Mullingar Scratch Cup: Golf isn't ordinarily a contact sport but try telling that to Finbar Whelan. Preparing for his opening round of the Mullingar Scratch Cup, the Laytown & Bettystown golfer stood on the first tee while one of his playing partner's, David Houlihan, was warming up with a few half swings.

The tee-box is relatively cramped so Whelan decided to stand in front of the K Club golfer. Unfortunately Houlihan never saw him and in the process of swinging caught Whelan on the hand breaking the latter's metatarsal bone. "He just caught me a crack on the hand and it swelled up like a balloon immediately."

The 35-year-old scratch golfer was whisked to Mullingar Regional hospital and courtesy of the intervention of Michael Smith, a former captain at Mullingar Golf Club and radiologist at the hospital, Whelan secured an X-ray confirming the break.

He will be out of action for six to nine weeks thereby ruling him out of competing for Laytown & Bettystown in the Leinster Finals of the Irish Senior Cup at Malahide golf club on August 21st.

"I'm absolutely gutted. I was playing quite nicely this year and looking forward to the Senior Cup," said Whelan.

It's not the first bit of misfortune Whelan has suffered this season for in the East of Ireland Championship he stood at three-under after 14 holes in the first round only to play a wrong ball on his way to a 74.

While Whelan negotiated a one-handed drive back to Gormanston, Greg Bowden took the Mullingar Scratch Cup by the scruff of the neck with rounds of 69 and 67 to leave him at eight-under par at the halfway stage.

The 22-year-old Hermitage golfer, a beaten finalist in the West and South of Ireland Championships this season, produced high-quality golf over the parkland layout despite a less than auspicious start.

Standing at three-over after five holes in the morning, he amassed five birdies and a eagle - he dropped just one further shot on the 13th - for a 69, a shot adrift of first-round leader Michael McGeady.

The afternoon fare was even better, six birdies and just a single dropped shot on the second hole, allowing Bowden to card a 67.

"I was fairly relaxed starting out in the morning, not putting myself under any pressure: more a case of see what happens. I need a break but when you are playing well it's not as tiring as playing badly.

" I have had a good year now and hopefully will have a good interpros and get on the Irish team. I holed a lot of putts, some you wouldn't expect and hopefully that will continue. My attitude is if it happens it happens and if it doesn't, it doesn't . . . I'm just going out to do the same as today. I'm not going to back off."

Bowden is five shots clear of McGeady and six ahead of the Grange's David Carroll, who shot a superb four-under 68 in the afternoon. McGeady, who led after the morning's 18 holes, double bogeyed the first on his way to a one-over par, 73 in the afternoon. The top 50 players and ties will contest today's final 36 holes.