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Ireland’s Stuart Grehan confirmed his place in three of the next four majors after claiming a dramatic victory over Matt Moloney to win The Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool.
A year after losing to his County Louth club-mate Gavin Tiernan in the final at Royal St George’s, Grehan defeated Moloney in a thrilling 36-hole showdown to claim a one-hole victory.
The 33-year-old became the first Irish winner since James Sugrue in 2019 after registering the biggest win of his career, the prestigious title earning him an exemption to The Open at Royal Birkdale next month and invitations to The Masters and the US Open in 2027.
“I’m absolutely over the moon,” Grehan said. “It’s been a lot of hard work. I started really slow this morning. I was really struggling with my swing and lunch came at a good time to reset.
“I’m going to be buzzing for The Open. I’m going to love it. I’m going to absolutely love it. It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m also going to The Masters. I haven’t even thought about it. I’m going to enjoy it and take it all in.”
Grehan marvels at the trophy after a dramatic win at Royal Liverpool
How Grehan edged the amateur championship thriller
Grehan struggled to find his rhythm on a bright, windy day, particularly on the front nine, with Moloney two-up after five holes and missing more opportunities on the greens to extend his advantage.
The American increased his lead on the 12th after Grehan failed to get up and down a mound to the left of the green, only for the Irishman to reduce the deficit with a birdie on the next-five.
Moloney bogeyed the 14th and found himself in a greenside bunker at the 16th on the way to losing the hole, briefly tied the match, notched a close-range birdie at the 18th before taking a one-hole lead into lunch.
Grehan won the first two holes of the afternoon session when Moloney double-bogeyed the 19th and dropped a shot at the next, before a topsy-turvy contest saw Moloney birdie the 21st and his opponent three-putt the 22nd to take one lead.
Walker Cup star Grehan squared the next match and scrambled to 24 for par with a 25-foot putt, before a five-foot eagle on the par-five 26th – following a brilliant approach – gave him a one-hole lead.
Moloney ran into trouble on the 28th and three-putted the 33rd to fall three behind but birdied the next, Grehan missed a 12-foot putt on the 35th and held his nerve before birdying the final-hole to claim victory.
“Obviously coming down the stretch, there were a few iffy ones, but there’s a lot of pressure and a lot of risk so it’s bound to happen,” Grehan added. “I played the last hole really, really well and got the job done.”
Moloney said: “I think the putts didn’t go my way this morning. I hit some good putts that didn’t go in and either misread a little bit or I hit too hard or too soft. That’s just golf. Sometimes that’s how it goes.”
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