Wins for Monkstown & Cork but no joy for Fermoy; AIG Cups & Shields round-up

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Cork Golf Club was a hive of activity over the weekend.  With three pennants up for grabs, Monkstown, Cork and Fermoy went in search of glory.  With the course in Little Island in great shape, there was some great golf on display.  The Island was playing hard and fast, and the recent dry weather led a links like feel to the course.  There were wins for Cork and Monkstown but it was a step too far for Fermoy as they lost out in their semi-final with Tralee.

Munster Golf AIG Barton Shield 2016

Monkstown receive the Pennant for winning the Munster Golf AIG Senior Cup at Cork Golf Club.  Picture: Thos Caffrey / http://www.golffile.ie 

Monkstown won Munster AIG Senior Cup title for the first time on over half a century, beating Castletroy in an exciting Munster final.  12 months ago Sean Desmond won a dramatic match on the 20th green in Dungarvan to take Monkstown to a Senior Cup Munster Final.  Limerick beat them that day in the final, but Sean Desmond was again the hero, this time claiming the winning point on the 18th.  Desmond needed a point after Martin Poucher and Eoghan Long won their matches.  Andrew McCormack and Mark Campbell won for Castletroy so that left it all resting on Desmond’s match.  The 18 year old needed a half on the 18th to win the match and it looked doubtful when his second found the trees on the 18th.  Desmond played a great recovery shot that saw his ball pitch short of the green and run on to 15 feet.  Desmond calmly rolled the ball to less than a foot and that was enough to win the match and the crucial winning point for Monkstown.

 

Monkstown supporters tasted drama earlier in the day too when their semi-final with Ballybunion went to the 19th.  Monkstown had carved out a big lead at the turn but Ballybunion pegged them back.  Nick Moore was Monkstown’s hero when he birdied the 19th after a great pitch to less than two feet.  Castletroy overcame an early deficit in their match with Waterford Castle to book the other place in the final.
Munster Golf AIG Barton Shield 2016

Munster winners of the AIG Barton Shield, Cork Golf Club . Picture: Golffile | Thos Caffrey

Cork Golf Club added to their proud legacy on Saturday when they captured another Munster title.  They won the AIG Barton Shield in style with two great performances on their home course that saw them beat Limerick and Tramore.  Cork saw off the challenge from 2015 winners Limerick in the morning and in a tight game the home club recovered from an early deficit to level the match after 8 holes.  Cork took the lead and by the time the matches reached the 14th, Cork had a firm grip on the game.  Tramore had a great win over Tralee in the second semi-final with John Mitchell and Chris Butler recording a six hole win to get the East Munster side over the line.

The final was set up to be an exciting affair but Cork took control early and set the tone.  Cork were five up by the time their second pair got through the sixth hole, and they refused to let Tramore back into the match.  Mark Ford and Brian Kelleher led the tone for Cork in their match against Paul Flynn and Declan King, they were four up through 12 holes and were heading for a good win.  Gary O’Flaherty and John Hickey were playing in the back match and they too kept a firm hold on their game.  They were three up playing the 15th, and a half there meant Cork were seven up with six to play.  It was a great result for Cork and team manager John Carroll and his squad will be planning for the next phase of the campaign which will see Cork face the Ulster champions in Carton house next month.
AIG Junior Cup Munster Finals, Cork Golf Club, Sunday14th August 2016When Sunday came, hope were high for a clean sweep as Fermoy faced into the AIG Junior Cup semi-final with Tralee, having impressed at the qualifiers at home and then beating Bandon in the area final.  Tralee came with plenty of firepower though and saw off the North Cork side, the West Munster winners went on to beat Co Tipperary in the final and claim their first Junior Cup pennant in over 65 years.
Smartphones Direct