Ward wins South of Ireland Championship

Co Louth's Simon Ward crushed Darren Crowe's hopes of winning the South of Ireland title with a sensational 2 and 1 win at Lahinch today.

The 19-year-old from Carrickmacross in Co Monaghan sent Dunmurry maestro Crowe to his second 'South's defeat in a row at the legendary Clare venue with a brilliant short game performance.

"I saw the course on Saturday morning for the first time and fell in love with it," he said. "I was actually going to the Cliffs of Moher because I couldn't get a practice round time until four o'clock and I looked in to the left and saw the golf course and I was just amazed by it.

"I had good feeling and good vibrations on the golf course and that helped this week.

"It was just the lovely rolling dunes and the greens that appealed to me. It's a pure links golf course. The tougher the course, the more I like it."

Ward has come from nowhere this season to virtually guarantee his place on the Irish Senior side for September's Home Internationals in Wales.

After reaching the final of the Irish Close in June, where he lost to Rory McIlroy, he knew he had the game to go on and win at Lahinch against the experienced Crowe.

After beating Pat Murray by 2 and 1 in the morning semi-final - a match that he turned around by pitching in for an eagle three at the 13th - Ward's final bid got off to the worst possible start when he lost the first two holes.

But he fought back to level the match by the fourth and after going one up with a par at the 10th, he bravely halved the 13th in birdie and then took the 14th and 15th to go three up with three to play.

His birdie at the 15th, where he rifled a three iron to nine feet, effectively clinched the title although he had to wait until the 17th to celebrate after a bunkered tee shot at the short 16th had cost him a hole.

Crowe admitted afterwards that he was disappointed to have played so poorly after beating Michael O'Kelly 2 and 1 in the semi-finals.

Crowe said: "My long game let me down and I wasn't able to put pressure on him. But Simon played very well and he has a good short game."

Ward was ecstatic with his victory and admitted that his short game was the key to his first senior triumph.

He said: "My short game was the key. My chipping and putting is the strong point of my game and once I get the long game going I am fine.

"I can't get over it. It is a brilliant feeling to win this championship. I'm on the Leinster team for the senior interprovincial matches next week and hopefully I can get on the senior team for the home internationals.

"That was my ambition at the start of the week so hopefully I can get on that side."

South of Ireland Amateur Championship, (sponsored by McNamara Builders) Lahinch, semi-final results:

D Crowe (Dunmurry) bt M O’Kelly (Limerick) 2 and 1;

S Ward (Co Louth) bt P Murray (Limerick) 2 and 1;

Final:

Ward bt Crowe 2 and 1.