Colm Campbell shows the way to lead Flogas Irish Amateur Open

Warrenpoint’s Colm Campbell fired a second successive 68 to lead the Flogas Irish Amateur Open by two shots at halfway and immediately took his hat off to course record setter Marco Penge.

The 17-year-old English starlet ignored a niggling rib injury and made two eagles and four birdies in an immaculate eight under par 64 that shaves a shot off Gavin Moynihan’s year old best.

As the wind switched overnight from south to north but never gusted above 20 mph, the elegant Golf at Goodwood player seriously impressed watching Great Britain and Ireland captain Craig Watson and selector Michael Burns from Tramore on a course measuring 7,147 yards - just 150 yards less than its full length.

“A 64! That’s a serious round of golf here,” 29-year old Campbell said after he made seven birdies in a four under par round to head the field by two on eight under par.

“To be fair, the back nine was giving up a lot of chances with every hole downwind but you have got to create the chances and make the putts.” Winner of the Peter McEvoy Trophy last year as well as back to back Fairhaven Trophies for under 18s in 2013 and ’14, Penge took a major step forward as a senior player last year by winning the Scottish Amateur Open by a stroke.

He’s considered one of the leading contenders for next year’s Walker Cup side to face the US at Los Angeles Country Club. But so keen is he to try his hand at the European Tour Qualifying School in the autumn, he’s unsure exactly what he will be doing in 16 months’ time.

Even his putting grip can change from one day to the next, as he proved yesterday by abandoning the cack-handed method that yielded an opening 74 and returning to the conventional style for a 64 that leaves tied for second on six under par with Irish Close champion Tiarnan McLarnon from Massereene and the Isle of Man’s Tom Gandy, both of whom shot 69s.

Overnight leader Jack Hume from Naas, who failed to take advantage of the downwind holes en route to a level par 72, is just three off the pace on five under alongside Waterford’s Eanna Griffin, who took five at the last for a 69 after his tee shot kicked right into the drain.

“I changed to cack handed about three months ago and changed back today and finally holed some putts for once,” said Penge, who had just returned the Sage Valley Invitational, where the highlight was not his golf but seeing his hero Tiger Woods in person.

What’s more remarkable about Penge’s round is that he has been battling a pulled intercostal muscle that curtailed his preparations and required physiotherapy and acupuncture to get him to the first tee on Thursday.

Despite the fresh breeze into his face, Penge eagled the second thanks to a 240-yard two-iron to six feet and holed a 45 footer for birdie at the fourth to turn in three under 32.

He then played the downwind back nine in five under 32, lipping out from eight feet for eagle at the 11th before two putting the 14th for birdie and then holing a 40 footer for an eagle two at the 300-yard 16th, where he hit a three wood onto green.

He then holed a 15 footer for birdie at the 17th to go eight under and safely parred the last for the lowest round of his championship career by two strokes.

Campbell made three bogeys and seven birdies in a 68 that could have been better had he not lipped out from four feet at the 17th and then burned the edge from 20 feet at the last.

“I was thinking anything one or two under par would be a good score and we managed to go a couple better,” said Campbell.

“All the experience you get helps and hopefully, if I get myself into position on Sunday, it will help me get over the line and I can get that other win I have been looking for.”