McIlroy defends West of Ireland title
Teenager Rory McIlroy came of age when he successfully defended the Radisson SAS West of Ireland Championship with a brilliant putting display at Rosses Point.
The 16-year-old from Holywood beat the Curragh's Paul O’Hanlon 3 and 1 and become the first player since Niall Goulding in 1991 to successfully defend the title.
Now the Holywood teenager has set his sights on winning the British Amateur title at Sandwich in June after coming through a series of gruelling matchplay encounters at the rugged Co Sligo links.
He said: “This is more special than last year. Coming in this year, I was the favourite with all that expectation on me. But I came here and I performed.
“It’s really special to win again but the biggest goal this year is the British Amateur. I'd love to win it. l said to myself at the start of the year: ‘If Brian McElhinney can win it, so can I.’”
McIlroy put his success down to a new putting stroke and the artificial putting green he has had installed in his back garden at home.
In his semi-final clash with England international David Horsey, he holed a left-to-right downhill par putt from 15 feet to square a match he had been losing by two holes and eventually came through with a birdie at the 21st.
Then, in a tight decider with international panellist O'Hanlon, he rolled in birdie putts of 10 and 18 feet at the 14th and 15th to go two up and closed out the match at the 17th when his opponent three-putted from the back of the green.
“The putter behaved all week. That was it," McIlroy added. "Every time I needed to hole a putt, I holed it. It was just unbelievable how many putts I holed when I needed to.
“I changed my putting stroke after the Dubai Desert Classic and for two months solid I have just been practising my putting with the national coach Neil Manchip and at home on and artificial green we have had installed. It has just come on so much.”
“Every putt I needed to hole this week went in. The putt I holed on the 17th this morning was a huge turning point and luckily enough he (Horsey) was the one that made the mistake first.”
Leading qualifier O’Hanlon, who turns 21 today, fired a wedge to six inches at the 18th to beat Scrabo’s Andy McCormick by one hole in his semi-final.
But he had to bow to McIlroy’s red-hot putter in a tight final at Co Sligo, despite playing the 17 holes in one under par.
O'Hanlon said: “The putter was hot all week but it kind of went a little bit cold towards the back nine. I knew Rory was going to hit good shots and I would have to try and outplay him. It wasn't to be but hopefully I'll be back for more days like this.”
Radisson SAS West of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Co Sligo GC.
Semi-finals: R McIlroy (Holywood) bt D Horsey (Styal, UK) at 21st; P O'Hanlon (The Curragh) bt A McCormick (Scrabo) 1 hole.
Final: R McIlroy bt P O'Hanlon 3 and 1.
