Irish Open Diary

McElroy with an E

Dermot McElroy is the perfect example of a young golfer who lets his clubs, not his mouth, do the talking.

The 19-year-old Irish amateur international from Ballymena is recognised as one of the finest ball-strikers in the country and a player who rarely talks about his game. He was, in fairness, a little less reticent at Royal Portrush yesterday when he walked off the final green having opened his first Irish Open Championship with a one-under-par round of 71. He actually sat astride the leaderboard for a short while after an eagle at the ninth and birdies at 10 and 11.