Capturing one of Ireland’s great amateur titles remains the Holy Grail, and Royal Dublin’s Richard Knightly has gone the extra mile as he begins his quest today for what would be a dream win in the 119th South of Ireland Amateur Open at Lahinch.

The Dubliner (33) took a career break for his job with PwC at the end of 2019 to give himself one last chance to concentrate on golf and land one of those elusive amateur Majors.

Having watched clubmate Hugh Foley capture the AIG Irish Close title last year, he’s looking now to build on some promising form and make a run at what is the oldest and arguably the most iconic and beloved of Ireland’s four provincial championships.

“All the other championships we play are on amazing courses too but going to Lahinch for the South is special — it’s almost like going on holiday rather than playing a golf tournament,” explained Knightly, who came close in 2014 when he reached the semi-finals.

“It’s a place that’s just so welcoming and the championship is so professionally run, but it’s also the sort of week where you go down and play, and if you don’t play well, you are still in Lahinch. It’s always been the event where you stick around for a day or two more, even if you lose. It just has a good feeling about it. It’s hard to explain.”

After shining in the St Andrews Links Trophy, making final qualifying for The Open at Sandwich and reaching the last 16 of the North, where he fell to Douglas’ Peter O’Keeffe, one of the big danger men this week, he’s also in Lahinch to perform.

“The guys are almost professional amateurs now, and so many are full-time amateurs, so I thought, if I ever wanted to win one of these, I need to play a little more,” he said of his career break. “The big thing about the championships nowadays is the standard. Out of the 64 guys that make the cut for the matchplay tomorrow night, there are no easy games anymore.”

There was a record entry of 280 with the cut-off for the 150-strong field in the new World Handicap System era falling at an eye-catching plus 1.7.

Foley is undoubtedly gunning for glory after leading the qualifiers when the championship was last played in 2019, only to fall to Jake Whelan in the quarter-finals.

“If all goes well, and you play well, I’ll be there for a long week, playing a lot of golf,” Foley said. “It’ll be mainly about maintaining energy throughout the week. I ran out of steam in the quarter-finals two years ago, but the aim is to peak this week. There will be a lot of guys gunning for the title this week, with a lot of guys sharp from Portrush. It should be a brilliant tournament.”

Meanwhile, 2017 South of Ireland champion James Sugrue and Kinsale’s John Murphy tee it up tomorrow on a sponsor’s invitation in the European Tour’s Cazoo Open.

They are joined at Celtic Manor by Cormac Sharvin, Paul Dunne, Gavin Moynihan and Niall Kearney as Tom McKibbin, Paul McBride, Michael Hoey and Robin Dawson play the Italian Challenge at Margara Golf Club in Piedmont.

Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley are the only Irish entrants for the Senior Open at Sunningdale tomorrow, while Irish Girls champion Beth Coulter from Kirkistown Castle, Elm Park’s Anna Foster, Hermitage’s Kate Lanigan and Forrest Little’s Julie McCarthy lead the Irish challenge for the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship which begins at Royal Park I Roveri in Italy today.

Ireland is seeking just its second win in the event following Lisa Maguire’s victory at Noordwijkse Golf Club in the Netherlands in 2011.

South of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Pierse Motors Volkswagen, Lahinch GC (Par 72)

Tee times (Today/Tomorrow)

0700/1120 M Buggy (Castlecomer), D Kitt (Athenry), J Hill (Galgorm Castle);

0710/1130 N Hearns (Mountrath), C Hickey (Dooks), D Leufer (Athenry);

0720/1140 M O'Kelly (Limerick), G Bohill (Co. Louth), C Byrne (Strabane);

0730/1150 F Kennedy (The Island), S Loftus (Lahinch), K McCarron (North West);

0740/1200 E Sullivan (Carton House), C Denvir (Elm Park), A Kelly (The Heritage);

0750/1210 P McGrath (Galway Bay), M Mullen (Rosslare), P O'Hara (Kilkenny);

0800/1230 R Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire), S Carter (Royal Dublin), J Lyons (Galway);

0810/1240 C Plower (Galway Bay), A Ryan (Thurles), J Sutherland (Galgorm Castle);

0820/1250 A McCormack (Castletroy), G O'Mahony (Fota Island), D Sullivan (Tralee);

0830/1300 J Rackard (Enniscorthy), D Reddan Jnr (Nenagh), C Nolan (Portmarnock);

