McNamara is South's youngest winner

THERE were several occasions at Lahinch yesterday when Cian McNamara believed he was about to miss out on his burning ambition to capture the Shell South of Ireland Championship.

In the semi-final against Richard Kilpatrick, the 18-year-old Limerick schoolboy found himself three down at the turn. He won at the 20th. In the final, he was two behind Greg Bowden after 13. He came through at the 21st to emerge as the youngest winner of the title in 107 years.

McNamara has set his sights on taking up a golfing scholarship at East Tennessee State University but before then plays for his club in a Fred Daly match at Mitchelstown tomorrow, represents Ireland in the Boys' Home Internationals at Portmarnock next week and is virtually guaranteed a first senior cap at Prestwick in September.

"I caddied for my godfather, Ger Vaughan, here as a very young boy, something like 8 or 9 and the South has always been the big one for me", McNamara said.

"It's a great day for my dad, Dermot, who caddied throughout the tournament, my mother Eleanor and brother Colin, while, of course, Ger was also present today."

McNamara first found himself in trouble yesterday when he fell three behind to Richard Kilpatrick of Banbridge after nine in the semi-final. He battled back to win the 10th in birdie, the 14th in par and the 17th with probably the shot of the day, a four iron from almost 200 yards that drew slowly in on the flag and finished a yard behind the hole. He tapped in for a birdie and eventually got through with another birdie at the 20th.

Greg Bowden of Hermitage claimed his place in the final with an 18th green win over 1998 champion Johnny Foster.

McNamara held the edge over the opening eight and, if anything, might have led by more than two holes at that point. However, he lost the 9th by three putting and suddenly his game lacked its earlier fluency. He was out in 38 to 39 by Bowden who, however, saw his prospects brighten when McNamara bogeyed each of the next four to lose three of them and find himself two in arrears.

"I thought it was game over at that stage but then I holed a twenty-footer at the 14th to narrow the gap to one and felt that was manageable", he said. "After hitting it in the rough at the 17th, I had the same feeling again especially as I had a bad lie. Somehow I got a seven iron at the ball hoping to get up somewhere near the front of the green but it flew out. I don't know how it reached the green."

This remarkable recovery won him the hole and levelled the match with Bowden missing for par from just over a yard. Some fifteen yards short of the final green, nerves and the excitement of the occasion caused McNamara to turn to the putter.

It was an understandable, but risky, decision and, sure enough, he left the ball some twenty feet short. Again, he thought he was done for but Bowden obliged by not getting a whole lot closer and they halved the hole in par fives. Both men were round in 79 shots. McNamara overshot the 19th with his wedge approach, missed from eighteen feet for par and left the Hermitage man with two for the title from a similar distance.

But Bowden left the first effort three feet short and missed the next. That was some let-off for the Limerick boy and the advantage again rested with Bowden when he ripped two tremendous shots to within twenty feet of the flag at the par five 20th but McNamara, after a moderate enough chip from the right of the green, bravely holed from fifteen feet for a half. And he finally sealed the victory when making a safe par at the 21st whereas Bowden missed the green on the left and failed to get down in chip and putt.

Semi-finals, C. McNamara (Limerick) bt R. Kilpatrick (Banbridge) at 20th; G. Bowden (Hermitage) bt J. Foster (Ballyclare) 1 hole

Final, McNamara bt Bowden at 21st.