Joe Lyons may have been giving up almost 30 years to some of his opponents but the Galway man still came close to winning the Portuguese International Mid-Amateur Championship at Troia Golf Club.
After an opening 75, Lyons followed with back-to-back 71s to end the week on one-over, tied with Jonas Olsson of Sweden and the only player to better their scores was another Swede in Hampus Wijkstrom whose closing 66 was the low round of the week.
That left Wijkstrom as the only man in red figures at the end of the week and four clear of the chasing pack.
Wijkstrom, however, is 25 and Lyons will be 54 next year, so it’s an impressive achievement for the former West of Ireland Championship winner and South of Ireland runner-up.
Lyons was one of three Irish men in the field and the only one to place inside the top 10.
