RAMSAY SHARING LEAD IN IRELAND
WHERE PAR SCORING IS A STRUGGLE

United States amateur golf champion Richie Ramsay has been bemoaning the fact that he has been playing better than his scores have suggested this year.
Today, his second-round par 72 represented very good golf indeed in continuing rough weather for the Irish men's open amateur stroke play championship at Royal Dublin Golf Club's Bull Island course.
Ramsay won this Irish title in 2005 to signal the fact that he was on his way to the top of the amateur tree - he held the world No 1 ranking for six months after his American success.
Going into Sunday's final round, Ramsay shares the lead with Irishman Richard Kilpatrick from Banbridge and Welshman Rhys Enoch on one-over-par 145 - a score that tells the story of how tough it's been to sustain par golf over 36 holes on this course and in Ireland's May weather.
Irish wonder boy Rory McIlroy from Holywood, Belfast, beaten in a play-off for this title last year, is lurking on 147 after a second-round 147 and don't rule out the man in form, Lloyd Saltman from Craigielaw, even though he has slipped back with a 77 for 149.
In winning the Scottish champion of champions, the Craigmillar Park Open and last weekend's Lytham Trophy, Saltman proved he was a front runner par excellence. But he has also won in the past coming from behind and this might be one of those occasions.
On the same 149 bracket as Lloyd are fellow Scots Scott Henry (Cardross) and the Colville Park, Motherwell pair of Ross Kellett and Paul O'Hara. Kellett set a new record for the brutal Royal Dublin course with a three-under-par 69 today. Great effort by the young Scot!
Scottish non-qualifiers were Philip McLean (Peterhead), Zack Saltman and Shaun McAllister of Craigielaw, and Scottish match-play champion Kevin McAlpine (Alyth)

QUALIFIERS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
145 R Kilpatrick (Banbridge) 74 71, R Ramsay (Royal Aberdeen) 73 72, R Enoch (Wales) 72 73.
146 R McCarthy (The Island) 74 7.
147 P Murray (Limerick) 75 72, R McIlroy (Holywood) 73 74, J Granberg (Finland) 72 75.
148 N Grant (Knock) 75 73, J Caldwell (Clandeboye) 74 74.
149 R Kellett (Colville Park) 80 69, E Richardson (England) 76 73, S Henry (Scotland) 76 73, Z Gould (Wales) 76 73, P Cutler (Portstewart) 75 74, R Bechu (France) 74 75, P Figueiredo (Portugal) 74 75, P O'Hara (Colville Park) 74 75, L Saltman (Craigielaw) 72 77, M Novy (Czech Republic) 71 78.
150 M Thistleton (England) 79 71, D Lernihan (Castle/UCD) 78 72, M Armitage (England) 78 72, A Runcie (Wales) 78 72, D Leathem (Lisburn) 77 73, M Veijalainen (Finland) 76 74, K Le Sager (France) 75 75, B Fotheringham (Forres) 75 75, R Thuillier (France) 75 75, B Walton (The Island/UCD) 74 76, G Campbell (Blairgowrie) 74 76, R Zwahlen (France) 73 77, K McNicoll (Carnoustie) 72 78.
151 S Lowry (UCD/Esker Hills) 79 72, D Morgan (Mullingar) 79 72, A Hogan (Newlands/UCD) 77 74, C Macaulay (Tulliallan) 76 75, R McKnight (Barassie) 75 76, C Doran (Banbridge) 74 77, N Edwards (Wales) 74 77.
152 S McEwan (Caprington) 79 73, J McGinn (Laytown & Bettystown) 77 75, N Kearney (Royal Dublin) 77 75, X Poncelet (France) 76 76, L Lennox (Moyola Park) 74 78, C Geraghty (England) 74 78, J Morris (Rosslare) 73 79
MISSED THE CUT
153 G Carew (Edenderry) 81 72, C Cousins (Wales) 80 73, M Gaynor (US) 77 76, P McLean (Peterhead) 77 76, J Carvill (Warrenpoint) 77 76, B Evans (England) 76 77.
154 T Sistonen (Finland) 81 73, B Norton (US) 79 75, M Sinclair (Knock) 78 76, G O'Neill (Jersey) 78 76, R Thomas (Wales) 77 77, L Allen (England) 76 78, S McAllister (Craigielaw) 74 80.
155 S Grant (Birr) 82 73, P O'Hanlon (Curragh) 82 73, M Barbosa (US) 81 74, W Rieder (Austria) 79 76, S Ward (Co Louth) 78 77, J Lyons (Galway) 78 77, B Westgate (England) 77 78, B Grace (South Africa) 76 79, G Cambis (France) 76 79, K McAlpine (Alyth) 73 82.
156 E O'Connell (The Fox Club) 80 76, M McCoy (US) 80 76, J Smedley (England) 79 77, G Lawlor (Citywest) 77 79, A McCloy (Ballymena) 76 80, Z Saltman (Craigielaw) 76 80.
157 R Boal (Scrabo) 84 73, M O'Sullivan (Stow Acres) 81 76, S Kindsted (Finland) 80 77, A Rosado (Portugal) 77 80.
158 N Catesson (France) 83 75, C Vance (England) 80 78, S Doherty (Malone) 79 79, T Ortner (Austria) 78 80, J Savolampi (Finland) 77 81.
159 W McCully (Donaghadee) 86 73, M Salminen (Finland) 82 77, J Dale (England) 81 78, E McAnoy (Knock) 79 80, A Ross (Canada) 77 82.
160 N Henriques (Portugal) 80 80, B Jones (England) 80 80.
161 R Merchant (Wales) 89 72, A Fadel (US) 86 75, A Gabella Wenne (Sweden) 85 76, B Kosmin (France) 85 76, E Saxel (England) 83 78, J Pernaa (Finland) 79 82, J Guillet (France) 79 82.
162 C Mivis (Belgium) 83 79, T Halpen (Canada) 81 81, S Archibald (England) 81 81.
163 C Scotto (France) 86 77, J Vickery (Wales) 83 80, E Mercadier (France) 81 82, L Matthews (Wales) 80 83, R McNamara (Headfort) 78 85.
164 P Nelson (South Africa) 82 82.
166 K Hammer (US) 84 82, N Kirchner (Austria) 83 83, J Haglund (Finland) 80 86.
167 T Wyatt (US) 87 80.
168 R Leonard (Banbridge) 81 87.
169 S O'Brien (US) 82 87.
171 C Levitte (France) 90 81, J Shufflebotham (Wales) 89 82.
172 N Tyry (Finland) 88 84.
174 T McGowan (Strandhill) 88 86.
179 R Maunder (England) 93 86.
NR R Cannon (L'town & B'town) 77 NR
DQ: E O'Sullivan (The Island) 78 DQ