Paul Dunne

Dunne started playing golf when he was 10, and said he has been playing "properly" since he was 12. The 22-year-old Greystones golfer graduated from the University of Alabama-Birmingham in business finance in April 2015, qualified for the 2015 Open Championship at Woburn, grabbing one of three places, after rounds of 68-67, and then he shared the 54-hole lead at St. Andrews before fading in the final round to finish T-30th.
There is a curious symmetry to his achievement, as he qualified for the Open Championship one year earlier at Woburn.
Was on the winning European collegiate team that beat the USA in the 2014 Palmer Cup at Walton Heath on the weekend before he qualified for The Open at Final Qualifying at Woburn.
Before going to college, he was a standout on the Ireland junior circuit and considered one of the top junior players in his country. A member of the Irish Youth National Team, he claimed a four-stroke victory in the Irish Under-18 Boys Championship. Selected to represent his country in the European Amateur Team Championship at Oceanico Victoria Golf Club, Portugal. Captured the 2010 Irish Youths Amateur Championship title with a four-round total of 287 (73-73-71-70), finishing two shots ahead of the competition. in doing so, he joined a list of past champions that includes professional stars Padraig Harrington and Louis Oosthuizen just missed defending his championship title in 2011, finishing third-place overall.
Finished fifth in the 2015 NCAA Championships. He was in contention to win the title until suffering a double bogey on the 10th hole of the final round. But he rallied for two birdies to finish at 5-under-par 283 on the 7,483-yard Concession Golf Club Course in Bradenton, Fla., three shots behind champion Bryson Dechambeau of Southern Methodist.
Only one UAB player had ever carded a better round in the NCAA championship, Graeme McDowell, who was T-4th in 2002 with a 3-under-par 279 at the Ohio State University Scarlet Course.
Dunne was Conference USA Player of the Year in 2014. Only one player has more, McDowell, who won the honors in 2001 and '02.
Many Irish amateurs have played in the Open championship over the last couple of decades but Dunne is the first to come through a stroke play qualifier since Eoghan O'Connell did it in 1987.
In his third straight Open championship as an amateur, he shared the lead heading into the final round of The Open Championship at St Andrews. His 204 (-12) 54-hole total was a record low for an amateur in the game's oldest major. Slipped back after a testing final day, shooting 78 to finish T-30th but wasn't able to secure low amateur honors as it went to Jordan Niebrugge who finished T-6th.
The next month was a member of victorious Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup Team at Royal Lytham & St Annes. Turned professional straight after that competition, capping a life-changing year by coming through all three stages of the European Tour Qualifying School, emerging successfully from a playoff for the last spot at the Second Stage before taking the 16th card at the Final Stage to earn full playing rights for 2016.
2016 Notes: Played in 23 events, finishing in the money 14 times. Had two top-tens, 9th at the Joburg Open and T-10th at Made in Denmark. Was 106th in the Race to Dubai standings winning euro260,789.
2017 Notes: Played in 29 European Tour events making 25 cuts. He had 5 top-tens, claiming his first European Tour title in some style at the British Masters, holding off a late charge from Rory McIlroy at Close House Golf Club and sealing the victory with a stunning chip-in on the last for a three-shot win. Also had a runner-up finish at the Trophee Hassan II, losing a playoff to Edoardo Molinari on the first hole. He played in all final series events, finishing 16th in the Race to Dubai and going over the million mark with earnings of euro1,692,932.
2018 Notes: Was runner-up at the Open de Espana, 2 shots back of winner Jon Rahm. Also was T-5th at the Corales Puntacana Championship, T-8th at the Houston Open and T-7th at the Volvo China Open. He won the unofficial GolfSixes for Team Ireland alongside partner Gavin Moynihan.