O’Keeffe looking for spark at Lahinch as Knightly and Hood set the pace

Jordan Hood (Galgorm Castle) on the 17th tee during Round 1 of the South of Ireland Men's Amateur Open 2022 at Lahinch Golf Club, Lahinch. (© Golffile | Thos Caffrey)

Peter O’Keeffe is hoping his love for Lahinch will rekindle some spark in his game after he opened with a two-under par 70 to lie three shots behind the first round pace-setters in the Pierse Motors sponsored South of Ireland Amateur Open at Lahinch.

The Douglas man hit the opening tee shot in the 120th edition of the famous championship and after a disappointing year so far, bar his run to the quarter-finals of the British Amateur at Sandwich, he’s looking to add another piece of silverware to his collection.

“My game has been a bit flat so we will see if we can get something going this week,” said O’Keeffe, who made five birdies and two bogeys in a 20 mph northwest wind as Royal Dublin’s Richard Knightly and Galgorm Castle’s Jordan Hood opened with five-under 67s.

“I am not thinking about the Home internationals or the Eisenhower Trophy team at all. They are all bonuses. I am just interested in silverware and while I have been in a semi-final and a couple of quarter-finals here, I never seem to go all the way to the finish so let’s see.

“The greens are so good here anything can happen in matchplay. The wind is the only thing because the greens are lovely and there’s not much rough.” Knightly is looking to put past heartache behind him at Lahinch and make a run at the title after opening with a five-under 67 to share the lead with Hood.

Beaten in the semi-finals in 2014 and 20th hole loser to eventual champion TJ Ford in last year’s quarter-finals, the Dubliner cancelled out bogeys at the sixth and seventh with seven birdies.

“Last year was a mad year,” said 34-year-old Knightly, a Munster interprovincial. “I beat two clubmates in Hugh Foley and Max Kennedy and then lost to TJ on the 20th.
“That’s the way it is around here. There are no easy matches. But I played well today. I had to get up and down on the first but from there I played well and holed out well from five feet all day.

“I’ve been coming here for many years and it’s a really fun track and you can go for a pint afterwards with friends. But I have a job to do tomorrow and then in the matchplay anything can happen with all 64 championship players. It’s never easy here.” Hood, 27, was out in the second group of the day and sandwiched bogeys at the sixth, seventh and 10th between eight birdies, including twos at the fifth and 11th and a bonus birdie at the tough 15th.

“The four o’clock alarm call didn’t help but I drove it well,” Hood said. “I’ve been driving it well all year. I am just hitting it in the middle of the fairway and it is hard to have a bad score from there.” Knightly and Hood lead by a shot from East of Ireland champion Alex Maguire from Laytown and Bettystown and reigning Connacht Stroke Play champion Robert Brazill from Naas, who carded four-under 68s.

“I’m fourth in the Bridgestone Order of Merit so I’m hoping to make the top three who get automatic picks on the team for the Home Internationals,” Brazill said. “Having not played much golf my goal this year was to just make the Interpros so making the Irish team would be a big bonus.” Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley, who is looking to become the first man since Darren Clarke to win the North of Ireland-South of Ireland double since Darren Clarke in 1990, was pleased with a 69 that left him tied for fifth with Joshua Robinson, David Kitt, Lahinch’s Stephen Loftus and debutant Jake Foley from Elm Park.

Hugh Foley, who is looking to become the first man since Darren Clarke to add the South of Ireland title to victory in the North, was pleased with a 69 that left him tied for fifth with Lisburn’s Joshua Robinson, Athenry’s David Kitt, Lahinch’s Stephen Loftus and debutant Jake Foley from Elm Park.