Month: January 2025

Scanlan’s double drive-in at Douglas

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Shane Scanlan teeing off with his Dad’s driver from 1991 at the Douglas Drive In.
Picture: James Doolan

Many golf clubs are holding their drive-ins this month, and in Douglas it was a special experience for Captain Shane Scanlan.  President Dermot McHugh and Ladies Captain Dara Norton got to hit off their drives to mark the ceremonial start to the year, but Men’s Captain Share drove in twice.  One was for himself but the other drive was in memory of his Dad John.

Back in 1991 John Scanlan was elected as Captain but sadly passed away before the drive in.  With the agreement of his fellow officers, Shane took the opportunity to take a drive for his dad, and he Continue reading →

Exciting 2025 ahead for Cork Golf

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Cork Golf Club which wil host a number of national events in 2025. Pic: Niall O’Shea

2025 promises to be a busy and exciting year for Cork golfers and Cork golf clubs.  Golf Ireland launched the 2025 calendar recently and four Cork courses will host important events in the months ahead.

Cork Golf Club will host four major events in a busy year for the club.  In addition to the Munster Stroke Play which has been held on the May Bank Holiday weekend for over a decade, the Little Island club will also host the Flogas Irish Boys Amateur Open and the Boys Home Internationals.  The club will also host the Women’s Cork Scratch Cup in early April.

Cork has a habit of being a winning venue for golfers who went on to greatness and with Irish Boys Captain watching over the field, he will be hoping for another winner with star potential when it comes to the Irish Boys.  The last big winner in Cork was Shane Lowry, he  won the Irish Close Championship when it was last held in Cork in 2007.  Lowry beat local favourite Niall Turner in the final to claim his first Irish title.  He went on to win the West and North, and the Mullingar Scratch Cup the following year, before winning the Continue reading →

Byrne wins second Golf Writers Award

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Dromoland Ambassador Sara Byrne 
Pic. Brian Arthur

After a 2024 to remember, Sara Byrne won a final accolade last week when she was named the the IGWA Women’s Amateur of the Year.  The Douglas golfer won the award in 2023 and won again for 2024 after another impressive set of performances.  The highlight for 2024 should be the key role she played in Gret Britain & Ireland’s win in the Curtis Cup in September.  That has been talked about for the past two weeks following the Sky Sports screening of a programme about the memorable weekend in London.

Byrne turned professional just after September’s Curtis Cup, but before that she made the most of her final eight months of 2024.  The year started with her final semester in University of Miami, and this was marked with two wins and four other top ten finishes.  She followed that with an impressive performance at the Women’s Amateur in Portmarnock, reaching the final 32.  Byrne also made her final appearance for Ireland as an amateur before going unbeaten over the weekend of the Curtis Cup in GB&I’s win.

The Irish Golf Writers announced five award winners before Christmas.  Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy was named Men’s Amateur of the Year.  The University of Louisville senior was runner-up in the East of Ireland Championship and the European Amateur Championship before going on to complete all three stages at the DP World Tour Qualifying School, securing a European Challenge Tour card.

Tom McKibbin, like Byrne was an award winner in 2023 and he won the Men’s Professional Award for a second time.  McKibbin enjoyed another memorable year in just his second season on the DP World Tour, finishing 18th in Continue reading →