Author: niall@corkgolfnews.com

Byrne loses out on 23rd hole in Irish Close Plate

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
2016 Irish Girls Close Championship at Kilkenny Golf Club

Sara Byrne (Douglas) competing in the semi final of the Plate (Pat Fletcher Trophy) at the 2016 Irish Girls Close Championship at Kilkenny Golf Club.. Picture by Pat Cashman

Sara Byrne from Douglas was the unlucky loser in a titanic battle at the plate final in the Irish Girls Close at Kilkenny yesterday.  The 23 hole battle was Byrne’s second time that day going to additional holes.  In the morning semi final she beat Cork’s Rachel Thompson on the 19th.

Byrne got off to a good start in the final, with 2 birdies and a par to bring her 4 shots clear after 8 holes.  Sara’s opponent Beth Coulter wasn’t going to be put off and clawed back the deficit with a number of birdies.  It took 23 holes for the match to come to an eventual conclusion in which the Douglas member lost out.

Byrne had finished in the top ten after the first two strokeplay rounds.  Mairead Martin was third in the strokeplay qualifier and Rachel Thompson and Valerie Clancy were tied for fifth place.  Martin made it through to championship semi- Continue reading →

Douglas set for AIG Cups & Shields Munster Finals

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Muskerry and Lisselan carry local hopes

Douglas Golf Club

AIG Jimmy Bruen Shield (1st Tee)
8.00am: Ballykisteen –v- Spanish Point
8.40am: Muskerry –v- Killarney
Final: 45 mins after last match

AIG Pierce Purcell Shield (10th Tee)
8.00am: Nenagh –v- Lisselan
8.40am: Thurles –v- Ring of Kerry
Final: 45 mins after last match

Barrett joins Desmond, Healy & Murphy on Munster Boys Interprovincials team

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Fred Daly Trophy Munster Finals

Greg Barrett at the Fred Daly Trophy Munster semi-finals at Gold Coast Golf Club. Picture: Niall O’Shea

Mallow’s Greg Barrett was named on a strong Munster Boys team this afternoon.  Team Captain Michael Coote named the team after the Munster Boys Amateur Open had finished and three of the top eight made the Munster team.  Barrett has been having a good run of form and his scores of 74,76,78 gave him a top 30 finish this week and kept him in sight of the selectors.  Barrett finished in 5th place at the Leinster Boys recently and hopes will be high that his current form will continue next week in Tullamore as the Munster Boys team will aim to win the inter-provincial title next week.  He was also a member of the Munster Under 16 team last year.

Munster Boys winner John Murphy was an obvious choice for the team, and his Kinsale club-mate Mark Healy also made the team, both retaining their places from last year.  Monkstown Sean Desmond also retained his place, Desmond shot a 66 yesterday and finished in the top ten.  He has also been a key player on the Monkstown team that has reached the Munster Finals of the AIG Senior Cup.  The four Cork golfers are clearly on form as are Andrew Mulhall and Ciaran Vaughan.  Hopes will be high Continue reading →

Murphy’s dramatic finish to win Munster Boys

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Junior Amateur Dromoland Co Clare

Con Woods, Captain, John Murphy, Kinsale and John Moloughney, GUI Munster Golf at Dromoland Castle Golf Club Co Clare.Pic Arthur Ellis. http://www.golffile.ie

Kinsale’s John Murphy won the Munster Boy’s title in dramatic fashion with two birdies on the final holes to win by one shot.  Murphy had a three shot lead going into the final round but a triple bogey on the 8th cut his lead.  Fortwilliam’s Hugh O’Hare jumped into the lead after Murphy bogeyed the 15th and 16th.  Murphy produced a strong finish however, birdieing the 17th and 18th at Dromoland Castle to capture the title.  Murphy finished the championship on -5 after signing for a final round 74.  Hugh O’Hare was a shot behind on -4 and Andrew Mulhall (Waterford Castle) was third on -3.  Ross Kelly from Tuam Golf Club shot the low round of the day, his 70 saw him finish in the top ten.

