Sean Flanagan gets early fillip in wild West of Ireland

The local man (20), a Paddy Harrington scholarship student at Maynooth University, bogeyed his last two holes but still saw the numbers add up to a two-over-par 73 on a day of utter carnage in the shadow of Ben Bulben.
Last year’s leading qualifier before going down to eventual champion Dermot McElroy in the semi-finals, Flanagan is embracing the heavy burden of local expectation and was delighted to head 17-year old Kevin LeBlanc from The Island by a shot in his bid for a second successive silver medal.