MEDIA RELEASE: 7th June 2021
ISSUED BY GOLF IRELAND

Images attached only to be used in conjunction with this release.  

LIVE SCORING 

Championship golf made its long-awaited return for Ireland’s top amateur golfers today as the ISPS Handa Ulster Men’s and Women’s Stroke Play began at Royal County Down. Fittingly it is the first competitive event run by Golf Ireland since the new governing body came into existence in January of this year.  

Following the opening 36 holes on day 1, Rowan Lester (Hermitage) and Aideen Walsh (Lahinch) set the pace in the men’s and women’s events.   

Lester made 4 birdies in his opening 12 holes before signing for a 36-hole total of level par. The Ireland international will have a 4-shot advantage over Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) and Alex Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown) when he begins this third-round tomorrow morning.   

Walsh’s total of 4-over-par included an eagle in both rounds, on the par 5 13th and 15th holes. Building a significant lead, three bogeys to finish her afternoon round brought her back to the field but still 1-shot ahead of Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) and a further 2-shots clear of Deirdre Smith (Co. Louth).

The field of 81 amateurs is now cut to 54 for the final round, following which the top two male players and top female player earn a spot in the ISPS HANDA World Invitational later this summer at Galgorm Castle and Massereene.  

The ISPS HANDA World Invitational is a unique global event and part of the main European Tour, LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. Sanctioned by the main global tours in world professional golf, it attracts some of the best players in the men’s and women’s game. 

The inaugural ISPS HANDA World Invitational was played in 2019 and the men’s title was won by England’s Jack Senior, while homegrown favourite Stephanie Meadow won the women’s title. 

For more information on the ISPS HANDA World Invitational click here. 

-ends  

PRESS RESULTS 

Men’s event 

142, R Lester (Hermitage Golf Club), 70, 72 

146, J Hill (Galgorm Castle Golf Club), 72, 74; A Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown GC), 72, 74 

147, M Boucher (Carton House Golf Club), 73, 74 

148, C CAMPBELL (Warrenpoint Golf Club), 75, 73 

149, M Kennedy (Royal Dublin Golf Club), 78, 71; R Moran (Castle Golf Club), 75, 74; S Murphy (Portumna Golf Club), 74, 75 

150, M McClean (Malone Golf Club), 76, 74 

151, C Denvir (Elm Park Golf Club), 79, 72; P Coughlan (Castleknock Golf Club), 76, 75; K Egan (Carton House Golf Club), 76, 75; R Williamson (Holywood Golf Club), 74, 77; C Rafferty (Dundalk Golf Club), 74, 77 

152, L O’Neill (Connemara Golf Club), 77, 75; G Lappin (Belvoir Park Golf Club), 76, 76 

153, D Flynn (Carton House Golf Club), 78, 75 

154, S Carter (Royal Dublin Golf Club), 76, 78; R Milne (Faithlegg Golf Club), 76, 78; J Whelan (Grange Golf Club), 74, 80 

155, R McCrory (Lurgan Golf Club), 78, 77; J FOX (Portmarnock Golf Club), 77, 78; A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire Golf Club), 72, 83 

156, P Conroy (Enniscorthy Golf Club), 83, 73; R O’Doherty (Enniscrone Golf Club), 80, 76; P O’ Keeffe (Douglas Golf Club), 77, 79; E Murphy (Dundalk Golf Club), 77, 79; J Hood (Galgorm Castle Golf Club), 76, 80; J Cleary (Elm Park Golf Club), 74, 82 

157, S FLANAGAN (Portmarnock Golf Club), 82, 75; P Keeling (Roganstown Golf Club), 81, 76; G Dunne (Co. Louth Golf Club), 80, 77; J Byrne  (Baltinglass Golf Club), 79, 78; E Sullivan (Carton House Golf Club), 78, 79; J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle Golf Club), 77, 80 

158, K Murphy (Arklow Golf Club), 80, 78; J Mc Donnell (Forrest Little Golf Club), 79, 79; S Desmond (Monkstown Golf Club), 79, 79 

MC 159, K Bornemann (Douglas Golf Club), 82, 77; B Best (Rathmore Golf Club), 82, 77; S Mc Dermott (Slieve Russell Golf Club), 82, 77; C Nolan (Portmarnock Golf Club), 82, 77; T Higgins (Roscommon Golf Club), 81, 78 

MC 160, A King (Faithlegg Golf Club), 78, 82; J McCabe (Roganstown Golf Club), 78, 82 

MC 161, P Buckley (Cork Golf Club), 81, 80; D KITT (Athenry Golf Club), 81, 80; K McCarron (North West Golf Club), 80, 81; D Keating (Seapoint Golf Club), 78, 83; A Hickey (Galway Bay Golf Club), 78, 83 

MC 162, R Latimer (Knock Golf Club), 82, 80; T McLarnon (Massereene Golf Club), 82, 80; L Nolan (Galway Golf Club), 78, 84; R McNelis (Fintona Golf Club), 78, 84 

MC 165, P Costello (Galway Golf Club), 85, 80 

MC 166, L O’CONNOR (Edmondstown Golf Club), 87, 79; F Kennedy (The Island Golf Club), 85, 81; C Ryan (Dun Laoghaire Golf Club), 83, 83; C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown GC), 78, 88 

MC 169, R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire Golf Club), 79, 90 

MC 175, J Mackin (Dundalk Golf Club), 86, 89 

MC 177, P McGrath (Galway Bay Golf Club), 87, 90 

RTD 0, K Quigg (Ballyliffin Golf Club) 

Women’s event 

156, A Walsh (Lahinch Golf Club), 77, 79 

157, S Burke (Ballinrobe Golf Club), 79, 78 

159, D Smith (Co. Louth Golf Club), 79, 80 

161, J ROSS (Clandeboye Golf Club), 83, 78 

162, R Thompson (Cork Golf Club), 83, 79; A Dawson (Tramore Golf Club), 80, 82 

164, E Fleming (Elm Park Golf Club), 86, 78; V Clancy (Killarney Golf Club), 80, 84 

165, J Browne (Kilkenny Golf Club), 86, 79 

168, M O’Hara (Clandeboye Golf Club), 85, 83 

169, M Martin (Kanturk Golf Club), 87, 82 

170, E O’Gorman (Milltown Golf Club), 90, 80 

171, C Griffin (Killarney Golf Club), 89, 82; S McElroy (Grange Golf Club), 86, 85 

173, K Dwyer (Rossmore Golf Club), 94, 79; T Laverty (Royal Portrush Golf Club), 87, 86 

174, C Walsh (Castlewarden Golf Club), 84, 90 

177, C Shippam (Ballykisteen Golf Club), 94, 83 

MC 178, O Mccrystal (Holywood ), 92, 86 

MC 181, H Guerin (Royal Tara Golf Club), 95, 86 

MC 185, K Dillon (Oughterard Golf Club), 98, 87 

MC 191, A Burke (Killarney Golf Club), 94, 97; K Fleming (Elm Park Golf Club), 93, 98 

MC 194, S Sharp (Royal Tara Golf Club), 99, 95