Caldwell gets perfect start at the Valley

NORTH OF IRELAND AMATEUR OPEN:WALKER CUP player Johnny Caldwell has one goal in his sights for this year. He wants to make the Eisenhower Trophy team and hopes to take a step in the right direction this week.

The 24-year-old Clandeboye plus-four handicapper is one of the favourites to win the Magners North of Ireland Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush, and he made an excellent start yesterday.

In the first qualifying round, Caldwell carded a five-under-par 65 on the Valley Course to be joint leader from there. He spread seven birdies over his card with two bogeys mixed in.

At the third hole he wedged to 18 feet and rolled in the putt for a two, wedged to three feet at the third and lowered a 15-footer on the ninth green to turn in one-under-34.

Caldwell then birdied the long 10th, being on in two blows, made another four at the long 13th with a rescue to eight feet and two putts, carded a two with a seven-iron to four feet at the 15th, and made his final birdie from 15 feet at the 16th.

"This is my fifth time in the North and my best has been the quarter-finals. I haven't won a championship yet and I'd love to win this one," Caldwell said. "Winning would be a great help in my aim to get into the Eisenhower Trophy team."

Caldwell was joined on 65 by Connor Doran of Banbridge, Simon Ward of Co Louth, Andrew Morris from Belvoir Park and Malone's Byron Campbell.

Doran, a finalist two years ago, carded a blazing back nine of 30 shots - five birdies - in his 65, while Ward had seven birdies in his round.

Smiling broadly after posting a 69 was teenage Queen's civil engineering undergraduate Tim Greeves. He arrived at the club at 6.30am in the hope of getting a place in the draw and he was successful. Not only that, but he carded an albatross two at the 10th where his 192-yard approach dropped into the cup.

"At the start I was 53rd reserve, but when I arrived here at 6.30 I got a spot and I'm delighted. That is my first albatross, and then I birdied the 16th and 17th after having four bogeys on the front nine," recalled the three-handicapper from Shandon Park.

Former winner Darren Crowe of Dunmurry and Irish Championship runner-up Dara Lernihan from Castle are in a group on 68, while Irish champion Paul O'Hanlon of Curragh and his international colleagues Paul Cutler of Portstewart and Shane Lowry of Esker Hills are on level par 70.

Best on Dunluce was Conor Wilson from Belvoir Park with a two-under-par 70, while Warrenpoint's Colm Campbell shared 71 with Glen McAuley of Dunmurry.

The players swap courses today after which the leading 64 will qualify for matchplay.

FIRST ROUND LEADER BOARD

VALLEY (par 70)

65 - J Caldwell (Clandeboye) S Ward (County Louth) A Morris (Belvoir Park) C Doran (Banbridge) B Campbell (Malone)

66 - G McDermott (County Sligo),

67 - Donal Mulholland (Castlerock) R Boal (Castle) C OMalley (Westport),

68 - J McKinstry (Cairndhu) D Crowe (Dunmurry) D Downie (Sutton) I Kettyle (Rathmore) J Crangle (Fortwilliam) D Lernihan (Castle) L Reilly (Galgorm Castle) N Boyd (Donaghadee) T McClements (Holywood) D Coyne (Galway)

69 - T Greeves (Shandon Park) S Lowry (Esker Hills) A Hogan (Newlands) R McNamara (Headfort) C Hughes (Royal Portrush)

70 - P Cutler (Portstewart) P OHanlon (Curragh) J Stevenson (Royal Portrush) R Leonard (Banbridge) J Hannan (Carton House) D Vaughan (Ardglass) C Curley (Newlands) D Beattie (Whitehead) D Baker (Downpatrick) M Gaynor (South Carolina) J Heaslip (Ballyclare) D Sutton (Lockerbie) G Jones (Belvoir Park) K Quigg (City of Derry)

71 - J Patterson (Royal Portrush) F Rafferty (Dungannon) P Buckley (Kanturk) S Webster (Castle) G Smith (Stirling) J Mallon (Dungannon) H Diamond (Belvoir Park) J Turner (Royal Portrush); J Owens (Bangor/UU) R McDowell (Royal Belfast) R Aston (Portadown) G Lynas (Shandon Park) D ONeill (Newlands) D McCusker (Moyola Park) C Moffett (Cliftonville) R Evans (Moyola Park) T Irvine (Clandeboye) S Webster (Castle) R Oliver (Carrickfergus/UU) David Mulholland (Castlerock) K Sheehy (?) C Browne (Royal Portrush)

