Simon Thornton called upon an old friend for help when he felt he had lost his focus on the golf course and now the Team Ireland player is back on track with a passion.
So much so that he stormed to the top of the leaderboard after the first round in the 101st PGA Irish Championship, at Seapoint, with a super six-under 66 to equal the course record. He lays the cause to former titleholder and GUI coach Neil Manchip's words of wisdom.
"I had lost my focus and was going through the motions, playing just for the sake of playing, but I had a talk with Neil before the Irish Open at Killarney," said the former Irish No 1.
"He told me that I was lucky to be doing what I am doing and I realised that was the case. My mental attitude was all wrong."
The overnight leader, who had nine threes on his card with five of them birdies, started his round at the 10th and immediately went one-under with a chip and putt and then wedged to six feet at 11 for his first birdie three.
At 16, he drove 40 yards short of the flag and pitched to six feet. On the front nine, he birdied the third hole from six feet, the fifth from four feet and the seventh from 15 feet for a bogey-free performance.
"After this week, I aim to concentrate on the Challenge Tour and, hopefully, get a good ranking for next season," disclosed Thornton.
Newcastle-based Thornton sits one stroke ahead of Neil O'Briain, Glen Robinson and Des Smyth going into the second round.
PGA Europro player O'Briain was first to set the target with an midday 67, minutes after John Dwyer had posted a 68 to be the front runner. O'Briain birded 12 and 18 to turn two-under.
Birdie threes at the first and second holes were followed by his only lapse of the day, a bogey five at the fifth where he put his second shot into a water hazard. The 24-year-old then highlighted his card with an eagle at the sixth where he holed from 20 feet pin high.
St Helen's Bay pro Robinson, like Thornton, gave a bogey-free performance as his 67 contained five birdies and no bogeys. "No bogeys were very important," he reflected.
Joint course designer Des Smyth posted his 67 of six birdies and one bogey - at the ninth hole where he finished and missed the green late in the day.
The Seniors' Tour player made a four at the long 10th, a three at 16 from 12 feet and downed a 15-footer for another birdie four at 18.
He had birdies from 10 and 20 feet on the second and fourth greens and chipped stiff for another at six.
"It is a lovely opening round," he enthused. "My putting was very good and we will see what the next few days bring."
Dwyer is on a roll just now having qualified for the final of the Lombard Challenge in Turkey during November and the final of the Virgin Atlantic PGA National Pro-Am Championship in Las Vegas in December.
"This season I have played about just half the tournaments that I usually do but the form is still quite good. I hit every green in regulation," explained the Ashbourne club pro.
He turned level par with two birdies and two bogeys on his card but then reeled off four birdies on the back nine with no dropped shots. He trimmed the long 10th and 18th holes to four strokes, hit an eight iron stiff for a three at 14 and rolled home a ten-footer for another three at 16.
Defending champion David Mortimer, seeking his third win in the championship, finished at three-under 69 to stay very much on course to retain the honours.
European Tour player Gary Murphy carded a two-under 70 the same as Damian Mooney and Eamonn Logue who went eagle-birdie-eagle from the eighth hole.
Following today's second round, the leading 50 players and ties will qualify for a final 36 holes tomorrow with the projected cut at an all-time low of two-over-par.
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