The first round of the Irish Junior Foursomes gets underway next week with Macroom, Cobh and Fermoy hosting the strokeplay qualifying rounds. Two teams from each venue will qualify for the second round.
Macroom host their qualifier on Wednesday with Cobh and Fermoy going ahead on Friday.
Macroom GC Wednesday 12 April
1.00pm Bantry Bay (1) Berehaven (1)
1.08am Bantry Bay (2) Berehaven (2)
1.16am Skibbereen (1) Bandon (1)
1.24am Skibbereen Continue reading
UCC Golf Club
There was an exciting finish to the Cork colleges inter-varsity league on Sunday as the overall result was decided on a sudden death play-off. The organisers had hoped for a competitive series and after four events the scores were tied on 20-20. It was another surprise though when Sunday’s final series of matches in Lee Valley was also tied 5-5. The draw looked unlikely as UCC had an advantage going onto the final hole but CIT’s Tristan Coakley won his match with superb 10-foot par putt on the 18th green. That brought the day’s score to 5-5 and meant that after a total of 50 matches the series was still tied. A sudden death play-off followed with Coakley continuing for CIT and John Boylan getting the nod for UCC. The first hole in Lee Valley saw both golfers take irons off the tee, Boylan went over the trees on the left to leave himself with a short approach that he duly hit to within 15 feet of the flag. Coakley had a longer approach and finished up on the Continue reading
John Murphy rued a disappointing front nine in St Andrews today as dropped one spot to finish second at the R&A Scholars Tournament. After 36 holes on the Eden Course in St Andrew’s on Monday, Murphy led the field by two shots. By doing so he started the third round in the final grouping on the famous Old Course. Scoring was difficult on the normally manageable links, tough winds meant that there were several returns in the high seventies and eighties. Murphy suffered on the greens on the way out, with an uncharacteristic number of three putts and a rare double bogey. He turned on +5 for the day to drop himself back into the field and two more bogies followed on the 11th and 12th holes. To his credit, Murphy bounced back with three birdies on his last seven holes and the turn-around in form meant that he finished in a tie for second place. John’s Maynooth teammate Stuart Grehan carded a very tidy level par 72 to win the tournament by three shots.
Speaking after his round Murphy admitted that his touch was off in the tough wind on the opening nine holes: “The front nine was a disaster. I had seven 3 putts on the front 9, the wind was as strong as I’ve played in and I really struggled to put a stroke on it. I knew if I had a good back nine I could get Continue reading
John Murphy (Kinsale, Maynooth University) continued his good form as he produced to rounds of 68 and 64 to lead the R&A Scholars Tournament in St Andrews. Both of today’s rounds were played on The Eden Course and Murphy bagged no less than 12 birdies in his 36 holes. Murphy (-8) shot the low round of the afternoon and holds a one shot lead as he goes into tomorrow’s final round. The final round takes place on the fabled Old Course, and Murphy will have the honour of playing in the final group. Murphy will be joined by Cloe Ryan (UCD) who won the ladies section in 2016. Sinead Sexton and Molly Dowling are in the top five and in the mens section Stuart Grehan is three of the lead and Robin Dawson is a further to shots back. Murphy won the Munster Students Championship in Cork Golf Club last week, posting the best score over the first 36 holes in the weather affected tournament.
Contested over 54 holes at the Eden and Old Courses, the two-day tournament offers the leading men’s player a place on the European Arnold Palmer Cup team to face the USA, with the leading women’s player receiving a starting place at a Ladies European Tour event. The tournament features Continue reading
2014 Winner Barry Anderson
A top class field has entered for the Munster Strokeplay which takes place at the end of this month and the cut looks like falling again from the 2016 mark of 0.5. Entries for the showpiece Cork Golf Club event closed last night and there were no less that seven late entries that should qualify, four of those playing from plus handicaps. Although all handicaps will need to be verified, it’s looking like the cut will fall at 0.3, with not all of those playing from this mark getting in on the first cut.
Tiernan McLarnon was one of the late entrants and he leads the handicaps, playing from +3.6. There are over fifty golfers playing from plus handicaps including 24 who Continue reading
The driving range at the Fota Island Academy, Picture: Niall O’Shea
Open Week at Fota Island Golf Academy is just around the corner, beginning the 3rd of April and running until the 7th of April at its golf resort in Cork.
Fota Island Golf Academy will open its doors to keen golfers for the week between 10am and 6pm allowing guests to experience the finest and most comprehensive golf training facilities in the country as well as allowing guests the opportunity to hit some balls and play the Barryscourt 9.
Ideal for those who want to improve their game, the Fota Island Golf Academy offers a sophisticated analysis of swing, putt and technique, as well as excellent, comfortable and relaxing surroundings and invaluable advice from professional trainers along with expert tuition. The finest selection Continue reading
David Ryan and David Higgins came out on top on a glorious day in Monkstown today as the annual Morgan O’Donovan Perpetual Trophy competition took place. Both players shot an impressive 67 and although the sun was out the combination of a hard wind blowing and fast greens meant that only a few golfers managed to break par. The competition is now in it’s fifth year and commemorates Morgan O’Donovan who was Head Professional in Monkstown before his death in 2012. The competition today was sponsored by Ping and the pro-am format saw plenty of Munster PGA Professionals take the opportunity to get out and play with an amateur partner.
It was Higgins third time in a row to win the prestigious tournament. Higgins had missed out on the opening events, playing his first event in Cork a few weeks ago where he shot a 73. The former European Tour player shook off the cobwebs as he went out in a very tidy 32 strokes. Birdies on the 4th & 5th were followed by a birdie on the 9th hole to turn on -3. Another birdie followed on the 11th but he handed back a shot on the par three 13th. He birdied the 15th to get back to -4, but there was one more bogey on the 18th where a tricky pin position was causing trouble for a good number of golfers.
David Ryan followed up his current good form with another 67. He went Continue reading
This week will see three evenings of night golf in Lee Valley. The event will mark the first time that Lee Valley will be lit up for a unique golfing experience. The ten-hole event will take place in darkness, with coloured lights marking the fairways, greens and hazards, and with a luminous golf ball in play, golfers will have no excuse for not keeping it in play. The team of four event takes place from Wednesday 29th to Friday 31st March, the shotgun format will see the 20 teams start at 8pm with prizes and refreshments included on each night.
Thursday is fully booked but there is some availability on Wednesday and Friday. This is first time that Night Golf will be held in Munster and the Continue reading
2016 winner Cathal Butler (Kinsale) Picture: Niall O’Shea
Gallery: Munster Strokeplay 2016
Holder Cathal Butler (Kinsale) won the event last year after an exciting play-off win over Cork’s Gary O’Flaherty. Butler has already entered, as has Kinsale’s John Murphy who won the Munster Student’s Championship in Cork GC this week. This year the Munster Strokeplay is a counting event for the GUI Order of Merit (Willie Gill Award) and that should be an added incentive for golfers to travel to Cork for the May Bank Holiday weekend. The event has been a WAGR counting event for several years, and it also counts towards the Munster Senior Order of Merit. Last year there were over 50 golfers playing off scratch or better, and the indications are that a similar standard will be seen when the event gets underway on Saturday 29th April. Peter O’Keeffe (+2.9), Ian O’Rourke (+2.6), Mark Power (+2.5) and James Sugrue (+2) head the entrants at present. A total of 78 golfer will compete in the opening 36 holes, with the top 39 (plus ties) going forward for the second 36 holes on Sunday 30th April.
Munster Strokeplay Championship 2017 Entry Form
Cork Golf News 