Gary O’Flaherty pictured during the Munster Strokeplay at Cork Golf Club in May. Picture: Niall O’Shea

It’s been 20 years since Gary O’Flaherty made his debut on the Munster Inter-provincial team and the Cork Golf Club member is really looking forward to the 2016 event in Fota Island next week.  O’Flaherty won on that original outing in Mount Juliet and has been on five winning teams.  In that time the Munster and Irish golfer has won numerous individual and team titles but he is still very fond of the interpro’s and has some great memories.  “There are so many good ones” said O’Flaherty. “being 4 down after 9 holes in foursomes against Rory McIlroy & Johnny Caldwell in Ballyliffin in 2006 is probably the best.  Myself and Pat Murray managed to reel off five birdies to go one up, only to be pegged back on 16 where McIlroy holed from 40ft for an eagle.  We halved the match in the end.”  Golf has moved on a lot, even in the ten years since Ballyliffin, and many top amateurs are now effectively full time with easy access to all the Irish and International championships.  The senior interpro’s remain an important part of the Irish golfing calendar and Gary still sees the competition as one of the most important in the year: “I believe it’s very important.  It gives guys a goal at the start of the season.  Not everyone can make Irish teams and compete in championships every week, so it’s great to be able to compete against the best for a few days.  It also gives selectors a chance to see how guys are in a team environment, as well as playing foursomes together.”  Gary is also a big fan of Munster Captain Phil Cooney who has helped deliver two titles for Munster in the past four years.  He’s also a fan of the team spirit that Phil promotes: “I think so, it’s very important to have a good team atmosphere. Any year we have Continue reading →