Kehoe equals course record to take Irish to top of leaderboard

JUSTIN KEHOE was on fire in the European men’s amateur team championships over the Royal Hague course yesterday to take 2001 runners-up Ireland to the top of the leaderboard in the first qualifying round.

The 22-year-old Walker Cup hopeful from Birr produced a brilliant 66 six under par in tough conditions on this awesome links course to equal the course record set just four hours earlier by brilliant Spaniard Pablo Martin.

He got to the turn in 35 two under par and then canned a monster of a putt of around 70 feet at the 10th to move to three under.

Then six pars followed before Kehoe finished in sensational style firing a seven iron to 12 feet at the 17th and slotted the putt for a birdie two and then he reached the green at the par five 18th with two four woods and rolled in a 12 foot putt for an eagle three.

"It was the finish that transformed the round from a good one to a great one," declared the smiling Irishman.

Brian McElhinney, who plays out of the North West Club and Portmarnock's canny veteran were also in splendid both completing their 18 holes in 69 among the lowest scores of the day.

McElhinney, the 20-year-old Connacht Youths champion on his senior international debut, romped to the turn in 35-two under par- and kept calm on the homeward half to return a 69.

He started well with a birdie four after knocking his approach to four feet at the first and then after dropping a stroke at the second following a poor drive he played a sand wedge to 12 inches at the third for another birdie.

McElhinneyknocked a nine iron to within inches of the hole at the ninth and then went three under thanks to a 14 foot putt for a birdie three at the 13th hole.

He parred his way in and was a trifle disappointed not to birdie the 507-yard final hole. Fox, out in 34, three under par, came home in level and recorded six birdies, three bogeys and nine pars in his round.

The hugely-talented Walker Cup hopeful Colm Moriarty matched the par of 72He slotted putts of between 20 and 25 feet to save par on both 13 and 14 and finished in style with a birdie three.

Ballyclare's Gareth Maybin recovered from a disastrous start to post a highly respectable 73.

Michael McGeady from City of Derry bogeyed the last four holes to hand in a lack-lustre 79 and it was score that Ireland discounted making for an excellent five out of six cards aggregate of 349, 11 under par, one in front of Norway but a staggering nine clear of third-placed Netherlands.

Both defending champions Scotland and England are in danger of not making the top flight for match-play.