Galgorm Castle throws down gauntlet to Irish Open after hugely successful EuroPro event

GALGORM Castle Golf Club has thrown down the gauntlet to Royal Portrush at the start of Northern Ireland’s eagerly-awaited summer of golf.

With the north coast venue set to host the Irish Open at the end of this month, Galgorm laid down a significant marker of its own merits as a championship venue after another hugely successful hosting of the Ulster Bank EuroPro Open last week.

While the ‘cast list’ mightn’t have been as eye-catching as that which will line up at Royal Portrush, the sport’s up and coming professionals served up a thrilling competition of their own at the Ballymena venue.

They were watched by bumper crowds as Galgorm basked in the sunny conditions which had given the tournament such a boost and the players responded by producing a memorable competition.

Paul Reed carded a two-under-par 70 in the Final Round to claim the £10,000 winner’s cheque.

Reed (Bristol & Clifton Golf Club) began the final day one shot behind the lead after carding first and second rounds of 68 and 66 respectively.

He kicked off his final round with a birdie three at the first and gained another shot at the fourth. A third birdie came at the 10th but the Bristol golfer stuttered with a bogey at 17.

Overnight leader Scott Fallon (Lightning Packaging Supplies Ltd) started well with a par at the first and a birdie three at the second. But bogeys at five and 12 allowed those around him the opportunity to leapfrog the Londoner to top spot on the leaderboard and he finished tied eighth on -7 after signing for a Final Round score of 76.

Elliot Saltman (Archerfield Links) carded 67 to finish tied second with George Woolgar on -11. The Scotsman carded seven birdies and two bogeys on Friday to record the best Final Round of the top-ten finishers after a strong finish with shots gained at 17 and 18.

Woolgar (Capitalservices/F Ball) also finished his round strongly with three birdies on the last four holes allowing him to sign for a 69.

It meant Reed needed to par the 18th to avoid sending the tournament to a play off and despite feeling the pressure in front of a strong Galgorm Castle crowd the Englishman managed to sink a short putt for victory.

Unfortunately, none of the four-strong Galgorm Castle contingent managed to make the cut for the final day, although Liam Reilly, for the second year in succession, came close, missing out by just two shots.

But the final word on what the Galgorm tournament means to the professionals goes to Reed himself: “I am incredibly happy to win at Galgorm Castle. It’s a great venue and always feels like a big event for us.”