<p>David Howard. Picture ©INPHO</p>
Open hero David Howard used jellies to beat exhaustion and win his last three holes and keep his hopes of a Walker Cup call-up alive in the Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch.
On a day when just five Irishmen survived to make the last 16, the Fota Island man (27) came from two down with three to play to beat Lahinch’s Stephen Loftus one up and clinch a third-round clash with Tralee’s Mark Gazi.
“‘, I'm so tired,” Howard said after hitting a 197-yard nine iron to nine feet at the last that set up a winning two-putt birdie having won the 16th and 17th with pars.
“It was nice to get it done. It was a grind out there.”
Howard knows that he likely has to make the final to get a call-up for September’s Walker Cup at Lahinch, but he’s running on fumes after his heroics at Royal Birkdale.
After beating Keith Egan 3&1 in a scrappy first round, he fuelled himself with sweets to see off the local man Loftus.
“My dad was trying to get me going, and I was giving out and saying I was giving it all I had,” Howard explained. “I was just trying to get it around the best I can, and it was just a battle against my own self all day as well, but nice to get it done.
“My energy level? Minus zero. It's gone below zero at the moment, so I need to get a good night's sleep because I didn't get much last night.
<blockquote><p dir="ltr">David Howard birdies the last to make the last 16 in the South of Ireland <a href="https://x.com/LahinchGolfClub?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">@LahinchGolfClub</a> <a href="https://t.co/jYRm9nrRiX" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/jYRm9nrRiX</a></p>— Brian Keogh (@IrishGolfDesk) <a href="https://x.com/IrishGolfDesk/status/2080734997535707506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">July 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
“I just try to get loads of Haribos into me to give me something and try to get in the mindset of one shot at a time. It was a battle all day to be honest.”
As for the Walker Cup, he said: “I have to probably win it to get a call-up for that. You just try your best to put it to the back of your mind and just try to play golf and see where you end up.
“There's no point trying too hard or not hard enough. I try to get on with it one shot at a time and thankfully it was enough for me today.”
Howard and Gazi are joined in the last 16 by Roscommon’s Thomas Higgins, Athenry’s David Kitt and Grange’s Ciaran Murphy, who beat Lahinch’s defending champion Jonathan Keane 3&2 and Douglas’ Barry O’Connell 3&1.
Doyle looked a likely contender for Walker Cup honours with a title run, but after fighting back to go to last one down to England’s Freddie Turnbull, he missed from nine feet at the 18th for eagle and watched the Burnham & Berrow man bury a three-footer to progress.
Turnbell now meets Kitt, who beat Seapoint’s Dylan Keating two-up as Higgins kept his Walker Cup hopes alive with two wins.
“I'm just trying to win this week, like I do every week,” Higgins said after his second round win over Warrenpoint’s Harry McArdle.
“The goal doesn't change. I hope to stand in here on Sunday with a trophy.”
Higgins now faces the leading qualifier, Scotland’s Connor Graham, who came back from two down after 12 holes to beat Fota Island’s Morgan Cain one up.
A Walker Cup certainty, Graham eagled the drivable 13th from seven feet and birdied the 14th before claiming the 16th to claim a lead he would not relinquish.
”It was a tough match; I had to go out there and perform the last few holes,” said 19-year-old Graham, who has already played in two Walker Cups.
"I feel like in matchplay, such a big momentum keeper is holing putts, and I was able to do that today.“
Amateur champion Stuart Grehan, who is guaranteed his spot at Lahinch, fell 3&2 to England’s Max Hopkins; Dylan Holmes lost to Welshman Sean David; and West of Ireland champion Mark Cadden fell to the German Ben Gratzl.
Like 2025 Walker Cup player Gavin Tiernan, who lost heavily to Jack McDonnell in the morning, Malone’s Matthew McClean saw his Walker Cup hopes dealt an almost definitive blow when he lost by two holes to England’s Sam Easterbrook in the afternoon.
He was one up with five to play but bogeyed the 14th, lost the 15th to a brilliant birdie and then came close to snatching the 16th and 17th only to see the Englishman eagle the last to slam the door.
“I played well, it was just a shot here and there,” McClean said. “There was just one or two chances this afternoon that I didn't get when it was crunch time in the match.
“You need to take those sort of opportunities when you get them.”
McClean and Tiernan will have one last chance to impress when they join Grehan in the US Amateur at Merion from August 10-16.
