PGA

Irwin wins PGA Assistants Championship

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Shane Irwin PGA AssistantsMonkstown’s Shane Irwin held his overnight lead to claim the PGA Assistants title in Nuremore yesterday, winning by a margin of five shots over the field.  Rounds of 76 and 72 yesterday were more than enough to keep a healthy distance between himself and the pack as the Limerick native went on to claim his biggest PGA win to date.  Irwin’s impressive 69 and 67 on day one gave him a great start, he had a six shot lead at the halfway stage.

“I didn’t expect to win but I expected to do well.  I went for a lesson with coach Eddie Doyle a couple of weeks ago and I did feel confident,” said the 24-year-old.  “The first day was very good. I played some solid golf in round one. The second round was very similar and I managed to pick up a few birdies.”  Holding the top spot was a new experience for Shane, but he retained a comfortable margin despite much tougher conditions on day two.  “It was tough over the final 36-holes. I had never led a PGA tournament or anything like that.  I tried to stick to the game plan and Continue reading →

Irwin six ahead in PGA Assistants Championship

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shane irwin monkstown_dec 2018

Shane Irwin (Monkstown) 

Monkstown’s Shane Irwin has an impressive six shot lead going into the second day of the PGA Assistants Championship at Nuremore in Co Monaghan.  The Limerick native had two impressive rounds yesterday, shooting 69 and 67 on the par 71 track.  Irwin had the hot hand with nine birdies in the 36 holes.  He opened his second round with a bogey but recovered quickly with two birdies to get into the red for his round.  One more bogey followed on the back nine but he also added four birdies to sign for a four under par 67.

That left him six ahead of the field, St Annes’ Gary McGrane on level par.  Fota Island’s Jack Howard is eight place, and will be hoping to catch up a few places, and Shane Livesey is just outside the top twenty.

The final 36 holes will be completed today.

Brian & Cian conquer Monkstown challenge

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Monkstown Golf Club 180 Hole Challenge

Brian & Cian still smiling after completing ten rounds of golf

Monkstown Golf Club was the place to be last Saturday, with warm sunshine, a members barbeque, chipping competitions for adults and kids, it was a really enjoyable atmosphere.  That wasn’t the case for everyone as there were two players out on the course completing their final round in a 180 hole challenge.  Monkstown PGA Professional Cian McNamara and General Manager Brian Hurley set themselves a pretty unique challenge of playing ten rounds of golf in one day.  Just after 9.30pm, Cian and Brian had their chance to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere and the hospitality.  Close on 17 hours after they started out, they putted out on the 18th green for the final tine after completing all 180 holes.

The day started at 4.30am – 28 minutes before dawn broke, when both golfers hit the first ball.  A crowd of members gathered at the first tee, including the Captain and President to cheer McNamara and Hurley as the set off on the Continue reading →

Monkstown’s 180 hole Challenge

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Cian McNamara Jul 2019Monkstown Golf Club are hosting a unique challenge on Saturday, two golfers will try and complete 180 holes in one day. Monkstown’s Club Professional Cian McNamara and General Manager Brian Hurley have set themselves the challenge to play ten rounds of golf in one day. Playing under the rules of golf, and counting both scores, the pair will be walking the course adding to the difficulty of the task. Starting at 4.30am on Saturday morning (28 minutes before dawn!), the challenge is expected to last well into the evening, and with no guarantee of success the two PGA Professionals will have a long day ahead of them on Saturday. The only other similar feat in Cork was completed by Lee Valley’s Denis O’Brien who completed seven rounds at the Clashnure course in Ovens well over a decade ago.

While other similar challenges have been completed in the US, the ten round target is a unique event in Ireland. The event is a fundraiser for the Monkstown Cups and Shields teams, and give that the Club Pro and the GM are doing all of the hard work, it’s not surprising that many of the club members have jumped in to sponsor the holes. All 180 holes in the challenge are now sponsored and with Ronan Murphy’s Smarttech 24/7 joining in as the main sponsor for the event, the club is well on the way to achieving the €10,000 target they set for themselves.

The event has become a real talking point in Monkstown, with many golfers question the reality (and sanity) of trying to complete the 180 hole challenge. That said there’s a great atmosphere around the fundraiser and a large number of members and supporters are expected to come out to cheer on the two golfers on Saturday. While there won’t be too many out for the 4.30am start, it is expected that the crowds will build, especially on Saturday evening.

