CORMAC SHARVIN was delighted to end the day on one under par, but he finished it four off the pace as Jack Hume posted what he described as the round of his life to take a two-stroke halfway lead in the Irish Amateur Open at a rain-lashed Royal Dublin.
On a day when the afternoon starters were battered by heavy rain and a bitterly cold north-east wind that gusted over 25 mph, the 21-year-old from Naas carded a two under 70 to lead on five under par from Welshman Evan Griffith (72), with 17-year-old Kevin LeBlanc from The Island three behind in third after posting his second 71 of the week early in the day.
"I'm just delighted," said a shivering and soaked Hume.
"Anything under 76 this afternoon was a good score, to be honest. It (The weather) was just awful. It felt like January. It has to be one of the best rounds I've ever played — probably the best. I was two over after three holes and to play the rest in four under from there was pretty good going because it was freezing and my hands were numb from the fifth or sixth onwards."
Winner of all four provincial Boys' titles in 2010 before claiming the West of Ireland Championship last year, Hume bogeyed the first and third but then played superbly for the rest of the round, mixing brilliant birdies with incredible par saves. After holing an 18 footer for a two at the fourth, he saved par with a chip and putt at the fifth, birdied the par-five sixth thanks to a five iron three to 12 feet, before a bogey at the eighth saw him turn in one over 36.
The stocky plus four handicap international then navigated the largely downwind back nine in three under 34 after a frustrating run of four missed birdie chances in-a-row from the 10th.
"It was nice to birdie the 14th from 10 feet and then I made a great chip and putt par from about 50 yards back into the wind on 15," added Hume, who birdied the 16th from six feet at the 17th from 18 feet before two putting for a safe par at the last.
Earlier in the day, Hume's fellow Naas clubman Jonathan Yates added a 71 to his opening 72 to share fourth place on one under 143 with a string of title favourites, including Ardglass' Sharvin, who was beaming despite missing a few chances in his 71.
"I actually putted really nice, just didn't hole anything," Sharvin said after his 71.
"I hit 15 greens and have it under control but, while I'm putting a good roll on it, they are not dropping. It's still tricky out there, but definitely got the best of the weather."
Like Hume, former winner Gavin Moynihan from The Island also produced an afternoon miracle, battling back from seven over after 10 holes to post a 76 that leaves him just six off the pace on one over alongside Slieve Russell's Séamus Cullen (74) and Knock's Colin Fairweather (76). Massereene's Tiarnán McLarnon is tied 20th with Ballymena's Dermot McElroy (76) and Warrenpoint's Colm Campbell (77) on two over after taking just 26 putts in a best of the day 68 before the weather turned nasty.
McElroy was eight over after four bogeys and two doubles in an outward 43, but he came home in 33, with a solitary bogey at the 15th erased by birdies at the 11th, 16th and 17th and an eagle three at the 14th. A former Irish Youths champion, McLarnon was six under for his round playing the 18th but 'leaked' a 185-yard five iron into the Garden and out of bounds, running up a six.
