Record 63 for Dunne
DUNDALK will be hoping Caolan Rafferty will have recharged his batteries in time to help them win the AIG Barton Shield in Thurles next month after he romped to victory in the One Finance sponsored Dundalk Scratch Cup.
Rafferty (25) finished six shots clear of new course record holder Gerard Dunne from County Louth in Sunday’s 36-hole event at the Blackrock club, firing a brace of 68s to finish on the top of the pile on eight-under-par 136 for his second win in the event in three years.
Schoolteacher Dunne stormed through the field after an opening 79 to take second place on two-under thanks to a course record, nine-under par 63 in the second round.
In the morning, Rafferty covered the opening nine in one-under par after an eagle three at the par-five sixth and a bogey at the par-four eighth.
He then birdied the 10th, 14th and 18th to fire a fourunder 68 for a two-shot lead over Max Kennedy, Tom McKibbin and Evan Farrell with Eanna Griffin a shot further back on 71.
However, none of the chasers managed to mount
an attack on Rafferty in the afternoon with Kennedy shooting 81, McKibbin 83 and Farrell 80 to drop out of contention while Griffin managed a level par 72 to finish on one under.
It was an impressive performance by Rafferty, who was playing his sixth competitive round in five days having teed it up for Ireland at the Home Internationals in Wales last week.
“It was two steady rounds,” said Rafferty afterwards. “I was slow to get going, but the eagle on six gave me the kickstart I needed. In the second round after I birdied 10, I had chances on 11, 12 and 13 and just missed.
“A couple of years ago that would have got me down, I would have been upset and the whole round would have gone to pot. But I stuck at it and birdied 14 and 15.
“It has been a good year and a long year, the body is starting to ache a little bit so I’m looking forward to a bit of a break before the Barton Shield,” Rafferty said
Dunne’s course record in the afternoon, when he shot a bogey-free nine under par 63, was a massive 16 shots better than his first-round total of 79 in the morning, but it was during that round that the seeds were sown for his record score.
“I was not swinging it well the last few weeks, but I figured something out on the 16th this morning, and when I was going down the first in my second round I said to Evan Farrell that I was going to birdie every second hole and shoot nine under,” said Dunne who finished six shots behind Rafferty in second place on two under. “I’m glad I kept my word.”