2016 Winner Cathal Butler
Most people will know that last weekend’s competition was the Munster Strokeplay, but not everyone will know that when the event was given Championship status it had the additional designation of “incorporating the Cork Scratch Cup”. The Cork Scratch Cup is one of the oldest trophies in Irish golf and according to Cork’s GM Matt Sands, it the original cup that was awarded over 90 years ago. The cup and base holds the names of the all of the winners.
The trophy was presented by William Dwyer, the same person who started the inter-society competition which still runs today. Dwyer presented the trophy in 1923 and won it in himself in 1924. The trophy bears the names of the great Cork Golf Club stalwarts, Crosbie, Simcox, Bruen and Higgins are all represented, with Jimmy Bruen claiming four consecutive titles from 1938-1941. There was a gap of four years during the war and Redmond Simcox won his fourth title in 1947 when the competition resumed. Simcox was one of three golfers Continue reading
Barry Anderson followed up his recent win the West of Ireland by claiming the Munster Strokeplay Championship in Cork Golf Club today. Rounds of 70 & 72 saw Anderson edge out Peter O’Keeffe and Ronan Mullarney but one shot. The 2014 champion won the West two weeks ago and followed up with another win today in tough conditions in Cork. Anderson shot a two under par 70 this morning and needed to get up and down from the fringe on the 18th to sign for a 72. Anderson was battling with Peter O’Keeffe, the Douglas golfer found a fairway bunker on 18, and a bad lie meant he couldn’t go for the green. He had a 35 foot putt for par but missed, meaning Anderson won by a single stroke. Ronan Mullarney had two rounds of 71 today and finished tied for second place with O’Keeffe. Mullarney also won the Carr Bruen trophy as the best Under 25. 
Although the scratch cup weekend is now over, Lee Valley will continue to be a busy place for both golfers and staff. Lee Valley’s Director of golf David Keohane was delighted with the feedback from golfers over the weekend and he was quick to point out that they are continuing to develop the course which celebrates 25 years next year. “We have some great plans for the course in 2017” said Keohane. “Four new tee boxes are currently being constructed. The 1st, 6th, 12th and 16th will be completely redesigned with each of them being widened and lengthened. The pick of these tee boxes is our new par three sixteenth where we have raised the tee box by over five feet and created a surface 25 by 30 meters. The base for the new tee box was so large that many 
Cork’s Gary O’Flaherty won his second Lee Valley Scratch Cup in style today with a two shot win over a strong field. O’Flaherty started the third round one shot off the leaders, Andrew McCormack and Dave O’Donovan, but all three were level going onto the 9th hole. The conditions were near perfect and things were tight on the back nine until O’Flaherty birdied the 13th and 15th to stretch ahead. He parred his way home from the 15th, maintaining a two shot buffer. The only hope for the chasers was when he ended up in the greenside bunker on the 18th, but the 2012 winner splashed out to five feet and calmly made the uphill putt. O’Flaherty’s four under par total was made up of a 69/72/21 over the three rounds. James Sugrue took second place 
