McDowell's Day in the Sun to Win the Canon Youth's Title

Left to right: James Nolan (Canon), Graeme McDowell, Pat Murphy (GUI), Dan Cahalan (Cpt. Cork GC), Michael Campbell

Graeme McDowell from Rathmore, County Antrim, a former member of the Irish Boy's Team and Ulster Boy's Champion three years ago, when he beat David Jones (City of Derry) at the 19th, won the Canon Irish Youths Open Championship at sunny Cork Golf Club on Friday 25th June.

The winner led from the beginning, with a remarkable long game and deadly accuracy around the greens. McDowell, regarded as a splendid example of the GUI coaching system for young players, finished with five fours, all level par, to take the title.

The runner up, Michael Campbell, from UCD, who was four under par, at that stage took a treble bogey at the 18th. He found a bunker off the tee and pulled his second out of bounds, eventually running up a 7, however as there was six strokes difference at the end between him and the winner, it really would have made little difference to the result.

The current title holder, Alan Murray, from Greystones, who had just returned from the United States, could not get used to the conditions and was always leaving his putts short. One of the best rounds of the tournament, 68 - four under par, was carded by 16 year old Zane Scotland from Woodcote.

Both McDowell and Campbell now qualify for the final of the Canon European Under 21 Golf Championships at the Almenara Hotel-Golf, Sotogrande, Spain on 2nd and 3rd October.