Fox in control with course record

A priceless second-round 60 from Noel Fox in the Mullingar Friends First Scratch Cup erased Philip Walton's name from the course record books and sent the 27-year-old Portmarnock player to the top of the leaderboard after 72 holes.

Fox, who shot a morning 71, set his mark in the afternoon after Limerick's Tim Rice showed how the course could be played with an early 65. Few thought that Rice's score would be beaten until Fox went out in an eight-under-par 27 and back in 33 to eclipse Walton's 1982 record of 63.

"The thought of a 59 did go through my head," said Fox. "On the 17th I thought birdie, birdie for a 59. I was very happy with the way I stayed calm over the last few holes."

Fox's priceless front nine read two birdies, two pars, birdie, eagle, par, eagle, birdie for the 27. A lob wedge to two feet and a six-iron to two feet offered up the initial two birdies, while a big drive on the par four sixth helped him to his first eagle of the round.

Luckily Michael Barrett was still standing on the sixth green when Fox's drive on the 313 yard hole pitched up and hit him on the shoulder. The ball fell to six feet from the cup and Fox snapped up the eagle opportunity.

The next arrived on the par four eighth where Fox pitched in from 60 yards with a lob wedge. The third eagle, on the 470-yard 14th arrived via a 20-foot putt after a seven-iron approach, and his fourth on the 16th came from a low draw with a seven-iron to seven feet.

"That was probably the most satisfying shot of the round," said Fox, who also cut a four-iron from behind a tree on the 18th and just rolled off the green. Still, there he took the birdie.

"Yeah, I'll be able to slag Philip Walton now. He lives close to me and I can slag him a bit about the record," he said.

Fox now leads with a 131 total, the 13-under-par total giving him a three-shot lead over Stephen Browne from Hermitage and Athlone's Colm Moriarty.

Both shot a 68 and 66 to keep them well in contention for the final two rounds today.

131: N Fox (Portmarnock) 71 60

134: C Moriarty (Athlone) 68 66, S Browne (Hermitage) 68 66

135: J Foster (Ballyclare) 67 68

137: E O'Sullivan (Island) 69 68, J Morris (Mullingar) 68 69

138: P Dooley (Cork) 70 68, D Kelleher (Portmarnock) 69 69

139: R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) 70 69

140: M McDermott (Stackstown) 74 66, M Campbell (U.C.D./Stackstown) 73 67, S McTernan (Co. Sligo) 71 69, G Bohill (Co. Louth) 71 69, A Morrow (Portmarnock) 69 71, P Wallace (Mullingar) 68 72

141: A Morris (Belvoir Park) 73 68, G Hall (Edenderry) 70 71, S Irving (Howth) 70 71

142: A Dowling (Hermitage) 72 70, G Massey (Hermitage) 72 70, N Gorey (Killeen) 71 71, D Morgan (Mullingar) 70 72, N Goulding (Portmarnock) 70 72, P McDonald (Woodbrook) 70 72

143: G Cullen (Beaverstown) 73 70, B Hobson (Shandon Park) 72 71, T Rice (Limerick) 65 78

144: J McGinn (Greenore) 75 69, M Brett (Portmarnock) 73 71, C Cunningham (Mullingar) 73 71, G McNeill (Waterford) 72 72, D Sugrue (Killarney) 69 75

145: J Mitchell (Tramore) 75 70, R De Lacy Staunton (Hong Kong) 73 72

146: R Leonard (Banbridge) 76 70, M Barrett (Mitchelstown) 73 73, O Barton (Ballinasoe) 73 73, C Conaty (Ashbourne) 73 73, J Lyons (Birr) 72 74, P Errity (Delgany) 72 74, C Cassidy (Portmarnock) 72 74, R Elliot (Royal Portrush) 72 74, C Donovan (Killeen) 71 75

147: P Byrne (Portmarnock) 77 70, J Mulready (Castle) 74 73, M Kelly (Killeen) 73 74

148: M Staunton (Ballinasloe) 77 71, B McCarthy (Spanish Federation) 75 73, R Flood (Hermitage) 75 73, F O'Donoghue (Belvoir Park) 73 75, R Fitzgerald (Tramore) 73 75, M Rowe (Athlone) 73 75

MISSED CUT

149: J Drummond (Ballyclare) 79 70, J Pitkanen (Finland) 78 71, F Flynn (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 71, P Power (Tramore) 77 72, G Smith Vartry Lakes) 74 75, D McInerney (Lahinch) 73 76, K Feehily (Strandhill) 73 76, G Dickson (Holywood) 73 76., 150: S Dargan (Hermitage) 78 72, G McGranaghan (Galway) 78 72, E Butler (Lansdown) 75 75, G Bowden (Hermitage) 75 75, J Dickson (Holywood) 74 76, P O'Hara (Carrick-on-Suir) 74 76, M Sheridan (Tramore) 72 78, P McGilloway (Hermitage) 72 78. 151: L Owens (Royal Dublin) 78 73, G Purthill (Shannon) 77 74, C Doran (Banbridge) 71 80. 152: W Kelly (Killeen) 79 73, J Fox (Portmarnock) 79 73, P Rayfus (Co.Meath) 77 75, A McAllister (Portmarnock) 75 77, M King (Galway) 75 77, L Hynes (Blainroe) 75 77, D O'Donovan (Muskerry) 74 78. 153: J Gannon (Co. Louth) 80 73, R Healy (Mullingar) 77 76. 154: M Cunningham (Mullingar) 80 74, D O'Donovan (Co. Sligo) 80 74, B Smyth (Mourne) 80 74. 155: E Moriarty (Strandhill) 74 81. 156: B O'Brien (Headfort) 80 76, M McLoughlin (Mullingar) 80 76, P Collier (Lahinch) 77 79, E McCartan (Greenore) 77 79, R Maher (Mullingar) 77 79, L Halpin (Shannon) 77 79, T Higgins 76 80. 157: R Durnin (Laytown & Bettystown) 75 82. 158: A Lynch (Moate) 78 80 . NR : D O'Sullivan (Limerick) 81 NR. RT: M Horan (Birr) RT, R Cannon (Balbriggan) 74 RT