Quarter-final line-ups decided in Isle of Man golf championships

The opening matchplay round of the Okell’s-sponsored Isle of Man Golf Championships took place on Tuesday evening at Rowany.

Leading qualifier Chris Kneen (Castletown) was first out against 30-time qualifier Julian Sutton (Comis at Mount Murray).

Kneen went ahead on the 2nd hole and reached the turn 2 up. Sutton managed to cut the deficit to one on the 12th and squared the match on the 14th, but Kneen parred the last while Sutton bogeyed, sealing a 1 up win for the former.

The day’s standout match for scoring was between Jack Gilbert (Mount Murray) and Paul McMullan (Peel).

Gilbert led early and was 2 up after nine holes, before McMullan won the 10th and squared the match on the 12th. Gilbert edged back ahead on the 14th and still led on the 17th tee, but his opponent birdied the 17th to level the match and then birdied the last to win.

Both players finished under par, with McMullan shooting a four-under-par 31 on the back nine and leading the match for the first time after the 18th.

Sam Crawford (Rowany) faced PJ Vermeulen (Castletown) in game three, which proved more straightforward than the opening two matches. Crawford took control early and was never headed, running out a 5 and 4 winner.

Game four saw three-time champion Rob Noon (Castletown) take on first-time qualifier Kevin Druggan (Peel). Like the previous match, it was relatively comfortable, with Rob moving ahead early and rarely being troubled as he secured a 6 and 5 victory.

Gerald Bradley and Liam Cowin, both from Castletown, met in game five. Cowin went 1 up early and, despite being pegged back, restored his one-hole advantage by the turn.

Bradley responded by winning the 10th, 11th and 12th holes to move 2 up, then held on to close out a 2 and 1 win on the 17th.

Mark Sutton (Rowany) faced Keith Ward (Mount Murray) in a closely-contested match over the front nine.

Ward led 1 up after two holes, but Sutton immediately levelled on the 3rd and edged ahead by one at the turn.

Sutton kept the pressure on throughout the back nine, extending his lead on the 10th and again on the 14th to go 3 up, maintaining that advantage to win 3 and 2.

Game seven was a straightforward contest. Jamie Arneil (Ramsey) lost the first hole against Stuart Wallace but recovered quickly to build a commanding 5 up lead after nine. He maintained control and ran out a 6 and 4 winner.

The final game of the evening saw Peter Glover (Douglas) face Andrew Challenor (Castletown). The early holes were tight, with the first four halved before Challenor went 1 up on the 5th, only for Glover to respond on the 6th.

The latter then moved 1 up on the 7th and held that lead until the 11th.Challenor won the 12th to go ahead and holed his second shot for eagle on the 14th to move 2 up, a lead he kept until sealing a 2 and 1 win on the 17th.

Attention now turns to Thursday evening’s quarter-finals in both the men’s and women’s matchplay stages.

The women will lead off at 4.30pm, followed by the men at 5.20pm. The quarter-final draw is:

Kayleigh Dawson (Peel) v Karen Faragher (Port St Mary)

Heather Skinner (Rowany) v Kelly McMullin (Douglas)

Eva Moore (Mount Murray) v Laura Thorn (Rowany)

Lindsey Tickell (Douglas) v Emma Noon (Mount Murray)

Chris Kneen (Castletown) v Paul McMullan (Peel)

Sam Crawford (Rowany) v Mark Sutton (Rowany)

Rob Noon (Castletown) v Gerald Bradley (Castletown)

James Arneil (Ramsey) v Andrew Challenor (Castletown).

ANDY NICHOLSON