Local golfer leads NI Amateur Open

Local lad Wayne Telford has again stormed to the top of the leaderboard on the Valley Course after the opening day's qualifying round in the Magners North of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Scratch player Telford (21) carded a still standing course record 64 - six-under-par - and yesterday was just two strokes from equalling that super show. Now playing full-time amateur golf, Telford made half-a-dozen birdies with just two blots on his card.

He leads by two strokes from a number of players among them senior internationals Mark O'Sullivan (Galway) and Darren Crowe (Dunmurry). On 69 is East of Ireland champion Mark Campbell (Stackstown).

In a group at one-over-par 71 is Peter O'Keefe from Douglas along with former winner and ex-international Stuart Paul (Tandragee).

The defending champion is Brian McElhinney, a member of Buncrana club, North West, and he has quite a bit of work to do in the second qualifying round tomorrow if he is to make the cut for matchplay.

McElhinney - he's also the reigning European and Irish champion - took 74 shots to get around the Valley Course and is well down the leaderboard from there.

The higher handicap players were on the tougher and longer Dunluce Links and the overnight leader is Ballymena's Gary Black at two-under-par 70.

For the second round the players switch courses and from the 300 starters the top 64 qualify for the first round of matchplay on Wednesday morning.

MAGNERS NORTH OF IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP AT ROYAL PORTRUSH

First Qualifying Round Leading Scores:

Valley Course (Par 70):

66 – W Telford (Rathmore;

68 – R Boal (Scrabo); D Crowe (Dunmurry); A Watt (Holywood); M O’Sullivan (Galway); D Carroll (Grange); C Murphy (Clandeboye); D Morgan (Mullingar);

69 – B Trainor (Warrenpoint); M Campbell (Stackstown); R McCarthy (The Island); A McCloy (Ballymena); R Leonard (Banbridge);

70 – C Montgomery (Malone); K McGarry (Bandon); M Sinclair (Knock); E Heywood (City of Derry); R Navan (Knock); C Doran (Banbridge); R Kilpatrick (Banbridge); S McMonagle (Dunfanaghy); D Coyle (Co Louth); P Higgins (Mullingar);

71 – P O’Keefe (Douglas); M Rowe (Athlone); D Vaughan (Ardglass); B Hobson (Shandon Pk); S Paul (Tandragee); G Maybin (Ballyclare); J McCracken (Malone); B Kilgallon (Ballina); B McCarroll (Ballyliffin); R Doran (Banbridge); T Spence (Clandeboye); T McClements (Holywood); G Reynolds (Rothesay);

72 – N Boyd (Donaghadee); M Hemphill (Portstewart); M Dickson (Holywood); J McWilliams (Belvoir Pk); E McAnoy (Knock); S Miskelly (Knock); S Doherty (Ballyliffin); A Meharg (Bright Castle); D Baker (Downpatrick); J Foster (Ballyclare);R Forsythe (Ballyclare); R Mann (Cairndhu); T Kearney (Ballyliffin); A McKinley (Shandon Pk); J Lampley (Great Southern USA); L Reilly (Galgorm Castle);

73 – G Shaw (Malone); L Moore (City of Derry); G Mackintosh (Westwood, USA); D Aughey (Dunmurry); P Davidson (Dungannon); M McGeady (North West); T Coulter (Massereene); M McGarry (Ballymena); M Moreland (Scrabo); J Turner (Royal Portrush); G Managh (Knock); M McTiernan (Co Sligo); F O’Donaghue (Belvoir Pk);A McCormick (Scrabo);

74 – J Taylor (Portstewart); J Sutton (Castletown); N Crawford (Mourne); C Steele (Ballyclare); G Reid (Spa); J Crangle (Fortwilliam); R Evans (Moyola Pk); R Maher (Nenagh); B McElhinney (North West); G Davidson (Southerness); G Mallon (North West); A Pigott (Royal Portrush); A Wilson (Cairndhu); T Cummins (Lurgan); R McDowell (Royal Belfast); P Sheldon (Whitehead); M Watters (Moyola Pk); D Beswick (Downpatrick); M Butler (Athlone).

Dunluce (Par 72):

70 – G Black (Ballymena);

71 – P McCarroll (Massereene);

72 – S McGarry (Ballymena); D McCusker (Moyola Pk); C McCormick (Holywood);

73 – N Brennan (Elm Pk); W McCully (Donaghadee);

74 – M Rourke (Ardglass); C Clancy (Stackstown); G McDermott (Co Sligo); J Finnegan (Royal Portrush);

75 – J McIntyre (City of Derry); A Eagle (Tandragee); M Lavelle (Belmullet); B McCarthy (RSHE); P Black (Whitehead); B Galway (Cairndhu); P McCullagh (Hamstead).

76 – P Coffey (Rockmount); A Snoddy (Massereene); P Dean (Malone); P Thompson (Ballyclare);

77 – R McCrabbe (Castlerock); R Branigan (Co Louth); A Mason (Lisburn); E Staunton (Headfort); A Adair (Fortwilliam); D Smith (Ballymena); C Hughes (Royal Portrush);

78 – S McConnell (Ballyclare); P Rodgers (Dunmurry); C McIlroy (Holywood); D Boyle (Cruit Island); R Dennett (Castle Golf Links); G Munford (Woburn); C Elliott (West Middlesex); J Scullion (Lisburn); A Mackenzie (Kilmacolm); T Purdy (Letterkenny); D Turner (Castlerock); L Toland (Ballyliffin); M Phillips (Down Royal); D Beattie (Whitehead); A Norby (Balmoral);