Bullish Doran facing big task

 Irish CloseSentiment is rarely sufficient to facilitate victory even in amateur sport, so Connor Doran will have to produce something more substantial when he opposes Rory McIlroy in today's Irish Amateur Close Championship semi-final.

The Banbridge golfer celebrates his 24th birthday today but his young opponent suggested with a smile that he won't balk at being "a party pooper".

The pair have met twice previously with McIlroy prevailing at the corresponding stage of this tournament last year (4 and 3) and also at this year's West of Ireland Championship (5 and 4).

In mitigation, Doran faced an opponent who was seven under when winning the first encounter and five under on the second occasion: it's fair to say he brings out the best in McIlroy.

Prior to last year's semi-final meeting in Westport the pair went out for dinner and Doran ended up with food poisoning.

The latter said: "I'll be hoping that it is a case of third time lucky. I'm playing a bit better than I was then."

Doran hopes he has a game plan to defeat his 17-year-old rival. "You have to put him under pressure especially off the tee. If you can get a couple up and hit fairways, it puts him under a bit of pressure. I said to Darren (Crowe) before he went out, whenever Rory is under pressure, he swings a bit harder and there is a chance he might spray a couple.

"Of all the courses in Ireland this one probably gives you the best chance of beating him. It's brilliant fun for matchplay but having a card in your hand here is far too tough."

Doran crushed Cian McNamara in the morning but a lukewarm putter saw him struggle to the 17th before finally edging past Jonathan Caldwell.

McIlroy's passage proved similar as he made short work of Andrew Pitcher, opening birdie, par, eagle, par to be four up en route to a six and five win. The afternoon though proved a different matter as he appeared to be playing a private game of "keep a par off your card" for long stretches of his round against Darren Crowe.

En route to a one-hole victory, he amassed three double bogeys, two bogeys, an eagle and three birdies. It was a fascinating duel, a contrast in styles with Crowe generally opting for an iron off the tee, while McIlroy leathered his drives, occasionally 100 yards outside his opponent. Turning one up, the defending champion lost the 10th to a birdie and then went one down when he double bogeyed the 12th.

He demonstrated his mettle though in holing birdie putts of eight and six feet on the 15th and 16th holes to edge one up. When Crowe drove into the rough on 18 and McIlroy split the fairway, the outcome appeared a foregone conclusion but the latter put an eight iron from 163 yards into the water in front of the green.

Crowe played out of the rough and pitched to five feet. McIlroy got up and and down and watched as Crowe's par putt slid across the hole and lipped out.

In the other semi-final 19 year-old Monaghan-born, Co Louth clubman Simon Ward will face Paul O'Kane (Moyola Park). Ward was six up at one stage when beating Nicky Grant by just one hole in the morning but ruthlessly accounted for David Finn after lunch, the match finishing on the 13th green.

O'Kane, an 18-year-old schoolboy studying for his A levels at St Mary's Magherafelt, required a tie hole in the afternoon to beat Dungannon's Fergal Rafferty.

THIRD ROUND: Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt Damien Coyne (Tuam) 6 and 4; Connor Doran (Banbridge) bt Cian McNamara (Limerick) 6 and 5; Darren Crowe (Dunmurry) bt Robert Cannon (L'town & B'town) 3 and 2; Rory McIlroy (Holywood) bt Andrew Pitcher (The Island) 6 and 5; Simon Ward (Co. Louth) bt Nicky Grant (Knock) 1 hole; David Finn (Mallow) bt Michael Sinclair (Knock) 1 hole; Paul O'Kane (Moyola Park) bt Desmond Morgan (Mullingar) 3 and 2; Fergal Rafferty (Dungannon) bt Paul O'Hanlon (Curragh) 2 and 1.

QUARTER-FINALS: Connor Doran (Banbridge) bt Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye) 2 and 1; Rory McIlroy (Holywood) bt Darren Crowe (Dunmurry) 1 hole; Simon Ward (Co. Louth) bt David Finn (Mallow) 6 and 5; Paul O'Kane (Moyola Park) bt Fergal Rafferty (Dungannon) 19th.

DRAW FOR SEMI-FINALS Today, 9am: Doran v McIlroy. 9.30am: Ward v O'Kane. Final will tee off at 2.15pm.