Mairead Martin won the Cork Ladies Scratch Cup in style on Saturday, shooting two under par round to win by four strokes.  The Irish International has been in good form recently and that showed in the first wound when she shot a four under par 70.  Martin was delighted with her win, her second of the year.

I really like Cork Golf Club, funnily enough I hadn’t played it very much even being from Cork” said Mairead after her win.  “It’s a challenging course but definitely rewards good approach shots.”

“I played well in round 2, I knew it was important to keep the foot on the accelerator as you never know what can happen.  I started out well with birdieing the first 3 holes and then I just tried to keep making birdies and keep the mistakes to a minimum.”

While Martin has had a good start to the season, she wasn’t happy with her performance in Scotland in the Helen Holm and targeted the Cork Scratch Cup as an event to reboot her early season form.

“I was confident but I had also just come off a poor performance in Scotland so I just went out there trying to build some more confidence and play golf with a bit more commitment and freedom which I felt I was able to do.”

Martin shot the low round of the morning to lead the competition by two shots.  Knowing the field would be chasing her, she had an ideal start with three birdies in the first three holes.  She went on to go under par again in the afternoon, keeping a safe distance between herself and the field.  The competition made a welcome return after the 2023 event was cancelled due to weather.  The sponsor was Mick Barry of BMC Eirco.

It’s the second win of the season for the Kanturk golfer after she won the opening scratch cup of the year in Woodbrook.  She was also tied for second place at the Lahinch Scratch Cup two weeks ago.    Martin remains in third place on the Bridgestone Order of Merit after her Cork win.  Runner up Anna Abom is in second place with Aideen Walsh leading.

Mairead has a busy spell ahead and is looking forward to the season.  “Next up I have the St Rule trophy in St Andrew’s and that kicks off a busy season from there with the Irish Amateur in Woodbrook and then The Amateur in Portmarnock in June alone. So it’s a long season ahead but excited to see what I can do.”