Having threatened at one stage to unravel in his final round, England's Richard McEvoy yesterday became the first overseas winner of the Ulster Bank Irish Amateur Open Championship at Royal Dublin.
He also became the first player since the competition was revived in 1995 to win in a play-off, down the last three holes against Belfast's Michael Hoey.
The 21-year-old, having led Hoey by what seemed an unassailable six strokes going into the final round, was forced into the play-off when the Shandon Park player shot a final round five-under-par 67 to McEvoy's 73. That left the pair level at 277, 11 under par.
Hoey's sparkling 67 would have equalled the old course record had defending champion Noel Fox not knocked that down to 66 on Friday, and despite finishing the play-off holes of the 16th, 17th and 18th in birdie, par, par, Hoey couldn't match McEvoy's run of birdie, birdie, par.
After a gruelling 36 holes yesterday, the last of which finished in fading light and drizzle, it was to McEvoy's credit that he was able to gear himself up for the extra three holes following Hoey's charge and his own serious wobble in form. "I'm knackered physically," he said. "But mentally I was okay out there. I was still able to smile at some of my bad shots."
The senior English international, who has 10 caps, now hopes to be selected for this year's Walker Cup. This Irish prize has come just a week after he won the prestigious Lytham Trophy at the famous course.
Before the play-off, McEvoy hadn't even realised that par on the 18th hole of his final round would force the extra three, thinking that Hoey had parred it in the group in front. In fact the 22-year-old Hoey had taken an iron off the tee for safety, only to find the fairway bunker and bogey the hole.
"I thought I was behind playing 18. I didn't realise that Mike had made bogey, so I had a go at the pin with a six-iron. And I was only aware coming off the 12th green that Mike was coming up the field, so I birdied 13 and 14 to get a couple there."
Those birdies on the par four 13th and par five 14th arrived in the nick of time as McEvoy tried to shake himself out of a bogey stupor. A run from the ninth to twelfth read bogey, bogey, par, bogey.
At that stage Hoey had reeled him in, and if not for the swaying finish of birdie, bogey, eagle, birdie, bogey, the Belfast player might have snatched the tournament.
"This is definitely the best two weeks of my career," said McEvoy. "If I make the Walker Cup that will be my best week. Over the next year or so though I'd like to get a few invitations to play on the European Tour events. I don't know what's going to happen between now and next year."
It was a pinpoint wedge to within four feet at the play-off 17th that finally handed McEvoy the prize. Sinking his putt, with Hoey missing from 10 feet, sent the two down the Garden Hole with Hoey needing a birdie. With the pin just a couple of yards from out of bounds and a guardian bunker, that task was ultimately one too many.
Andrew McCormick, who finished joint seventh with a cluster of players, including defending champion Fox, Limerick's Tim Rice, Stephen Browne from Hermitage and Belvoir Park's Andrew Morris, could have had a much better result. He found himself out of bounds twice on the 18th which cost him an expensive eight shots for the hole. Instead of a possible seven-under-par finish, he ended up just three under.
Richard Sterne, the 19-yearold South African amateur stroke-play champion and plus four handicapper, was third, with England's Greame Clark and Gary Wolstenholme occupying fourth and fifth respectively.
