Walker Cup captain Dean Robertson has his work cut out to complete his 10-man team after home hope David Howard ran out of steam and fell in the semi-finals of the 124th South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Lahinch.
The Fota Island man (27) was running on empty after his draining Open Championship experience, and after being two up through seven holes against Welshman Tomi Bowen, he lost his driving mojo and four of the next six holes en route to a 2&1 defeat in a 20mph northwest wind.
It looked as if Bowen, who was not part of the GB&I training camp at Lahinch early in the week, would be the man to seal his place on the team for September’s clash with the USA in west Clare.
But he capitulated alarmingly down the stretch, throwing away a three-up lead with six holes to play in a lightning-fast, three-hour final and fell by one hole to his Wales teammate and boyhood golfing pal, Sean David.
While skipper Robertson looks unlikely to pick Howard, he also knows that a strong Irish presence will make the home crowd a weapon in September and so he will have to think long and hard about his final team selection.
While Amateur champion Stuart Grehan is guaranteed his place, Robertson might yet consider Roscommon’s Thomas Higgins, who impressed with his last 16 win over Walker Cup stalwart Connor Graham.
The team will be finalised after next month’s US Amateur at Merion, where Gavin Tiernan and Matt McClean join Grehan knowing they have to win to earn Walker Cup honours again.
As for Howard, he was exhausted by an intense three-week run that included the Interpros, the Barton Shield and Final Qualifying for Royal Birkdale, where his battle with Cystic Fibrosis made headlines worldwide before he narrowly missed the cut by two shots.
“I just didn’t have it today, unfortunately,” sighed Howard, who bogeyed the eighth, lost a ball right at the ninth, then conceded the 12th and 13th after poor drives found heavy rough and found himself go two down.
“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.”
As for his feelings on Walker Cup selection, he said: “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 3-up.
But after losing the 13th to a birdie and the 15th to David’s brilliant up-and-down par, he 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 from long range again, coming up 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 their semi-final.
“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.”
In the ISPS Handa Scottish Women’s Open at Dundonald Links, Leona Maguire made six birdies in a two-under 70 to finish tied for eighth on one-under, eight shots behind Korea’s Jenny Shin, who shot 75 to win by two strokes behind compatriot A Lim Kim.
At Gleneagles’ King’s Course, American Jerry Kelly birdied the 18th to shoot a two-under 68 to win the ISPS Senior Open and his third senior Major by two shots on 10-under par from Australia’s Cameron Percy (70), compatriot Matt Gogel (63) and South Africa’s Darren Fichardt (66).
Pádraig Harrington closed with a 68 to finish 41st on four-over while Paul McGinley was three strokes further back in 55th after a 70.
At the HotelPlanner Tour’s Raiffeisenbank Golf Challenge in the Czech Republic, Germany’s Anton Albers shot a six-under 65 to win the by three strokes on 20 under.
Max Kennedy was 27th on seven under after a 70 while Conor Purcell (72) and Mark Power (68) tied for 49th on one under.
124th South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by Pierse Motor Group, Lahinch GC
Semi-finals: Tomi Bowen (Welshpool) bt David Howard (Fota Island) 2/1; Sean David (Pyle & Kenfig) bt Ben Gratzl (St Leon Rot, GER) 4/3.
Final: David bt Bowen 1 up.