Dylan Keating puts rollercoaster behind him to top South of Ireland qualifiers at Lahinch
'I felt like I was kind of under-performing there for a long time, and to come back home playing well this year, not that I expected to shoot a score like that, it was nice,' he said after adding a four under 68 to his opening 69 to top the 64 qualifiers for the matchplay by a shot on seven under.
His four years at the University of Louisiana Lafayette were not always a smooth ride and he admits he considered quitting golf as he struggled with all aspects of his game before turning things around.
'I wouldn't be shy to say it's been a tough last few years," he said. 'I was in Houston last year playing an event, and I said to Mum and Dad, I think that's it for me in golf. 'Just mentally, I was struggling. I wasn't keeping the ball on the planet. My iron play was bad, my driver was terrible, and even my putting left me for a while. 'When I'm home and comfortable, I think that's what brings out the best of me, and that's probably why I struggled in America, just being homesick constantly.'
The former Boys international harboured dreams of turning professional for a while but he's put those plans on hold for now and while he admits it's 'a stretch' he's hoping to win some big amateur events and get himself on the selectors' radar for next year's Walker Cup at Lahinch.
'I don't know if it's possible, but if I win a couple of these, I might have a chance,' he ventured.
Set to face former champion Sean Desmond from Douglas in Friday's first round, he added: 'I've made the matchplay every year for the past few years and been knocked out in the first round.
'But I think my game is in a much different place, and mentally, I'm a lot different now and ready to give tomorrow a good run for a few days and be here on Sunday.'
Dooks' Conor Hickey shot a sparkling 65, Tralee's Mark Gazi a 67, Ballybofey and Stranoloar's Ryan Griffin a 68 and Royal Dublin's Sean Downes a 72 to finish tied for second as just seven of the 14 players on two-over made the top 64 who qualified for the matchplay.
It was also an important day for Fota Island's David Howard, the East of Ireland champion, who needed to make the matchplay to keep alive his hopes of winning an automatic Order off Merit spot in the Irish team for next month's Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa.
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After opening with a 75, Howard was five over for the championship with six holes to play but covered them in four-under and shot 70 to make the matchplay with a shot to spare on one-over.
While Roscommon's Irish international Thomas Higgins missed the cut, all the big guns made the matchplay.
Former Boys international Gazi (19), who is at Northwestern University in Chicago, made eight birdies in his 67 in just his second South of Ireland appearance.
'I've done a lot of match play, especially playing Boys Home internationals,' said Gazi, who is travelling with Tralee's Darren O'Sullivan (35), who shot a sparkling 67 to qualify in sixth place on five-under.
'Whoever you are playing, you've just goto to beat the man and make sure you do that. It doesn't matter how you do it, once you do.'
Former winners Caolan Rafferty and Colm Campbell made it with ease while veterans such as Douglas' Karl Bornemann, Adare Manor's Pat Murray and Galway's Joe Lyons also came through.
Hickey, who was joint second on six-under, was delighted to make it after making life tough for himself after an opening 73.
'It was a pretty big improvement over yesterday, anyway,' the 24-year-old said after a round featuring seven birdies and an eagle three at the fourth.
'I hit a few nice shots coming in and birdied the 16th and 18th Hopefully I am not out at the crack of dawn.'
Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Lahinch (Par 72)
Matchplay draw
Round one
7:00 Dylan Keating v Seán Desmond;
7:09 Eoin Magill v Benjamin Oberholzer;
7:18 Caolan Rafferty v Patrick Curran; 7:27 Jamie Butler v Joe O'Neill;
7:36 Adam Buchanan v Barry O'Connell; 7:45 Conor Clarke v Jordan Hood;
7:54 David Kitt v Robert Abernethy; 8:03 Charlie Cooley v David Reddan;
8:12 Ryan Griffin v Ross Latimer; 8:21 Eoin O'Carroll v Andrew McCormack;
8:30 Keith Egan v Dylan Holmes; 8:39 Niall Hearns v Jake Foley;
8:48 Sean Downes v Luke O'Neill; 8:57 Eoin Sullivan v Fionn Dobbin;
9:06 Jake Whelan v Jason Rackard; 9:15 Adam Smith v David Lally;
9:24 Conor Hickey v Joe Lyons; 9:33 Ben Cahill v Sean Barry;
9:42 Stephen Loftus v James Maginn; 9:51 Gavin O'Neill v Jonathan Keane;
10:00 Conor Stapleton v Tony Scroope ; 10:09 Richard Sykes v Graham Donohoe;
10:18 Paul O'Hanlon v James Walsh;
10:27 Colm Campbell v Karl Bornemann;
10:36 Mark Gazi v Thomas Abom; 10:45 Jamie Sutherland v Colin Woodroofe;
10:54 Jordan Boles v Darcy Hogg;
11:03 Ross McCormack v David Howard;
11:12 Darren O'Sullivan v Liam Abom;
11:21 TJ Ford v Joshua Hill;
11:30 Quentin Carew v Barry Howlin;
11:39 Mark Cadden v Pat Murray.
Qualifiers
137 Dylan Keating (Seapoint) 69 68 (leading qualifier);
138 Conor Hickey (Dooks) 73 65, Mark Gazi (Tralee) 71 67, Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) 70 68, Sean Downes (Royal Dublin) 66 72;
139 Darren O'Sullivan (Tralee) 72 67, Conor Stapleton (Westport) 67 72, Adam Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 66 73;
140 David Kitt (Athenry) 71 69, Paul O'Hanlon (Carton House) 70 70, Quentin Carew (Castleknock)) 67 73;
141 Jake Whelan (Grange) 70 71, Keith Egan (Carton House) 70 71, Jordan Boles (Charleville) 69 72, Stephen Loftus (Lahinch) 69 72, Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) 69 72;
142 Jamie Butler (Naas) 74 68, Gavin O'Neill (Malahide) 73 69, Ross McCormack (Palmerstown House Estate )72 70, Niall Hearns (Mountrath) 71 71, Adam Smith (Mullingar) 70 72, Mark Cadden (Roganstown) 69 73;
143 Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 75 68, Charlie Cooley (Belvoir Park) 75 68, Conor Clark (Balmoral) 74 69, Richard Sykes (Dun Laoghaire) 73 70, TJ Ford
(Co Sligo) 72 71, Eoin Sullivan (Portmarnock) 72 71, Eoin O'Carroll (St Anne's) 71 72, Jamie Sutherlan (Galgorm Castle) 71 72, Ben Cahill (Dundalk) 71 72, Eoin Magill (East Clare) 70 73, Benjamin Oberholzer (Clandeboye) 69 74;
144 Sean Barry (Fota Island) 75 69, Colin Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 75 69, Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) 74 70, Fionn Dobbin (Malone) 74 70, Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) 73 71, Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 73 71, Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) 72 72, David Reddan (Castle(Knock)) 72 72, Karl Bornemann (Douglas) 72 72, Pat Murray (Adare Manor) 71 73, David Lally (Blainroe) 70 74;
145 Jake Foley (Elm Park) 76 69, David Howard (Fota Island) 75 70, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 75 70, Joe O'Neill Berehaven 74 71, Patrick Curran (Edmondstown) 73 72, James Maginn (Mourne) 73 72, Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) 73 72, Dylan Holmes (Greystones) 73 72, Jason Rackard (Bunclody) 72 73, Barry Howlin (The Heritage) 72 73, James Walsh (Douglas) 71 74, Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 70 75, Barry O'Connell (Douglas) 70 75;
146 Tony Scroope (Nenagh) 75 71, Liam Abom (Edmondstown) 75 71, Luke O'Neill (Connemara) 74 72, Ross Latimer (Knock) 74 72, Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 73 73, Joe Lyons (Galway) 73 73, Seán Desmond (Monkstown) 73 73.
