Cleary keeps Crowe, Cutler in his sights

Stay-at-home dad Tony Cleary proved the age of the part-time golfer is not quite as an end as he opened with a one under par 71 to keep the leaders in his sights in the first ever strokeplay edition of the Golfsure sponsored Irish Amateur Close Championship at windswept Shannon.

Married to a local lady, the 42-year old Dromoland player moved to the Shannon region from his native Kent a decade ago to take care of his two children and his ill father in law.

“My wife works and I look after the kids and play golf obviously,” said Cleary, who had four birdies and three birdies to share fourth place with Mourne’s Reeve Whitson.

A stiff 20 mph west wind made Shannon’s 6,763 yards an exacting test for the best amateurs in the country, but it was two Ulstermen who dealt best with the tight, treelined course and blustery conditions.

Dunmurry’s Darren Crowe, the 30-year old former winner of the South and North of Ireland titles, certainly proved he can still mix it with the young guns when he made seven birdies in a three under par 69 to share the first round lead with 22-year old Portstewart talent Paul Cutler, the West of Ireland champion and a certainty for this year’s Walker Cup.

“I’m not as consistent as I used to be but I can still produce the odd good score,” grinned Crowe, a former winner of the North and South of Ireland titles.

On a day when just five players broke par, Cutler showed the tight parkland track maximum respect by playing conservatively off the tee in a round highlighted by an eagle two at the 338-yard 13th, where he holed out with a sand wedge from 95 yards.

Muskerry’s Niall Gorey, the Munster Strokeplay champion, is just a shot off the lead after a 70, but Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar, the man who beat him in the semi-finals of the ‘West’ at Easter, was wild off the tee in a 78 and may struggle to make the leading 39 players who make the cut tonight.