Cork Golf Club captured their second Women’s pennant of 2023 when the Junior Cup team came out on top at Muskerry last weekend.  For the second time this year Cork faced Douglas in a Munster East final and the Little Island won for the second time.  The final was a close match with Douglas taking the first two points before Cork came back to win it.  Cork’s Nuala Lyden lost out to Jill Morris on the 15^th and Michelle Tobin lost out to Kate Harvey on the 17^th.

Irene Rafferty won the first point for Cork when she won 2 up against Liz O’Donnell on the 17^th.  Soon after Carina McCarthy added a second point.  The winning point came on the 18^th green when Deirdre Deasy got the better of Anne Gallagher.  On their way to the final Cork beat Monkstown in Saturday’s quarter final, and on Sunday morning they beat Tipperary 4/1.  On the other side of the draw Douglas saw off the challenge of Kinsale on Saturday and they beat Bandon in the semi-final.

This is Cork’s second pennant of the 2023 inter-club season, in July they won the Women’s Senior Cup, again beating their neighbour in the final in Thurles. The teams will head in different directions for the nationals finals.  The Junior Cup team have a national quarter final match in Blarney in early September, they will face Grange who won the Leinster South region.  Fota Island are also in action in Blarney, their Intermediate Cup team will take on the winners of Lucan and Wicklow.  Cork’s Women’s Senior Cup team are off to Dun Laoghaire the following week.  Their first match will be a quarter final where they will face Woodbrook.

Cobh was a busy place on Saturday morning with 16 clubs and 80 golfers playing the AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield.  A yellow wind warning was in force, with 100kmph winds blowing through the course.  Despite the weather the first match got underway at 7am with Blarney taking on Faithlegg.  The Cork side came out on top but in the second round on Saturday afternoon they lost out to Tipperary.

Mahon and Raffeen Creek were also in action in the morning but they both lost out in the first round.  Mallow took on Douglas in an all Cork match with Douglas winning.  Unfortunately for the Cork side they lost out in the afternoon against Tramore.  Fota Island and Monkstown were competing in the final match of the morning and it was Monkstown who came out on top.  Their late morning tee time meant that they were not back out again on Saturday until 5pm and they beat Macroom in the second round match.

Gallery: AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield 2023

By Sunday morning Monkstown were the only Cork team remaining in the competition.  The Cork club may have had hopes of a Junior Cup and Jimmy Bruen double, but they lost out on Sunday morning to Tramore.

Cobh Golf Club were superb hosts for the weekend, they had plenty of volunteers on hand in addition to a marquee for golfers and an overflow car park with shuttle bus in operation from the IFI site.  Aside from the high winds on Saturday morning the event was a great success with the Hawtree designed championship course providing a great layout for match play golf.

A number of Cork golfers were in action in Mullingar over the weekend.  The famous Mullingar Scratch Trophy took place over 72 holes on Sunday and Monday.  Howard continued his recent spell of good form, finishing in the top ten after four rounds.  He shot rounds of 68 and 70 on the opening day to finish in second place on -6.  Conditions on Monday were tougher and after a third round of 73.  Howard dropped a few places on Monday after rounds of 73 and 76, and finished in a tie for ninth place.

Dean O’Riordan and Morgan Cain also continued their good form and both finished in the top half of the field.  Robbie Walsh shot an impressive 71 in the second round.  After an opening 76 that was enough to see him through to the third round but he failed to make an impact on Monday.

Sam Hogan, Jordan Boles and Cathal Butler all missed the +4 cut mark for the final two rounds.  There have been just two Cork winners in Mullingar, John McHenry won in 1986 and John Murphy won in 2019.

Dean O’Riordan had a busy weekend, before he went to Mullingar he travelled to play in Kanturk to play in the senior scratch cup.  O’Riordan shot a winning 68, beating Macroom’s Padraig O’Connor by two shots.  James Madigan was the leading home player with a 72 and Mallow’s Hugh Nolan was fourth with a 72.