Double bogey costs Pierse at Portrush

TIPPERARY’S Arthur Pierse came agonisingly close yesterday to claiming his second British Seniors Open title. The former Walker Cup player was pipped by a stroke at Royal Portrush as he attempted to add to his triumph of 2007.

Pierse finished with a 54-hole aggregate of 215, comprising scores of 73, 72 and 70 — just one stroke behind new champion Chip Lutz.

He was fuming at having double bogeyed the 412-yard 12th in his closing round.

“I gave it my best shot today and am disappointed to just fall short but overall I am pleased with the way I played.”

Lutz, who closed with a 71, posted an eagle three on the second — a rare feat.

Overnight leader Frank Ford fell away with a 77 and had to be content with third.

Garth McGimpsey, the Bangor-based former amateur champion and Walker Cup captain, who was third last year at Walton Heath, finished in a creditable tie for sixth place, six shots off the lead .

Cork’s Tom Cleary and Hugh Smyth of Mourne were further down the field.

- WALKER CUP hopeful Paul Cutler moved up the leaderboard in the European Amateur Championship over the Halmstad course in Sweden yesterday with a stirring third round display.

The Portstewart star fired a four-under-par 68 for a 54-hole aggregate of 212 — four under par — to close to within four strokes of leader Manual Trappel of Austria.

Cutler, last year’s Lytham Trophy winner and home-based star of the Irish Open in Killarney, had two birdies in the first three holes and three birdies on the homeward stretch but his round was spoiled slightly by a bogey five on the last hole.

Also on the 212 mark is West Waterford’s Kevin Phelan, whose round of 70 contained a sprinkling of birdies and bogeys.

Richard O’Donovan, who also posted a 70 yesterday, is on 215, one better than Alan Dunbar, who started the tournament well but has faded since. Rathmore’s Dunbar went round in 73 yesterday for a level-par 216 aggregate.

The 54-hole cut fell on 220 — four over par — which meant Ballymena teenager Dermot McElroy missed out by a stroke and Paul Dunne did not survive either. Trappel goes into the final round today one stroke clear of England’s Stiggy Hodgson.

- IRELAND found England too hot to handle in the Girls’ Home Internationals over the Gullane No 2 course and crashed to 7.5-1.5 defeat.

But they can take many positives out of the round-robin series as they collected the Swansea Spoon as runners-up having started the final day in contention for their first title.

Two wins out of three is certainly no mean return for a side without their top two juniors — the Maguire twins.

England were crowned champions for the ninth time in 12 years while Scotland came third ahead of Wales, who picked up the wooden spoon after yesterday’s 6-3 defeat to the Scots yesterday

Ireland’s fate yesterday was effectively sealed when they lost all three foursomes to England — but in the end they fought hard and three of the singles went to the last green while was completed on the 17th.

Ireland’s solitary success, however, came from Olivia Mehaffey, who edged to a one-hole triumph over Alex Peters, while Paula Grant grabbed a half with Georgia Hall.

Picture: Paul Cutler: Fought his way back into contention.