Familiar duneland wrought its magic on Ken Kearney for a second time in three years, when he regained the Irish Independent East of Ireland title at Baltray yesterday. Inspired by his favourite links, the 33-yearold westerner compiled a nine-under-par aggregate of 283 to win by four strokes.

Six strokes behind leader Pat Murray overnight, Kearney made what proved to be an irresistible move in the third round yesterday morning. With an amateur course record of 65, he went into lunch with a threestroke lead over Stackstown's Michael McDermott.

As things turned out, McDermott, Murray and Stephen Browne of Hermitage were the only players to challenge the leader in the afternoon. But skill and experience allowed Kearney to be comfortably clear of the West of Ireland champion and Murray in a share of second place, while Browne was a stroke further back, third.

"Obviously I did the damage this morning, but I had played better than my scores suggested in the first two rounds," said Kearney afterwards. "It's really sweet to have won this way, but that's the effect Baltray has on me."

This was Kearney's fourth championship triumph, following on the West of Ireland in 1992, the Close in 1997 and the East in 1999 when, incidentally, he compiled an aggregate record of 277. On that occasion, he also equalled the amateur course record of 66 set by Raymond Burns, but the lowest competitive score at Baltray remains the 64 shot by Eamonn Darcy in the Smurfit Irish Professional Championship in October last year.

Kearney's accomplished iron play and exceptional short game were very much in evidence yesterday morning when he stunned his rivals by opening the third round with a run of five birdies. It started when a 30-footer found the target at the first but, significantly, the longest birdie putt he had to hole from then on was an eight-footer.

After a two at the short seventh had delivered a sixth birdie in seven holes, Kearney had already caught up with the opposition. And there were further birdies at the 11th, 12th and 15th before he dropped his only shot of the round at the short 17th, where he blocked a four iron wide of the green on the right. Indicative of a productive blade was a tally of 28 putts.

The overnight position had been: -6 Murray; -5 Peter Martin; -4 McDermott; level par Kearney. After 54 holes, the leaderboard read: -8 Kearney; -5 McDermott; -2 Murray; +1 Browne. Crucially, his respect for the course was undiminished. So it was that he continued to use driver, three-wood or two iron off the tee at driving holes, with a view to achieving prime position from which to attack the pins.

Everything went smoothly until he had a run of three bogeys from the sixth, when he hit his only really bad drive of the day. Then, after missing the seventh green on the right, he pitched back over the green and had to get up and down for a bogey. And he also dropped a stroke at the next where he was bunkered off the tee.

All of which meant his lead over McDermott had now been cut to two strokes.

Meanwhile, Browne had given himself a chance with a morning 69 which he started by sinking a 10-footer for a birdie at the first and then a 20-footer for an eagle at the long second. And in the afternoon, he birdied the second, third, fourth and sixth to be three under par for the championship at that stage.

"I figured if I could get to seven under, it would set a decent target," he said afterwards. As it happened, he had his fifth birdie of the round at the 11th, but had to settle for pars the rest of the way. And in the fourth-last two-ball of the day, Kearney regained control with birdies at the 10th (15-foot putt) and long 11th (on in two) to be nine under par and five clear of the field.

Insurance came with a birdie at the short 15th, where he holed from 12 feet. And it was no more than an interesting aside that he should have bogeyed the 17th for a second time in the day, this time after a blocked five-iron tee-shot.

Kearney is now virtually certain to be recalled to the Ireland team for the Home Internationals. But he will not be available for the six-member European Championship line-up in early July, insofar as it clashes with the expected arrival of a first child for he and his wife Sinead.

As a footnote, given an eight-round total of 24 under par in two championship triumphs at Baltray, did he regret not persevering with a professional career? "No," he replied. "When I tried it, I don't think I was good enough and though I'm a better player now, age is against me."

Some aspiring professionals, who finished behind him yesterday, would do well to take note.

Final Scores

283 K Kearney (Roscommon) 72 74 65 72

287 M McDermott (Stackstown) 74 68 72 73, P Murray (Kinsale) 72 68 77 70

288 S Browne (Hermitage) 77 74 69 68

290 A Morrow (Portmarnock) 75 69 74 72

291 E Power (Kilkenny) 75 73 71 72, D Sugrue (Killarney) 75 72 74 70

292 G Cullen (Beaverstown) 75 73 72 72 With yesterday's two rounds

293 R Cannon (Balbriggan) 73 77 68 75

294 K Bornemann (Douglas) 79 70 72 73; R Forsythe (Hilton Templepatrick) 777 75 72 70, S McParland (Greenore) 76 75 70 73; H Hanley (Grange) 75 73 72 74; B McElhinney (North West) 73 71 74 76;

295 M O'Sullivan (UCD) 78 72 76 69; A Morris (Belvoir Park) 75 75 74 71; M Sinclair (Knock) 75 75 74 71; E McCormack (Slieve Russell) 75 74 72 74;

296 A Pierse (Tipperary) 79 73 74 70; M Campbell (UCD) 77 71 75 73;

297 R Maher (Nenagh) 78 73 71 75; J Kehoe (UCD) 78 72 73 74; C Murphy (Clandeboye) 76 75 74 72; N Goulding (Portmarnock) 74 76 74 73; P Dooley (Cork) 74 74 74 75

298 S McMonagle (Dunfanaghy) 82 70 76 70; P Martin (Balmoral) 73 68 77 80

299 G McGimpsey (Bangor) 79 71 74 75

300 S Paul (Tandragee) 75 75 76 74; V Smyth (Co Louth) 74 77 75 74

301 N Lavin (Royal Dublin) 76 69 79 77; R Evans (Moyola Park) 74 75 73 79

302 B Smyth (Mourne) 82 70 74 76; J Lyons (Birr) 81 70 73 78; R Leonard (Banbridge) 79 72 77 74; P Purdy (Shandon Park) 76 74 78 74; M Owens (Mallow) 73 78 76 75; D Branigan (Seapoint) 72 76 76 78

303 G Bohill (Co Louth) 78 74 71 80; N Gorey (Killeen) 77 74 78 74; D Carroll (Grange) 76 72 77 78; C Donovan (Killeen) 75 74 76 78

304 M McGeady (City of Derry) 78 73 75 78; P Rogers (Dundalk) 76 76 77 75; J Timony (Headfort) 76 74 74 80; C Finn (Douglas) 75 74 81 74

305 P McDonald (Woodbrook) 76 75 82 72; R de Lacy Staunton (Hong Kong) 75 75 78 77

308 F Whelan (Laytown & Bettystown) 76 75 83 74

313 M Flanagan (Co Longford) 75 75 85 78