Offaly golfer in fourth place at Irish Girls Amateur Open

OFFALY golfer Ella Cantwell is in fourth position after two rounds of the Irish Girls Amateur Open Championship at Corrstown Golf Club in Dublin.

The Rahan secondary school student is on +1 after shooting rounds of 73 and 72on the Swords course.

Another golfer with Offaly connections, Hannah Lee McNamara is firmlyt in contention ahead of the final round. A daughter of Banagher native, Ronan McNamara, an All-Ireland minor hurling medal winner with Offaly in 1989, Hannah Lee is second on -4 following two roundfs of -4 70.

She is three shots behind the very impressive leader, Olivia Costello of Roscommon Golf Club, who heads into Sunday’s final round on -7. That makes Costello favourite but McNamara has a chance and could do it if she goes low or if the Roscommon golfer has a bad day at the office – McNamara’s grandfather, Pat McNamara, a Galway native who worked as a secondary school teacher in Banagher for decades, was buried just last week.

McNamara had been joint top with Costello going into Saturday’s second round but couldn’t stay with her competitor, who got three crucial birdies near the turn for home.

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Kaleigh Mulholland of Moyola Park is third on even par, just one shot ahead of Esker Hill;s goler Cantwell. Grace Dowdall of Forrest Little is tied with Cantwell on +1 and JinHee (Spohie) Park of Grange is sixth on +1.

The contest for the title is a shootout between Costello and McNamara as things stand and Cantwell looks to be too far behind to get both, whatever about moving into sub-par scores and going low herself. However, third is a very achievable goal for her and second can’t be ruled out but she needs things to go her way to get there.

Cantwell is out in the second last group on Sunday at 10.42am with Dowdall and Park while Costello, McNamara and Mulholland hit the first tee box at 10.53am.

An Edenderry golfer, Jennifer Doyle is in joint 37th place on +19 and she is in the first group out tomorrow at 8.30am.

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