Pat Ruddy Cup for Abernethy who takes #1 seed into West of Ireland matchplay

After the biblical-tough conditions on day one of the Connolly Motor Group West of Ireland Championship at County Sligo Golf Club, the weather gods didn’t so much smile on the field as offer a slight reprieve, but scoring was much improved. Dun Laoghaire’s Robert Abernethy carded the low round of the day and it was enough to take leading qualifier honours by a one-stroke margin over Castleknock’s Quentin Carew and Dwayne Mallon of Dungannon. Playing in the third-to-last group, 25-year-old Abernethy made back-to-back birdies on five and six, and added another on nine to make the turn at -3 for