Ballyliffin hosts highly competitive pro-am
29/07/2013
Peter Martin scored a super 67 over the Glashedy Course in the PGA Pro-Am Tournament at Ballyliffin to open up a six-shot lead.
He sprinkled half-a-dozen birdies over his round and scored just one bogey, which came on the first hole. To balance the error, he scored par on the long four and then made birdie two at seven and birdie three at eight to turn in with a score of two-under-par 33.
A hat-trick of birdie threes on the back nine, at the 11th, 15th and 16th holes, gave the Collin Park pro a homeward run of 34 and a total of 67.
He will now prepare to defend his lead on the Old Course, which hosted the second set of competitors on day one.
This group was much tighter, with Mark O’Sullivan (pictured), Cian McNamara and Kenny Fahey all finishing on 68 to stake their claim for a share of the €15,000 prize.
Former Irish Assistants’ champion O’Sullivan (Pilltown Driving Range) finished strongly on the Old Course to share the overnight lead from there.
He was out in one-under 34 with a birdie at the long fourth hole and, after exchanging birdies at 11 and 15 for bogeys at 12 and 16, the Galway man eagled the long 18th to set the target of three-under-68, which McNamara and Fahey later matched.
Donal Gleeson (Old Conna) and Liam Bowler (Wexford) shared a special moment at Glashedy, they both carded a hole-in-one at the seventh.
Bowler led in the winning team at Glashedy on 96 points, while Phillip Farrell and the Ballyliffin junior team of Gavin McLaughlin, Kyle Harkin and Karen McLaughlin topped the team event overnight on the Old Course.
