Dunne overcomes sleepless night and nerves to claim ‘brilliant’ win

He might have had just five hours sleep and suffered an attack of nerves on the back nine, but no-one could deny that Greystones’ Paul Dunne deserved his one-shot victory in the East of Ireland Amateur Open at sun-splashed County Louth.

The 20-year-old finance student at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), who led four strokes from Headfort’s Brian Casey overnight, saw his lead reduced to just two strokes over the Meath man on seven under with round to go as he shot a morning 72 to Casey’s 70.

In the afternoon he was three clear of Casey with four to play and then just two ahead playing the last after a nervy double bogey at the 17th.

But in the end, he closed with a par-five for a 73 to Casey’s 72 to notch his first senior championship victory by the narrowest of margins on six under par 282.

“Three (shots) up with four to go it was mine to lose, which I tried my best to do,” Dunne said wistfully. “It’s absolutely brilliant. I always thought if I was going to win one, this was the one because it is strokeplay and I like the course and the greens are good.”

Dunne didn’t get to sleep until the small hours but that was only because he was kept awake by a thumping birthday party in the bar as he battled to get some rest in therooms above.

“The music started about quarter to 11 and woke me up until just after half two,” he said. “Until then got no sleep.”

Three shots ahead of Casey on nine under par as they played the ninth, he watched his rival bogey there but promptly three-putted himself. In the end, he played the back nine in two over par 37 to Casey’s 35 with a 12-foot par save at the 10th as crucial as the birdies at the 12th and 14th that made amends for nervy bogeys at the 11th and 13th.

The birdie at the 332-yard 14th was the turning point. Two ahead, both men found the left rough but Dunne played a 72-yard pitch to two feet as Casey’s 12 footer stayed above ground.

In fact, he went four shots clear with two holes to play after Casey bogeyed the 16th, but double bogeyed the par-three 17th by pitching into a greenside bunker to see his lead cut to two strokes with the par-five 18th to play. Both men drove into the left rough but while Casey made birdie from six feet, Dunne nervelessly two-putted from 35 feet to seal victory.