Sean Flanagan gets early fillip in wild West of Ireland

Co Sligo’s Sean Flanagan coped with southerly winds gusting up to 48mph to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Radisson Blu sponsored West of Ireland Amateur Open at Rosses Point.

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.