Sean Quinlivan swept to an impressive, four-stroke victory in the Friends Provident Mullingar Scratch Trophy yesterday, when he completed a nine-under-par aggregate of 279. In the process, the 22-year-old from Ballybunion ensured he will be carrying an impressive distinction into professional ranks next month.
Victory was effectively assured by a stunning, course-record third round of 65 yesterday morning, leaving him seven strokes clear of the field. From there, he had simply to mind his business in adding this trophy to an East of Ireland triumph of two months ago.
In becoming only the third player to complete this notable, strokeplay double, Quinlivan is following in distinguished footsteps. It was first achieved by Darren Clarke in 1989 and was repeated by Walker Cup representative, Raymond Burns, three years later.
"I plan to go for my tour card next month but I would first like to make the international team," he said afterwards. "In fact I'm so keen to represent Ireland at senior level that I wouldn't mind missing out on the British stage of the qualifying school."
His nine-birdie third round for 206 - 10 under par - left him seven strokes clear of Dundalk's Danny Coyle; Timmy Rice was a stroke further back on two-under and five players, including the defending champion, Peter Lawrie, were on 215, one under.
After 63 holes, Quinlivan had improved to 11-under, five strokes clear of Rice, who raced to the turn in 31 strokes to be six under at that stage. Paul Byrne was next on four-under and he was followed by a resurgent Bryan Omelia, a stroke further back.
Things continued to be tight by the time the field went through the 12th for the last time. Bogeys at the 10th, where he mis-hit a six-iron approach, and at the 11th, where he over-shot the green, had brought the leader back to nine under and only three strokes ahead of Rice and Omelia. And Byrne also got to six under with a sandwedge to three feet for a birdie at the long 14th.
Yet Quinlivan insisted afterwards: "I didn't feel under serious pressure at any stage. With three par-fives still to come, I felt one of the other lads would have to shoot 61 to beat me." They didn't. In fact the best they could muster were rounds of 68 from Byrne and Omelia and a 67 from Gary Cullen who had been too far back to seriously threaten the leader.
The 65, which clearly did its job in securing a coveted trophy, was treated as a course record due to alterations since Philip Walton shot a 63 when winning in 1982. It was characterised by brilliant putting on delightfully smooth greens: Quinlivan used the blade only 26 times.
"I used up all my putts in the morning," he said of an afternoon round which contained several potentially serious errors on the greens, including three missed putts from inside four feet. But a long game which remained admirably solid set up a priceless, two-putt birdie at the long 16th.
Quinlivan didn't quite catch his drive which was short of the drain and right. From there, however, he used the same club to hit a glorious shot of 230 yards, uphill to the green, where the ball came to rest 20 feet from the hole.
Omelia had the distinction of producing the best 36 holes yesterday with rounds of 69 and 68. Though one suspects that stroke-play is his favourite format, this is certain to leave him in confident mood as he heads for Westport later this week for the Irish Close Championship.
After successive birdies at the 10th, 11th and 12th, Omelia's objective was to "post a score that Sean could look at." Instead of maintaining the pressure with further birdies, however, the Newlands player was one over for the last six holes, dropping a stroke at the difficult 17th.
Quinlivan, who spent two and a half years at the Central Florida University in Orlando, could have been faulted as an under-achiever before this season. Yesterday's victory, however, indicated his determination to make up for lost time.
