Rafferty and Morley just one behind Lamprecht at Baltray

Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) driving during the final round of the 2017 East of Ireland Championship at County Louth Golf Club. Picture by Pat Cashman

Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty fired seven birdies in a six-under 66 and Oughterard's Devin Morley a 69 to trail South Africa's Christo Lamprecht by just one stroke heading into this afternoon's final round of the East of Ireland Amateur Open at County Louth.

An Irish international, Rafferty began the third round tied for fourth, four strokes behind the 17-year-old South African, who shot rounds of 66 and 68 to lead by a stroke on 10-under par from Morley.

Lamprecht went out in four-under 33 to match Rafferty, who made four birdies in a row from the third to show his early intent.

But six feet seven-inch youngster from the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Academy played the back nine in one-over to Rafferty's two-under, carding a 69 to lead by just a shot from the local man on 13-under par as Morley (20) birdied the last two holes to keep pace.

Massereene's Tiarnan McLarnon is three shot further back, four strokes off the pace on nine-under after a 71 with Mark Power (69), South Africa's Clayton Mansfield (68) and Argentina's Marcos Montenegro only five behind on eight under.

East of Ireland Amateur Open, County Louth (Par 72) 

Sponsored by The d Hotel, Drogheda

Detailed scores

After 54 holes

203 C Lamprecht (RSA) 66 68 69

204 C Rafferty (Dundalk) 69 69 66, D Morley (Oughterard) 66 69 69

207 T McLarnon (Massereene) 66 70 71

208 M Power (Kilkenny) 71 68 69, C Mansfield (RSA) 69 71 68, M Montenegro (Arg) 68 71 69

209 C Purcell (Portmarnock) 69 72 68, T Ford (Co. Sligo) 69 69 71, R Mullarney (Galway) 67 73 69, E Griffin (Waterford) 67 73 69, M McClean (Malone Golf Club) 66 73 70

210 R Lester (Hermitage) 68 71 71, G O’Flaherty (Cork) 67 74 69

211 M Ryan (New Ross) 71 70 70, R Arnorsson (Iceland) 70 70 71, F Carr (Kirkistown Castle) 69 71 71, M McKinstry (Cairndhu) 67 71 73, J Hickey (Cork) 66 72 73

212 J Madden (Royal Portrush) 71 70 71, C Woodroofe (Dun Laoghaire) 71 70 71, G Cullen (Beaverstown) 69 74 69, T Nel (RSA) 66 75 71
213 S Watts (Cairndhu) 72 71 70, G Lenehan (Portmarnock) 71 73 69, P O’Brien (Co. Louth) 69 74 70

214 J Sugrue (Mallow) 71 73 70, J Mc Donnell (Forrest Little) 71 72 71, E Smith (Laytown & Bettystown) 68 76 70

215 H O’Hare (Fortwilliam) 76 67 72, J Fox (Portmarnock) 71 72 72, G Dunne (Co. Louth) 70 73 72, J Schaper (RSA) 70 71 74

216 P Coughlan (Castleknock) 71 73 72, K Egan (Carton House) 71 71 74, D Foy (Laytown & Bettystown) 70 70 76

217 S Healy (The Royal Dublin) 74 68 75, S Doyle (Black Bush) 66 73 78

218 R Knightly (The Royal Dublin) 74 69 75, J Murphy (Kinsale) 68 75 75

219 A Lowry (Esker Hills) 70 74 75

223 A Dowling (Hermitage) 72 72 79

225 P McKeever (Castle) 72 72 81

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