Welshman David wins the South as jaded Howard bows out in semis
WELSH FIRE: Sean David (Pyle & Kenfig, Wales) with the trophy after victory for the South of Ireland Men's Amateur Open at Lahinch Golf Club. Picture: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Perhaps it was written in the stars that it was to be a day for the red and green.
Not Mayo but Wales, who contested the first all-Welsh final in the 124-year history of the South of Ireland Championship on a day when Fota Island's David Howard finally came back to earth with a bump.
The 27-year-old Cork man was running on fumes after his draining Open Championship experience, and rather than pushing through to earn the win he felt he needed to clinch a Walker Cup call-up from the watching Great Britain and Ireland captain, Dean Robertson, he had nothing left in the tank.
Two up through seven holes in his semi-final with Welshman Tomi Bowen, he lost four of the next six holes en route to a 2&1 defeat in a 20mph northwest wind.
It looked as if Bowen would be the man to seal his place on the team for September's clash with the USA, but he threw his Walker Cup ticket away on a 20 mph northwest wind and Lahinch's pristine greens.
Three-up with six holes to play in a lightning-fast, three-hour final, the 23-year-old from Welshpool succumbed to the pressure and fell by one hole to his Wales teammate Sean David, after three-putting two of the last three greens.
Skipper Robertson looks unlikely now to pick Howard, though he knows that a strong Irish presence will make the home crowd a weapon in September.
He has decisions to make now before finalising his ten-man side after next month's US Amateur at Merion, where Grehan will be joined by former Walker Cup players Gavin Tiernan and Matt McClean.
Howard was exhausted by an intense three-week run that included Munster's Interprovincial win, club golf in the Barton Shield and Final Qualifying for Royal Birkdale, where he went on to miss the cut by two shots.
"I just didn't have it today, unfortunately," said the Cork man, who bogeyed the eighth, lost a ball right at the ninth, then went two down after poor drives led to him conceding the 12th and 13th.
"After a good start, I just didn't make any putts. I didn't really have it for the back nine, unfortunately.
"The lost ball on nine was such a bad miss, mentally, more than anything. I tried to battle through as best I could, but I had a few loose drives and a couple shots that didn't go as planned."
And the Walker Cup?
"I have no idea what his thoughts are," he said of Robertson. "I've done all I can at the moment, so we'll see. Tomi was very solid, in fairness, and I just didn't have my game, unfortunately. That's the way it goes sometimes."
Bowen (23) looked to be cruising to victory against David when he birdied the ninth to turn 2-up in just under 90 minutes, then made an eight-footer for a birdie four at the 12th to go three up.
But after losing the 13th to a birdie and the 15th to David's brilliant up-and-down par, he overhit a 40-footer and three-putted the 16th to be pegged back to all square.
They halved the 17th in fours, and it was David who emerged victorious as he ripped a 207-yard seven iron to 10 feet to set up a winning two-putt birdie as Bowen three-putted again from long range, leaving his eagle putt eight feet short having done well to find the green from the left rough.
"This is definitely the biggest thing I've won," said the world number 1,521 David from Pyle & Kenfig Golf Club near Porthcawl, who convincingly beat Germany's Ben Gratzl 4&3 in the semis.
"Going upstairs, seeing all the photos of the past winners and the calibre of golf that people have played here, it's an honour to be a part of that and all the great champions of this tournament."
Tomi Bowen (Welshpool) bt David Howard (Fota Island) 2/1;
Sean David (Pyle & Kenfig) bt Ben Gratzl (St Leon Rot, GER) 4/3.
David bt Bowen 1 up.
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