McGrane, Maybin rue what might have been
Padraig Harrington won the same event in 2002 when it was held further down the coast at Montecastillo in an exciting finish over Paul McGinley.
There was something of a reprise of that Irish domination yesterday when Graeme McDowell, the winner of the inaugural event, was chased all the way home by compatriots Damien McGrane and Gareth Maybin. McDowell prevailed by a single shot after a 74 for a three under par total of 281, its own graphic reflection of the highly testing conditions that prevailed over the weekend and the innate difficulty of the golf course.