Cullen beats major bogey in style

Gary Cullen finally snapped the shackles, casting off the mantle of the perennial 'bridesmaid.' The emphatic manner in which he earned his maiden victory ensures that victory in the Irish Amateur Open Championship atones for previous disappointments.

The 23 year old Beaverstown golfer began yesterday's final 36 holes, five shots adrift of leader Jody Fanagan and when he could do no better than a level par 72 his hopes appeared at best tenuous. Walker Cup panellist Garth McGimpsey's 67 took him into a tie for the lead and it seemed that the title would be disputed by Fanagan and the Bangor golfer.

Scrabo's Andrew McCormick was best placed of the challengers, three shots further back. Few would have contemplated that Cullen, six shots adrift, starting the final 18 holes would prevail. A magnificent final round of five under par 67 over the Royal Dublin links in which he mastered a testing breeze that humbled his peers conjured victory.

"I knew that I needed something low. I played well in the first three rounds and finished up with the worst score I could have had playing that golf. "After 12 holes I knew that I was only a couple of shots behind. If I could par the 13th and 15th and get a couple of birdies at the par fives and maybe one on 16 then I had a good chance. But I had a feeling after chipping in at the first from the left fringe that it could be my day.["] Cullen birdied the fourth, holing from 15 feet, bogeyed the next before hitting a three iron to eight inches at the sixth.

A good up and down at the eighth enabled him to turn two under par and with the exception of the 13th where he finished on the apron he hit every green in regulation. Birdies at the 11th and 14th allowed him to move to five under for the championship. The pivotal moment came at the short par four, 16th when he hit a glorious three wood tee shot to 12 feet and just narrowly missed the eagle putt. The fortune that had eluded him in previous rounds materialised at the 17th. He smashed a huge drive to within 35 metres of the green but his pitch failed to check and he was fortunate that it thumped the pin before travelling another 18 feet. Two putts and the championship was his to lose standing on the 18th tee. Cullen's ball came to rest 70 feet from the pin at eighteen but with the minimum of fuss he caressed the ball to 10 inches: that elusive victory would be his. A semi-finalist in last year's Irish Close, again at the recent West of Ireland Championship and runner-up in this event to Michael Hoey last year, Cullen conceded that he was delighted to break his losing bogey.

Long-time leader Jody Fanagan finished one shot further back, displaying his mettle with a brilliant birdie on the 18th but he will have been disappointed with his closing 74. Following the heroics of his morning 67, McGimpsey's surge was undermined at the seventh when he drove into a bunker and then three putted for a six. He finished in a tie for third place alongside McCormick and one clear of Portmarnock's Noel Fox.