Peter O’Keeffe keeps title defence on course at Irish Close

ON COURSE: Peter O'Keeffe of Douglas Golf Club. Pic: Niall O'Shea

Defending champion Peter O’Keeffe remains on course to match Rory McIlroy and become the first player since the Holywood star to retain the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship.

The big Douglas man won a strokeplay edition at Tullamore last year but while he also has two wins in the Flogas Irish Amateur Open, he’s never won a matchplay title and he knows he will need his best stuff to achieve that goal this week as he’s found himself in the toughest half of the draw.

He beat Edmondstown’s Liam Abom 3&2 in showery conditions in the first round yesterday morning before covering the 16 holes in five-under to beat West of Ireland champion Alan Fahy from Bray by the same margin in the afternoon to set up a last 16 clash with Laytown and Bettystown’s Aanraoi Collins.

“I was very solid,” said O’Keeffe, who reduced the par-five 16th to a drive, an eight-iron and 15-foot putt to close out Fahy in the afternoon. “My swing is getting better every round. For some reason I am playing well later in the season again this year.” As for matching McIlroy, who won the Close in 2005 and 2006, O’Keeffe is excited to have a chance.

“I’d love to do that,” he admitted. “I prefer strokeplay events but it would be nice to win this again. I have never won a matchplay event so this would tick a lot of boxes.” The day began with a shock defeat for leading qualifier Alex Maguire from Laytown and Bettystown, who shot a course record 65 in the second round to pip Matt McClean for the silver medal but fell 2&1 to the 64th seed, Tallaght-based Garda Quentin Carew from Castleknock Golf Club.

A Kildare man, 29 year old Carew went on to beat Faithlegg’s Rory Milne by one hole to set up a last 16 clash with Elm Park teenager Jake Foley.

Up and coming talents Jamie Butler, Sam Murphy, Paul Conroy, Andrew Hickey, Ryan Symington and Simon Walker complete the top half of the draw but the bottom half looks very strong.

McClean, who was runner-up in the Irish Amateur Open and the North, beat Cian Harkin and Gerard Dunne in two tight games to keep alive his hopes of a maiden “Major” win before he competes in the Eisenhower Trophy with Robert Moran and Mark Power in Paris later this month.

The Malone star now faces 15-year old Boys international Séan Keeling from Roganstown with the winner to face O’Keeffe or Collins.

Meanwhile. Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley made two clutch putts to keep alive his hopes of matching Darren Clarke’s feat of 1990 by adding the Close to wins in the North and South.

Foley made a 12 footer at the 18th to stay alive before seeing off Portmarnock’s Sean Flanagan with a par at the 19th in the first round, then made an eight footer for par on the last in the afternoon to stave off a late comeback from Forrest Little’s Jack McDonnell and win 1-up to remain on course for a famous hat-trick.

Foley now faces Royal Dublin clubmate Max Kennedy for a place in this afternoon’s quarter-finals where he could face another clubman in Richard Knightly, whose brilliant up and down to beat Carton House’s Keith Egan at the 18th set up a clash with Baltinglass’ Joseph Byrne, another former Boys star.