Gary O’Flaherty, winner of the Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup for the third time. Picture: Niall O’Shea
Gary O’Flaherty claimed his third Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup title today when he shot a steady level par round to maintain his lead and take the title. Starting with a two shot lead, many would have thought O’Flaherty would have needed a 70 or better. But the weather conditions in Lee Valley hampered everyone, and while the course was in great condition the harsh wind played a big role. Gary’s lead went to three after the second hole when Ronan Mullarney bogied, and he maintained that cushion through the remainder of the front nine. A bogey on the 7th was followed by a birdie on the par five 8th hole, and he turned a three shot lead. Tiarnan McLarnon was one of the early starters, he went around in 70 (-2) which would see him claim second place. The back nine proved a challenge for most with all of the leaders bar O’Flaherty dropping shots.
Gallery: Lee Valley Senior Scratch 2018 R3(2)
The results told a story about the conditions, of the later starters O’Flaherty was the only golfer to match par. Ian O’Rourke also shot a 72 while James Sugrue and Keith Crowley both signed for 73’s. Given the quality of the chasing pack it was thought there would have been a low score, but it never happened and O’Flaherty became the first person to win back to back titles since Continue reading
James Sugrue got his season off to the perfect start when he won the Fota Island Senior Scratch Cup last weekend. Having missed the West due to a family bereavement this was his first competitive start. After an impressive 2017, he was included on the Irish senior mens panel for 2018 and last weekend he set down an early marker. He needed a strong finish as he was two over par after 16, but a birdie on the par three 17th and the par five 18th got him back to level par and that was enough to secure the win. The birdie on 17 was unlikely, facing a very strong wind, Sugrue hit a three wood which went over the back of the green. He chipped in with the second shot to give him some momentum on the final hole where he found another birdie. Conditions were tough in Fota, the 7,000 yard Deerpark course played to all of its length in the unseasonal weather. Second place went to Kinsale’s Cathal Butler just one shot back. Jack Leacy from Dungarvan also finished on +1 and took third place with Daniel Rather (Dungarvan) finishing in fourth place. Mitchelstown’s Sean Leonard won 
Fermoy will host the John Whyte memorial on Sunday 10th of September, with a bumper prize fund in place for the senior scratch cup. The 18 hole event which includes a meal will see defending champion James Sugrue return to defend his title. The South of Ireland winner has been in great form this year, and earned a spot on the Munster Senior team for the interprovincials in July. Previous winners include European Seniors star Denis O’Sullivan and Fermoy native Tom Cleary. A full timesheet is expected and anyone interested in playing should book early. Online entry is available on 
Gary Ward had a double win last weekend, the Kinsale man scooped two senior scratch cups over the course of two days. On Saturday he headed to Kanturk and went around the North Cork course in one under par to record his second win of the year. On Sunday it was off to Co Clare for the 36 Dromoland Senior Scratch Cup, and Ward topped the leaderboard again after shooting rounds of 69 and 77. Ward won the Cobh Senior Scratch Cup in May, shooting a course record 66 on the way to his first senior scratch cup title. Ward played Kanturk for the first time on Saturday and it was a winning debut as he described. “It was my first time playing Kanturk and all I knew was that it was tight” said Ward. “I hit the ball where I could see it and played really steady golf the whole way around. The pins were very tough, a few hanging off slopes so it was tough to put it close. I never went over par and never went better than -2, my 3rd birdie on the par 3 16th saved my round and took my pars on 17 and 18 for a 70 to win by 1 from Peter Duane.”
A dozen Cork golfers will be hoping to bridge a 13 year gap and win the South of Ireland Championship this week. Mallow’s Meryvn Owens was the last man to bring the famous trophy back to Cork in 2003, when he beat the holder Colm Moriarty on the 18th green in Lahinch. Cork winners have been few and far between, John McHenry won in 1986 and before that there’s a 22 year gap to W A Kelleher’s win. The statistics would suggest that a few more years should pass before the next Cork winner, but given the strength and depth of the Cork golfers competing this year, don’t rule out a good run from a few of the form golfers.
