Three Leaders at Fota Island Audi Masters

A gripping final day of play is in store at Fota Island Resort in Cork as three golfers share a one-shot lead ahead of the concluding round of the Audi Cork Irish Masters.

Rita Batibasaga, Stuart Manley and Elliot Saltman are all four under par after 36 holes of the seventh event of the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour season.

Five players are just one shot behind the leaders, setting up an exciting final round on Friday - 

final round tee times

Rita Batibasaga (Indoorphilly GC) made birdie six times in his second round but was pegged back by four bogeys. Starting at the 10th tee he picked up back-to-back birdies at his opening two holes before bogeying the 12th.

Three successive birdies from the 16th saw him move up the leaderboard and a birdie four at the fifth further improved his score. However, he concluded his round with three consecutive bogeys and signed a two-under-par 69, equalling his first round to moving to four under for the tournament.

Stuart Manley (Machynys Peninsula) carded a five-under-par second round of 66 with the help of an eagle three at the fourth. He had been one above par overnight but that eagle and three birdies saw him finish day two with a share of the lead.

Elliot Saltman, who qualified for this year’s Open Championship earlier in the week, started at the 10th and made four birdies on his front nine. He added to that with a four at the par-five fourth but bogeyed the seventh to sign for a 67.

Portstewart’s Paul Cutler is among the five golfers tied for fourth, one shot off the lead. His round didn’t get off to the best start when he double bogeyed the second but an eagle at the 10th pulled those dropped shots back and he added two birdies to his card at 12 and 18, and despite a bogey at the 13th he signed for 70.

Duncan Stewart (Grantown on Spey), Zane Scotland (Woodcote Park GC/Princes GC), Dan Seymour (Newbury Golf Centre) and Darryn Lloyd (Acrabuild Ltd/W.Ash & Sons) are also just one shot off the leading trio.

Overnight leader Michael Collins (Mallow Golf Range) shot a second-round 74 and is three shots off the pace.

Ahead of Friday’s final round a cut of the top 50 and ties has been made. Golfers with a total score of four over par or better will play another 18 holes to determine the winner. 

Leaderboard

Collins Masters First Day at Fota

Michael Collins leads the way on four under par at the end of the opening day of the Audi Cork Irish Masters at Fota Island Resort in Cork.

Dan Seymour is second, one shot behind Collins in the seventh event of the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour campaign. Seymour won the season opener at Wensum Valley in Norfolk in April and is well placed to build on that victory at Fota Island.

Collins (Marlow Golf Range) began his round at the par-five tenth and got off to a superb start with an eagle.

He continued to build his score with a birdie two the following hole and added another at the par-three seventeenth. Turning home he registered a third birdie at the first before making a bogey five at the eighth to sign for a 67.

Seymour (Newbury Golf Centre) opened with two birdies on the front nine; at the first and ninth. Another birdie at 13 saw him move to three under par but bogey fives at 14 and 16 looked to have forced him down the leaderboard. However, an eagle at the par-five 18th restored Seymour to second on the leaderboard with a score of 68

Seven golfers are tied for third, two shots off the lead. Among those to have carded an opening round of 69 are Cian McNamara and Paul Cutler.

McNamara (Team Ireland/Limerick GC) made birdies at one, 10 and 12 but dropped a shot at the par-five fourth.

Northern Irishman Paul Cutler (Portstweart) started with a birdie at the tenth and picked up further shots at 17 and two before bogeying the third and completing the remaining holes to par to sign for a 69. Behind them four golfers are one shot under par.

The second round of the Audi Cork Irish Masters gets underway at 8am on Thursday morning. After all golfers have played 36 holes a cut of the top 50 and ties will be made ahead of the final round on Friday.

Audi Cork Irish Masters leaderboard

Fota Island Hosts Cork Irish Masters

The 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour heads to Cork this week for the Audi Cork Irish Masters at Fota Island.

The event will be played on the resort’s Deerpark Course and below Fota Island’s Director of Golf Kevin Morris picks out five of its key holes.

Three

Par: 3; Yards: 165

“The third is a tricky par three with water short on the right and left and a bunker at the back of the green.”

Eight

Par: 4; Yards: 478

“This is a great par four. It’s a left-to-right dog leg with a ditch running up the left hand side for your second shot, turning into a lake on the left-edge of the green. Then you have four bunkers left of the green, so it is a really good hole where your second shot will probably be about 200 yards.”

Ten

Par: 5; Yards: 500

“Ten is a short, downhill par-five which has out-of-bounds off the tee on the right and trees down the left and the green is surrounded on three sides by water. It’s quite a short shot in there - I reckon the professionals will be using short to mid irons - but it is one where, even after hitting the fairway, you could still run up seven.”

Twelve

Par: 4; Yards: 428

“There are no bunkers on the 12th but it has a water hazard on the left which runs across the fairway at about 300 yards.”

Eighteen

Par: 5; Yards: 507

“The 18th is the only genuinely tight driving hole on the golf course but a drive to the top of the hill is going to leave you a long to mid iron into the green. The green is a small green which is surrounded again by water on three sides. It is a good, strong finishing hole.”

EuroPro Tour Returns to Fota Island

The 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour returns to Fota Island Resort next month for the second Audi Cork Irish Masters.

After the unqualified success of the 2011 event, the EuroPro will be back at Fota Island Resort between July 4 and 6 this year.

Fota Island Resort, twice host to the Irish Open, has three championship golf courses set in beautiful parkland scenery, of which The Belvelly is one, which hosted last year’s event, and The Deerpark is another, where this year’s 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour is being held.

A par 71, 6927-yard course which hosted the Irish Open in 2001 and 2002, The Deerpark at Fota Island Resort, with its receptive greens and strategic bunkering, impresses even the most experienced professionals.

The Deerpark course also has one of Ireland’s most famously picturesque golf holes, the lovely 18th island green, a par 5, narrow tree-lined tee shot to the top of the hill and on to the island green in front of the club house.

The ultimate risk and reward hole, this hole was chosen by Padraig Harrington as his favourite 18th hole. "I don't think you can get a more beautiful golf hole,” he said.

“ The setting is gorgeous… you get to the top of the hill and it is all presented to you... the clubhouse, the lake, mature trees, bunkers, shrubs - magnificent. And doesn't everybody like being faced with a downhill shot to a big green!”

“There is little doubt that Fota Island Resort provides one of the best courses on the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour,” said Danny Nickless, Operations Manager for the 888poker.com PGA EuroPro Tour.

“Last season’s event on The Belvelly was incredibly successful and Fota Island Resort proved a big hit with the players. Fota Island Resort will again provide a challenging, scenic and exciting test for our players on The Deerpark this year, and we're sure they will relish returning to the venue in July."

“Audi Cork is proud to continue our sponsorship of the Irish Masters at Fota Island Resort,” said a statement from Audi Cork. “After the huge success and positive feedback from last year’s event, here at Audi Cork we are more than happy to support this prestigious event in the county, and are looking forward to another hugely successful tournament.”

Paul Reed claimed the £10,000 winner’s cheque when Fota Island Resort made its debut on the Tour last summer, and a field of 118 players will take part in the three-day Audi Cork Irish Masters this year, all no doubt eager to follow in his footsteps! With all golfers playing two rounds, a cut is then made and the top 50 players plus ties progress to the decisive final day.

Entry for spectators is free.