Jason Law (Fota Island)
Fota Island’s Jason Law put two great rounds together in Bandon last week to win the Munster Senior Championship. Law had a three-shot margin of victory over the field and he was the only player in the field to go under par. An opening 72 (+1) had him in the lead going into the second round, one shot ahead of Bandon’s Dave McCarthy.
On the second day, The Island’s Eoin O’Sullivan posted an early level-par round to hold the clubhouse lead. There was a long wait for Law to finish his round as he was in the second-last group, and when the cards were checked, he was the winner by three. It was a great performance by Law who was playing in his first event of the year.
“I’m delighted to win another Munster title. Look, all the players there would love to win a provincial title, so I’m delighted,” said Law after his win. “The circumstances are, I’d say, nearly identical to the last one that I won. I remember when I won the Munster Strokeplay in 2023, and that event was my first of the year, just like this one.”
It’s over 30 years since Jason claimed his first Munster title. “I’d say people wouldn’t remember my first one; it was the 1995 Munster Youths, and obviously the youth events are gone now. It was in Tramore and I beat Peter Lawrie in a play-off after four rounds of stroke play. That’s a few years ago now.”
“Going in, I didn’t really have expectations. I don’t really bring them to an event; I just size up what I need to do, take it from the first tee and move on. I like a difficult enough test. It’s a demanding course into the greens, with lots of difficult shots, but enjoyable. I like that sort of course, one that tests players.”
Jason’s willingness to take on the challenge helped him, even though he recognised it was a testing set up. “It’s a very demanding course into the greens and it was demanding off the tee as well. There were some difficult driving holes and some holes that were less than driver. I like the course but thought it played difficult for the two days.” Despite that, he drove the ball well and managed to find most of the greens. As a result, he led the birdie count with seven birdies over the two days and limited his errors to five bogeys and one double.
Dave McCarthy had a second-round 75 to finish in 4th place, while Kinsale’s Kieran McCarthy shot a level-par 71 for 7th place. Shane Kenneally and Gary O’Flaherty finished inside the top twenty. Bandon certainly put up a test for everyone. Playing from the back tees added to the test, as did fast fairways, even faster greens and tricky pin positions. It was clear that everyone in the club had put in a huge effort to deliver a great championship.
Law is entered into the two remaining seniors events: the Irish Senior Men’s Close in Dun Laoghaire next week and the Irish Seniors Close Matchplay in Enniscorthy in August. That event should jog positive memories for Jason. When he won the Munster Amateur Championship in 2023, it had a strokeplay and matchplay format to celebrate the centenary of the Cork Scratch Cup. Law is just inside the top ten on the Seniors Order of Merit; another two notable performances could see him push for a place on an Irish team.
One of the other stories of the event was John Carroll’s second-round score. A Bandon member for decades, Blondie certainly knows his way around the course, and he showed that on Wednesday when he shot a very impressive 75, beating his age by two strokes. More importantly, the 75 meant that John claimed the family bragging rights, beating his son John by a single stroke over the two days.
Justin Dennehy won the Munster Under-16 Championship in West Waterford on Friday. Played in very difficult and wet conditions, the Douglas golfer finished strongly with three birdies on the last seven holes, and his birdie on the last proved crucial as he ended up winning by one with a score of -2 on the par-73 course.
This weekend, the focus will turn to Douglas Golf Club for the Douglas Senior Scratch Cup. The 36-hole event takes place on Saturday and is sponsored by City Life. There has been a high level of interest in the competition, and a top-quality field will be competing for the title.
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