Kinsale Golf Club will host a fundraising golf classic in aid of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital next month. The event takes place on Friday 23rd June. Full details are available below:
Author: niall@corkgolfnews.com
Byrne takes 3rd at Fairhaven
Sara Byrne continued her good form as she finished in third place at the Fairhaven Trophy this weekend. The Douglas golfer was in Lancashire along with a large number of Irish golfers competing in the Lytham and Fairhaven trophies.
Byrne posted rounds of 78,77,74 and 76 on the par 75 red course, and while she finished in place in the girls competition, she was 15th overall in the field of 40 top young amateurs from the UK & Ireland.
Just up the road from Fairhaven, John Murphy was in action in Lytham at the Lytham Trophy. Unfortunately for the Kinsale man, he missed the cut after 36 holes.
Top Ten for McNamara as Higgins wins, Irish Club Professional Tournament
David Higgins retained his PGA Irish Club Professional title in Dromoland today. The Waterville man shot a second successive 70 to win by three and ahead of a three way tie for second which included Colm Moriarty, Brian McElhinney and Richard Kilpatrick. Higgins had a steady round one birdie on the front nine was balanced by a bogey on the back nine as he eased to his first Irish Region win of the new season.
Cian McNamara carded a two under par 70 which tied for the low round of the day. He was level par for the front nine but an eagle 2 on the par 4 tenth hole got his round going. He birdied the 15th to get to -3 but a dropped shot on the last hole saw him finish on +5 for the tournament and take a share of 10th place.
Padraig Dooley added a 78 today after shooting a 73 yesterday, he finished two shots behind McNamara in 14th place. David Ryan was the only other Cork golfer in action in Dromoland, he shot a second round 78 to finish in the middle of the pack in 34th place.
“I was delighted with that today. With it being so windy there was disaster around every corner so I kept it steady and kept the big numbers off my card,” said the 44-year-old. “It was a great couple of days, fantastic weather and a spectacular setting for the course which was set up tough. It played a bit ‘linksy’ which was right up my alley and considering the course set-up and the high winds I was delighted to shoot level par.”
Higgins was happy to get off the mark today: “I’m delighted to get off to a good start. The standard is getting better each year on the Irish Region and every win is going to be crucial in the order of merit race. I was my first time to Dromoland, its a cracking venue and definitely worth a visit for any golfer.” Next up for Higgins is a EuroproTour even in Ballykisteen next week and then it’s on to the Roganstown Golf Hotel Pro-Am in Monday week.
As well as a busy schedule on the Irish Region tour, Higgins also has a place in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and the links specialist is looking forward to July: “I haven’t played Portstewart yet but I hear it is a great links. I would love for the wind to blow really strong during the week of the open. I feel this would play right into my hands and give me my best chance of doing well.”
Castletroy Senior Scratch Cup Launch
Liam McDonnell, Captain, Liz Horgan, Bank of Ireland and Corrie Ward, President of Castletroy Golf Club
Picture by Dave Gaynor
Castletroy Golf Club has announced details of this year’s Senior Scratch Cup, which is, once again kindly sponsored by Bank of Ireland. The competition takes place on Saturday, May 20th. First competed for in 1948, the Castletroy trophy is one of the oldest and most prestigious scratch cups in the country and attracts the cream of Munster golf and some of Ireland’s best amateur golfers each year. As a Munster Senior Golf “Order of Merit” tournament, results in the Castletroy Senior Scratch Cup are included in the selection criteria for the Munster team in the Senior Golf Interprovincial Series. The course, currently ranked at #61 in Ireland and measuring almost 7,000 yards off the back tees, consistently Continue reading
The Cork Scratch Cup
2016 Winner Cathal Butler
Most people will know that last weekend’s competition was the Munster Strokeplay, but not everyone will know that when the event was given Championship status it had the additional designation of “incorporating the Cork Scratch Cup”. The Cork Scratch Cup is one of the oldest trophies in Irish golf and according to Cork’s GM Matt Sands, it the original cup that was awarded over 90 years ago. The cup and base holds the names of the all of the winners.
The trophy was presented by William Dwyer, the same person who started the inter-society competition which still runs today. Dwyer presented the trophy in 1923 and won it in himself in 1924. The trophy bears the names of the great Cork Golf Club stalwarts, Crosbie, Simcox, Bruen and Higgins are all represented, with Jimmy Bruen claiming four consecutive titles from 1938-1941. There was a gap of four years during the war and Redmond Simcox won his fourth title in 1947 when the competition resumed. Simcox was one of three golfers Continue reading
Anderson claims 2nd Munster Strokeplay title
Barry Anderson followed up his recent win the West of Ireland by claiming the Munster Strokeplay Championship in Cork Golf Club today. Rounds of 70 & 72 saw Anderson edge out Peter O’Keeffe and Ronan Mullarney but one shot. The 2014 champion won the West two weeks ago and followed up with another win today in tough conditions in Cork. Anderson shot a two under par 70 this morning and needed to get up and down from the fringe on the 18th to sign for a 72. Anderson was battling with Peter O’Keeffe, the Douglas golfer found a fairway bunker on 18, and a bad lie meant he couldn’t go for the green. He had a 35 foot putt for par but missed, meaning Anderson won by a single stroke. Ronan Mullarney had two rounds of 71 today and finished tied for second place with O’Keeffe. Mullarney also won the Carr Bruen trophy as the best Under 25. Continue reading
Gallery: Munster Strokeplay Round 4 & Presentation
Pictures from Cork Golf Club: Continue reading
Gallery: Munster Strokeplay Round 3, Cork Golf Club
Pictures from Sunday Morning: Continue reading
75th William Dwyer Trophy, Inter-Society Competition
Entries are now open for the 75th consecutive staging of William Dwyer inter-society competition. Two qualifiers will take place in June with Cork Golf Club hosting the final in early July. Any society can enter and the format is foursomes with teams of eight taking part. Four teams will qualify from each day in Mahon.
Qualifiers:
Wednesday 7th June at Mahon Golf Club
Tuesday 13th June at Mahon Golf Club
Anyone interested in playing in the event should contact Finbarr O’Callaghan (finbarrocallaghan@eircom.net) and full rules and details are available from Finbarr who has managed the competition for the last number of years.
The William Dwyer Trophy is a living history of commercial Cork. The trophy boasts 73 separate silver plates detailing the winning team and players from every year since 1943. Originally there were eight team members (4 foursomes pairs) but this was later increased to ten. Around six years ago the number was again reduced to the original eight, reflecting the smaller number of golfers playing with societies. In all there are around 700 names on the trophy. Indeed the trophy is well over Continue reading
Work Continues in Lee Valley
Although the scratch cup weekend is now over, Lee Valley will continue to be a busy place for both golfers and staff. Lee Valley’s Director of golf David Keohane was delighted with the feedback from golfers over the weekend and he was quick to point out that they are continuing to develop the course which celebrates 25 years next year. “We have some great plans for the course in 2017” said Keohane. “Four new tee boxes are currently being constructed. The 1st, 6th, 12th and 16th will be completely redesigned with each of them being widened and lengthened. The pick of these tee boxes is our new par three sixteenth where we have raised the tee box by over five feet and created a surface 25 by 30 meters. The base for the new tee box was so large that many Continue reading
Cork Golf News 