Torrid round leaves Dunne in the dumps

PAUL DUNNE couldn’t conceal his annoyance after a humdrum 73 dropped him back among the tail-enders heading into the final round of The Open.

‘Being two over is pretty crap to be honest,’ said Dunne, who finished three-six and lies on four over par.

Dunne squandered a number of putts for birdie – by his count seven went a-begging – before executing a superb approach to the 17th for a much-needed three.

That dragged him back to level par for the round but it all unravelled on the 18th where his tee shot found a hillock on the left.

With the ball below his feet, Dunne’s recovery shot squirted right and plopped into the Barry Burn on the fly.

After a penalty drop, he was unable to get up and down and signed off with a double-bogey.

Asked was he disappointed, Dunne gave a candid reply. ‘If I am not disappointed shooting two over, I am in the wrong game, I think,’ he said.

Dunne had sympathy for Shane Lowry, who missed the cut, after his fall-out with caddie Dermot Byrne.

‘I know Shane was with Dermot for nine years. But look, sometimes freshening things up in any area can help. Obviously, Shane thinks that’s going to help him so maybe they will get back together at some point. I don’t know.’