrenpoint) 74 73 72 73, Kevin LeBlanc (The Island) 71 75 75 71, Quentin Carew (Castleknock) 71 74 74 73;

294 Lewis Gowdy (Bangor) 73 72 74 75, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 69 78 76 71;

295 Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 72 73 79 71, Alan Fah (Dun Laoghaire) 72 71 76 76;

296 Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 72 74 74 76, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 72 73 78 73, Jake Whelan (Grange) 71 75 79 71;

297 Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) 75 71 80 71, Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell) 67 73 79 78;

298 David Kitt (Athenry) 76 71 76 75, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 71 72 80 75, Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 69 79 76 74;

299 Jack Blake (The Island) 74 74 75 76, Darren McCormack (Corrstown) 73 74 79 73;

300 Brendan Smyth (Howth) 73 72 75 80, Colin Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 72 75 77 76, Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 70 75 77 78;

301 David Lally (Blainroe) 74 74 76 77, Conor Hickey (Dooks) 72 76 82 71;

302 Louis Goodman (Co. Louth) 74 74 77 77, James Walsh (Douglas) 73 74 81 74;

303 Charlie Smyth (Slieve Russell) 76 71 79 77;

305 James McMaster (Holywood) 71 77 81 76;

312 Adam McCormick (Scrabo) 74 74 82 82.