Jonathan Yates shines brightest in Tramore

The sunny south-east lived up to its reputation in style at Tramore, Co Waterford, yesterday when the opening day of the AIG Irish Close Championship was favoured by glorious weather conditions.

In the conditions, the course record of 66 set by Brian Casey on his way to victory in the 2011 Irish Youths Championship appeared extremely vulnerable. For much of the time, it looked as if the man to do it would be the virtually-unknown 18-year-old Gavin Fitzmaurice from Balcarrick in North Co Dublin who began his round with four threes, holing a 20-footer for eagle at the long 2nd, and completed the outward journey in six under 30.

By this stage, the warmth of earlier in the day had given way to a distinct chill, but, spurred on his by caddie Tadhg Harrington (a brother of Pádraig), left-hander Fitzmaurice kept it going until the difficult 14th, where his tee shot went well left, his recovery caught a bunker and the eventual outcome was a double-bogey six. That knocked the momentum out of the youngster, though he did continue on courageously and a birdie on the last saw him finish on 69 and the seventh player under 70.