Moriarty storms to Slieve Russell Masters Pro-Am success

Colm Moriarty (Drive Golf Performance) put any lingering Irish PGA Championship disappointment behind him by powering to success in the Slieve Russell Masters Pro-Am on Tuesday.

The Athlone based professional carded a fantastic final round 66 to claim first prize ahead of Brendan McGovern (Headfort Golf Club), David Higgins (Waterville Golf Club) and overnight leader Simon Thornton (Simon Thornton Golf) at the Co. Cavan venue.

After opening his challenge on Monday with a one under par 71, Moriarty made sedate progress through nine holes of his second round before catching fire around the turn.

“I started at the 10th and I hit a lot of good shots in and around the hole but I just wasn't making the putts but then from the 18th on, I  birdied seven of the next eight,” said the 38-year-old.

“I got on a roll, got into a bit of a groove and holed a few putts. It all happened very quickly and all seemed very easy at that stage.”

It was a very different story last Sunday, when Colm finished second behind Tim Rice in the Irish PGA Championship.

“I was a bit frustated on Sunday at Moyvalley. I hit a lot of good shots but I suppose Tim had made such a great start [he was four under through four] that you were kind of under pressure to get going,” added Colm who will play the Milltown Pro-Am on July 2 before travelling to Portstewart to compete in the DDF Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation.

“I played very well today to be honest. I haven't played a lot this year, so it's nice to get a bit of confidence going by shooting a couple of decent rounds.”

As an added bonus, Colm also guided his amateur partners of Padraig Donoghue, Catrina Cunningham and Brian Cunningham to victory in the team event with a two round total of 183.