Cutler heads home charge
The top 50 and ties made it past yesterday’s cut and 62 golfers were set to tee it up on Fota’s par-71, 6,027-yard Deerpark course today, chasing joint leaders on four under par Rika Batibasaga of Australia, Welshman Stuart Manley and Scotland’s Elliot Saltman for the €12,500 first prize.
Manley shot one of the rounds of the day with a five-under 66 while Portstewart’s Cutler was the chief Irish hope at three under following an early one-under round of 70. Also within range are Ross Oliver of Carrickfergus at two under, with first-round leader Michael Collins slipping back to one under following a three-over 74, with Limerick GC’s Cian McNamara and Clandeboye’s Jonny Caldwell at level par.
Having started on the back nine McNamara, 26, endured a painful run-in with a double bogey-bogey finish over the tough par-fours at eight and nine for a 73 but the Team Ireland player is still in the hunt today.
“This year I have a low category on the Challenge Tour so I haven’t been getting the starts I wanted,” McNamara said. “So with this event basically down the road, a EuroPro Tour event is good to play, along with the PGA Irish Region events, to stay competitive.
“The main aim is to keep myself going and when I do get the starts then I’m ready to play. Whatever events I can get into I’m playing. I hope I can get Challenge Tour starts and keep my status on that Tour but at the moment that’s not looking good so I’m just playing wherever I can.
“I’m playing regularly on the Irish PGA Region and hopefully with a few EuroPro starts I’ll be able to keep going.”
The Limerick golfer is handily placed on the PGA Order of Merit in eighth place, the last finishing position to earn a spot in next year’s Irish Open, but McNamara has his sights set on a higher finish.
“I’m doing okay and if I can get a few more good results I want to try and secure a top-three finish for the year.
“That’s the aim and if I can get a win or two then hopefully I can secure that spot. Top eight will get me into the Irish Open for next year but the aim is top three and go from there.”
Mallow’s Collins followed his opening 67 with a 74 yesterday, ruing some overly aggressive play.
“It was a tough day. I was two over after three holes and struggled with my rhythm then just got caught going after a couple of flags that I shouldn’t have gone after,” Collins said.
“But I fought back okay, got a few birdies back and got it back to three under for the tournament after 15, so played okay.”
Collins then double-bogeyed the par-three 17th to undo the good work but there was still time for an interesting finish at the closing par-five after needing to hit a provisional tee shot after his initial effort disappeared left.
“It was an eventful 18th,” he joked. “My provisional found the middle of the fairway, hit four-iron just short of the green and chipped it in from about five yards off the green for par.
“So I’m not necessarily out of it, just three behind and no one ran away from the pack.”
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