Southport’s Sean Towndrow shares the lead in Irish Amateur Golf Championship

At the halfway stage of the Flogas Irish Amateur Open, Southport‘s Sean Towndrow shares a one-shot lead with South Africa’s Kyle McClatchie.

Sean Towndrow said: “It’s good, it’s nice. It’s been a while since I’ve been up there,”  “It’s about nine months since I finished treatment so I just got back into golf in early February.”

Sean was struck down suddenly in 2015 and diagnosed early last year.

“It just came out of nowhere,” he revealed. “I had a massive pain in my chest because I had a tumour in the front of my chest. I struggled to breathe and at the time struggled to walk further than 10 yards.”

Golf remains a full-time commitment for Towndrow. Understandably, his perspective has changed.

“Golf has a different meaning now. I’m just trying to get my fitness back, the more rounds I can play the better,” he said.

To win at Royal County Down would be remarkable though there is still a long way to go. And he has company at the top of the leaderboard.

South African Kyle McClatchie followed his opening 68 with a level par 71 to set the clubhouse target.

“It’s been lots of fun the last two days. Yesterday was smooth sailing but today was a grind and I am happy to get away with level par,” said 19-year-old McClatchie, who will emulate 2002 champion Louis Oosthuizen should he take the title.

A congested leaderboard has two home players in the chasing pack. Marc Norton (Belvoir Park) and Peter O’Keefe (Douglas) are just one behind.

ROUND TWO SCORES

139 S Towndrow (Southport & Ainsdale), 69, 70; K McClatchie (Serengeti), 68, 71

140 C MacLean (Balmore), 73, 67; M Norton (Belvoir Park), 72, 68; P O’Keeffe (Douglas), 70, 70

141 J Murphy (Kinsale), 75, 66; A Gleeson  (Castle), 72, 69; G Bloor (Cavendish), 71, 70

142 M Schmitt (Rheinhessen), 74, 68; H Bernard (Laval Sur-le-Lac), 71, 71; E McIntosh (Turnhouse), 71, 71; J Fox (Portmarnock), 70, 72; M Jordan (Royal Liverpool), 68, 74

143 T Randolph (Arcola), 73, 70; A Venter (Silverlakes), 72, 71; G Rank (Elmira), 72, 71; A James (Laval Sur-le-Lac), 71, 72; T Sloman (Taunton & Pickeridge), 69, 74; N Poppleton (Wath), 67, 76

144 S Hagestad (Deepdale), 73, 71; C Howie (Peebles), 73, 71; C Raymond (Newlands), 72, 72; C Consul (Duesseldorfer), 72, 72; C O’Rourke (Naas), 72, 72; B Gill (Lindrick), 70, 74; L Johnston (Dumfries and County), 70, 74; G Petrozzi (Trentham), 69, 75

145 J Glenn  (Brancepeth Castle), 75, 70; R Brazill (Naas), 74, 71; C Syme (Drumoig), 74, 71; E Griffith (Conwy), 74, 71; D Boote (Walton Heath), 73, 72; C Ross (Kirkhill), 73, 72; T O’Connor (Athlone), 72, 73; L Brown (Muriwai), 72, 73; G Frimodt (Odense Eventyr), 72, 73; J Freiburghaus (Domat/Ems), 72, 73; J Hilleard (Farrington Park), 71, 74; H Byers (Walton Heath), 71, 74

146 C Strickland (Ham Manor), 76, 70; M Saulez (Durban), 76, 70; G Lenehan (Portmarnock), 74, 72; J Bolton (Ogbourne Downs), 73, 73; C Farr (Priors Hall), 73, 73; C Rafferty (Dundalk), 72, 74; S Broholt Lind (Odder Gol), 72, 74; E McCormack (Galway Bay), 71, 75; L Shepherd (Rye), 71, 75; R Dawson (Tramore), 71, 75

147 W Small (Tandragee), 75, 72; T Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown), 75, 72; O Percy-Smith (Furesø), 72, 75; C Fairweather (Knock), 71, 76; T Plumb (Sherborne), 71, 76; R Foley (Lausanne), 70, 77

