Pugh claims Irish Open Amateur
Irish Amateur Champion Rhys Pugh (Wales).
GUI President, Eugene Fayne (right)
JJ Murphy, Captain, The Royal Dublin Golf Club.
DUBLIN, Ireland (May 8, 2011) -- Rhys Pugh of Wales defeated Gordon Stevenson in a three-hole playoff to claim the Irish Amateur Open Trophy at The Royal Dublin. Pugh had led by three shots from Stevenson going into the last round, but on a difficult day for play the Scot clawed his way back into contention on the back nine while the Welshman faltered.
Dutchman Daan Huizing looked a likely winner for most of the day but faltered on the final two holes, dropping four shots on the final two holes. Paul Dunne (Greystones) also made an excellent rally in the final round, carding a brilliant 72, and but for his 10-foot par putt on the 18th grazing the hole and failing to drop, he too would have been in that playoff. But Pugh made fewer mistakes in the playoff, and when Stevenson went out of bounds at the difficult 17th - the second hole of the three - he was firmly in the driving seat, and could afford a bogey five at the 18th to seal his victory.
ABOUT THE Irish Amateur Open
First played in 1892 and held every year with
the
exception of the War Years up to 1959, and
revived in 1995, the Irish Amateur Open can
boast
a strong history of producing great Champions
including Joe Carr (three times), Jimmy
Bruen,
Tom Craddock, Padraig Harrington, Michael
Hoey,
Noel Fox, Louis Oosthuizen and Pedro
Figueiredo.
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