Monkstown’s Sean Desmond finished in 8th place, a final round 78 saw him finish on +6.  Mark Healy was 24th and Adam Boland had a disappointing final round to finish in 33rd spot.  Jack Egan had a final round 78, this will have been agreat learning experience for the young Muskerry player

Munster Branch Chairman John Moloughney thanked all of the Continue reading →

Murphy in the lead at Munster Boys, Desmond shoots a 66

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Fred Daly Trophy Munster Finals

John Murphy (Kinsale Golf Club)

Kinsale’s John Murphy leads the Munster Boys heading into the final round at Dromoland Castle.  The Munster and Ireland golfer was two shots off the lead after the first round and today he added a 70 to finish in -7 after 36 holes.  Murphy was two over for his round after six holes but five birdies in six holes set his round alight.  He birdied the ninth to turn on one over and then he reeled off four birdies in a row from the 11th to the 14th to get back into the red.  He bogied the par three 17th and signed for a two under par 70.  Murphy has a three shot lead over Andrew Mulhall and first round leader Hugh O’Hare.

Monkstown’s Sean Desmond shot the lowest round of the day, he carded a six under Continue reading →

Murphy opens with impressive 67, Munster Boys Round 1 Report

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Final Round, EMC Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup 2016Kinsale’s John Murphy opened with an impressive five under par 67 at the Munster Boys in Dromoland Castle.  Murphy was one of two golfers to break 70, Hugh O’Hare from Fortwilliam has a to shot lead after carding a seven under par 65.

Mark Healy is just outside the top ten after he signed for a one over par 73, and he’s one shot ahead of Mallow duo Greg Barrett and Adam Boland.

Daniel O’Sullivan (Mallow), Eric Rumley (Kinsale) and Sean Desmond (Monkstown) and Cillian Moloney are all just inside the cut mark and will need to manage their way around Dromoland Castle tomorrow to ensure they stay in the top 50 and make the cut for the final 18 holes on Friday.  Darren Hourihan and Continue reading →

Blarney 10th Anniversary Open Week

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

The Blarney Hotel Open WeekBlarney Golf Club is celebrating it’s 10 anniversary this year and their Open Week takes place next week.  Events run from Tuesday to Friday with competition fees starting at €10 for visitors.  The open week competitions culminate with a 10th Anniversary dinner dance which takes place on Saturday 23rd July.

The John Daly designed course – his  only project in Europe to date – has survived and thrived during a very challenging decade for golf in Cork and Munster.  Since its opening a decade ago, Blarney Golf Club has grown and consolidated its position on the Irish golfing map to become a club with over 500 members, competing strongly in local and national GUI competitions.  There’s a fantastic welcoming atmosphere pervading the club from junior to senior members, PGA Professional Alan O’Meara as well as management and staff, and part of this is evident in just how popular the Thursday open singles competitions have become in a relatively short space of time.  This year’s grand prize, incidentally, is a year’s Continue reading →

O’Keeffe Golf Performance Open Day at Dennehy’s Blackpool

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
AIG Barton Shield South Munster Final, Sunday 10th July, Monkstown Golf Club

Peter O’Keeffe pictured with Barton Shield partner Karl Bornemann last weekend.

Peter O’Keeffe is holding an open day at Dennehy’s Health and Fitness Blackpool on Saturday.  Dennehy’s opened their third gym in early May and the new state of the art gym features a dedicated golf fitness area complete with the very latest tool in golf swing analysis.  Trackman 4 was launched at the start of the year and O’Keeffe Golf Performance was one of the first to invest in the new technology in Ireland.

O’Keeffe launched his golf fitness business in late 2015 in Dennehy’s Douglas, and he quickly build up a reputation for himself.  Using the renowned TPI screening in conjunction with his college qualifications in sports and excercise science, O’Keeffe has spent the last ten months working with amateurs and professionals, junior golfers and seniors.

The open day is a great opportunity to find out more about how golf specific fitness training can Continue reading →

Bruen Youths to launch Muskerry’s Bruen Open Week

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Bruen Youths 2015 Sean Desmond

Sean Desmond (Monkstown) receiving the Bruen Youths Trophy from David Bruen, also included are David Taylor Captain Muskerry and Richard Cahill Sponsor.

The Bruen Youths will this year mark the start of Muskerry’s Bruen Open week which celebrates the 80th anniversary of Jimmy Bruen’s magnificent victory in the British Boys Championship.  It also marks the 70th anniversary of Bruen’s win at the British Amateur in 1946.  This year’s competition is a 36 hole strokeplay event and takes place on Monday 15th August.

The Bruen Youths started in 1986 as a boys (under 18) competition but later moved to youths level.  There have been many famous winners, Professionals David Higgins, Cian McNamara, Mick Collins, Mark Murphy and Aaron O’Callaghan have all won, and Ronan Twomey and Dave O’Donovan are among very few Muskerry that have won for the home club.  Kinsale’s Cathal Butler did a rare double in 2013 and 2014, and Monkstown’s Sean Desmond won Continue reading →