England’s John Gough bounced back from the disappointment of a playoff defeat at last month’s European Nations Cup to win the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship at The Island Golf Club near Dublin.
The 24-year-old has made a habit in recent weeks of placing himself behind the eight-ball. In Sotogrande, Spain, a second-round 77 set him back after he’d fired a first-round 67 before he fought back to set a clubhouse target only Albert Hansson could tie before the Swede prevailed in extra holes.
A week later, on defence of the Lytham Trophy, Gough opened with a 74 and had to dig deep to make the cut before briefly threatening to contend again.
In Ireland, an opening lap of 75 left him eight shots behind his pacesetting compatriot Harley Smith, but Gough was not to be denied. Two rounds of 69 got him back in the hunt, yet he still entered the final round six shots behind Wales’ Tomi Bowen, who had equalled the amateur course record on Saturday with a dazzling 10-under 62.
“It’s class winning in front of a lot of the family, I have a very big family.”
John Gough
Bowen lurched to the turn in 4-over par 40 in the final round while Gough completed the same stretch in 34 blows and then added four back-nine birdies in quick fashion. When he caught an unplayable lie in the dunes from the 18th tee, his challenge seemed spent. Instead, he accepted the penalty shot, found the fairway with his third and got up-and-down from 135 yards for bogey. None of the later starters could match his 8-under par total of 280 (75-69-69-67).
The son of a father from Meath and mother from County Down, Gough was delighted to lift the trophy in front of extended family and friends.
“It’s so good to win the Irish amateur, especially with family relations in Ireland,” Gough told Golf Ireland. “It’s class winning in front of a lot of the family, I have a very big family.”
England’s Dylan Shaw-Radford claimed solo second on 7-under, with Bowen recovering somewhat to land third on 6-under. The home challenge was led by Alex Maguire, who finished alone in fourth, a further shot back.
The result represented good news for GB&I Walker Cup captain Stuart Wilson, with the top two finishers part of the initial 19-player squad announced in December. Smith also was among those named, and he held on for a share of 10th. Fellow squad members Arron Edwards-Hills of England and Irishmen Hugh Foley, Liam Nolan and Matthew McClean all claimed top-20 finishes.
RESULTS
Matt Cooper