O'Callaghan wins Rice Intercollegiate tournament in Texas

Cork golfer Aaron O’Callaghan kicked off his spring campaign in style with a victory at the 54-hole Rice Intercollegiate tournament in Texas.

The Irish international, a Southeastern Louisiana University sophomore, won a sudden-death play-off at the Westwood Golf Course in Missouri City on Sunday

Playing the opening 36 holes in extremely windy conditions on Saturday, particularly for the second round, O’Callaghan had carded rounds of one-under-par 71 and 77 to trail overnight leader Harrison Moore by five shots going into the final round.

Moore, of the College of Charleston, shot a last-day 74 as O’Callaghan fired a three-under-par 69 to force the play-off on the par-five first hole, which the Douglas Golf Club player eagled to Moore’s birdie and claim the individual medallist honours.

Ironically, O’Callaghan had been competing as an independent after failing to make the Southeastern team and his score did not count towards the Lions’ three-round total of 905. That was good enough for second place in the team event behind conference rivals Sam Houston State, for whom Omagh’s Fergal Rafferty shot 232 (76, 81, 75) for 27th place.

O’Callaghan’s fellow Douglas player Peter O’Keeffe shot 224 for Southeastern with rounds of 73, 77 and 72 for a tie of eighth place individually. There was a team victory to celebrate for the University of South Alabama’s Shirley Harvey, from Ballyclare, Co Antrim.

Sophomore Harvey helped the Lady Jaguars to their fourth win a row in their spring season opener at the McNeese State Cowgirl Invitational in Louisiana.

Meanwhile, fellow Ulster golfer Jonny Caldwell, a 2007 Walker Cup panellist, helped the South Alabama men’s team to seventh place at the 18-team Rio Pinar Invitational event at the par 72, 6,978-yard Rio Pinar Country Club in Orlando, Florida.

Caldwell finished in a tie for 17th after 54 holes, carding rounds of 73, 74 and 73 for a four-over-par total of 220, 12 strokes behind individual medallist Brett Myers of Tulsa.

- Simon Lewis