But while making the cut and winning his first two matches makes him odds-on to hold on to his top-two status in the Bridgestone Order of Merit and earn automatic selection on Sunday night for next month’s Home Internationals, he’s looking to add the South to his maiden major win in the East of Ireland last month.
He beat Palmerstown House’s Ross McCormack 2&1 before seeing off Charleville’s Jordan Boles 6&5 to set up a last 16 clash with Irish Close champion Thomas Abom from Edmonstown.
And after being forced to dig deep just to make the top 64 who qualified for the matchplay stages, playing his last six holes in four under to make it with a shot to spare, he’s not going down without a fight now.
“It’s a long day, long week, and I have a few things hanging over me,” said Howard, who has decided not to worry about the mathematics of who might overtake him in the Order of Merit.
“I need to stay second to be guaranteed a pick for the Homes but while I try to not think about and play my golf, obviously it’s in the back of my mind.”
He continued his excellent play in a light westerly breeze, making five birdies in the morning and another four in the afternoon.
West of Ireland champion Dylan Holmes, who ended Keith Egan’s top-two Order of Merit hopes and then beat Mountrath’s Niall Hearns in the afternoon to make the last 16, could overtake Howard if he wins the title.
But Howard is focusing on his battle on the opposite side of the draw, where Galway veteran Joe Lyons faces Lahinch’s Jonathan Keane and Conor Stapleton from Westport takes on Carton House’s Paul O’Hanlon, who was a 19th hole winner over 2023 champion Colm Campbell.
“If I win this week, no one else can get in the way,” said Howard, who feels his putting is coming together after some recent work with Kevin Morris at Fota Island.
He faces a tough match against Thomas Abom, who chipped in for birdie at the 18th before beating Tralee’s Mark Gazi with another birdie at the 20th and going on to beat Galgorm’s Jamie Sutherland 2&1.
The winner will face Roganstown’s Mark Cadden or Abom’s brother Liam, who beat Galgorm Castle’s Josh Hill one up in the afternoon.
Cadden, controversially left out of the Irish team for the Boys Home Internationals, held off a back nine comeback from 2012 winner and ‘South’ specialist Pat Murray to win his morning match one up before ousting former Irish Close champion Quentin Carew 2&1 in the afternoon.
At the top of the draw, Seapioint’s Dylan Keating became the fourth leading qualifier in a row to exit on day one, losing one up to Monkstown’s Sean Desmond, who went on to beat East Clare’s Eoin Magill.
Desmond now takes on 2019 winner and former Walker Cup star Caolan Rafferty, who came back from three down with five to play to edge out Berehaven’s Joe O’Neill on the 18th.
The Dundalk man won the 14th, 15th and 17th to level the match before O’Neill hit his approach too close to the wall at the 18th and, unable to make a full backswing, conceded after twice failing to get on the green.
“It was just a rough spin in for Joe,” Rafferty said after his closing birdie. “I just kept hitting fairways and greens, and what happened on 18, it’s not nice when something like that happens to a nice guy like Joe.”
The winner of the Desmond-Rafferty clash will take on Galgorm’s Jordan Hood, who beat the combative Douglas man Barry O’Connell one up, or the steady Athenry grinder David Kitt.
West of Ireland winner Holmes from Greystones looks like a serious challenge for last year’s leading qualifier Ryan Griffin from Ballybofey and Stranorlar after he followed his win over Egan with five birdies in a 6&5 victory over Hearns.
The winner of Holmes-Griffin clash will face Connemara’s Luke O’Neill or Grange’s Jake Whelan.
O’Neill beat Royal Dublin’s Sean Downes with a birdie at the fifth extra hole, the Dell, in round one before defeating Fionn Dobbin 5&3 while Whelan didn’t have to go past the 16th in beating Bunclody’s Jason Rackard and Mullingar’s Adam Smith.
Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship, Lahinch
First round:
S Desmond (Monkstown) bt D Keating (Seapoint) 1 up;
E Magill (East Clare) bt B Oberholzer (Clandeboye) 2/1;
C Rafferty (Dundalk) bt P Curran (Edmondstown) 5/4;
J O’Neill (Berehaven) bt J Butler (Naas) 3/1;
B O’Connell (Douglas) bt A Buchanan (Royal Portrush) 1 up;
J Hood (Galgorm Castle) bt C Clarke (Balmoral) 2/1;
D Kitt (Athenry) bt R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 5/3;
C Cooley (Belvoir Park) bt D Reddan (Castleknock) 1 up;
R Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar) bt R Latimer (Knock) 3/2
A McCormack (Castletroy) bt E O’Carroll (St Annes) 6/5;
D Holmes (Greystones) bt K Egan (Carton House) 3/2;
N Hearns (Mountrath) bt J Foley (Elm Park) 2/1;
L O’Neill (Connemara) bt S Downes (Royal Dublin) 23rd;
F Dobbin (Malone) bt E Sullivan (Portmarnock) 3/2;
J Whelan (Grange) bt J Rackard (Bunclody) 3/2;
A Smith (Mullingar) bt D Lally (Blainroe) ) 5/4;
J Lyons (Galway) bt C Hickey (Dooks) 5/3;
B Cahill (Dundalk) bt S Barry (Fota Island) 1 up;
S Loftus (Lahinch) bt J Maginn (Mourne) 19th;
J Keane (Lahinch) bt G O’Neill (Malahide) 4/3;
C Stapleton (Westport) bt T Scroope (Nenagh) 3/2;
G Donohoe (Enniscorthy) bt R Sykes (Dun Laoghaire) 2 up;
P O’Hanlon (Carton House) bt J Walsh (Douglas) 6/5;
C Campbell (Warrenpoint) bt K Bornemann (Douglas) 3/2;
T Abom (Edmondstown) bt M Gazi (Tralee) 20th;
J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle) bt C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 4/2;
J Boles (Charleville) bt D Hogg (Belvoir Park) 6/5;
D Howard (Fota Island) bt R McCormack (Palmerstown House) 2/1;
L Abom (Edmondstown) bt D O’Sullivan (Tralee) 3/1;
J Hill (Galgorm Castle) bt TJ Ford (Co Sligo) 21st;
Q Carew (Castleknock) bt B Howlin (The Heritage) 19th;
M Cadden (Roganstown) bt P Murray (Adare Manor) 1 up.
Second round:
Desmond bt Magill 1 up;
Rafferty bt O’Neill 1 up;
Hood bt O’Connell 1 up;
Kitt bt Cooley 3/2;
Griffin bt McCormack 1 up;
Holmes bt Hearns 5/3;
O’Neill bt F Dobbin 5/3;
Whelan bt Smith 5/4;
Lyons bt Cahill 6/5;
Keane bt Loftus 3/2;
Stapleton bt Donohoe 1 up
O’Hanlon bt Campbell 19th;
T Abom bt Sutherland 2/1;
Howard bt Boles 6/5;
L Abom bt Hill 1 up;
Cadden bt Carew 2/1.
Saturday – Third rd.:
8:00 Desmond v Rafferty; 8:12 Hood v Kitt; 8:24 Griffin v Holmes; 8:36 O’Neill v Whelan; 8:48 Lyons v Keane; 9:00 Stapleton v O’Hanlon; 9:12 T Abom v Howard; 9:24 L Abom v Cadden.
