Matthew McClean, the 2022 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, claimed a first victory in the Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship after overcoming his good friend Liam Nolan, a 2023 GB&I Walker Cup teammate, in a weekend head-to-head duel at County Sligo Golf Club in Rosses Point, Ireland.
McClean, a 30-year-old optometrist from Malone, near Belfast in Northern Ireland, carded rounds of 66-68-70-69 for an 11-under-par total of 273 and a two-shot victory over Nolan. TJ Ford grabbed third on 6-under courtesy of a final-round 65, Sunday’s low round.
McClean and Nolan had been locked at the top of the leaderboard after 36 holes before Nolan ended the third round with three consecutive birdies to open a four-shot lead through 54 holes. The advantage did not last long on Sunday morning, however, as the leader made a bogey at the par-4 second and double bogey at the par-5 third, and McClean made birdie at No. 3 to pull even.
“I played nicely, and Liam got off to a bad start but fought back really well. Down the stretch under pressure, it’s obviously more difficult. So [standing up to that] will be something that I can take forward into the rest of the year.”
MATTHEW McCLEAN
Nolan had spoken earlier in the week of his relief to be back on the course having spent the winter in the library completing his degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Galway. He might have been forgiven for doubting that assessment after his wayward start.
On the other hand, his response was strong. With birdies at Nos. 5 and 7, he re-established a two-shot lead, which he maintained through 11 holes. This time, it was McClean’s turn to fight back, ticking unanswered par-breakers at Nos. 12 and 15.
Down the stretch, Nolan’s rustiness revealed itself in bogeys at Nos. 17 and 18. McClean sealed the victory with three closing pars.
McClean had tied for 13th in the previous week’s Lytham Trophy, which came after a runner-up result in the Coleman Invitational, a prestigious mid-amateur event at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. Last month in Spain, McClean helped Ireland win the European Nations Team Championship for the first time since 2016.
“I’ve tried for many years to get an Irish championship and there’s multiple times where I’ve not been on the winning end, so it’s nice to hold on there,” McClean said. “That’s obviously what most players are judged by. Whatever you do, however many seconds and thirds, at the end of the day it’s the wins [that count].
Earlier in the week, 18-year-old Gavin Tiernan set the pace with a 65 to grab the first-round lead. He eventually finished in a share of sixth on 3-under. Tiernan will head to East Tennessee State University in August.
RESULTS
Matt Cooper
