Monkstown’s McNamara fires way to dreamland

The butterflies were on the point of bursting out of Cian McNamara’s stomach as he stood on the first tee at Carton House at 7.50am yesterday.

He was about to drive off in his first Irish Open and was totally unsure as to what lay in wait. Close on five hours later, the Monkstown club professional, who celebrates his 27th birthday today, was handed the early birthday present of a lifetime. The bounce in his step was more than a little apparent as McNamara made his way to the scorer’s caravan to sign for a four-under-par 68 that he admitted was beyond his wildest dreams after shooting five birdies over the Montgomerie layout at Carton House.

It all recalled the halcyon days of his amateur career when Limerick man McNamara was crowned Junior British Open champion and became the youngest player, at 18, to capture the South of Ireland Championship, which in turn led to a four-year scholarship to East Tennessee State University.