McElroy faces toughest challenge yet at Hillside

DERMOT McELROY, one of the rising stars of Irish golf who has produced some stunning displays in the past year, steps onto the biggest stage of all today to compete with the top world players in the 116th British Amateur Championship.

McElroy reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 British Boys Championship and played for Great Britain and Ireland in the Jacques Leglise Trophy match — and now has his sights set on a good run in the Amateur on two of England’s finest links courses, Hillside and Hesketh.

In the first qualifying round at Hillside this morning, McElroy plays alongside South African Jared Harvey and Italian Emmanuelle Sesia and then they move to Hesketh tomorrow to complete the qualifying phase.

First Irishman out at Hillside is Headfort’s Rory McNamara who partners Slovenian Tim Gornik and Chilean Horacio Leon.

It is a very important week for Portstewart’s Paul Cutler who started the season considered Ireland’s best hopes for honours but has not enjoyed top form so wants to get back on track when he lines up at Hesketh with Englishman Ben Stow, winner of the recent Welsh Open Youths championship and German Sebastian Heisele. Cutler will be anxious to cement his place in the Walker Cup side for September’s match against the Americans at Aberdeen.

Kevin Phelan, who caused a stir by qualifying for last year’s US Open Championship and made his Ireland debut in last August’s Home Internationals, will also be anxious to impress on his Amateur debut.

Moyola Park’s Paul O’Kane, Reeve Whitson of Mourne, Barry Anderson of County Sligo and Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar are among the other Irishmen in the field.

The winner is exempt to next month’s Open at Royal St Georges and the US Masters in 2012.

Following the 36 holes of stroke play, the top 64 go forward to the knockout phase ending in the 36-hole final on Saturday.

Meanwhile the British Ladies Open championship at Royal Portrush was won on Saturday by Woburn’s Lauren Taylor beating French golfer Alexandra Bonetti 6&5 in the 18-hole final.