0850/1310 L Nolan (Galway), C Rafferty (Dundalk), J McDonnell (Forrest Little);

0900/1320 G Lappin (Belvoir Park), E Murphy (Dundalk), R Latimer (Knock);

0910/1330 R McNelis (Fintona), P Coughlan (Castleknock), A Maguire (Laytown & Bettystown);

0920/1340 A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire), J Doherty (Carton House), M Kennedy (Royal Dublin);

0930/1350 P O'Keeffe (Douglas), J Cleary (Elm Park, D Flynn (Carton House);

0940/1400 K Egan (Carton House), P Conroy (Enniscorthy), R Moran (Castle);

0950/1420 G Rochford (Bray), J Whelan (Grange), A Hickey (Galway Bay);

1000/1430 J Law (East Cork), H Foley (Royal Dublin), M Boucher (Carton House);

1010/1440 T O'Leary (Rosslare), J Rowe (Belvoir Park), K Murphy (Arklow);

1020/1450 R Ward (Nenagh), L Cunningham (Galway Bay), J Egan (Muskerry);

1040/1500 H O'Hare (Fortwilliam), H Gillivan (Westport), J Hewitt (Tandragee);

1050/1510 E Magill (East Clare), D Marshall Jnr (Naas), R McCrudden (Royal Portrush);

1100/1520 S O'Connell (Athenry), S Og O'Neill (Co. Cavan), D Keating (Seapoint);

1110/1530 P Tobin (Douglas), J Foley (Elm Park), J Hanney (The Island);

1120/1540 R McCrory (Lurgan), C Cunningham (Carton House), R Kennelly (Portmarnock);

1130/1550 C Butler (Kinsale), C Vaughan (Limerick), T McLarnon (Massereene);

1140/0700 C Campbell Jnr (Warrenpoint), R Griffin (Ballybofey & Stranorlar), A Mulholland (Castlerock);

1150/0710 K Crowley (Fota Island), J O'Riordan (Dungarvan),D O'Riordan (Fermoy);

1200/0720 A Marshall (Lisburn), E Shipp (Headfort), R Walsh Jnr (Douglas);

1210/0730 C Cooley (Belvoir Park), C Geraghty (Laytown & Bettystown) B Smyth (Howth);

1230/0740 G O'Flaherty (Cork), P Flynn (Tramore), L Abom (Edmondstown);

1240/0750 J Greene (Portmarnock), C Kelly (Athlone), S McDermott (Esker Hills);

1250/0800 D Shiel (Powerscourt), S Flanagan (Portmarnock), TJ Ford (Co. Sligo);

1300/0810 E Farrell (Ardee), D McMahon (Castletroy), B Murray (Waterford Castle);

1310/0820 C Rabbette (Esker Hills), G Collins (Rosslare), P Costello (Galway);

1320/0830 P Sheehan (Ballybunion), T Finnegan (Co. Sligo), S Hogan (Nenagh);

1330/0850 P Carey (Nenagh), I Lynch (Rosslare), P Murray (Clontarf);

1340/0900 F O'Sullivan (Tralee), A Smith (Mullingar), J Blake (The Island);

1350/0910 G Lenehan (Portmarnock), T Plunkett (Crover House), S Murphy (Portumna);

1400/0920 R Knightly (Royal Dublin), J Mackin (Dundalk), J McCabe (Roganstown);

1420/0930 O O'Brien (Limerick), L O'Connor (Edmondstown), G Ward (Kinsale);

1430/0940 K Bornemann (Douglas), A Hill (Athenry), N McCann (Lurgan);

1440/0950 P Buckley (Cork), J Hood (Galgorm Castle),A Kiernan (Forrest Little);

1450/1000 M McClean (Malone), D Byrne (The Els Club Dubai), S Desmond (Monkstown);

1500/1010 J Cunningham (Carton House), M Norton (Belvoir Park), L O'Neill (Connemara);

1510/1020 T Dowdall (Woodbrook), D Kelleher (Blarney), S McDermott (Slieve Russell);

1520/1040 R Cannon (Balbriggan), S Carroll (Ballybunion), R Galligan (Elm Park);

1530/1050 T O'Connor (Athlone), R O'Doherty (Enniscrone), S Walker (Roscommon);

1540/1100 J Robinson (Lisburn), S Kenneally (Kinsale), E McCormack (Galway Bay);

1550/1110 S Ryan (Royal Dublin), E O'Donnell (Tralee), N O'Loughlin (Druids Glen).