Newly crowned Flogas Irish Amateur Open champion Robin Dawson has moved top of the Bridgestone Order of Merit.
Dawson claimed the first major victory of his career at Royal County Down on Sunday (20 May) and is now leading the race to top the Bridgestone Order of Merit. The 22-year-old from Tramore has been an Ireland senior international since 2014 but had yet to win a men’s championship until Sunday’s wire to wire success.
“I have just been knocking on the door for so long,” said Dawson after the final round of the Irish Amateur. Runner-up four times in 2017, he has endured more than his fair share of near misses. And he admitted afterwards: “There were a lot of players with championships and I wasn't one of them, which really bothered me so it did.”
Now that his name has been added to the list of Irish Amateur Open winners, he joins an illustrious group of players such as his coach, Noel Fox, and Ireland teammate, Peter O’Keeffe. The 2018 Irish champion is also on track to secure his place in the Ireland team for this year’s Home Internationals.
Dawson leads the Bridgestone Order of Merit by almost 100 points with the top two players at the end of the Bridgestone series earning automatic selection for Ireland. Castle’s Alex Gleeson is second in the table thanks to his third place finish at Royal County Down.
West of Ireland winner Robert Brazill drops down to third in the table despite picking up 60 order of merit points at the Flogas Irish Amateur Open. Brazill’s early season form has been rewarded with a call-up to the GUI National Panel.
Mallow’s James Sugrue and Dun Laoghaire’s Alan Fahy complete the top five. The Bridgestone series moves to County Louth next n for the East of Ireland (2-4 June). The other remaining events are: Connacht Stroke Play (9-10 June), North of Ireland (9-13 July), South of Ireland (25-29 July) and AIG Irish Close (4-8 August).
BRIDGESTONE ORDER OF MERIT – AFTER FLOGAS IRISH AMATEUR OPEN
1 Robin Dawson (Tramore) 503
2 Alex Gleeson (Castle) 410
3 Robert Brazill (Naas) 345
4 James Sugrue (Mallow) 203
5 Alan Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) 150
6 Jack Pierse (Portmarnock) 133
7 Mark Power (Kilkenny) 118
8 Dylan Brophy (Castleknock) 117
T9 James Fox (Portmarnock), Jack Madden (Royal Portrush) 115
11 Ryan Gribben (Warrenpoint) 100
T12 Allan Hill (Athenry), Jonathan Yates (Naas) 90
14 Peter O'Keeffe (Douglas) 86
15 Eanna Griffin (Waterford) 80
T16 Thomas O'Connor (Athlone), Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little) 78
18 Robert Cannon (Balbriggan) 75
19 Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) 70
T20 Stephen Watts (Cairndhu), Ronan Mullarney (Galway) 60
T22 Kyle McCarron (North West), Reece Black (Hilton Templepatrick), Shane McDermott (Co Cavan), Barry Anderson (Royal Dublin), Paraic Connolly (Killeen Castle), Sean Flanagan (Co Sligo), Rory Williamson (Holywood) 58
29 Mark Collins (Killeen Castle) 42
30 Ian O'Rourke (Royal Dublin) 41
31 Aaron Grant (Dundalk) 39
32 Gary O'Flaherty (Cork) 38
33 Darragh Coghlan (Portmarnock) 37
34 John Hickey (Cork) 36
T35 Tiarnán McLarnon (Massereene), Robert Moran (Castle), Conor Ryan (Dun Laoghaire), Eddie McCormack (Galway Bay), TJ Ford (Co Sligo), Robbie Hynes (Royal Dublin), Charlie Denvir (Elm Park), Allan Hill (Athenry), Michael Ryan (New Ross), Niall Hearns (Mountrath), Fergal Kennedy (The Island), Cian Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown), David McAleenon (Edenmore), Peter O'Keeffe (Douglas), Gary Collins (Rosslare), William Small (Tandragee), William Russell (Clandeboye), John McCarthy (Stackstown), Gerard Dunne (Co Louth), Jack Doherty (Carton House), Thomas Neenan (Lahinch), Paul Coughlan (Castleknock), Anthony McDaid (Palmerstown Stud), Peter McKeever (Castle), Andrew McCormack (Castletroy), Richard Knightly (Royal Dublin), Gary McDermott (Carton House), Paul O'Hanlon (Carton House), Jack Walsh (Castle), Aaron Marshall (Lisburn), Ryan McKinstry (Cairndhu), Seamus Cullen (Slieve Russell), John Greene (Portmarnock), Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint), John Brady (Rosslare), Aaron Kearney (Castlerock), Keith Egan (Carton House), Dwayne Mallon (Dungannon), Marc Nolan (Dun Laoghaire), Fraser Carr (Kirkistown Castle), Alex Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown), Gavin Smyth (Clonmel), Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin), Luke O'Neill (Connemara), Jake Whelan (Newlands), Michael Sinclair (Knock) 30
