Mehaffey knocks out favourite Meadow in Irish Ladies Close at Ballybunnion

Teenager Olivia Mehaffey caused a major upset in the Irish Ladies Close Championship at Ballybunnion yesterday when she knocked out Curtis Cup player Stephanie Meadow.

Mehaffey,the Irish girls stroke-play champion, from Royal County Down, had a hole in one at the eighth on her way to a last green victory.

The pair boasted a better-ball score of eight under par.

Mehaffey who has been chosen for the Junior Vagliano Trophy team playing in Chantilly next weekend, established a four-hole advantage after 12 but Meadow,the 2012 British champion from Royal Portrush, then played sub-par golf to be just one behind playing the last –but Mehaffey won that hole to book her place in the last 16.

Qualified
Meadow (21) had qualified the previous day with a score 21 strokes better than Mehaffey's who will now clash with former champion Karen Delaney.

Lisa Maguire, who struggled in qualifying, easily moved into round two with a 4 and 3 victory over Jessica Ross and she will now face twin sister Leona,the reigning champion, for a quarter-final spot.

COLM MORIARTY is enjoying a happy return to the Challenge Tour after a nine-month sabbatical, at the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Spey Valley GC in Inverness, where he is just four shots off the lead going into the weekend.

The Athlone man admitted he had become disillusioned with the game after nine seasons on the Challenge Tour.

However, he has returned fresh and hungry for success and Moriarty is right in contention for a second Challenge Tour title after carding a superb six under par round of 65 to climb to eight under for the tournament and four shots off the pace set by Sweden’s Jens Dantorp.

“I was hitting it pretty close all day and I had quite a few chances,” said the 34- year-old. “You are not going to get the course out there any easier. Once you drive the ball straight on the tricky holes you are going to create a lot of chances on the other holes if you are playing well.”