Mallow’s James Sugrue staged a magnificent rearguard battle at Portmarnock today to beat Dutchman Koen Kouwenaar in the quarter-final of the British Amateur Championship on the 19th.
The 22-year-old is now through to the semi-final this afternoon in which he will meet the championship favourite and seventh ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, David Micheluzzi from Australia.
Sugrue showed understandable signs of nervousness early on – the winner of tomorrow’s 36 hole final gains automatic entry to next month’s British Open at Royal Portrush and next year’s US Open and a traditional invitation to the US Masters – and was forced to concede the first hole.
He went two down after four but seemed to be finding his feet with a beautifully played birdie at the long 5th.
However, the Dutchman took back the 6th and duly turned two ahead.
Sugrue’s head never dropped and battle was joined when Sugrue won the 10th and 11th to level the proceedings.
It was a desperately close affair after this and four holes were halved in par until Kouwenaar moved in front once again with a win at the long 16th.
However, Sugrue was no stranger to such a perilous situation having successfully come from three down with four to play on the previous day.
After a half at the 17th Sugrue once against demonstrated his mettle by drawing level once again with a marvellous birdie at the 18th.
And the Mallow man once again proved equal to the task when getting through with a decisive par four at the first tie hole.
However, it was a disappointing morning for the second Irish quarter-finalist as Galway’s Ronan Mullarney went down at the 17th again Englishman Benjamin Jones.