Pictures from tonight’s match in Raffeen Creek: Continue reading
Author: niall@corkgolfnews.com
O’Rourke jumps into automatic spot on Order of Merit
Ian O’Rourke
Ian O’Rourke made a jump of seven places on the Munster Senior Order of Merit thanks to his top eight finish at the East of Ireland at Co Louth. The Cobh native had two great under par rounds on the final day to jump up the leaderboard. O’Rourke is now in third place on the order of merit, and more importantly holds one of the four automatic places. Cathal Butler made the cut at the East to extend his lead at the top of the table and Gary O’Flaherty remains in second place after a very strong May. Andrew McCormack drops down to fourth place and there are three players tied for fifth place. Mark Shanahan, Robin Dawson and James Sugrue are all on 90 points, just 10 points behind McCormack.
There are just three official events remaining on the calendar, the British Amateur takes place this weekend with Eanna Griffin, Geoff Lenehan and John Hickey all hoping to make the draw. The Connacht Strokeplay also takes place this weekend, and the Kerry Scratch Cup (Tralee) takes place the following weekend.
Munster Senior Order of Merit (after 11 Events)*
| Pos. | Name | Total |
| 1 | Cathal Butler | 150 |
| 2 | Gary O’Flaherty | 120 |
| 3 | Ian O’Rourke | 110 |
| 4 | Andrew McCormack | 100 |
| 5 | Mark Shanahan | 90 |
| 6 | Robin Dawson | 90 |
| 7 | James Sugrue | 90 |
| 8 | John Hickey | 85 |
| 9 | Pat Murray | 65 |
| 10 | Eanna Griffin | 60 |
| 11 | Dave Redden | 45 |
| 12 | Geoff Linehan | 45 |
| 13 | Mark Ford | 40 |
| 14 | Peter O’Keeffe | 30 |
| 15 | Sean Barry | 30 |
| 16 | Gary Ward | 30 |
| 17 | Thomas Neenan | 30 |
| 18 | Ian Spillane | 30 |
| 19 | Declan King | 30 |
| 20 | Daniel Brennan | 30 |
| 21 | Fergal O’Sullivan | 25 |
| 22 | Ian O’Flynn | 20 |
| 23 | Mark Healy | 20 |
| 24 | Gavin Young | 20 |
| 25 | Daniel Hallissy | 20 |
| 26 | Emmet Leahy | 20 |
| 27 | C O’Donnell | 20 |
| 28 | Jack Ryan | 15 |
| 29 | Paul Tobin | 15 |
| 30 | Paul Flynn | 15 |
*Based on results received from host clubs, using the published weightings for each event, this is an unofficial list
Hickey, McCarthy & Butler make the cut in the East of Ireland
John Hickey
John Hickey (Cork) remains the leading Cork golfer after the second round of the East of Ireland Championship at Baltray. Today Hickey added a 73 to yesterday’s 71, and his level par total saw him safely through to the final day tomorrow. Mallow’s Paul McCarthy is one shot behind Hickey, as is Kinsale’s Cathal Butler. Paul O’Hanlon still holds the lead, his -9 total is four shots clear of the field.
Gary Ward (Kinsale) was very unlucky to miss the cut, he shot a wonderful 69 today. Although he opened with two bogies in his first four holes, he rattled off three birdies and an eagle in five holes in the middle of his round. Unfortunately for Ward he missed the cut by one shot, Saturday’s untidy 78 came back to cost the Kinsale man a place in the final day. James Sugrue also missed the cut following a second round 75.
Hickey, McCarthy and Butler have 36 holes to play tomorrow, with order of merit points on offer all three will have an added incentive for finishing strongly.
East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship Scores
Hickey best of Cork at East of Ireland
Cork’s John Hickey is safely positioned in the top 20th after the first round of the East of Ireland at Co Louth. Two bogies and one double threatened to distract Hickey but he birdied four of his final seven holes to sign for a one under par 71. James Sugrue is one shot behind Hickey, the Mallow teenager had a mixed round but an eagle on the last got him back to level par, and a tie for 28th place.
Cathal Bulter and Paul McCarthy signed for 75’s and Mark Shanahan is a shot behind on 76. All three are currently outside the projected cut (72) and will need a good round tomorrow. Gary Ward is two shots further back.
Six Cork golfers in East of Ireland Action
Six Cork golfers will start in tomorrow morning’s first round of the East of Ireland. Munster Strokeplay winner Cathal Butler and Kinsale teammate Gary Ward are in action, as are Mallow duo Paul McCarthy and James Sugrue. Mark Shanahan (Castlemartyr) and John Hickey (Cork) are also playing.
Introduced by Co Louth Golf Club in 1941, the first East of Ireland was won by Joe B Carr, who Continue reading
AIG Senior Cup, South Munster 2016
Dooley & Higgins Qualify for PGA Professional Championship
David Higgins pictures at the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship qualifer (Picture: Patrick Bolger/Getty)
Padraig Dooley and David Higgins are both headed for The Oxfordshire in July to take part in the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship. The Irish qualifier took place today in Carton House and both qualified for the second successive year. Dooley finished in a tie for fourth place on +1, but Waterville’s Higgins shot an amazing nine under 63 to finish five shots ahead of the field.
David Higgins produced a dominant display, he carded an impressive nine under par round of 63 at the Co Kildare venue to win by an impressive five shots ahead of Clontarf Golf Club’s Eamonn Brady. Higgins made five birdies on the front nine holes – with three in successive holes – to book a return to the £78,000 showpiece final being held The Oxfordshire course from July 26-29.
Order of Merit Race Heats Up
Gary O’Flaherty
Gary O’Flaherty’s performances in Castletroy, Cork and Ballybunion this month will have moved him up the Munster Senior Order of Merit. There are four automatic places in the team from the Order of Merit, and three of them look like going to Cathal Butler, Andrew McCormack and Gary O’Flaherty. Mark Shanahan, John Hickey and James Sugrue are all battling for the last automatic place, as are Waterford duo Eanna Griffin and Robin Dawson. There are plenty of points on offer over the coming weeks. The East of Ireland takes place next week and the Tralee Scratch Cup, the Connacht Strokeplay and the British Amateur all take place in June. Captain Phil Cooney will have a tough job selecting his four picks as all of the above along with Pat Murray, Ian O’Rourke, Peter O’Keeffe and Continue reading
Sean’s letter wins Tour Experience for Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil
Sean Reddy pictured with the letter that won him a behind the scenes VIP tour at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Nine year old Sean Reddy had the experience of a lifetime during Irish Open week when he got a behind the scenes VIP tour. Sean was a guest of the European Tour on the Wednesday after his letter was selected as one of four winning entries from hundreds of letters sent in from pupils and schools all over Ireland. In addition to his VIP tour, Sean also won a prize for his school, and several of his friends from Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil in Glanmire were also in the K Club for a special golf clinic courtesy of the Confederation of Golf in Ireland.
Sean’s VIP tour started in the media centre where 2015 winner Soren Kjeldsen was holding his press conference, and young golfer from Ballyvolane was invited to ask Kjeldsen a Continue reading
Gallery: Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil
Pictures from Gaelscoil Ui Drisceoil’s visit to the Irish Open: Continue reading
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