World Leaders shut out

With the world leaders having their G8 get-together at the Lough Erne Resort, Castle Hume Golf Club has closed down thus freeing professional Shaun Donnelly to make good use of his day off.

Donnelly has made it back-to-back wins in the opening two events on the PGA Northern Branch Summer Masters’ Tour with victory in the second event at Dunmurry. He posted a two-under-par 68 to be three shots ahead of chaser Paul Russell.

The winner got his only mistake of the day out of the way at the first hole where he overshot the green and failed to get up and down, pencilling in bogey five. From there it was plain sailing.

A gap wedge to 10 feet set up birdie four for Donnelly at the fourth hole and he turned in one-under-par 34 after rolling home a 20-footer for birdie three, after steering an eight iron to the ninth green.

His homeward run was a model of consistency as he carved out eight pars and birdie three at the 11th hole, where he hit a sand-wedge to eight feet and holed out from there.

In the unpaid players’ ranks, Ulster ladies’ champion Jessica Carty outshot her male rivals to win the amateurs’ Gross Prize. The Holywood scratch player posted a 72 and beat two other 72s on the back nine.