The country’s best amateur golfers began their Connollys Audi West of Ireland Championship challenge on Friday morning at County Sligo Golf Club in Rosses Point.
Local golfer Gerard Finnnegan and Bundoran’s Michael McCaughey were the first players from the 132-strong field to tee off at 7am on Friday morning.
View the West of Ireland Leaderboard here.
A strong field has been assembled for the 2022 edition of the event, which returns to its traditional Easter weekend date this year.
Competitors will play three rounds of strokeplay golf on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The leading 16 players on Sunday evening will then qualify for two days of matchplay, with the final scheduled for Easter Tuesday afternoon.
2021 champion Hugh Foley from Royal Dublin is back to defend his title and will play alongside Co Sligo’s TJ Ford and Irish Close & Irish Amateur Open double winner Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) in Friday’s opening round (14:43).
There are several other previous winners in the field including Caolan Rafferty (2019), Rob Brazil (2018) and Joe Lyons (2007), while 2015 winner and current Challenge Tour professional Dermot McElroy is caddying this weekend for his Ballymena friend Adam Barr.
Local golfers who have qualified for this year’s West of Ireland Championship are:
Aodhagan Brady (Co Sligo)
David Brady (Co Sligo)
Gerard Finnegan (Co Sligo)
TJ Ford (Co Sligo)
Alan Gaynor (Co Sligo)
Ryan Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar)
Michael McCaughey (Bundoran)
Cian Harkin (Letterkenny)
Sean McLoughlin (Co Sligo)
Sean Flanagan (Portmarnock)
Ruairi O’Connor (Co Sligo)
Shane Underwood (Co Sligo)
Padraig O’Dochertaigh (Gweedore)
Kyle McCarron (Buncrana)
Listen to Round 1 interviews as the players come off the course on the Ocean FM Sport Twitter feed.
Ocean FM Sport will bring you extensive coverage of the West of Ireland over the Easter weekend, including hourly updates on Good Friday from 1pm, and on Easter Saturday from 2-6pm.
Ocean FM Sport on Sunday will come live from Co Sligo Golf Club from 2-10pm – and there will also be live on-course commentary from the matchplay stages on Monday and Tuesday as the 2022 ‘West’ reaches its climax.
Ocean FM’s golf coverage is brought to you courtesy of audiologyservices.ie.
View the Connollys Audi West of Ireland Leaderboard
