Victory in amateur final would earn McElhinney spot in Masters

IRELAND’S Brian McElhinney ended Oliver Fisher’s dream of becoming the youngest-ever winner of the British amateur championship at Royal Birkdale yesterday.

Disappointed with his season so far, 22-year-old McElhinney came to Birkdale thinking he might have to win to be part of Britain and Ireland’s Walker Cup side in August.

Putting will be vital in Chicago and it was that part of his game which took him through one up against Fisher. He made two early 30-footers, and after being pulled back to level, converted birdie chances from 20 and 14 feet at the 15th and 16th.

“Unbelievable,” said the Donegal golfer, who two years ago won the European amateur title and earned a spot in the British Open, but now is one win away from not only a return to that event, but also a place in next April’s Masters.

McElhinney played with Jim Furyk and Fredrik Jacobson at Royal Troon last year, but had two rounds of 76 and missed the halfway cut by seven shots.

Scotland’s John Gallagher is on the verge of an astonishing victory. The 24-year-old former greenkeeper, who plays every shot with his hands the wrong way round, meets McElhinney in today’s 36-hole final after accounting for highly-rated compatriot Lloyd Saltman in one semi-final.

Gallagher has always played “cack-handed” since taking up the sport as a youngster.

“I just picked it up like that,” he said. “When I joined a club people told me I’d only get better if I changed, but I’ve always kept improving, so I never have.”

Colin Montgomerie insisted he was relishing an unscheduled weekend off after missing his first cut of the season in the Wales Open. Montgomerie admitted he was physically and emotionally drained by his tough schedule and the lingering controversy over his incorrect drop in the Indonesian Open in March.

The former European number one carded three birdies but the same number of bogeys and double bogeys over the Roman Road course at Celtic Manor to slump to a second round 75 and eight over par halfway total.

That was an incredible 19 shots off the lead held by Italy’s Alessandro Tadini, the Challenge Tour graduate breaking the newly-established course record by a shot with a flawless 62.

At 11 under par Tadini was two shots ahead of England’s David Lynn, who carded a 66, with Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez a shot further back following a 67.

Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam, seeking his first strokeplay title since 1997, is five shots off the pace after adding a 68 to his opening 64.

Montgomerie travelled to Singapore, Australia, Dubai, China, Indonesia, the United States and back to China in the hunt for enough ranking points to climb back into the world’s top 50.

And he eventually achieved that goal in last week’s BMW Championship at Wentworth.