Sport

Golf Digest: Hoey gets back into the Latin American swing early

CHALLENGE TOUR: Ireland's Michael Hoey immediately got back into the swing as the 2005 European Challenge Tour resumed at the…

Sat Feb 12 2005 - 00:00

CHALLENGE TOUR: Ireland's Michael Hoey immediately got back into the swing as the 2005 European Challenge Tour resumed at the Costa Rica Open yesterday.

The 25-year-old from Shandon Park, who is third on the Challenge Tour rankings after taking third place at the Panama Open and then second at the Peru Open in December, started where he left off with an opening round of one-under-par 71 at the windswept Cariari Country Club in San Jose.

Hoey put together six birdies, seven pars and five bogeys to join six other players on one under - three shots behind leaders Richard McEvoy of England, Juan Abbate of Argentina and Kyle Dobbs of the US.

Colm Moriarty is the next best Irishman in the field after his opening 72, while Tim Rice carded a 79 for eight over par.

READ MORE

Birr's Justin Kehoe looks to be set for a free weekend after posting a first round 15-over-par 86.

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: Canada's Lorie Kane and Dawn Coe-Jones carved up the Fancourt course to give their country the joint lead with Italy on day one of the inaugural Women's World Cup in South Africa.

The North Americans were out early and fired seven birdies on a still morning to post an error-free, seven-under 66 in the opening round of fourballs.

For a while it did not look as if any other country would reel them in, but a birdie a hole over the closing five from Italy's Diana Luna and Giulia Sergas gave them a share of the lead.

Behind them sits a group of four countries, including favourites Australia, Sweden, the Philippines and Japan after they posted five-under 68s.

England's Laura Davies and Karen Stupples found their putters let them down but still managed to post a credible score of four-under, while Wales duo Becky Brewerton and Becky Morgan were a shot further back with Scotland's pair Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie at two under.

"We just missed everything," Davies said. "It was a horrible day on the greens really. We've had four under and I have no idea how we got there."

NSW AMATEUR: Darren Crowe is out of the NSW Amateur Matchplay Championship after going down 6 and 5 to Michael Brown in the quarter-finals at Elanora CC yesterday.

Brown, of Bankstown GC, will be attempting to reach his second final in as many years when he faces New South Welsh Golf Club member Rohan Blizard, who beat Ireland's Brendan McCarroll and Seán McTernan in earlier rounds, in one semi-final today.

The other semi-final will see the last remaining international player, Tim Dykes of Wales, play Won Joon Lee of Concord GC.