Ireland's Grehan 'buzzing' after earning major spots with dramatic Amateur win

Ireland's Stuart Grehan secured his spot 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 his County Louth club-mate Gavin Tiernan had lost in the final at Royal St George's, Grehan edged out Moloney in a tense 36-hole showdown to claim a one-hole victory.

The 33-year-old becomes the first Irish winner since James Sugrue in 2019 after registering the biggest victory of his career, with the prestigious title earning him an exemption into The Open next month at Royal Birkdale, plus invites into The Masters and US Open in 2027.

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"I'm absolutely over the moon," Grehan said. "So much hard work has gone into it. This morning I got off to a really slow start. 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'll love it. I'll absolutely love it. It hasn't really sunk in yet. I'm going to The Masters as well. I haven't even thought of that either. I'll just relish it and take it all in."

How Grehan edged Amateur Championship thriller

Grehan struggled to find his rhythm early on a bright, breezy day, especially on the front nine, with Moloney two-up after five holes and missing further opportunities on the greens to extend his advantage.

The American increased his lead on the 12th after Grehan failed to get up and down from a mound to the left of the green, only for the Irishman to reduce the deficit with a birdie at the par-five next.

Moloney bogeyed the 14th and found himself in the greenside bunker at the 16th on his way to losing the hole, briefly levelling the match, before finding a close-range birdie at the 18th to take 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 move back one ahead when his opponent three-putted the 22nd.

Walker Cup star Grehan squared the match at the next and holed a 25-footer to scramble a par at the 24th, before a five-foot eagle at the par-five 26th - following a sublime approach - gave him a one-hole lead.

Moloney got into trouble on the 28th and three-putted the 33rd to fall three behind but birdied the next, with Grehan missing a 12-foot putt for par on the 35th before holding his nerve to claim victory with a final-hole par.

"Obviously coming down the stretch, there were a few iffy ones, but there's so much pressure on and so much at stake 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 just didn't necessarily go my way this morning. I hit some good putts that just didn't go in and either a slight misread or I hit it too hard or just too soft. That's just golf. That's sometimes how it goes."

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