Peter O’Keeffe and James Sugrue are safely through to the matchplay stage of the North of Ireland, comfortably finishing in the top 64 from the mammoth field of 300 golfers. O’Keeffe carded rounds of 68 and 70 over both courses in Royal Portrush to finish on -5 and in a tie for 4th place. The Douglas man fired in eight birdies and an eagle over the two rounds and if he can continue in that form he should extend his time in Portrush. He’s currently in action against Haryey Byers from Walton Heath in the first matchplay round.
North of Ireland Matchplay Draw
James Sugrue continued his good form with a top 13 finish in the strokeplay qualifier. He shot rounds of 68 and 72 to book his place in the matchplay where he faces Marc Norton from Belvoir Park this morning. There was disappointment for Cathal Butler as he finished just one shot outside qualification on +3, and there was no joy for Continue reading
RESULTS / CORK GOLF CLUB 6th July
The Pro Shop Challenge returns to Kinsale Golf Club this month, this will be the third staging of the very popular charity fundraising event. The brainchild of Ian Stafford and Cathal Butler, the challenge started in 2016 with Ian and Cathal partnering with Ger Broderick and John Murphy respectively. The amateurs took the win that year, the young guns took an early lead and never looked back as the the confidence of youth helped them to wrap up a win. Most importantly the event raised over €3,000 for Special Olympics. Delighted with their efforts in 2016, Butler and Murphy spearheaded the second staging of the event last year. This time however their wings were clipped. Broderick and Stafford used all of their experience and knowledge to take down the cocky amateurs, beating them by a clear margin in the end. Both professionals, who were involved first hand in the coaching and development of Butler and Murphy, were delighted to beat the amateurs in front of a huge crowd in Kinsale. Yet again the main winner was the charity partner. Marymount Hospice was the selected beneficiary and over €3,000 was handed over after the event. With the series score at 1-1, interest is building in this years competition. The event was first proposed by Ian Stafford who quickly enlisted a core team to turn the idea into an event. Keeping the event going is now the priority for Ian. “With the third edition this year, the fact that the pro’s managed to win last year has given the event this year a heightened sense of interest” said Ian Stafford. “The event needs to stay competitive to be a success. Having said that both Ger and I have thoroughly enjoyed our year as Champions 
James Sugure finished in the top 15 at final qualifying for The Open at St Anne’s Old Links on Tuesday. The Mallow golfer has had a busy two weeks, covering the British Amateur, playing Senior Cup for Mallow in Cork Golf Club, and then playing Co Louth, Rosapenna, and St Annes in quick succession. With only three spots available for the Open, qualification was always against the odds, and Sugrue found himself four over after his opening nine holes. He recovered two shots on the back nine to finish the opening round on +3. James got his second round off to a blistering start, with four birdies in his first five holes. He dropped a few shots in the middle of the round but finished strongly, closing with two birdies and an eagle. A second round 67 saw him jump over twenty places, in fact Sugrue had nine birdies and an eagle in his final 27 holes. Speaking after the qualifier, James cited the lack of a practice round as a critical reason for the difference between both rounds.
There was great news in Kinsale Golf Club earlier this week when John Murphy became the latest Corkman to earn full Irish honours. He has been selected in the six-man Irish team to compete in the European Amateur Team Championship in Germany in two weeks’ time. Murphy was almost a certain pick given his recent form. He won the St Andrews Links Trophy earlier this month, and last week he reached the quarter-finals of The Amateur Championship in Royal Aberdeen.
Eoghan Cassidy become the latest Kinsale winner, the teenager won the Connacht Boys U14 Championship in Loughrea today. Cassidy shot a 75 to tie the lead, winning the title on the countback. The five handicapper has shown plenty of promise, the fact that he’s still eligible at U13 level underlines his achievement today. Cassidy’s best previous finish was third in the Munster Under 14 Boys Championship, held in Kanturk last year.
While there are thousands of Cork people who have just completed exams, it was a different time for Davey Barry as he got word that he had passed his final PGA exams, meaning he has now a qualified teaching professional. The Douglas based Pro had been working hard for the past three years, combining work in the pro shop with his studies, but Davey is delighted that he now joins the PGA as a full member. “It’s fantastic to have finished the course. It’s a lot of work and long hours but it’s a great feeling to have gotten here” said Davey. “It was a long journey for me, I had to do some extra exams before I started the course, it was well worth it though. This is something that I’ve always wanted to do since I was young, and it’s a career that can 
