Murray on course for South of Ireland victory

Dunmurry's Darren Crowe is on course for his second amateur major in the space of a fortnight after cruising into the last four of the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch.

The 25-year-old North of Ireland champion had 13 birdies in his two matches, seven of them coming in a hard-fought 2 and 1 quarter-final win over 1999 champion Mark Campbell of Stackstown.

Despite going to the turn in four under par, Crowe was still just one up and soon found himself pegged back to level when Campbell birdied the 10th.

However, he won three of the next four holes to go three up with four to play and closed out the match at the 17th with a solid par four.

He said: "Winning the North has given me confidence but really won't have any bearing on the semi-finals.

"Anyone who has managed to get this far is obviously playing well and it will be difficult to win."

Crowe will face Limerick's Michael O'Kelly in the first semi-final on Wednesday following the 33-year-old's action-packed 5 and 3 win over the Island's Robert McCarthy.

In the bottom half of the draw, Clandeboye's Jonathan Caldwell, the runner up in the East of Ireland championship, was crushed 5 and 3 by Simon Ward from Baltray.

Ward was six up after playing the first 10 holes in four under par and is hoping to reach the final and go one better than his defeat to Rory McIlroy in the Irish Close decider in June.

To get there he will have to beat the experienced Pat Murray of Limerick after Murray went out with a six under par 30 on his way to a 5 and 4 win over Cork's Gary O'Flaherty.

South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship (sponsored by McNamara Builders) Lahinch

Fifth round:

M Campbell (Stackstown) bt N Gorey (Killeen) 1 hole; D Crowe (Dunmurry) bt S Moloney 1 hole; R McCarthy (The Island) bt D McInerney (Lahinch) 4 and 3; M O’Kelly (Limerick) bt D Morgan (Mullingar) 3 and 2; J Caldwell (Clandeboye) bt N Kearney (Royal Dublin) 3 and 2; S Ward (Co Louth) bt A O’Callaghan (Douglas) 5 and 4; P Murray (Limerick) bt M Poucher (Castle) 2 and 1; G O’Flaherty (Cork) v G Hall (Edenderry) 1 hole.

Quarter-finals:

Crowe bt Campbell 5 and 4; O’Kelly bt McCarthy 5 and 3; Ward bt Caldwell 5 and 3; Murray bt O’Flaherty 5 and 4.

Semi-finals: (8.30) Crowe v O’Kelly; (9.0) Ward v Murray.

Final: (2.0).