Paul O'Hara (70)
leading Scot in
Irish open amateur
stroke-play

Colville Park's Paul O'Hara, picture right by Cal Carson Golf Agency (all rights reserved), was the leading Scot at the end of the first round of the AIB-sponsored Irish men's open amateur stroke-play championship at Royal Dublin Golf Club today. Paul shot a two-under-par 70 to be two strokes behind Irishman Eoin Arthurs (Forrest Little).

Arthurs covered the opening nine in 31 strokes – four under par – aided by an eagle 3 on the second hole and birdies on the third and fifth. Birdies on the 13th and 14th holes were cancelled out by bogeys on the 12th and 18th for a level par homeward nine which was good enough to open up a two stroke lead on the field.

France’s Olivier Serres held the lead for most of the day after shooting a 70, having started in one of the first groups. He was later joined on that mark by four more players. Irish champion Shane Lowry (Esker Hills) recorded a solid opening round of 71.

FIRST ROUND

Par 72. CSS 75

68: E Arthurs (Forrest Little).

70: O Serres (France), P O'Hara (Scotland), A Kristiansen (Norway), B Hemstock (England), B Newsome (England).

71: S Lowry (Esker Hills), C Doran (Banbridge).

72: G Cambis (France), X Poncelet (France), N Kearney (Royal Dublin), D Lernihan (Castle), M Thistleton (England), M Durcan (Co Sligo), J Carvill (Warrenpoint).
73: J Roth (Denmark), M Oueld-Es-Cheikh (France), P Murray (Limerick), H Satama (Finland), J Mikkelsen (Norway), N Gorey (Lee Valley), P Figueiredo (Portugal), K McNicoll (Scotland), P Cutler (Portstewart), E Richardson (England), C Curley (Newlands), F Keenan (England), M Delay-Termoz (France), R Kellett (Scotland), J Fox (Portmarnock), F De Vries (Holland), E Kennedy (Rosapenna), J Brun (France).
74: R Carson (Scotland), R Cannon (L'town & B'town), R Durnin (L'town & B'town), L Cohen-Boyer (France), Z Gould (Wales), M Veijalainen (Finland), G Dear (Scotland), B Walton (The Island), J Lerchedahl (Denmark), A Levy (France), R Hooper (Wales).
75: J Guilllet (France), M Stewart (Scotland), S Malone (Australia), G Ozcan (Turkey),L Weber (France), L Eriksson (Finland), D Antonelli (France), T Pollari (Finland), J Smedley (England), F Rouilleaux (France), C Macaulay (Scotland), V Guillaume (France), J Lyons (Galway).
76: J Morris (Rosslare), R Zwahlen (France), F Illouz (France), M Hillson (Scotland), A Hogan (Newlands), C Perrot (France), N Henderson (Scotland), J Stalter (France), F Abadie (France), P McLean (Scotland), S Henry (Scotland), E O'Sullivan (The Island).
77: S Gautier (France), A McAllister (Portmarnock), O Sharpe (England), J Gallagher (Scotland), R McCarthy (The Island), G Yates (Scotland), R Leonard (Banbridge), A Knappe (Germany), P O'Hanlon (Curragh), M Hocaoglu (Turkey), N Grant (Knock), G Lawlor (City West), T Dreher (France), J Monaghan (The Island), Z Saltman (Scotland), S Brown (England), W Booth (Scotland).
78: E Mercadier (France), E Vieilledent (France), J Lando-Casanova (France), R McGee (Malone), L Tintera (Czech Republic), B Fennelly (The Royal Dublin), R Boal (Castle), M Lavelle (K Club), M Novy (Czech Republic), K McDonagh (Athlone), R McKnight (Scotland).
79: S McAllister (Scotland), D Bobrowski (France), S Webster (Castle), R Dupuis (France).
80: T Gornik (Slovenia), L Lennox (Moyola Park), K McAlpine (Scotland), E McAnoy (Knock), G Hall (Edenderry), A Gabella-Wenne (Sweden).
81: G Blainey (England).
82: N Peyrichou (France), T Linard (France), X Feyaerts (Belguim).
83: A Pierse (Tipperary), E Charmat (France).
84: K Turlan (France), M Sinclair (Knock), N Dean (England).
85: J Prince (England).
91: A Arnaudet (France).
Retired: M O'Sullivan (USA), E McCormack (Galway).