148 N Bachem (Marienburger), 78, 70; H Goddard (Hanbury Manor), 76, 72; M Schmid (Herzogenaurach), 75, 73; S Coulter (Warrenpoint), 75, 73; J Pierse (Portmarnock), 74, 74; M Nolan (Delgany), 74, 74; J Galbraith (Whitehead), 73, 75; C Unger (St. Leon-Rot), 73, 75; G Lappin (Belvoir Park), 73, 75; L Matthews (Southerndown), 72, 76; J Wilson (Balmore), 72, 76; J Skov Olesen (Naestved), 72, 76; J McDonnell (Forrest Little), 69, 79

149 E Leonard (Wentworth), 79, 70; A Harper  (Bolton OldLinks), 76, 73; M Waite (Filton), 76, 73; A McCormack (Castletroy), 76, 73; N Crawford (Mourne), 76, 73; S Carter (The Royal Dublin), 75, 74; M Power (Kilkenny), 75, 74; C Long (Burton), 75, 74; J Nicholas (Westchester Country Club), 74, 75; I O’Rourke (The Royal Dublin), 74, 75; S Bleakley (Shandon Park), 73, 76; J McMahon (Wallasey), 73, 76; J Lyons (Galway), 70, 79

150 M Ryan (New Ross), 78, 72; G McDermott (Carton House), 77, 73; W Russell (Clandeboye), 76, 74; T Gandy  (Rowany), 76, 74; P Coughlan (Moate), 75, 75; K LeBlanc (The Island), 75, 75; S Gregory (Corhampton), 75, 75; D Dougan (Drumpelier), 74, 76; R Geissler (St. Leon-Rot), 72, 78

151 R Neergaard-Petersen (Furesø), 80, 71; A Grant (Dundalk), 78, 73; B Jones (Northamptonshire county), 77, 74; T Vahlenkamp (Berliner Stolper Heide), 74, 77; A Hickey (Ballyhaunis), 73, 78; T Harris (Castletown), 73, 78; D Goldstein (Noyac), 73, 78

152 C Campbell (Warrenpoint), 79, 73; R Pierse (Grange), 77, 75; J Long (Lansdown), 76, 76; L Donnelly (Kilkenny), 74, 78; H Young-alls (Notts), 73, 79; C Thornton (), 73, 79; M Morrissey (Co. Sligo), 71, 81

153 B Dietzel (Essen-Heidhausen), 80, 73; T Beasley (Hunstanton), 79, 74; A McDougall (Elderslie), 79, 74; K Harman (Southerndown), 77, 76; M Zillekens (Niederrheinischer), 77, 76; T Cline (The Tuxedo), 76, 77; J Stokes (La Moye), 76, 77; M Howard (The Royal Birkdale), 76, 77; C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown), 75, 78; C Boon (Oubaai), 75, 78; M Harris (St Mellons), 72, 81

154 H Foley (The Royal Dublin), 81, 73; S Hamilton (Notts), 80, 74; J Sundborg (Shanklin & Sandown), 78, 76; G Dunne (Co. Louth), 77, 77; R Dutton (Tandragee), 77, 77; C Butler (Kinsale), 77, 77; T Collins (Dun Laoghaire), 76, 78; J Seaman (Wrag Barn), 76, 78; B Chamberlain (Padeswood and Buckley), 76, 78

155 J Whelan (Newlands), 80, 75; J Sugrue (Mallow), 80, 75; D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown), 77, 78; G Collins (Rosslare), 76, 79

156 M Hutson (Muriwai), 80, 76

157 J Hapgood (Southerndown), 77, 80

158 B Komline (Black Oak), 82, 76; T McLarnon (Massereene), 79, 79; R Haije (Goyer), 76, 82

159 T Junak (GC Main-Taunus), 81, 78; R Moran  (Castle), 80, 79; T Dolan (Heswall), 80, 79; J Brady (Rosslare), 77, 82; J Burnage (Saunton), 75, 84

161 D Brophy (Castleknock), 78, 83

162 J Trinder (Pymble), 82, 80; M Reid (Galgorm Castle), 78, 84

164 M Boegel (St. Leon- Rot), 79, 85

WD B Best (Rathmore), 77, WD

DQ S Ryan (The Royal Dublin)

– See more at: https://www.golfnet.ie/news/gui/2246/two-way-tie-at-halfway-stage-of-flogas-irish-amateur-open#sthash.nF1TX4yG.dpuf