Author: niall@corkgolfnews.com

Hickey, Byrne, Thompson, Cassidy & Murphy all in international action today

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Fionn Hickey

Fionn Hickey

Muskerry’s Fionn Hickey made his international debut this week, and the 16 year old did himself proud at the Boys Home Internationals.  The annual event took place in Ashburnham Golf Club in Wales and Ireland opened with a win over Scotland on Tuesday.  It was a disappointing start for Fionn as he narrowly lost his singles match.  There was better luck for the Muskerry man yesterday as Ireland beat Wales and Fionn won his singles match against Toby Bishop.  That win set Ireland up for a winner takes all match against England today.  Hickey partnered Dylan Keating for a half this morning with Ireland taking a lead, the score was 3.5 to 1.5 after the foursomes.  Fionn won his match this afternoon, but the wind was in the English sails.  They won six of the matches to win by a single point and take the title.  While the final result was a disappointment, England were the favourites and solid play from Hickey on his debut will spur him on for a strong end to the season.

Girls & Womens Home Internationals

Sara Byrne was also in action for the Irish Girls over the Continue reading →

Desmond & O’Mahony claim first Munster Caps, Senior Interprovincial team named

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Sean Desmond

Sean Desmond (Monkstown) teeing off the 9th in Lahinch during the third round of the South of Ireland Championship. Pic: Niall O’Shea

Sean Desmond and Greg O’Mahony are set to earn their first Munster senior caps having been named in the Munster Interprovincial team today.  The Cork duo are among three new faces in the Munster team that also see’s Pat Murray return after missing out last year.  Captain Michael Coote and Manager George Mellerick have assembled a strong team as Munster hope to retain the title.  Desmond was a strong contender for a spot after winning the South Of Ireland earlier this month, and although be missed out on an automatic spot he was certainly to the forefront of the selectors minds.  Greg O’Mahony also picks up his first cap on the back of solid championship performances.  He reached the last 32 in the South and the last 16 in the Irish Close in Ballybunion earlier this week.  Pat Murray makes a welcome return to the team, the Tipperary native has a long and distinguished record and his matchplay experience will balance the young look to the team.

Peter O’Keeffe and Eanna Griffin were automatic picks having finished in the top three in Continue reading →

Butler’s Ballyb run comes to an end

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South of Ireland 2019

Cathal Butler

Cathal Butler bowed out of the AIG Irish Close Championship this afternoon after the Kinsale man reached the last 8 of the domestic major in Ballybunion.  Of the six Cork golfers to make the top 64 matchplay stage, just Butler and Greg O’Mahony remained after two rounds of matchplay, and O’Mahony went out in the third round, losing to Charlie Denvir.  Butler came through this morning’s match against Stephen Walsh, beating the former South champion on the 17th.  In the quarter final he faced Robbie Brazill, the on form Irish international.

Brazill got off to a flier and Butler found himself four down after six.  He won the seventh to pull one back but Brazill got the lead back to five by the turn, snuffing out any chance Butler had.  The match was eventually settled on the 16th when the Naas man won 4&2.  Brazill will face Alan Fahy tomorrow morning while leading qualifier Ronan Mullarney will play Charlie Denvir in the other semi-final.

AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at Ballybunion

Match Play – Round 3
R Mullarney (Galway) bt N Hearns (Mountrath) 5&4; S Flanagan (Portmarnock) bt TJ Ford (Co. Sligo) 2&1; E Stack (Ballybunion) bt R Knightly (Royal Dublin) 2&1; C Denvir (Elm Park) bt G O’Mahony (Fota Island) 6&5; C Butler (Kinsale) bt S Walsh (Portmarnock) 2&1; R Brazill (Naas) bt D Morley (Oughterard) 2 holes; E Murphy (Dundalk) bt C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 4&3; A Fahy (Dun Laoghaire) bt E Farrell (Ardee) 2 holes

Quarter Finals
R Mullarney bt S Flanagan 2 holes; C Denvir bt E Stack 19th; R Brazill bt C Butler 4&2; A Fahy bt E Murphy 3&1

Wednesday 7 August Semi Finals
0845 R Mullarney v C Denvir
0900 R Brazill v A Fahy
1400 Final

Greg O'Mahony

Greg O’Mahony

 

Mallow Scratch Cup Launch

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Mallow SSC Launch 2019

Tournament organiser Conor Dowling and Amateur Champion James Sugrue at the launch of the Mallow Senior Scratch Cup. The event takes place in Mallow Golf Club on Sun 25th Aug. 

Mallow Golf Club have just announced details of their Senior Scratch Cup, the first time the competition will be held since 2012.  The 36 hole event will take place on Sunday 25th August, and uniquely it will feature a redraw at the end of round one to pair the leading players for the second round.  Already many of the top golfers in Cork and Munster have committed to the event which is limited to 72 golfers.  It’s another chance for Cork’s top golfers to claim some silverware as the opportunities to claim a scratch cup win are narrowing.  The season started with the Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup back in April.  That event was won by Peter O’Keeffe in a strong field of entrants, and the signs are that there will be another strong field in place in Mallow.  The organising team of Conor Dowling, Brian Attridge, Neil Gallagher and Sean O’Shea have a great prize fund in place, thanks in part to the sponsorship from Hegarty Building and Civil Engineering.  Fist prize is the maximum €575 with second taking €325 and a generous €250 for third place.  There are also nett categories and prizes for Continue reading →

