GOLF: NORTH OF IRELAND:FORMER ULSTER Youth champion Trevor Spence beat off English invader Jack Hiluta to claim the silver medal as the leading qualifier in the North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, at Royal Portrush, last night.
Clandeboye’s Spence, stormed in late in the evening with a super 69 from the big Dunluce links and added to his Monday 68 on the Valley he snatched the top spot one stroke ahead of Hiluta and Barry Cashman. Hiluta’s 66 on Dunluce had left him in pole position.
The 26-year-old Spence engineered the best round of his career on the big course with just one stumble – a bogey five at the 18th hole when wrong club selection caused him bunker trouble.
He birdied the short second from 10 feet, was on in two at the long ninth, wedged to six feet for a three at 13 and again set up birdie four at 17 with two blows.
“That is, by far, my best score on Dunluce,” enthused the civil engineer. “This is my sixth time in the championship and twice I missed the cut. My 68 on the Valley cut my handicap to plus-one.”
Play was disrupted for some time in the afternoon because of heavy rain, thunder and lightning but Spence and his partners didn’t hear the siren sound and played on.
Hiluta (20) made his only mistake of the day at the second hole where he pencilled in double-bogey seven after driving into sand and taking two attempts to get out.
Title favourite Paul Cutler added a level-par 72 to his opening three-under 67, after turning three-under.
The 20-year-old plus-three handicapper had six birdies in all and was joined on 139 by Aaron O’Callaghan of Douglas he carded level par 73 yesterday.
Missing the cut, however, were former winners Stuart Paul and Michael Sinclair.
NORTH OF IRELAND QUALIFIERS:
at Royal Portrush Golf Club
137– T Spence (Clandeboye) 68 69.
138– J Hiluta (Chelmsford) 72 66, B Cashman (Belvoir Park) 65 73, D Mallon (Dungannon) 68, 70.
139– A O'Callaghan (Douglas) 67 72, P Cutler (Portstewart) 67 72.
140– D Beattie (Whitehead) 70 70, A Pitcher (The Island) 67, 73.
141– D McElroy (Ballymena) 71 70, F Rafferty (Dungannon) 69 72, J Crangle (Fortwilliam) 69 72, C Doran (Banbridge) 68 73, R McNamara (Headfort) 67 74.
142– J McWilliams (Belvoir Park) 70 72, K Crowley (Lee Valley) 69 73, W Telford (Rathmore) 69 73, C Carvill (Belvoir Park) 68 74, S McConnell (Ballyclare) 68 74.
143– R Cannon (Laytown Bettystown) 73 70, C Curley (Newlands) 73 70, A McCormick (Scrabo) 70 73, D Vaughan (Ardglass) 69 74, R Leonard (Banbridge) 69 74, H Diamond (Belvoir Park) 69 74, N Grant (Knock) 69 74, D Sutton (Lurgan) 69 74, A Dunbar (Rathmore) 69 74, G Kelly (Co. Louth) 68 75, A Glynn (Porters Park) 67 76, G Dickson (Dunmurry) 67 76, G Jones (Belvoir Park) 67 76.
144– S Morrison (City of Derry) 74 70, P McCrudden (Royal Portrush) 72 72, R Whitson (Mourne) 72 72, D Lernihan (Castle) 71 73, D Mulholland (Castlerock) 71 73, G Morrow (Lisburn) 70 74, C Steele (Ballyclare) 69 75, C Selfridge (Moyola Park) 68 76.
145– C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 75 70, L Summerville (Donaghadee) 74 71, C McAleavey (Banbridge) 73 72, D O'Hara (Belvoir Park) 72 73, J Lyons (Galway) 72 73, G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 72 73, A Morris (Belvoir Park) 72 73, C McClenaghan (Rockmount) 69 76, D Crowe (Dunmurry) 68 77, G McAuley (Dunmurry) 67 78.
146– A Burns (Antrim) 77 69, A Kearney (Castlerock) 73 73, L Lennox (Moyola Park) 73 73, P Reavey (Warrenpoint) 72 74, P Doherty (Ballyliffin) 72 74, P Wallace (Mullingar) 72 74, A McKinley (Shandon Park) 71 75, J Patterson (Knock) 71 75, E Maguire (Seapoint) 70 76, I Kettyle (Rathmore) 69 77, S Crowe (Dunmurry) 69 77, S Smyth (Co. Louth) 68 78.
