Shane Lowry (Esker Hills) scored a 4 and 3 victory over Niall Turner (Muskerry) in the final of the Golfsure sponsored Irish Amateur Close Championship at Cork Golf Club.
After sharing the opening hole with par fours, Lowry birdied the par five second to take the lead. Turner drove the green at the 285 metres par four third and he levelled the match when his eagle putt for two was conceded.
Lowry regained the lead at the fourth with a par but took a bogey at the par five fifth as Turner made par to again tie the match. But Lowry was back in front at the sixth with a birdie three.
The seventh was halved in par threes and the eighth in bogey fives, while Turner made a par three at the ninth to Lowry’s bogey four to tie the match.
While both made par at the 386 metres tenth hole Lowry regained the lead with a birdie four against Turner's par five at the 11th hole, and at the 12th his par four won the hole to put him two up. The 13th was halved in par threes.
Lowry increased his lead to three up when he holed from ten feet to win the 13th with a birdie three, and the match ended at the 15th when Lowry holed another birdie putt from six feet.
In this morning’s semi-finals, Turner defeated Cian Curley from Newlands by 2 and 1 while Lowry also scored a 2 and 1 win over Jonathan Caldwell from Clandeboye.
