Stephen Hayes pictured in action in Douglas Golf Club. Picture: Niall O’Shea
It’s six years since Stephen Hayes took the reins at Douglas Pro Shop, taking on the challenge of working in one of the oldest clubs in Cork. The past six years haven’t been great for the golf industry but in that time the PGA Professional developed a large following. Working from one of the busiest courses in the county, Hayes has built a strong business in what was a tough time for everyone involved in the business. Being a club pro can be a demanding job, the shop must be open 364 days a year, and for up to 12 hours a day during the summer months. Add to that the fact that you need to find cover for the shop if coaching or playing, or even taking a day off, and you’ll soon realise that a pro-shop can be a demanding business for a PGA Professional. Over the past two years the retail landscape has changed, the internet has become a real alternative to the high street or on-course shop. The high street Continue reading
The 106th Irish PGA Championship came to a conclusion today with two Cork golfers in the top 10. Monkstown’s Cian McNamara finished of his tournament in style with a two under par 70. The Limerick native got off to a great start with three birdies on the front nine and another one on he 11th. He bogied the 13th and 16th which pegged him back a little but still stayed in the red and signed for a 70. Davey Barry also rounded off a great week, finishing in a tie for 7th place alongside McNamara. Davey signed for a one over par 73 today but jumped up two places on the leaderboard. Barry was three over par through 11 holes but added two birdies on the way home to get back on track and ensure his top ten finish.
Cian McNamara shot an impressive 73 today in very testing conditions to stay in contention at Moyvalley. High winds hampered golfers all day with the later starters suffering the most. McNamara’s solid round means that he’s in 7th place and just four shots off the lead. David Higgins also carded a 73 and he’s in 12th place. David Barry had one of the best rounds of the afternoon, his two over par 74 has him on +1 for the tournament and in a tie for 15th place.
Cian McNamara followed up his good pro-am performance yesterday with an opening 69 at the first round of the PGA Irish Championship. It was a second successive 69 for the Monkstown professional, with birdies on the 12th, 15th and 16th. He had a steady round of 15 pars to go with the three birdies. Davey Barry is two shots back on -1. He’s tied for 12th place after a round that featured four birdies and three pars. The lead is held by Simon Thornton who is three clear of the field after an opening 69. The 106th staging of the Championship is being hosted by Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort.
vey Barry (Douglas Pro-Shop) won his first big event on the PGA Irish Region tour yesterday with a great round in Rosslare. Playing in tough weather conditions the Douglas Assistant Pro won by two shots in the Kelly’s Resort sponsored Rosslare Pro-Am. Barry started well with a run of birdies on the third, fourth and fifth, but he gave two shots back before the turn with bogies on the seventh and ninth. Despite playing the very difficult conditions Davey had a great back nine, he added four birdies including two on 17 and 18 to see him finish two shots clear of Damien McGrane, Mark Murphy and Colm Moriarty. David Ryan shot a two under par 70 to claim fifth position alongside David Higgins, and Wayne O’Callaghan finished in the top twenty. It was a good weekend for Davey who was also named in the field for the Irish PGA Championship which takes place in Moyvalley at the end of this month.