South of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Pierse Motor Group, Lahinch
First round
Matthew McClean (Malone) bt Andrew Mulholland (Castlerock) 1 up;
Samuel Easterbrook (Olton) bt William Hennessee (Oklahoma) 2 up;
Josh Hill (Fox Den) bt Darragh Flynn (Carton House) 4/3;
Rory Gallagher (Galway Bay) bt Jake Foley (Elm Park) 21st;
Jack McDonnell (Royal Dublin) bt Gavin Tiernan (Co Louth) 6/5;
Mark Gazi (Tralee) bt David Lally (Blainroe) 4/3;
Stephen Loftus (Lahinch) bt Oliver Lewis-Perkins (Mid Kent) 2 up;
David Howard (Fota Island) bt Keith Egan (Carton House) 3/1;
Ben Bolton (Enville) bt Joe O'Neill (Berehaven) 4/3;
Richard Saunders (Germany) bt Seán Cloonan (Dunmore Demense) 1 up;
Tomi Bowen (Welshpool) bt Aidan Fitzgerald (NYSGA) 3/2;
Fionn Dobbin (Malone) bt Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle) 2/1;
Barry O’Connell (Douglas) bt Lewy Hayward (Marlborough) 2/1;
Ciaran Murphy (Grange) bt Jonathan Keane (Lahinch) 3/2;
Oli Blackadder (Deeside) bt TJ Ford (County Sligo) 1 up;
Daniel Hayes (Bramhall) bt Aaron Ryan (Thurles) 1 up;
Connor Graham (Blairgowrie) bt David Reddan (Castleknock) 6/5;
Morgan Cain (Fota Island) bt Graham Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 6/5;
Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) bt Archie Cook (Gullane) 6/4;
Harry McArdle (Warrenpoint) bt Sam Mukherjee (Gullane) 1 up;
Matthew Dodd-Berry (Royal Liverpool) bt Evan Hogg (Belvoir Park) 2 up;
Gerard Dunne (Co. Louth) bt Darren O'Sullivan (Tralee) 1 up;
Mark Cadden (Roganstown) bt Darcy Hogg (Belvoir Park) 3/2;
Ben Gratzl (St Leon Rot) bt Tom Osborne (Lindrick) 2 up;
Stuart Grehan (Co Louth) bt Robert Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 2/1;
Max Hopkins (Bishops Stortford) bt Gavin O'Neill (Malahide) 3/2;
Dylan Holmes (Greystones) bt Ryan Griffin (The Royal Dublin) 4/3;
Sean David (Pyle and Kenfig) bt Harley Smith (The Rayleigh) 1 up;
Freddie Turnell (Burnham & Berrow) bt Paul O'Hanlon (Carton House) 19th;
John Doyle (Fota Island) bt Dominic McGlinchey (The Renaissance) 4/3;
David Kitt (Athenry) bt Veigar Heiðarsson (Golfklúbbur Akureyrar) 2/1;
Dylan Keating (Seapoint) bt Jack Murphy (Douglas) 3/1.
Second round
S Easterbrook bt M McClean 2 up
J Hill bt R Gallagher 6/4
M Gazi bt J McDonnell 1 up
D Howard bt S Loftus 1 up;
B Bolton bt R Saunders 6/5;
T Bowen bt F Dobbin 2/1;
C Murphy bt B O’Connell 2/1;
D Hayes bt O Blackadder 1 up;
C Graham bt M Cain 1 up;
T Higgins bt H McArdle 3/2;
M Dodd-Berry bt G Dunne 3/2;
B Gratzl bt M Cadden 4/3;
M Hopkins bt S Grehan 3/2;
S David bt D Holmes 1 up;
F Turnell bt J Doyle 1 up;
D Kitt (Athenry) bt D Keating 2 up.
Third round draw
S Easterbrook (Olton) v J Hill (Fox Den);
M Gazi (Tralee) v D Howard (Fota Island);
B Bolton (Enville) v T Bowen (Welshpool);
C Murphy (Grange) v D Hayes (Bramhall);
C Graham (Blairgowrie) v T Higgins (Roscommon);
M Dodd-Berry (Royal Liverpool) v B Gratzl (St Leon Rot, Ger);
M Hopkins (Bishops Stortford) v S David (Pyle and Kenfig).
F Turnell (Burnham & Berrow) v D Kitt (Athenry).
Article Link: 'I can't feel my body' - Howard keeps Walker Cup and South dream alive - News - Irish Golf Desk