Junior Golf

Entries open for Bruen Youths, Muskerry Golf Club.

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Muskerry_Bruen Youths 2018_1

Keelan McCarthy (Lee Valley), 2018 winner of the Bruen Youths Trophy

Muskerry will hold the annual Bruen Boys and Youths Trophy on Monday 26th August, and there will be plenty of golfers hoping to add their name to the list of famous winners.  Lee Valley’s Keelan McCarthy is the holder and he’ll be looking to follow Cathal Butler and Sean Desmond who are among very few to win the Bruen Youths twice.  Kinsale’s Butler won in 2013 and 2014, and Desmond won in 2016 and 2017.  The Bruen Youths started in 1986 as a boys (under 18) competition but later moved to youths level.  There have been many famous winners, Professionals David Higgins, Cian McNamara, Mick Collins, Mark Murphy and Aaron O’Callaghan have all won, and Ronan Twomey and Dave O’Donovan are among very few Muskerry men Continue reading →

Jack Murphy wins Kerry Boys Championship, Daniel O’Sullivan wins Plate

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Kerry Boys winner Jack Murphy pictured with his parents John and Mary.

Young Douglas golfer Jack Murphy might be just 13 years old, but he made a big impression in Ballybunion today when he won the famous Kerry Boys Championship.  And it was a double success for Cork as Daniel O’Sullivan won the Plate Final.

Murphy added his name to a list of high profile winners after a excellent display of golf this afternoon.  He was up against Lee Valley’s Keelan McCarthy in an all-Cork final, and despite being 5 years younger, the Douglas golfer came out on top.  He got off to a flying start this afternoon, he was three up after six holes on the challenging Cashen course.  By the turn he added another to go five up, and he closed out the match on the 14th after winning 5&4.  It was a great week for Murphy, he opened with a 77/82 in the strokeplay qualifier to make the top flight championship draw with a few shots to Continue reading →

Strong Cork Challenge in Kerry Boys

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ballybunion-cashen-16-longThere’s plenty of Cork interest in Ballybunion today as the round of 16 matchplay gets underway.  The Cashen course in North West Kerry proved to be a good challenge for some of Ireland’s top young golfers over the past two days, with six Cork golfers making it through to the last sixteen.  Mukerry’s Fionn Hickey shot the low round yesterday, a 73 saw him top day two and added to his opening 76, he qualified comfortably.  The Irish International had a colourful scorecard yesterday and interesting it included four birdies – all of which came on the par three’s.  Tom Higgins from Roscommon was the top qualifier on 148, with Hickey one shot behind on 149.

Lee Valley’s Keelan McCarthy shot rounds of 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 →

Senior Cap for Thompson, Byrne to lead Irish Girls, Home Internationals

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Rachel Thompson

Rachel Thompson

Rachel Thompson is set to earn her first senior Irish cap next month following her selection on the Irish Ladies team for the Home Internationals.  On the back of her win at the Connacht Senior Womens title, the Cork member would have been high on the list of probables, and earlier today her place was confirmed.  A strong team was named as Ireland hope go one better this year and win the event.  Clodagh Coughlan was selected as a non-travelling reserve, the Douglas golfer’s performance at the recent interprovincials brought her onto the national radar.

Sara Byrne was selected as part of the seven strong Girls team.  This will be Byrne’s third year playing in the Home Internationals, a pretty big achievement considering she first played in the Under 18 competition when she was just 15.  Sara is now a senior on the team, but Continue reading →

Byrne takes runners-up spot at Irish Girls Close

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Sara Byrne Jul 2019

Sara Byrne, Picture: Pat Cashman

Sara Byrne came up just short of winning her second Irish Championship today, she was runner-up at the Irish Girls Close at Galway Golf Club.  The Douglas golfer was in a fine vein of form, and had made the final day with relative ease.  On Tuesday she shot a second round 71 (-2) to take second place in the strokeplay qualifier.  That meant she was safely through to the matchplay phase.  On Wednesday she wrapped up her first round match on the 14th, and on Thursday she beat Emily Murray and Lucia Masding to book a place in this morning’s semi-final.

