Paddy Harrington Golf Scholar Hurley finishes strong in Lake Macquarie and New South Wales 

Congratulations to Paddy Harrington golf scholar Gary Hurley on two excellent finishes in the Lake Macquarie Men’s Amateur Open Championship and New South Wales Amateur Open Championship in Australia.

Hurley finished in a tied for 8^th place in the Lake Macquarie Amateur at Belmont Golf Club with rounds of 68, 76, 67, 74 to finish on a total of 285.

In the New South Wales Medal last week at Mona Vale Golf Club.

Hurley finished in an impressive tie for fourth place.  The final 36 holes of the Tournament at Mona Vale where cancelled due to flooding, leaving a trio of Irish challengers left to wonder what might have been.

Hurley, along with his Irish teammates Reeve Whitson and Niall Gorey were all well inside the top-10 after two rounds and all looked forward to challenging the overnight leaders, England’s Neil Raymond and local player Brett Drewitt.

A playoff between Drewitt and Raymond saw the Englishman take the honours with a par at the first hole of sudden death.

Hurley who lay in a tie for third after a first round 70, had carded a 74 in difficult conditions on a demanding Mona Vale GC to consolidate his position, three shots off the pace in a tie for fourth.

He was joined on 144 by fellow Irish team mate Reeve Whitson, who added a second consecutive 72, and both players where one shot ahead of Niall Gorey who carded one of the best rounds of the day at Mona Vale, a one-under 71, to lie in a tie for eighth. The other Irish competitor, Dermot McElroy ground his way to a 76 to make the cut on the number, but due to the cancellation did not have a chance to improve his position and gain entry into the New South Wales Match play Championship in Elanora this week.

Hurley, Whitson and Gorey went on this week to compete in the New South Wales Match play Championship as they finished in the top-32 in Mona Vale. Reeve Whitson was best finisher of the Irish who eventually lost out to Australian Jake Higgenbottom in the last eight of the NSW Amateur Open Championship at Elanora by 4/3

Unfortunately, Hurley bowed out in the first round of the Match play to Australian, Matt Wittenberg being beaten by 2/1.

Gary’s selection is on the back of exceptional performances for Ireland in recent years. In 2010, Gary made a significant contribution in helping Ireland to victory in the Boys (U18) Home Internationals in Scotland being unbeaten in match play winning five and half points from six matches. In 2011, Gary captured his native Munster Boys Amateur Open Championship at Monkstown Golf Club and went on to represent Ireland with distinction in both the European Boys Team Championship and Boys Home Internationals. This led to his selection and Captaincy for the Great Britain and Ireland Boys Team who defeated Continental Europe to claim the coveted ‘Jacques Leglise Trophy’ in Spain last August.

Gary joins three Irish senior players, Team Captain Niall Gorey (Muskerry), Dermot McElroy (Ballymena) and Reeve Whitson (Mourne).  The four players will compete in the Australian Amateur Championship, the Lake Macquarie Amateur Championship and the New South Wales Amateur Championship.

The Australian Amateur Championship, which entails two rounds of stroke play qualifying with 32 players to qualify for the match play stages, began on Tuesday 17th January, and will took place at Huntingdale GC and Woodlands GC in Melbourne.

Gary finished best of the Irish players at the Austrailian Amateur Championship where he defeated Austrailian Ben Clemenson in the first round with an impressive final-hole victory but bowed out in the second round to the eventual winner Germany’s Marcel Schneider.

Schneider had held the upper hand, and was four up with five to play, when Hurley launched a spirited comeback, and the match was still alive with Hurley one down playing the last.

Indeed, Hurley looked like sending the match into extra holes until Schneider, who struggled on the final hole, holed out from over the back of the green for a half to win the match.

Gary and his fellow Irish compariots, will now move on to the Lake Macquarie Amateur Championship, which takes place at Belmont Golf Club in Sydney, and involves four rounds of stroke play from 26th-29th January.

The Lake Macquarie Amateur Championship takes place at Belmont Golf Club in Sydney, and involves four rounds of stroke play from 26th-29th January.

For more information on the Lake Macquarie Amateur Championship, click here.

The New South Wales Amateur begins with a 72-hole stroke play tournament at Mona Vale Golf Club and Long Reef Golf Club in Sydney from 1st-3rd February, with the top-32 finishers qualifying for the Amateur Championship itself, decided over three days of match play at nearby Elanora Golf Club on 6th-8th February.

For more information on the New South Wales Amateur Championship, click here.