McDonagh on the prowl

TWELVE months ago, Kelan McDonagh from Athlone felt he was “putted off the golf course” in the final of the South of Ireland Championship by John Greene from Carlow.

However, he never allowed the disappointment to get him down and after a series of fine performances over the last four days at Lahinch, he is poised to go one better on this occasion.

After ending the highly impressive campaign of 17-year-old Jack Hume in a fascinating quarter-final yesterday, McDonagh (21), who has theappearance of a pirate — wearing his dark hair at shoulder length along with a very healthy beard — now plays Andrew Hogan (23) of Newlands in the first semi-final at 8.30am today.

Fifteen minutes later, Robbie Cannon (32), the 2009 champion from Balbriggan, meets surprise packet of the championship so far in 21-year-old Stephen Walsh, a Dubliner entered from the Baltinglass club and a scholarship student at UCD.

The great pity is that only a handful of spectators turned up to watch the quarter-finals, confirming the opinion of those who sadly feel this famous old championship has shed much of its lustre. It certainly lacked for atmosphere on this occasion and the players didn’t help as they played for the most part at a depressingly slow pace.

In the circumstances, those who preferred the delights of the nearby beach on this rare cloudless summer’s afternoon could hardly be blamed, although they did miss a classic exhibition of match play golf between McDonagh and Hume.

Hume, who won all his singles and took 5½ points from his six matches in the boys’ interpros that ended in Rosses Point last Thursday, was entitled to feel tired and so it was all the more surprising he declined the services of a caddie. He made hard work of his morning win over Chris Moulds from Lisburn and when he fell three behind to McDonagh after four holes, it looked like a heavy defeat lay in store.

However, he gradually fought his way back. Two down playing the ninth, he missed a great chance when leaving an eight-foot birdie putt an inch short of the hole. Another opportunity fell his way when he hit a magnificent drive through the fresh breeze to reach the green at the 13th, only to three-putt for a half. Creditably undaunted, he drew level by getting up and down from the right front bunker at the 15th — but it was then that McDonagh showed his mettle.

He hit a delightful six iron to 12 feet and holed for a two at the 16th and then rattled in another putt from all of 30 feet for birdie and the match at the 17th.

“I knew all about Jack before we went out because he and I are coached by Brendan McDaid,” said McDonagh, a member of the Connacht side that captured the interpro championship last week and who played on the Irish senior side two years ago.

“He is a terrific player with a great future but I know this course like the back of my hand and I am very comfortable every time I come to Lahinch. As they say, ‘it fits me eye’, and I took a lot of positives from reaching last year’s final for I did nothing wrong in that match. But John Greene putted me off the course.”

Hogan, winner of the Belgian Youths with Rory McNamara in 2009, is a boys and youths international and will make a doughty opponent for McDonagh.

Cannon also feels perfectly at home at Lahinch and needed to be in top form to dispose of Chris Selfridge of Moyola Park, the last surviving Ulsterman, while Walsh performed so well in defeating David Ryan 5&4 that he could well be the dark horse of the four survivors.