*Patrick Adler
OVERSEAS Lahinch Golf Club member, Patrick Adler is among the last four standing in the Pierse Motors Volkswagen South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship.
By Daragh Small
Conditions were close to perfect on the penultimate day in Lahinch with the wind remaining relatively calm across almost 12 hours of play on a beautiful summers Saturday on the Clare links.
Pat Murray (Tramore), Patrick Adler (North Shore USA), Brian Doran (Millicent) and Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) produced some stunning golf on the Wild Atlantic Way, as sixteen became four.
Former winner Murray was the first to book his spot in the semi-final. The experienced 53-year-old golfer summoning the talent and know how that got him to a title in 2012, battling back from 4 down against Aodhagán Brady (Co Sligo) in the round of 16, holing two birdies on 17 and 18 to move on to a match against local golfer Stephen Loftus (Lahinch) in the quarter-finals. This time it was Murray who had to hold his nerve closing out with a par on 16.
“2012 was probably a great help to me this week because it got me over the break of the semi-final. 2012 was my eighth semi-final and my first time winning one, so it makes it a little bit easier. The course always changes in some way or the wind changes or some bit of quirk about it but there’s nowhere I haven’t been, and it does help,” said Murray.
Murray’s opponent in tomorrow’s semi will be Adler. The 21-year-old Chicago native has taken all of his knowledge from playing on courses in the “Windy City” to make his way to Sunday, coming through his last 16 tie with a 1up victory over Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) before closing out his quarter-final match in style, holing out for an ace on 16 to take a 4&2 win over Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell).
“I’ve never had a hole-in-one before and I mean it came off a little bit right off the clubface and in the morning wave I just missed it right of the green and I was hoping it didn’t happen again but luckily it caught a little left bounce and trickled in. We could see it go in from the tee box and it was just bananas from there,” said Adler.
Making up the second semi-final are Doran and Hill. Millicent golfer Doran has been in good form this season, with a second-place finish at the Munster Men’s Stroke Play Championship the highlight. He was pushed all the way to a play-off against Finlay Eager (Royal Belfast) in their last 16 tie, ultimately ending with a par enough to win on the 19th hole.
Doran then took on Darragh Flynn (Carton House) in the quarter-final with both men pushing hard for the win, going under par for their rounds but in the end, Doran picked up the win 2&1 on 17. “It’s been a good year. I did a lot of winter work this year coming into the year, over the last four years I’ve don’t nothing just played summer golf, so I said this year I’d give it a go and see. Cork was very good, Paul was very good that day and at the East, I was going well in the East and the putter was kind of cold on the Monday and then we had a great win at Inter-Pros, I was delighted to be picked for that and yeah, who knows”.
Hill was the last to book his spot. The Galgorm golfer came through two play-offs on Saturday, first winning on the 19th hole against Aaron Naughton (Hermitage) in the round of 16 before knocking out defending champion Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) on the 21st hole in the quarters. It was a long day but he knows what it will take to keep the momentum going tomorrow.
“Just keep doing what I’m doing really, just step up one shot at a time and then just try and focus really on my own game not try and worry about what other people are doing just trying to hit the best shots I can and hopefully it takes care of itself,” said Hill.
The semi-finals of the South of Ireland get underway at 8.30am on Sunday.
