Mel Deasy (Bantry Bay) bagged his second Munster title when he won the Munster Boys Under 16 Open at Newcastlewest today.  The Munster Under 15 champion from two weeks ago, Mel was up against a tough field for the Under 16 Open.  Deasy started the second round in a  four-way tie for the lead, and a rain delay meant he started his final round an hour later than scheduled.  A hard south westerly wind tested everyone and Deasy parred the opening hole which proved problematic for many golfers.  A solid front nine followed with birdies on the 4th and 8th holes.  That gave the Ballincollig man a two shot lead over the field as he faced into the final nine holes.  The back nine proved testing, with Deasy dropping shots on the 12th and 15th.  After his playing partner Joshua McCabe fired in two birdies leaving the Bantry golfer two behind.  McCabe found trouble coming home however dropping four shots over the 16th and 17th.  That gave Deasy back his two shot lead, and he played the 18th like a pro.  He found the fairway off the tee and played a steady approach that finished just short of the green on the long par four.  A chip and two putts later he was the Munster Boys Under 16 Champion.  His one over par second round meant that he finished on a level par total of 140 for this two rounds.

Gallery: Munster Boys U16 Open 2018, Newcastlewest GC

Joshua McCabe (Roganstown) was second, one shot behind Deasy, and third place went to Robert Galligan (Elm Park).  Kinsale’s Robbie Walsh had a disappointing second round of 81, dropping outside the top ten.  Muskerry’s Stephen Riordan jumped ten places following his second round but Jack Murphy and  Brian McCarthy both dropped places in the testing conditions.  They were the only Cork golfers to make the cut for the second day.

For Deasy it was a great finish to the week.  On Tuesday he was on the Bantry Bay Junior Foursomes team who lost out in the Munster semi-final.  Mel is now a double Munster winner, holding the U15 and U16 titles.

Munster Boys Under 16 Open Championship, Full Results