*Aideen Walsh on the fairways of Dromoland Castle & Country Club. Photograph: Brian Arthur
ENNIS’ Aideen Walsh just missed out on the cut of -1 by a single stroke at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
Day two of the Irish Open brought bigger crowds to Dromoland Castle and Country Club as the Women’s Irish Open made a much-welcome return for the first time in ten years.
Over the opening two days, the exploits of Clare’s only representative Aideen Walsh was among the highlights. A primary school teacher at Scoil Chriost Rí in Cloughleigh, a sizeable crowd followed Aideen as she made her way through the course for both rounds.
A member of Dromoland plus Lahinch and Woodstock, she referenced this support as helping to quell the nerves when producing a strong finish on Thursday.
It was an agonising exit for the Rice College past pupil on Friday, her eagle chip on the eighteenth hole just rolled away from seeing her make the cut. Her fate seemed sealed upon conclusion of her play after 5pm but there was still a glimmer of hope that she would progress depending on the remaining groups, unfortunately this didn’t arise.
Walsh certainly proved to be a fan favourite during her run in the Irish Open, an Irish international she will be hopeful of building her form in what was her first appearance at a European Tour event.
What a run by local girl @dromolandcastle member @aideenwalsh15,she fired at the birdies but came up one short to make the cut, her eagle chip on 18 was one roll away from making the weekend, on what was another brilliant day on the immaculate Dromoland course @WomensIrishOpen pic.twitter.com/3GZaLdZoDa
Instead, Leona Maguire will be the only Irish representative in the weekend’s action. Early in the day, she was close to the lead as she moved to 6-under-par with a birdie on her ninth hole, but after missing an eight-foot putt on the next, her tee shot on her 11th hole hit a cart path and bounced into trees. However, four bogeys in a row saw the Cavan woman drop back to two under par and she is currently ten shots off the lead after a 75.
27-year-old Swede Moa Folke struck a seven iron to 25 feet on the closing hole and rolled in the putt for an eagle three to take a two-shot lead at the halfway point. Folke is two shots clear of a group of three players on 10-under – Spain’s Carmen Alonso, Czech Republic’s Klara Spilkova and Denmark’s Smilla Soenderby.
Anne Van Dam of the Netherlands who is the longest striker of a golf ball on either the LPGA Tour or the Ladies European Tour is just three off the lead on 9-under.
Crowds for day two were bigger than the opening day and it is anticipated that numbers will rise over the weekend at the Newmarket-on-Fergus venue.