Byrne got off to a great start this morning in the semi-final, going three up against Aine Donegan.  But when the finished out on the 18th it was all square.  Donegan’s comback included a birdie on the 17th and a chip in birdie on the last hole, but on the 24th – the sixth tie hole – it was Byrne who had the rub of the green.  An eagle putt estimated at just over 30 feet dropped in to send the Douglas teenager into the final.

Sara faced leading qualifier Beth Coulter in the final and the 15 year old from Kirkistown Castle got off to a flier.  Coulter was four under for the front nine, continuing a great run of golf in Galway.  She was three up after six holes but Byrne birdied the 6th, eagled the 7th and birdied the 8th to Continue reading →

Deasy dialed in at McGregor, Byrne cruising at Irish Girls Close

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Mel Deasy

Mel Deasy

Lee Valley’s Mel Deasy is in the top ten at the McGregor Trophy, the English Under 16 Strokeplay Championship, and safely through to today’s final 36 holes.  Deasy opened on Tuesday with a level par 70 but it was a mixed round.  Starting on the 10th, Deasy was five under after 12 holes, but he was back to -1 after doubles on his 13th and 15th holes.  He closed out the round with a bogey to finish on level par, that was good enough for 17th place.  Mel’s second round was steadier, two birdies and two bogies along with 14 pars led to his second 70.  That saw him jump into the top ten, tied for 9th place at the halfway stage.  The Lee Valley man is now just five shots off the lead held by England’s Rohan Miah.  Galgorm’s Joshua Hill is in second place just one behind the leader.  The final 36 holes take place today with Deasy on the tee at 9.30m.  The event meant that Deasy missed out on a chance to retain his Munster U16 title which took place this week.  He’ll be back in Munster colours next week when the Boys Interprovincials take place on Athlone Golf Club.

Sara Byrne Fairhaven 2017

Sara Byrne had another good day in Galway at the Irish Girls Close.  The Douglas golfer recorded a 6&4 win over Evelyn Park.  That follows two good rounds on Tuesday when she shot 76 & 71 to finish just one off the lead.  This morning she will take on Emily Murray from Co Louth in the round of 16 match, with the quarter finals also taking place tomorrow.

Top Four for Fionn in Leinster, Final Four for Peter in Portstewart

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Douglas Senior Senior Scratch Cup26th May 2019

Fionn Hickey

It was another positive day for Cork golfers, 16 year old Fionn Hickey was in the prizes a the Leinster Boys while Peter O’Keeffe dispatched another two challengers and is into the semi-final of the North of Ireland.

Muskerry’s Fionn Hickey continued his positive set of results this summer with a fourth place finish at the Leinster Boys.  Played in Waterford Golf Club over the past three days, Hickey close with a one under par 70.  Three birdies in his final five holes helped the Muskerry golfer move up one spot on the leaderboard, and he also won the best Under 17 prize.  Mel Deasy (Lee Valley) finished inside the top ten, two birdies on the back nine helped improve his position after going through the front nine in +3 today.  Keelan McCarthy and Robbie Walsh came home together in 14th position.  Both golfers shot identical rounds of 74,73,78 over the three days, while Mallow’s Daniel O’Sullivan was one shot back in 22nd place.

In Portstewart, Peter O’Keeffe claimed his fourth matchplay win in two day, closing out all four matches before he reached the 18th hole.  In the round of 32, O’Keeffe faced Jake Rowe from Tandragee, and he beat the Ulsterman 2&1.  This afternoon he faced Malone’s Matthew McClean in the quarter-final and closed out the match on the 16th after holding a solid lead throughout.

Douglas Senior Senior Scratch Cup26th May 2019

Peter O’Keeffe

Tomorrow morning the Douglas golfer will face the top qualifier and 2018 West of Ireland winner Rob Brazill from Naas.  Both golfers are currently on the Irish Senior Mens panel and it promises to be an interesting match.  In the second semi final, Liam Grehan will take on Arron Edwards-Hill.  O’Keeffe has been on the road for well over a week.  Last week he caddied for his friend Rob Dawson in the Irish Open in Lahinch, and when they finished up on Sunday, O’Keeffe made the long journey to the Northern coastline for Monday’s first round in the strokeplay qualifier.