Another Hoey has written his name in the annals of Ulster golf as Michael Jnr won the Carlsberg North of Ireland Amateur Championship at Royal Portrush yesterday. In the final he beat Clandeboye's Colm Murphy by 4 and 3.
Michael (21), is the third member of the Hoey clan to have his name inscribed on the trophy. His father, Brian, was twice a winner, and his uncle Michael also had a double in the competition.
The outward run of the final was snail-paced before Hoey turned one hole up on Murphy. But he then won the long 10th, coming out of rough with a three-wood to 40 feet and getting home in two putts. Bunker trouble cost the new champion the short 11th, but, after holing from eight feet for a half in par at the 12th, Hoey turned on the power play.
He finished birdie-par-birdie, holing from eight and six feet, to polish off the challenge of dark horse Murphy, who was unfortunate to see his 10-foot birdie putt lip out at the 15th, ending his hopes of a late comeback.
"I didn't play well at the start and three-putted the third and fourth, but I putted well at the finish. I think they second cut the greens and I found it difficult to gauge the pace at the start," explained the new champion.
Hoey will decide over the weekend whether to enter the South Championship.
"I'm feeling rather tired after almost two months of steady golf since the British Amateur at Hoylake (where he reached the last 16). Coming up are the European, and Interprovincial Championships and the Home Internationals, but I'm taking a few days away from golf to relax," said Hoey. In the semi-finals, he was rarely in trouble during his 4 and 2 win over former titleholder Michael Sinclair. The Walker Cup panellist won the second and third and was never behind. He turned one up and then birdied the long 10th hole with a drive and two-iron to the front of the green, and was three ahead when he made another birdie at the par four 13th.
Sinclair made an effort to halt the slide with a birdie at Calamity Corner, but then blew himself out of the hunt by failing to get up and down from a bunker - Hoey did - and three-putting the 16th green as Hoey took both holes with regulation pars.
Graeme McDowell's trail of success over the past five weeks was abruptly halted by Colm Murphy who won the seventh, eighth and ninth holes in par-par-birdie, hitting the green at the ninth with a drive and three-iron, to turn two up.
Murphy then took the 10th as McDowell three-putted, but lost the next when he was plugged in a bunker. The Clandeboye man was back to three holes ahead once more when McDowell missed the fairway at the 13th and had the chance to book his spot in the final but missed birdie from 12 feet on the 15th green.
It all ended at the next hole after McDowell pushed his second approach right and failed to make par, leaving Murphy through to the final by 4 and 2.
There has been consolation for defeated Graeme McDowell. He received a telephone call from the R and A inviting him to play, as Irish National Champion, in the final qualifying at Ladybank, near Edinburgh, for the British Open Championship. Better late than never.
Semi-finals: C Murphy (Clandeboye) bt G McDowell (Rathmore) 4 and 2; M Hoey (Shandon Pk) bt M Sinclair (Knock) 4 and 2. Final: Hoey bt Murphy 4 and 2.
Australia's Joanne Mills, helped by an eagle at the ninth hole for the second day in a row, fired a second round 70 to lead on the seven-under-par total of 137 the 54-hole Austrian Open. Ireland's Aideen Rogers added a 74 to her opening 73.
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