Senior Scratch Cup

The Cork Scratch Cup

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The Cork Scratch Cup

In recent years the May weekend has marked the first major amateur golf championship in Munster with the staging of the Munster Strokeplay at Cork Golf Club.  The championship was introduced 2006 following an agreement with Munster Golf and Cork Golf Club.  Munster Golf granted the new event provincial championship status and Cork agreed to host the event and incorporated their famous scratch cup into the new event.  The Cork Scratch Cup is reputed to be one of the oldest scratch cup competitions in Ireland with many saying is it indeed the oldest competition that still runs today.  Outside of a break for the second world war when all golf was suspended, the competition has been annual event on Continue reading →

Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup 2020

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Tiarnan McLarnon, winner of the 2019 Boylesports Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup. Pic: Niall O’Shea

Lee Valley have just launched their Senior Scratch Cup, the event is taking place in April and is again sponsored by Boylesports.  The Irish firm will again sponsor the Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup which takes place on the 25th & 26th April.  The continued support from Boylesports means the club can again stage a top class event with a generous prize fund in place.  The 54 hole event has become one of the biggest three round events in the country.  2019 winner Tiarnan McLarnon will be back to defend his title, the Irish International had a great season after his win in Cork last year and he’s be fancied to continue his great run of form in Lee Valley.  Tournament Director Vincent Continue reading →

Boylesports backing Lee Valley Again

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Lee Valley Scratch_Cup_A3 2020Boylesports will continue their association with Lee Valley into 2020 as they remain a key sponsor for the club.  The Irish firm will again sponsor the Lee Valley Senior Scratch Cup which takes place on the 25th & 26th April.  The continued support from Boylesports means the club can again stage a top class event with a generous prize fund in place.  The 54 hole event has become one of the biggest three round events in the country.  2019 winner Tiarnan McLarnon will be back to defend his title, the Irish International had a great season after his win in Cork last year and he’s be fancied to continue his great run of form in Lee Valley.  Tournament Director Vincent Drinan is busy taking bookings at the moment and anyone interested in playing should contact him on email (vinced9@gmail.com) or WhatsApp (087 9966332).  The closing date for entries is 15th April and the field is limited.

Onsite accommodation, a great clubhouse atmosphere and a great championship course all combine to make the Lee Valley Scratch Cup a great early season event.  Last year McLarnon broke the run of Cork’s Gary O’Flaherty who won two in a row in 2017 and 2018.  A top Continue reading →

Murray wins in Mallow

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Mallow SSC 2019_ Ben Murray_1

Ben Murray (Waterford Castle) pictured with John Martin O’Keeffe after winning the Mallow Senior Scratch Cup.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Ben Murray stole the show in Mallow on Sunday afternoon, winning the Senior Scratch Cup in front of a huge crowd.  The Waterford Castle man shot the lights out in the back nine, stealing the limelight from hometown star James Sugrue.  This was the first Senior Scratch Cup in Mallow for seven years and the organising group of Conor Dowling, Brian Attridge, Neil Gallagher and Sean O’Shea put on a great event.  With help from main sponsors Hegarty Building and Civil Engineering, there was a generous prize fund in place and the event filled quickly as some of Munster’s top golfers looked to claim one of the final pieces of silverware for the season.  The course was in great condition in Mallow, and the lightning fast greens suited the top class amateurs.  Monkstown’s Eoghan Long held the lead after the first 18, his four under par 68 gave him a one shot lead over James Sugrue, with Ben Murray, Joe O’Sullivan and Fionn Hickey Continue reading →

