Strong finish from O'Sullivan nets him biggest win of his career

A BIRDIE, birdie finish enabled Eoin O'Sullivan, a 27-year-old Dubliner from The Island club, to turn a two shot deficit with two to play into a one stroke advantage as he clinched the biggest victory of his career at Mullingar yesterday.

The 72 hole Scratch Cup has produced many famous winners over the years, and if O’Sullivan doesn’t fit into that category he still demonstrated yesterday just what an able player he is.

It looked all over a comfortable triumph for Ulster giant Andrew McCormick until the pressure took its toll at the 17th and O’Sullivan pounced. He begins a new job today as a corporate dealer with the Bank of Scotland in Dublin and could hardly do so in happier circumstances.

“This is by far the biggest win of my career,” he said with a broad smile. “My only championship success came in the Leinster Boys back in 1994 so to beat a field of this quality in such a prestigious competition means a great deal to me. There have been some great winners over the years and it’s very nice to be up there with them. It has certainly come as a surprise to me, not least because I thought my chance had gone when I failed with some holeable putts from the 13th through the 16th. I wasn’t making my putts and Andrew didn’t look likely to make any mistakes.”

O’Sullivan shot rounds of 70, 69, 68 and 72 for a total of 280, eight under par, and one ahead of McCormick. Next came a group of five on 283, newly crowned South of Ireland champion Colm Moriarty, Johnny Foster and Ken Kearney, all of whom shot closing 68s, and Michael McGeady, 69.

McCormick led O’Sullivan by a shot after the morning’s third round which was played in energy sapping heat. Stackstown’s Mark Campbell was four further back after a 67 while there was an outside hope for Corkman John Morris, now very much regarded as a local in Mullingar, whom he helped to a first ever victory in the Leinster section of the Barton Shield at the weekend, when a level par 72 left him five off the pace.

However, having played 36 holes on Friday, 18 on Saturday and another 36 on Sunday, it was hardly surprising that the former Douglas golfer and Irish International fell back a little in the final round, which he completed in 74.

Although Foster, Moriarty, McGeady and Kearney stuck to their task and got within a couple of shots of the leaders at various stages of the afternoon, it developed into a two horse race between McCormick and O’Sullivan. McCormick battled gamely in conditions hardly suited to his massive 17-and-a-half stone frame. He was one ahead after nine, stretched that to two when O’Sullivan bogeyed the 13th and retained that advantage through the 16th.

The 17th hole, with out of bounds on either side of the fairway, was McCormick’s undoing. His drive finished in the right rough from where he topped his approach. O’Sullivan then faded a lovely eight iron to 15 feet whereupon McCormick hit his pitch a little heavy and was still some 10 feet short of the green in three. He putted up five feet past the hole and the pressure intensified when O’Sullivan judged his birdie putt to perfection and rolled it into the middle of the hole. McCormick missed for bogey and the three shot swing sent O’Sullivan down the 18th with a one stroke lead.

After a good drive, he decided against going for the par five green with a wooden club, instead laying up 60 yards short of the flag. McCormick hit a big three wood to the edge of the green with every hope of making birdie and bringing the contest into extra time. But O’Sullivan was equal to the occasion, his confidence bolstered no doubt by the fact he had chipped into the hole for eagle at the same hole in the morning. This time his sand wedge that checked on the second bounce and finished less than six inches from the cup.

McCormick got his birdie to make sure of second place but this was scant consolation to a man who has lost in three championship finals (two in successive years at Lahinch).