Non qualifiers
146 Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 72 74, Luke Cunningham (Galway Bay) 72 74, Ian O'Connell (Castleknock)) 72 74, Cathal MacCanna (Carton House) 72 74, Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) 72 74, John McCarthy (Grange) 71 75, Luke Kelly (Dunfanaghy) 69 77;
147 Andrew Gavin (Black Bush) 77 70, Morgan Cain (Cork) 76 71, Steven Gormley (Blainroe) 75 72, Thomas O'Connor (Athlone) 74 73, Ciaran Murphy (Grange) 73 74, Morgan Crowe (Elm Park) 73 74, Harry Gillivan (Portmarnock) 72 75, Charlie McDonnell (Concra Wood) 71 76;
148 Morgan O'Sullivan (Ballyneety) 75 73, Adam Challoner (Galway Bay) 75 73, Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) 75 73, Rían Carvill (Warrenpoint) 73 75, James Marriott (West Surrey) 72 76;
149 Rory McConnell (Belvoir Park) 77 72, Aaron Naughton (Hermitage) 77 72, David Kelly (Millicent) 76 73, Padraig O Dochartaigh (Gweedore) 75 74, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock)) 75 74, Cian Poland (Elm Park) 75 74, Senan Carroll (Ballybunion) 74 75, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 74 75, Adam Allahbachani (Powerscourt) 73 76, Gary Collins (Rosslare) 73 76, Darren McCormack (Corrstown) 71 78, John Dillon (Lahinch) 71 78, Robbie Cannon (Balbriggan) 70 79;
150 Niall Conneely (Ballinasloe) 79 71, Sean Flanagan (Portmarnock) 78 72, Jonathan Kelly (Athy) 77 73, Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 77 73, Shea Dorman (Bangor) 76 74, Jack Murphy (Douglas 76 74, Evan Monaghan (Tullamore) 75 75, Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 74 76, Colum Kenny (Portmarnock) 73 77;
151 Dan Byrne (The Els Club Dubai) 80 71, Cian O'Connor (Roscommon) 77 74, Danny Lyne (Lahinch) 74 77, Matthew Giles (Greenore) 73 78;
152 Jamie Larkin (Palmerstown) 79 73, William Josh Nicholl (Galgorm Castle) 78 74, Jamal Sabir (Moate) 77 75;
153 Adrian Hiney (Moate) 80 73, Samuel Gammell (Naas) 77 76, Andrew Barker (Corrstown) 76 77;
154 Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 81 73, Conor McCarthy (Headfort) 80 74, Niels Knudsen (Lyngbygaard, Den) 80 74, Ryan Lyons (Blarney) 80 74, Mikie Grealy (Galway Bay) 78 76, Aodhagan Brady (Co Sligo) 75 79;
155 Cathal Penney (Athenry) 80 75, Seán McLoughlin (Co Sligo) 80 75, Peter Sheehan (Ballybunion) 78 77, Calum Ward (Carton House) 78 77, Julius Sommer (Zurich, SUI) 77 78, Sean Gallagher (Castleknock)) 77 78, Lucas Lyons (Limerick) 77 78;
156 Neil Patterson (Baltinglass) 81 75, Jack Doherty (Carton House) 80 76, Brian Thompson (Olympic Club, US) 80 76, Ciaran Gregan (Forrest Little) 79 77, Brian Doran (Millicent) 79 77, Lorcan O'Connor (Edmondstown) 78 78, Luke Furlong (Wexford) 78 78, Sean Murphy (Grange) 77 79;
157 David O'Malley (Black Bush) 85 72, Darren Kelleher (Blarney) 80 77, Robert Walsh (Douglas) 80 77, Greg O'Mahony (Fota Island) 77 80;
158 Luke O'Dwyer (Forrest Little) 83 75, Aaron McNulty (Lahinch) 80 78
159 Conor Dean (Dun Laoghaire) 80 79;
160 Sam Kelly (The Island) 79 81;
162 Cole Haygood (Heathrow) 83 79, Ryan Murray (Balmoral) 80 82
163 Dylan Harbourne (Grange) 81 82, Robert Galligan (Elm Park) 80 83, Eoin Rogers Killeen Castle 77 86.
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