WEST OF IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP:BANBRIDGE'S RORY Leonard survived a marathon, 23-hole third-round match with Limerick's Pat Murray, then overcame a storm that swept over Rosses Point in the afternoon quarter-finals on his way to the semi-finals of the Radisson-Blu West of Ireland championship in Rosses Point yesterday.
“Those are the toughest conditions I’ve ever played golf in, to be honest,” Leonard said after his quarter-final victory over Skerries’ Geoff Hopkins.
“I had a great match with Pat this morning before it got really wild – he was very unfortunate on the fifth, his ball just went over the back with his second, and he couldn’t get it up and down. It was nip and tuck all the way till then.
“I didn’t get off to the best of starts this evening, but I had a nice run in the middle of the front nine. It was just an endurance test after that. It’s just about trying to keep double bogeys off the card.
“I’m just delighted to get through.”
Leonard will play Headfort’s Rory McNamara, another who endured two marathon encounters yesterday, beating Newlands’ Cian Curley in the third round on the 20th and then Co Sligo’s Barry Anderson in the quarter-final on the 18th.
That was the third time McNamara won on the final green, in addition to this third-round win on the 20th, meaning he has played more holes by a comprehensive margin than any of the other three semi-finalists.
He came from behind to beat Curley, winning the 18th with a par to force extra holes, and then birdieing the 20th. But in the afternoon he was four up with five to play before losing three in a row.
After that, however, he held his nerve to halve the final two holes in bogey-par, a solid return against the stiff wind at Rosses Point.
“I’m just wrecked now, to be honest,” he said. “The match this morning was great – the conditions weren’t this bad.
“But this evening it was unplayable. I know they have to get it finished, but it really was unplayable.
“Even on 18 this evening, myself and Barry thought we couldn’t get our tee shots up the hill. I played it left on purpose.
“You just have to try and take it one shot at a time,” he continued. “I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s so hard. There are par fours out there that are playing as par fives.
“My swing is going to need a few days rehabilitation after this – maybe a few days in Spain or something.”
Knock’s Michael Sinclair plays Galway’s Eddie McCormack in the other semi-final this morning. Sinclair calmly progressed with a virtuoso front nine of one under against his quarter-final opponent, Forrest Little’s Eoin Arthurs, giving the Ulster man the perfect platform for a 6 and 4 victory.
“It’s absolutely horrendous out there,” said Sinclair. “You just need to accept that you’re going to make mistakes, so you need to try not to do anything too stupid.
“I played very solid this morning,” he continued in reflection on his third-round victory on the 16th over Grange’s Michael McGinley.
“I hit three really good shots coming in on 14, 15 and 16 into the wind – right out of the top drawer – and that’s just what got me through.
“I hit some really solid golf shots this afternoon – the hard thing was putting. I played well within myself, though, and kept it sensible, kept the pressure on.
“The weather wouldn’t really worry me – if you know you’re going to make mistakes and be patient, that’s really all you can do. You can’t get too wound up.”
That attitude was essential for his semi-final opponent, Eddie McCormack, who also progressed through the storm at Rosses Point, beating Baltray’s Gareth Bohill by 3 and 2, and Galgorm Castle’s David Kernohan by 4 and 3.
“Your thought process just goes out the window on a day like that. You just have to accept that it’s the same for everybody. The weather is so bad that we can’t really talk about the golf.”
“Normally I wouldn’t be that patient, but my wife and I had a baby recently and that has calmed me down a bit.
“Whether you have a bad day on the golf course or at work, you come home a hero.”
THIRD ROUND
R Leonard (Banbridge) bt P Murray (Limerick) at 23rd, G Hopkins (Skerries) bt T O’Flynn (Fota Island) 1 hole, R McNamara (Headfort) bt C Curley (Newlands) at 20th, B Anderson (Co Sligo) by P Cutler (Portstewart) 1 hole, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) bt R Bridges (Stackstown) at 19th, M Sinclair (Knock) bt M McGinley (Grange) 4 and 2, E McCormack (Galway) bt G Bohill (Co Louth) 3 and 2, D Kernohan (Galgorm Castle) bt C Boggan (Co Meath) 3 and 2.
QUARTER-FINALS
Leonard bt Hopkins 5 and 3, McNamara bt Anderson 2 holes, Sinclair bt Arthurs 6 and 4, McCormack bt Kernohan 4 and 3.
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