GOLF:WOOLLY HATS and waterproofs were the order of the day but while title favourite Alan Dunbar saw his game go cold, the Rathmore man still remained at the head of affairs entering today's final 36 holes in the East of Ireland Amateur Open at firm and fast County Louth.
The 21-year old Walker Cup prospect avoided the worst of the wet and windy morning conditions, yet while he failed to take advantage of a major break in the weather after lunch he was still pleased to limit the “damage” to a level par 72.
“I struggled today but I still managed to get it around,” said Dunbar, who leads by a stroke on four under par 140 from Galway’s Eddie McCormack, Ballymena’s Dermot McElroy and Headfort’s Rory McNamara, who carded a best of the day 68 in the worst of the early conditions.
McNamara was inspired by words of encouragement from fellow Kells man Damien McGrane, who became a regular practice partner over the winter months.
“I’ve played a lot with Damien and he just tells me to keep plugging away and keep doing what I’m doing,” said McNamara.
“We played a lot together over the winter and he just said, ‘You have the talent, just keep going after what you want and practice hard’.”
Winner of the Leinster Youths title in 2008 and a member of the Leinster senior interprovincial team, 22-year old McNamara played for Ireland against the Metropolitan Golf Association of New York in 2009.
He’s now a full time golfer and his ambition is to win a full senior international cap in August when Ireland host the Home International Matches at County Sligo.
He certainly showed that gritty determination is not the sole preserve of European Tour star McGrane among Kells golfers.
A stiff north wind and squally showers made life tough for the early starters but McNamara kept his head down to produce the round of the day.
Starting on the back nine, he chipped and putted brilliantly to open with nine successive pars before racing home in four under 33 as he birdied the first, second and then came close to an ace at the par-three fifth, where his eight iron tee shot hit the hole and lipped out.
After a tap in birdie there he parred the next three holes before signing off with a birdie at the ninth to set a clubhouse target of 141 that was only bettered by Dunbar late in the day.
“It was cold and windy this morning and I was happy to get through the front nine in level par,” McNamara said.
“My aim was to shoot something around par going out and then try and pick up a few shots coming in and I managed to do that.
“I made a few good up and downs on the back nine and then made a good start after the turn and could have had a lot of birdies, to be honest, but didn’t hole the putts.”
With the cut for the leading 51 players falling at five over par 149, no fewer that 50 players are within eight shots of Dunbar entering the final two rounds.
His fellow Walker Cup aspirant, Ballymena teenager Dermot McElroy, is just a shot adrift in a tie for second, with McNamara and Galway star McCormack, after a grinding 71 that featured three birdies and two bogeys.
“I played rubbish but my chipping any putting saved me,” said 17-year old McElroy, who outweighed bogeys at the sixth and 13th with birdies at the par-five second, third and 18th holes.
Forrest Little’s Eoin Arthurs, the 2009 champion, fired a 70 to lie just two strokes off the pace on two under, alongside Headfort’s Brian Casey, with Portmarnock’s Geoff Lenehan (71) and County Louth’s Gareth Bohill (72) a further shot back.
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