Cathal Butler bounced back from a few disappointing performances to take second place in the Kilkenny Scratch Cup last weekend.  The Kinsale and Munster golfer travelled to Peru a few weeks ago for a 72 hole strokeplay event and despite enjoying the experience, he didn’t feature in the top 10.  Two weeks ago he missed the cut in the Munster Strokeplay in testing conditions at Cork Golf Club.  He was back in form in Kilkenny however and with rounds of 74/71 he took the runner up spot on the countback, just one behind the winner Graham Nugent.  ‘I was really disappointed after missing the cut in Cork for the Munster Strokeplay” said Butler reflecting on the past few weeks

“Kilkenny played firm and fast just like Cork did and that certainly helped.  I was delighted to bounce back from the disappointment with some nice golf and a really good strategy which was crucial for dealing with the firm conditions.”  With a good performance behind him Cathal is now heading to Royal County Down for the Flogas Irish Amateur Open.  “I’m really looking forward to playing one of the best courses in the world this week, from what I have heard it’s very bouncy in Royal County Down so I think that if I can get my strategy right and maintain the level of golf I played in Kilkenny, I will have a good chance of finishing high up the leaderboard.”

The event will see John Murphy make his debut, and Peter O’Keeffe make his first appearance in 10 years.  The only other Cork golfers to get on the starting list are James Sugrue and Ian O’Rourke.  Play gets underway on Thursday with all five Cork golfers hoping to make an impression.