Munster Senior Inter-provincial Captain Phil Cooney recently got together with over 20 golfers that are all hoping to make the Munster team that will play in Fota Island in July. All told there are up to 30 golfers in with a shout for the eight places on the team. As in previous years, Munster Golf are running an Order or Merit system and the top Continue reading
Author: niall@corkgolfnews.com
Turner ready for Maybank, O’Driscoll on learning curve
Niall Turner has recovered from illness and is ready for his fourth event of the Asian Tour as he tee’s it up in Malaysia tomorrow. The Waterfall man narrowly made the cut in Bangladesh last weekend, having to wait until the second round was complete to see if he’s be playing for the weekend. Despite making the cut, he was forced to retire before the start of the third round due to illness.
Niall Turner pictured on the 1st tee in Royal Selangor GC in Kuala Lumpur, picture Kenneth Quillinan
Turner has made the journey south to Kuala Lumpur for the Maybank Championship Malaysia. This is Niall’s first event of the season which is co-sanctioned Continue reading
Weather Continues to Disrupt Golfing Plans
The last nine weeks have been challenging for Cork’s golfing community, to borrow a phrase from Muskerry, it started with Abigail and continues with Imogen. The past two months have been unprecedented in terms of the disruption caused by the weather. While a bit of frost and even snow might be expected, the volumes of rainfall have effectively shut down the business of golf across the county and beyond. While course and clubhouse damage has been minimal, the disruption has been severe. Courses, bars and restaurants and pro-shops have all been affected, with courses in particular seeing footfall drop to close to zero since November. Muskerry is a case in point, the ladies club has completed just one competition since November with eight consecutive cancellations since the start of December. The Men’s club in Muskerry hasn’t fared much better with seventeen competitions cancelled since November. It’s not all bad news however as the club has succeeded in growing it’s Continue reading
Quillinan’s Muskerry Heritage Uncovered
Everyone know’s that current Asian Tour member Niall Turner is a Muskerry man, and most will know that his Dad Pat is also a Muskerry man. However not a lot of people will know that Niall’s current caddie also has a strong Muskerry heritage.
Tralee Man Kenneth Quillinan is currently on the bag for Turner. Kenneth is a university lecturer in Korea and is spending his summer holidays keeping the Cork man company as he travels across Asia in the opening weeks of the 2016 Asian Tour. Quillinan is also a freelance golf writer and his golfing pedigree traces back to Cork in the middle of the last centuary. Ken’s grandfather was the Captain in Muskerry Golf Club in 1951. Not only that, Ken’s Grandmother on Continue reading
Ward wins with Maynooth
Kinsale’s Gary Ward was part of the Maynooth team that won the team competition at the Irish Colleges Strokeplay Championship. Bad weather and a worse forecast meant that there was no play in Strandhill today, so the results from yesterday’s first round stood and Maynooth (B) won the title by five strokes. Ward, who is currently studying product design and innovation in Maynooth, was joined by Sean Walsh, Colin Woodroofe and Jack McDonnell and the four of them secured another title for Maynooth.
As a result there was no change to the individual standings with Jonathan Yates winning thanks to a very impressive 71 yesterday. Adam McSweeney (CIT) and Greg O’Mahony (UCC) were the best placed Cork players, both were tied in 10th place.
O’Driscoll starts life as a Tour Pro
Tommy O’Driscoll played his first round as a professional golfer today, and he carded a very respectable 75 on the Alps Tour in Egypt. The season opener started today in Sokhna golf Clurse, the first of three weeks in Egypt. O’Driscoll is just outside the top 50 heading into the second round. Tommy’s younger brother Eamonn was also in action, the Mallow based amateur carded an opening 83 while David Carey shot a 69 for a share of 5th place.
McSweeney & O’Mahony lead Cork challenge at Colleges Strokeplay
Adam McSweeney
Adam McSweeney and Greg O’Mahony posted the best of the Cork results at the first round of the Irish Colleges Strokeplay at Strandhill today. McSweeney representing Cork IT and O’Mahony representing UCC both shot 76 to be tied in 10th place. Altough it was a six over par round, the CSS for the day was 74 representing the stormy conditions that prevailed in Co Sligo.
Both Cathal Butler and Gary Ward are three shots back on 79, tied for 25th place. Ward is on the Maynooth B team and they currently hold the lead in the team competition after the first round. The second and final round takes place tomorrow.
Entry to Munster events now open
Online entry for the Munster Strokeplay and the Munster Youths is now open on Golfnet. The current weather might not be conducive to playing golf, but qualifying conditions are only five or six weeks away and the wet winter should be a distant memory. Well at least that’s what every golfer is hoping for!
Munster Strokeplay 2015 Champion Shaun Carter (The Royal Dublin) pictured at Cork Golf Club with Officers Robin Turnbull, President, Lady President Ann Kos, Captain Fergal Deasy, Lady Captain Katherine O’Kelly Lynch and Liam Harkin, GUI Munster Branch. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Cork Golf Club will host the Munster Strokeplay on 30th April & 1st May, the competition is the only 72 hole strokeplay event in Cork and it’s sure to attract a top class field as usual. Last year 50 golfers from the field of 75 were playing off scratch or better.
Former winner Pat Murray was one of the first golfers to sign up and formidable Limerick GC golfer is now playing off +3.8. Plenty more plus golfers can be expected for the prestigious event which is now in it’s 11th year.
Munster Strokeplay Championship Online Entry
Entry for the Munster Youths Amateur Open Championship is also open and this event takes place in Monkstown Golf Club at the end Continue reading
Castlemartyr Ready for New Chapter
It’s almost nine years since the course at Castlemartyr Resort opened, and the East Cork venue is set for an exciting 2016. Hard work from the resort staff and the club committee since 2007 has kept the course and the club ticking along. Now that new owners are in place, it seems like the club and course will grow and develop over the coming years. Last month the club held their AGM, with representatives from the new owners attending to give an update on the plans that the new owners have. Greg Shaw is the GM of the owners original property in Hampshire, Old Thorns Manor Continue reading
Hot putter ensures another paycheck for Turner
Niall Turner is safely through to the weekend at the Leopalace21 Myanmar Open in Yangon, Myanmar. Two sucessive 69’s saw the Corkman finish on -6, well inside the cut mark of -3. Turner was having a reasonably steady round, he was +1 for the day at the turn but was losing ground on the field. The was until until the 14th, he birdied that and three of the next four holes to climb back up the leaderboard. The bounceback was needed as Turner was in danger of missing the cut halfway through his second round. Turner’s putter was hot on the greens again Continue reading
Cork Golf News 