Mullingar win for Murphy

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John Murphy (Kinsale)4

John Murphy, Pic: Pat Cashman

John Murphy reaped the rewards after long frustrating summer – one that demanded plenty of resilience and perseverance – he won the prestigious Mullingar Scratch Cup today to record his biggest win on home soil.  “It’s been a tough season, and while I kept plugging away, things weren’t happening for me” said an excited Murphy.  “I am heading back to Louisville next Saturday so I said I’d give it one more crack instead of just throwing in the towel on the summer. I am very relieved with this one.”  Originally a Walker Cup panellist, Murphy has had a frustrating three months at home.  Trips to England and Scotland were fruitless and outside of Kinsale qualifying for the Barton Shield finals Continue reading →

Mallow Scratch Cup Launch

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Mallow SSC Launch 2019

Tournament organiser Conor Dowling and Amateur Champion James Sugrue at the launch of the Mallow Senior Scratch Cup. The event takes place in Mallow Golf Club on Sun 25th Aug. 

Mallow Golf Club have just announced details of their Senior Scratch Cup, the first time the competition will be held since 2012.  The 36 hole event will take place on Sunday 25th August, and uniquely it will feature a redraw at the end of round one to pair the leading players for the second round.  Already many of the top golfers in Cork and Munster have committed to the event which is limited to 72 golfers.  It’s another chance for Cork’s top golfers to claim some silverware as the opportunities to claim a scratch cup win are narrowing.  The season started with the Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup back in April.  That event was won by Peter O’Keeffe in a strong field of entrants, and the signs are that there will be another strong field in place in Mallow.  The organising team of Conor Dowling, Brian Attridge, Neil Gallagher and Sean O’Shea have a great prize fund in place, thanks in part to the sponsorship from Hegarty Building and Civil Engineering.  Fist prize is the maximum €575 with second taking €325 and a generous €250 for third place.  There are also nett categories and prizes for Continue reading →

Desmond is King of the South

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Sean Desmond South of Ireland Winner_1

South of Ireland Champion Sean Desmond.  Pic: Brian Arthur

Sean Desmond took full advantage of a South of Ireland that was full of shocks to become the 118th winner of the famous championship.  Desmond was a part of those shocks, beating Irish Internationals Conor Purcell and Tiarnan McLarnon.  His  good run started on Wednesday when he shot a five under par 67 in the fine conditions in Lahinch.  Although he followed with a 78 on day two it was enough to finish in the top thirty to get safely through to the matchplay.  There was an impressive list of golfers in the top 64, but after just two rounds of matchplay ten of the top ranked players were gone.  Desmond was part of that, beating Walker Cup panelist Conor Purcell on the 18th green in the second round.  Desmond was on fire on Saturday morning, but that was the standard needed – he was four under through nine holes and all square with Paul Coughlan, he went on to win on the 17th.  Later on Saturday afternoon he took out another international, he beat Tiarnan McLarnon in the fourth round when the match went to the 19th hole.  With his cousin Eoin Sawyer on the bag for the week resilience seemed to be Desmond’s theme for the tournament,  whether it was a big gun or a few bad holes, Desmond took it one hole at a time and battled when he needed to.

Gallery: South of Ireland Saturday

That win on Saturday evening took him through to this mornings semi-final where he faced Sligo native Sean Flanagan.  Desmond was up at the turn but things changed on the back nine when Flanagan went ahead.  Even though Sean’s drive on the 17th ended up on the 15th fairway, he made a great recovery and birdied the hole to get back to level terms.  He went on to birdie the 18th with a clutch five footer to advance to the final.

Sean Desmond Golffile_2

The Champion!  Pic: Thos Caffrey, Golffile

The Monkstown man faced Keith Egan in the final, and his opponent had also slayed a few giants.  The Carton House member had a good start and was two up after three.  Desmond hung in there, the resilience came to the fore again and he pegged back Egan to level.  He went ahead on the 13th but lost his lead on the 16th.  A nine foot par putt on the 17th gave him a lead going up 18. When Egan missed his birdie, that effectively crowned Desmond as the Champion.  It was another amazing five days in Lahinch, with the course, the club, the village and the atmosphere making it one of the most popular events on the calendar.

See the action from the final green below thanks for Brian Keogh: