Five obliged to share first place

Sudden-death was banned by rule at Slieve Russell yesterday, despite a majority vote. It meant that five players on 143 - Eamonn Darcy, Christy O'Connor Jnr, Philip Walton, Leslie Walker and Robert Giles - each received £4,800 for a share of first place in the £50,000 Quinn Direct Pro-Am.

Given that there was a trophy involved, it seemed a very unsatisfactory outcome to the 36-hole event which produced fine competition in glorious weather over two days. Even the sponsor, Sean Quinn, expressed the wish to see a winner of the £8,000 first prize.

But Michael McCumiskey, secretary of the Irish Region, was adamant that there could be no compromise with PGA rules. "In a pro-am format in Britain and Ireland, the prize money is shared," he said. "It is only in a designated tournament that there must be a winner."

As it happened, the player who produced the best round of the event, was edged out of the leading five into a share of sixth place. South Africa's Wayne Westner improved on his opening round by 10 strokes with a course-record 67 that contained seven birdies.

Power-hitting was very much in evidence at the 540-yard 18th, where he smashed a drive of 295 yards to set up a birdie. And he had earlier birdied the 512-yard sixth, which he reduced to a drive, a five-iron of 206 yards and two putts from 25 feet. "Obviously, knowledge of the course made a difference from the first round," said Westner afterwards.

All five leaders had realistic chances of outright victory. And Philip Walton, who finished a stroke adrift, also had the chance of winning before over-shooting the green at the eighth, his 17th hole, for a bogey and then missing a five-foot birdie putt at the last.

Walker, the assistant professional at Foxrock, was particularly keen on a play-off, after shooting a level par 72 that contained three birdies. He too, started at the 10th and having reached the 552-yard ninth, his last hole, with a drive and three iron, he proceeded to three-putt from 20 feet.

Giles also three-putted his last hole, the 18th, whereas Burns let his victory chance slip a few holes from home. In fact he had to get down in two putts from 45 feet at the ninth, his last hole, to get into the tie. Darcy, meanwhile, ran up a double-bogey seven after being bunkered at the 18th and failed to get the necessary birdie at the ninth, for victory.

Unlike his rivals, O'Connor finished with a birdie four, which was the product of a glorious bunker recovery of 27 yards from an uphill lie, to four feet from the hole. "I learned how to play that shot from Lee Trevino 12 years ago," he said. "The crucial thing is to keep the line of your shoulders at the same angle as the sand. In this case, it meant keeping my weight on the right foot."