Wednesday, May 10, 2017

EuroPro Tour goes over to Ireland and Ballykisteen G and CC, Limerick

Booth and Sean Lawrie shine but Hutcheon

hunts in vain for a birdie


By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Tartan Tour leading light Greig Hutcheon (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, Inchmarlo) gambled on missing this week's Rowallan Castle 36-hole Order of Merit Challenge to play in the much more lucrative EuroPro Tour event in Ireland, the Great National Hotels Irish Masters at Ballykisteen Golf and Country Club, Limerick Junction.
After a first-round score of 73 - 17 pars and one bogey, at the short sixth - Hutcheon is in joint 88th place in the field of 156, needing a good second-round to survive the cut and an even better one if he is to win any money on the highly competitive EuroPro Tour.
Wallace Booth (Pitlochry Golf) and Sean Lawrie (Paul Lawrie Golf Centre) have more reasons than Hutcheon to be cheerful. They both shot four-under-par 68s in Ireland and are joint eighth, three behind the leader, Englishman James Ruth.
Sean's cousin Craig Lawrie is only a stroke behind on 69 and is T16.

EUROPRO TOUR'S GREAT NATIONAL HOTELS IRISH MASTERS
Ballykisteen Golf and Country Club, Limerick Junction.
LEADING FIRST ROUND SCORES
par 72
65 J Ruth (Eng)
66 G Payne (Eng)

SCOTS' SCORES
68 W Booth (Pitlochry Golf), S Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) (T8)
69 N Henderson (Renaissance), C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC), J Hendry (Clydebank and Dist) (T16)
70 J Mullaney (unatt), R Campbell (Golf in Scotland), J Gallalgher (Duddingston) (T35)
71 D Kay (Renaissance), C Macaulay (Tulliallan)J McColl (Kingsbarns Pro Acad), J Taylor (unatt) (T54)
72 D Hendry (Blackstar) (T71)
73 G Hutcheon (PLGC Inchmarlo), L Gaughan (Bathgate), L Allan (Alva), P Shields (PLGC) (T88).
74 P Robinson (Largs), J Duff (Newmachar) (T111).
77 C O'Neil (Mearns Castle) (T140).
Field of 156

RUTH CLAIMS EARLY LEAD IN GREAT NATIONAL HOTELS IRISH MASTERS 
  NEWS RELEASE
James Ruth shot an unblemished opening-round 65 to lead the HotelPlanner.com PGA EuroPro Tour’s Great National Hotels Irish Masters by one stroke on seven under par at Great National Ballykisteen Golf Hotel.
 
The China Fleet Country Club representative made the most of fine afternoon conditions to close the day one ahead of Greg Payne (Camberley Heath/MindSet4Golf). Five players are two back on five under.
 
Ruth made four birdies on the front nine and three more coming in, however he felt his first round could have been even better had he taken chances on the last two par fives.
 
“I played really well today,” he said. “I only missed one green but didn’t get myself in any trouble. I missed a few good chances at the end on the 16th and 18th, two par fives, which was a little disappointing but on the whole I played really well and hit it close to the flag.
 
“I had been feeling really rough since Monday so I wasn’t expecting too much today but it was nice to go out there and play well. It is a really nice golf course. It makes you think and there is a real mixture of holes – you can be aggressive if you want to or play sensibly. I was fairly sensible today and that paid off.
 
“Having the lead won’t change anything for me tomorrow – I will play it in exactly the same way.”
 
Payne started on the 10th and made eight birdies for his opening round but back-to-back bogeys on the 5th and 6th had pegged him back to three under before a run of three consecutive birdies to close saw him to 66.
 
Ross Langdon (Brickhampton Court), Miles Collins (Stoke by Nayland Golf Club), Michael Bullen (Worthing GC – RGC/GDL), Niall Turner and Jack Harrison (Wildwood Golf Club) are two off the lead having shot 67 for their first round.
 
The Great National Hotels Irish Masters continues with the second round on Thursday, before a cut to the leading 50 professionals and ties is made ahead of Friday’s final round. The winner will take home a £10,000 winners’ cheque from a total prize fund of £50,000.
 
Spectator entry is free throughout the event and live scoring is available at www.europrotour.com. Highlights from the Great National Hotels Irish Masters will air on Sky Sports on Tuesday, May

TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES AND CHECK THE SCORECARDS

CLICK HERE

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