McGrane cashes in

European Tour ace Damien McGrane returned home to successfully plunder the PGA Irish circuit as he went away with the winner’s cheque from the €18,000 Philip Walton PGA Pro-am at Dundrum House.

Meath man McGrane was second overnight, in the two-day event, to Brendan McGovern but the pair switched positions as McGrane posted a one-under-par 71 to McGovern’s 74.

The winner was able to soak up a triple-bogey six at the sixth hole and still top the leaderboard at the end of the day. He birdied the par four first hole but then ran into difficulties at the short sixth to pencil in that ugly six.

He quickly overcame the horrid setback by stringing together a hat-trick of birdies from the next hole as he pencilled in 4-3-3 to cover the outward run in one-under-34.

His back nine was much more consistent as he birdied the long 10th and bogeyed the par four 18th for an inward regulation 37.

That meant that McGrane added a one-under 71 to his opening bogey-free 68 on Tuesday.

Wayne O’Callaghan (Fernhill) and David Ruddy (Cahir Park) with their amateur teams shared a 36 holes team score of 184 points.