Close Call for Howard at Irish Open Qualifier

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Jack Howard (Fota Island)

Jack Howard (Fota Island)

Jack Howard came agonisingly close to a spot in Lahinch this week, the Fota Island golfer was just one shot away from making the Irish Open field.  Playing alongside 130 of Ireland’s top professionals and amateurs in Moy Valley, Howard shot a three under par 69 in his opening round.  Five birdies and two bogies saw him reach the halfway point in fifth place and in with a great shot of claiming one of the four passes to Lahinch.  David Ryan was also in on -3 while Conor Coyne was the next best Cork golfer on level par.  While several golfers completed their first rounds on Sunday morning, the leaders had to wait to start their second rounds.  Although Howard opened with two bogies in Sunday’s second round he recovered before the turn.  A birdie on the 13th and an eagle two on the 15th put him back in a positive position but a bogey on the second last hole meant that he missed out on the playoff by one shot.  A four under total, with two under par rounds is a strong performance, and given the quality of the field Howard’s top ten finish is impressive.  David Ryan carded a second round Continue reading →

Open Season at Fota Island

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Fota Island's 10th Green

The US Open begins tomorrow, and as part of the ongoing Masters Open Series, Fota Island have a special offer running for the duration of the tournament.  From tomorrow through to Sunday, golfers can avail of a special green fee rate of €60 (incl Sat & Sun) and that includes a main course special in The Clubhouse.  Bookings can be made online or through the Pro Shop by calling 021 4883700.

The course in Fota is in great condition, and having worked through on the continuous improvement ethos that exists at the five star resort, golfers will benefit from the attention to detail from the golf team, turning a round of golf into a great experience.  As well as the ongoing work on the 27 hole layout, some major improvements have also taken at The Academy where new tees and a selection of target greens have been added to the range to enhance the experience and allow golfers to maximise their practice time.  Lessons, custom fitting, and new gym are also available.  Membership of the Academy, including access to the nine holes that surround it, is open and full details are available from any member of the Pro Shop team.

Pro Shop Challenge IV, Kinsale Golf Club

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Kinsale Pro Shop Challenge 3_July 2018

Cathal Butler and John Murphy (centre) pictured with Ian Stafford and Ger Broderick at the Pro Shop Challenge at Kinsale last week. Picture: Aidan Stafford

Kinsale’s Pro Shop Challenge is back, and the fourth staging of the charity fundraiser is set for a change with the pro’s taking on the internationals in August.  The Kinsale Pro team remains the same, Ger Broderick and Ian Stafford are currently in training in the hope of winning back the title they lost last year.  The line up on the other side has changed though, the amateurs are now restyled as the “internationals” and it also features a change in the line up.  14 year old Eoghan Cassidy will line up with John Murphy.  Murphy is currently on the senior Irish team while Cassidy is on the Irish Under 14 and Under 16 squads.  The event takes place on Thursday 15th August, and there should be a great afternoon of golf and fun.  Ian Stafford has been the driving force behind the event, from a small start in 2016, the event has raised well over €11,000 for the charity partners.  Keen to keep the event moving, Ian proposed a change to the format this year.  “This year we are celebrating the fact that Kinsale Golf Club has had 2 International Golfers in the past twelve Continue reading →

Howard runner up in Irish Club Professional at Dromoland

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Jack Howard (Fota Island)Jack Howard finished runner-up in the Irish Club Professional Tournament in Dromoland last week, losing out to Damien McGrane after a play-off.  Howard, representing Fota Island shot a four under par 68 to lead the tournament.  That included important birdies on the 17th and 18th to get into a tie for the lead.  It was in impressive round from Howard in a strong field, and it included seven birdies.  At the end of the round the two leaders were tied on -4, and unlike other PGA events it was on the a play-off.  After halving the first play-off hole, McGrane put the pressure on by hitting the green on the short par four 10th.  When Howard missed his 12 foot birdie attempt the former European Tour winner tapped in or birdie to claim the title.

Davey Barry and Shane Irwin were the next bet placed Cork golfers, they both carded one par rounds of 73 to get a top ten place, while Cian McNamara and David Ryan were three back in a share for 24th place.

While Jack will be disappointed at missing out on the win, there are several positives.  As well as the prize money for second place, the high placed finish means that the 22 year old will now be able to enter several of the high profile events as the Irish Continue reading →

Hickey on top at Europro Tour QSchool

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Munster Strokeplay ChampionshipCork Golf Club Sunday 6th May 2018

John Hickey

John Hickey gave his pro career a huge boost this week, finishing top in the stage one qualifier at the Portal Championship golf resort near Chester.  Rounds of 66 and 74 saw the Cork Golf Club member finish on -6 on the par 73 layout.  Yesterday was a great day for John, he had seven birdies and no bogies to take a lead and give himself a great chance of qualifying for the next stage.  Frost delayed the start this morning and challenging weather conditions.  Hickey was two voer for the day through six holes, but he was back on level par at the turn.  Another few bogies and birdies followed and John signed for a 73 (+1) to finish joint first with Gian-Marco Petrozzi.  Conor O’Rourke (Naas) was third, just two behind Hickey after shooting a very impressive 69 today.

Despite the frost and challenging weather Hickey was focused on the task at hand. “I was about halfway through my warm up when I got my text basically when I got there it was just about trying to deal with the conditions the best I could.  And try and play the steady golf as possible try not to try and do anything crazy, play lots Continue reading →