72 - A McKinley (Shandon Park) K Kidd (Lisburn) R Cannon (Laytown) S Paul (Tandragee) W McCully (Donaghadee) N Grant (Knock) A Taylor (City of Derry/UU) G Lawlor (Citywest) D Kyle (Royal Belfast) J Connolly (Cliftonville) N Kearney (Royal Dublin) M Sinclair (Knock) C Carvill (Belvoir Park) D Ruddy (Thurles) P Purdy (Shandon Pk) A OCallaghan (Douglas) R Forsythe (Ballyclare) B Galway (Cairndhu) A Meharg (Scrabo) N Sweet (Moortown)

73 - G Kelly (County Louth) M Wylie (Balmoral) G Reid (Spa) R Kane (Bangor) J Monaghan (The Island) J Taylor (Shandon Park) T Douglas (Lurgan) D Simpson (Malone) D Carvill (Belvoir Park) S Reid (Knock) C OConnor (Athlone) M Hammond (Mayola Pk) S Loftus (Lahinch) S East (Moortown) G McGee (Malone)

DUNLUCE (Par 72)

70 - C Wilson (Belvoir Park),

71 - B Hobson (Shandon Park) C Campbell (Warrenpoint) G McAuley (Dunmurry),

72 - P OLeary (Lucan)

73 - A Leslie (Ballyclare) J Hawthorne (Fortwilliam) C Dunbar (Rathmore) R Bridges (Stackstown) M Moreland (Scrabo) S Kelly (Lockerbie) B Best (Rathmore)

74 - A Daly (Delgany) K McDonagh (Athlone/NUIM) P Dallat (Ballycastle) M McGarry (Ballymena) S Kyle (Malone) C Miller (Clandeboye) C Crangle (Fortwillam) S Poole (Portadown) C McCormick (Holywood) P Reavey (Warrenpoint) J Coey (Clandeboye) A Kerr (Clandeboye) S McConnell (Ballyclare) C Moulds (Lisburn) T Davidson (Dungannon)

75 -G Armstrong (Carrickfergus) W Hanna (Kilkeel) N Molloy (East Clare) S Lyttle (Royal Portrush) S McLaughlin (Carrickfergus) S Magee (Lurgan) A Stewart (Portstewart) B Scullion (Lurgan) P Doherty (Ballyliffin) S Stevenson (County Armagh) G McDowell (Rathmore) D Coghlan (Royal Dublin) D Joyce (Curragh)

76 - P Thompson (Ballyclare) I Conway (Bangor) D Calder (Helensborough) I Moore (Dunmurry) P McCrudden (Royal Portrush) J Ward (Westmanstown) N OReilly (Clonmel) A Mason (Lambeg) L Ashby (Killerig) S Doherty (Ballyliffin) F Inglis (King James V1) L Acklin (Mulion) A Stevens (Spa) A Goodridge (Galgorm Castle) C Steele (Ballyclare)

77 - R Houston (Rathmore), R Naylor (Worplesdon), A Adair (Fortwilliam), D Gallagher (Dunfanaghy), S Quigg (City of Derry), J Harding (City of Derry), SArthur (The Island), S Rea (Ballyclare), A Kearney (Castlerock), N Murray(Dunmurry), K Magennis (Lisburn), A Ennis Jnr (Bright Castle), C McClenaghan(Spa), N Brennan (Dunmurry)

78 - K Canavan (Christy OConnor), M Thompson (Scrabo), G Henry (GalgormCastle), K Quigg (City of Derry), C Fairweather (Knock), M Jones (Moortown), JMcIntyre (City of Derry), M Timmins (Mount Wolseley), D McKee(Massereene), R Doherty (Ballyliffin), N Mullen (Kirkistown Castle), A Watt(Holywood), S McGlynn (Castle), R Knightly (Royal Dublin), A McCully(Banbridge), S Jeffers (Castletown), P Gibb (Massereene), G Bradley (Portstewart), L Mulligan (Stackstown), I Ross (Whitehead), R McCrudden (Royal Portrush)