South of Ireland Championship: Athlone’s Thomas O’Connor sizzles in the sun

'I’ve been playing the South for a good few years now but with all the young guys, it’s nice to buck the trend'

'I’ve been playing the South for a good few years now but with all the young guys, it’s nice to buck the trend'

Athlone’s Thomas O’Connor putted like a man inspired and fired a sensational nine-under par 63 to lead after the opening round of the 119th South of Ireland Amateur Open at a sun-scorched Lahinch.

The 34-year old warehouse manager worked on his putting during the lockdown and it paid off as he had just 24 putts and took advantage of a light southeast breeze and brilliant sunshine to lead the Pierse Motors Volkswagen-sponsored event by two strokes from Portumna teenager Sam Murphy (18) and by three shots from a 19-year old trio — Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy, Naas’s David Marshall, and Elm Park’s Robert Galligan.