Butler & O’Mahony through to last 16 in AIG Irish Close

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South of Ireland 2019

Cathal Butler

Just two Cork golfers remain from the six that started in Ballybunion this morning.  Cathal Butler and Greg O’Mahony are through to the last 16 in the AIG Irish Close in Ballybunion.  Butler is on a good run of form at the moment, and he was delighted to come through the first two rounds considering the challenge that the Old Course put up.  “It was blowing an absolute gale, so there was serious ball control needed” said the Kinsale man. “Obviously I had some bad holes and plenty of bogies thrown in but managed to get over the line.  I just didn’t get down at all no matter what was thrown at me.”  Cathal had beat Jordan Hood on the 18th this morning, and he won 3&1 over Conor Ryan this afternoon.  Butler had plenty of home support in Ballybunion with all the lads staying on to support him.  “Shane O’Connell from Kinsale caddied for me at the end of my first match and in the afternoon and he was a huge help. John Murphy, Gary Ward, Robbie Walsh and Eric Rumley came out to support me and it was a huge help to get me over the line especially when conditions were so tough.  I love Ballybunion, it requires such precision with approach shots – it’s not easy though”

Butler will now face Portmarnock’s Continue reading →

Six through in Ballybunion, AIG Irish Close Championship

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Gameface; Peter O'Keeffe in action in the South of Ireland in Lahinch last year

Peter O’Keeffe

Six Cork golfers made it through the first test in Ballybunion this weekend, they’ve qualified for the matchplay stage of the AIG Irish Close Championship.  In testing weather conditions the Old Course played much tougher than Saturday.  Peter O’Keeffe ended up as the top Corkman, his level par round today saw him finish in 11th, 21 places higher than yesterday.  Greg O’Mahony, Cathal Butler and John Murphy have all matched their Lahinch achievements in making the matchplay – although in Murphy’s case he had to qualify this time, doing so comfortably with three shots to spare.  Mel Deasy made it through to his first championship matchplay he was the best of the +8’s and is through to tomorrow’s draw.  South Champion Sean Desmond added a second 75 today to also finish on +8, he is through to the matchplay, hoping his form from Lahinch will continue.  For a while it looked like Deasy, and especially Desmond would miss out, but as the afternoon score came in, all the +8’s were safely through and there was even a few +9’s to qualify.  Overnight leader Ronan Mullarney added a three under par 68 to yesterday’s 65 to finish as top qualifier on -9.  Eoin Leonard shot a best of the day 67 to Continue reading →

Muskerry through in Fred Daly

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Muskerry Fred Daly Team 2019Muskerry have booked their place in the Munster finals of the Fred Daly Trophy.  The Cork side will be hoping to repeat the win of 2017 and remove the memory of the final loss of 2018 when they head to Clonmel in just over two weeks time.  To reach the finals three years in a row is a sizeable achievement, they faced Douglas in the area final last Sunday which was held in Cork Golf Club.   With a large crowd watching Muskerry took the lead and held on to claim the win and book their place in the Munster finals with a positive performance from the team.  Fionn Hickey put the first point on the board for Muskerry with a win over Kevin Collins, and Jack Egan added a second point when he beat Ross Higgins.  Mark Hill won a point for Douglas when he beat Eoghan O’Shaughnessy but the match was over when Stephen Continue reading →

Butler in second place at Irish Close in Ballybunion

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Cathal Butler

Cathal Butler

The AIG Irish Close Championship got underway this morning in Ballybunion, with Kinsale’s Cathal Butler posting the low score to hold the clubhouse lead for most of the day.  Despite delays due to a funeral and a nosebleed, over 130 golfers were out on the Old Course today.  They were completing the first of two rounds to determine the top 64 qualifiers to go through to the matchplay stages starting on Monday.

After a good performance in Lahinch, Butler made to most of his early start.  He had three birdies in a row from the 4th to the 6th, and added another on the 8th to turn on three under.  Butler got to -4 on the 16th, but a bogey on the last saw him sign for 68, goo enough to hold the clubhouse lead for much of the day.  The former Kerry Boys winner played very will in Lahinch last week, and he’ll be hoping that the good golf will continue as he aims to reach the final stages in Ballybunion.  Butler is three behind Ronan Mullarney who opened with a blistering 6 under.  Clubmate Gary Ward also finished in the red, he shot a one under par 70, thanks in part to a tasty eagle three Continue reading →

O’Brien takes Runners Up spot in Ulster Seniors

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John O'Brien

John O’Brien (Castlemartyr)

Castlemartyr’s John O’Brien took second place at the Ulster Seniors in Lough Erne yesterday, the Corkman shot a second round 77 to finish one behind Ballybunion’s Peter Sheehan.  O’Brien also claimed top spot in the 55-59 category.  The Castlemartyr member had held the lead after opening with a two under par 70 on Monday, O’Brien was the only golfer to break par in the first round.  It was looking good for O’Brien but Sheehan played the back nine in two under to leapfrog the Corkman.  Sheehan was the only golfer to master the back nine, effectively sealing the win for the Ballybunion member.  O’Brien has been playing some great golf recently and less than two weeks ago he shot a 66 in Blarney to set a new course record.

Karl Bornemann was just one shot back from Continue reading →