Edmondstown’s Thomas Abom eagled his 16th hole en route to a one-under 71 and a one-shot lead over local hero Richard Sykes heading into this afternoon’s final round of the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close at. Dun Laoghaire.
The Dubliner leads on six-under from Sykes, who also eagled the seventh before finishing with two bogeys for a 70.
Roganstown’s Sean Keeling (17), who led by four strokes overnight, shot 79 to fall back into a tie for third with Malahide’s Gavin O’Neill, who shot 71, on two-under.
The Made in Holywood Academy product made a quintuple bogey nine at the 15th, his sixth, and was ten-over for his round with five holes to play before he fought back with birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh to keep his title chances alive.
Warrenpoint veteran Colm Campbell, who is bidding to add the Close to wins in the Irish Amateur Open (twice), the South of Ireland and the East of Ireland, is lurking just five shots off the lead on one-under a 73.
Royal Dublin’s Hugh Foley, another multiple-championship winner, followed an eagle at the seventh with bogeys at the eighth and ninth to shoot a 75 that left him six behind on level par.
Just six players broke par in the third round with the best of them a three-under 69 by Calum Ward from Carton House, who shares sixth place with Millicent’s Brian Doran on one-over.
AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship, Dun Laoghaire GC (Upper & Middle, Par 72)
210 Thomas Abom (Edmondstown) 66 73 71
211 Richard Sykes (Dun Laoghaire) 68 73 70
214 Gavin O’Neill (Malahide) 68 75 71, Sean Keeling (Roganstown) 66 69 79
215 Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 73 69 73
216 Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin) 70 71 75
217 Calum Ward (Carton House) 73 75 69, Brian Doran (Millicent) 69 70 78
218 Seán McLoughlin (Co. Sligo) 74 73 71, TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 73 69 76, Gerard Dunne. (Co. Louth) 69 72 77
219 Harry McArdle (Warrenpoint) 74 73 72, Lewis Gowdy (Bangor) 73 72 74, Luke O’Neill (Connemara) 72 76 71, Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) 72 71 76, Quentin Carew (Castleknock) 71 74 74, Shane McDermott (Slieve Russell) 67 73 79
220 Brendan Smyth (Howth) 73 72 75, Kevin Robinson (Castlewarden) 72 74 74
221 Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) 75 73 73, Kevin LeBlanc (The Island) 71 75 75
222 Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 70 75 77
223 David Kitt (Athenry) 76 71 76, Jack Blake (The Island) 74 74 75, Paul Coughlan (Castleknock) 72 73 78, David Shiel (Enniscrone) 71 72 80, Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 69 78 76
224 David Lally (Blainroe) 74 74 76, Colin Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 72 75 77, Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) 72 73 79, Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) 69 79 76
225 Louis Goodman (Co. Louth) 74 74 77, Jake Whelan (Grange) 71 75 79
226 Charlie Smyth (Slieve Russell) 76 71 79, Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) 75 71 80, Darren McCormack (Corrstown) 73 74 79
228 James Walsh (Douglas) 73 74 81
229 James McMaster (Holywood) 71 77 81
230 Adam McCormick (Scrabo) 74 74 82, Conor Hickey (Dooks) 72 76 82.