5/04/2014

Hurley and McElroy in Lytham Mix


Gary Hurley and Dermot McElroy are leading the Irish challenge after the opening round of the Lytham Trophy over the Royal Lytham and St Annes links on the Lancashire coast.

West Waterford's Hurley and Ballymena star McElroy both fired two-over-par 72s to trail leader Hurly Long of Germany by three strokes.

Hurley slipped to three bogeys on the outward half which he covered in 37 but finished with his only birdie in the round– a three on the last.

McElroy started with a birdie two but then had three bogeys in the next six holes before steadying himself to produce nine straight pars on the homeward stretch.

Naas' Jack Hume took 74 with a mixed round. Headfort's Rory McNamara is on 75 along with Stackstown player Richard Bridges and Tiarnan McLarnon of Massereene, while Gary Collins and Reeve Whitson both returned 76s. Already out of the hunt is the Portmarnock man Geoff Lenehan, who had a disastrous 87.

Leader Long goes into the second round this morning one stroke clear.
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Laguna Luck Holds for Lawrie

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Simon Thornton signed for a final round of 68 to move up seven places in the final leaderboard at The Championship at Laguna National on Sunday to tie for 20th place. 

Peter Lawrie - who carded his third sub 70 round of the week - also finished in 20th place and picked up hist first cheque of the season..

Both players however finished ten strokes off the winner, Felipe Aguilar, after the Chilean produced a stunning 2-2 finish as he came home in 28 shots to snatch victory from Anders Hansen.

Aguilar sank a ten foot birdie putt at the daunting par three 17th after his tee shot barely carried the water, then holed his approach for eagle at the last as a closing 62 saw him finish on 22 under par in Singapore.

Hansen spent much of the day on course for a first European Tour win in five years, but after failing to get up-and-down from sand at the 16th the Dane required a birdie from the last two holes and could not find one.

“Yesterday I didn’t have a good round and you figure that you’re so far back that you have no chance,” said Aguilar, who led the tournament before finding water and double bogeying the 13th during round three. “But today after the front nine I shot two under I knew I had to go deep and I hit the ball one of the best times I ever have and I went for every single pin. 

“Eight under on the back nine to win is pretty strong, especially making the last one on 18 being between clubs. This is something very, very special.

“I was right in between clubs and with the adrenaline you don’t want to hit a half shot. So I took a hard pitching wedge and it went in – it was very special finishing like that.

“On the 17th green I told my caddie if I make a birdie on 18 I might put some pressure on the leader and he said ‘you might make two’. I looked at him and said ‘the way I’m hitting the ball I might make two’, and I did. 

“I didn’t think I had made it until my caddie came back and told me and the others congratulated me. That was the cherry on the cake, definitely.”

The 43 year old Hansen started the day level with Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat but surged four shots clear on the front nine.

The three-time European Tour winner had to overcome a bogey at the first after missing a par putt from inside five feet.

However, pitches to three feet at the second and third set up birdies and a 20 foot putt at the fourth completed a hat-trick of gains.

Hansen picked up further shots from five feet at the sixth and 12 feet at the seventh to go four clear, but American David Lipsky responded with gains at the eighth and ninth to bring the gap back down to two.

Aguilar turned in 34 after birdies from 15 feet at the fifth and ten feet at the eighth, but set off for home with four straight gains.

The Chilean, whose only previous European Tour title came in neighbouring Indonesia six years ago, joined Lipsky in second as a result – but both were three behind when Hansen holed form 15 feet on the 12th.

Both Aguilar and Hansen birdied the long 15th, but the former’s incredible finish left the Dane needing another gain over the closing stretch.

Hansen then bogeyed the 16th from the sand, and despite holing a four foot clutch putt for par at the next, missed the green at the last and had to settle for par and a closing 67.

That saw him tie for second with Lipsky, who signed for a closing 65, with India’s Rahil Gangjee fourth on 19 under after birdieing his last five holes. 

Hansen, playing only his fourth event after six months off due to wrist surgery, said: “What can you say? It’s just one of those days. 

“He had a good day, played well obviously. I thought I played well.

“When you are there you want to get the job done and I didn’t, so not particularly happy. 

“The last two weeks have been really good. I’ve hit the ball really well and putted nicely so there is not much to say. I can’t really blame myself for this.”

Garthe Maybin slumped to a 54th place finish after a final round 75.
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