Cork duo Morgan Cain and Mark Healy were part of a win in the US last week when their college team Tusculum Pioneers won the King University Invitational.  Healy is in his first year as Director of Golf Operations while Cain joined the Pioneers as a student freshman in August.

Morgan Cain was playing in his first NCAA event and he led the competition after day one thanks to a four under par round.  Cain posted five birdies on the opening round including three on his outward nine for a 32.  He moved his score to -4 with a birdie on the 13th before surrendering a bogey on the 16th. He bounced back with a birdie on 17 and would end the day with a par on the final hole for his opening 66.  He got off to a rocky start in the second round as he went out with a 38, but shot three-under par 32 for his final nine holes of the tournament.  That was good enough to tie for second place overall – and help his team to a win in their first event of the season.

Cain’s move to Tusculum was party down to Healy’s presence.  Having gone through the golf programme as a student himself, Healy stayed on in Tennessee, combining further studies with a role as Associate Coach.  Earlier this year he was named as Director of Golf Operations.

Sara Byrne has also had a very positive start to her final NCAA season in Miami.  She started off with rounds of 71,68,70 for a 20th place finish at the Cougar Classic in South Carolina.  Last week she finished in 13th place in the Glass City Invitational in Ohio.  Once again she lad her Miami Hurricanes who finished in 6th place in the second competition of the season.  Byrne had a great summer in Ireland with a win in the Irish Women’s Close and finishing as the top amateur in the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.  Byrne will be hoping that her current form continues as she holes to be selected as one of the three Irish golfers in the World Amateur Team Championships that take place in Abu Dhabi next month.

The wet weather last week was the first taste of disruption for many golfers.  The heavy rain on Thursday and Friday meant a number of weekend fixtures were postponed and cancelled.  The Douglas Scratch Cup was one if those events to be cancelled with the 36 hole tournament now struggling for a date in a busy few weeks before course conditions make it impractical.  Muskerry were also forced to cancel their Junior Scratch Cup which was also scheduled for Saturday.

John Doyle has extended his competitive season thanks to his inclusion in an Irish Under 16 panel to play against England this weekend.  Carton House will host the match and the contest will include foursomes, fourballs and singles matches over two days of play.

One of the last championships of the year takes place in Portsalon this weekend, the Irish Mid-Am Championship will have a few Cork golfers involved but the holder, Peter O’Keeffe will not be playing.

Fermoy’s Dean O’Riordan will be hoping to add a national title to round off another successful year and Fermoy’s Richard Crean is also in the field.  Munster Open winner Jason Law will be joined by East Cork clubmate David Connolly.  James Maddigan (Kanturk), Brian Lane (Muskerry) and Jason Galway (Lee Valley) will also tee it up in Co Donegal.

As a result of the recent wet weather, many courses will have introduced placing as a temporary measure.  As autumn settles in and the golf course starts to get wet, Golf Ireland has a reminder about winter golf.  Typically, the Preferred Lies Period begins at the start of November, but the adoption of Model Local Rule E3 (Preferred Lies) and/or E2 (Cleaning Ball) can be used ahead of this time so that scores can still be acceptable for handicap purposes.  Either one or both of the above Local Rules may be put in place as needed.  As normal, Model Local Rule E3 is only permitted “in the general area cut to fairway height or less” and the lie may only be preferred by a maximum of 6 inches.  This rule ensures that clubs can continue to play under qualifying conditions.  Once placing everywhere is introduced, all golf moves to a non-qualifying format.