Donal McDonnell was the winner on Sunday, picking up his first Senior Scratch Cup title. Fota Island held their annual showpiece on Sunday, again in association with Top Golfer. There was a full timesheet for the event on the Deerpark course, and the three time Irish Open venue proved itself yet again as nobody could break par. Although the course was in great condition, it did play all of it’s 6,927 yards. Donal McDonnell from Monkstown was the winner after four players tied on 73. McDonnell took the title ahead of John O’Brien (Castlemartyr), Kieran Kennedy (Thurles) and David Howard (Fota Island). The Monkstown golfer is a regular on Monkstown’s successful Senior Cup team and has a provincial winners medal, Donal is also Junior Officer in Monkstown. This was his first senior scratch cup title and needless to say he was delighted with his win. Although he was four over par at the turn, McDonnell put together a great back nine. He shot two under for the second nine, and finished 3,3,4 which was crucial in terms of his placing for the countback. Although the top four were tied, John O’Brien took second place, Kennedy was third and David Howard was fourth. Howard had a busy weekend, on Saturday the four handicapper shot a 75 in Muskerry in the Ford Junior Scratch Trophy qualifier, and on Sunday he beat his handicap by two when he shot the 73. Anyone looking to play Fota this week can take advantage of their Masters Week specials, full details are available from the pro shop.
Senior Scratch Cup
Fionn wins in East Cork
On Saturday Fionn Hickey claimed his second scratch cup when he won the East Cork Senior Scratch Cup. The 16 year old came away with the title after beating Kinsale’s Mark Healy on the countback. A birdie on Hickey’s final hole (15th) proved crucial in the end after both golfers shot a 70 (+1). Fermoy’s Dean O’Riordan took third place with a 71. The first nett prize went to Bandon’s Michael O’Neill with a 68, while East Cork’s Kieran O’Brien was second nett with 69. The scratch cup was sponsored by McGuirks and was the first of a few events that will mark the club’s 50th anniversary.
East Cork Senior Scratch Cup, sponsored by McGuirks
- Fionn Hickey (Muskerry) 70
- Mark Healy (Kinsale) 70
- Dean O’Riordan (Fermoy) 71
- Michael O’Neill (Bandon) 68 – Best Nett
- Kieran O’Brien (East Cork) 69 Second Nett
Sugrue the best of Cork in Co Sligo
James Sugrue
James Sugrue is the best of the Cork golfers at the halfway stage of the West of Ireland Championship in CO Sligo Golf Club. The Mallow man shot a two under par 69, helped along the way with an eagle on the back nine. Sugrue started smartly with an opening birdie but a seven on the par five 3rd hole set him back. He recovered with a birdie on the fifth and his eagle on the 12th brought him back into the red. Added to his opening 72, Sugrue is on -1 at the halfway stage – tied for fourth place. He’s four shots behind joint leaders Caolan Rafferty and Max Kennedy.
Mel Deasy added another 73 today to finish +4 in a tier for 30th place. The leading qualifier was three over after his front nine, but came back in one under to match yesterday’s score.
They are the only two golfers inside the top 50, the cut line after tomorrow’s third round. Greg O’Mahony and Gary Ward are just one shot outside the top 50 on +8 (T56) while Sean Desmond is a shot further back, currently placed T76. It was another tough day for Peter O’Keeffe, he shot a 78 which makes qualifying for Sunday a big ask. Cathal Butler also suffered after a horrendous front nine, which put paid to his chances. Kieran Murphy, Keith Fitzpatrick, Padraig O’Connor and Eric Rumley are all outside hopes for making it through to Sunday, but they do have one more round at the famous links to post a memorable score.
Closing Date for Strokeplay approaching
The Cork Scratch Cup
The closing date for the Munster Strokeplay is fast approaching, with entries closing on Saturday evening. The 72 hole event takes place over two days on the May Bank Holiday weekend, with the winner picking up the famous Cork Scratch Cup. Although the event has been a Munster Championship for over a decade, the cup dates back to 1923 making it the oldest scratch cup in the country. Already a number of the top Irish amateurs have entered and more will follow over the coming days. Entries are limited to the lowest 75 golfers, with the top 39 golfers qualifying for the final two rounds. The championship is again sponsored by Liam Ryan from Ryan’s SuperValu. There’s just a few days left to enter, and the link Continue reading
Deasy tops West of Ireland Qualifier
Mel Deasy
Mel Deasy launched his season in style today – with a three under par 68 to win the qualifier at the West of Ireland. Mel, who is just 16, was in a field of 90 golfers hoping to claim one of the nine spots in the championship proper. The Lee Valley golfer was off early this morning and made the most of the round. Despite two birdies on his front nine, a double meant he turned on level par. He came back in three under though with birdies on the 12th, 14th and 15th holes. He was the only golfer to break par and finished three shots ahead of the field. It was a 1-2 for Cork golfers, Cork’s Kieran Murphy finished as runner up on level par. Murphy was a bit unfortunate, he was two under through 16 before he had a double on the 17th. Still, he was safely through to Continue reading
O’Keeffe wins Investec Muskerry SSC
Peter O’Keeffe in action in the Investec Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup today. Pic: Niall O’Shea
13 years after his first win, Peter O’Keeffe added a second Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup title to his growing haul of wins. The Irish International led from the start, a five under par 66 this morning saw him set the tone and take a one shot lead into the second round. A birdie on the second hole was struck out by a bogey on the 6th, but that would be his only mistake. The Douglas golfer bounced back with an eagle on the next hole and a birdie on the 8th saw him turn on -3. Two more birdies on the back nine gave him a one shot lead over James Sugrue.
Both Irish Internationals were level after the opening hole in the second round, but O’Keeffe kicked on with a birdie on the second and never looked back. Sugrue bagged several birdies but balanced that with a handful of bogies that prevented him from catching his playing partner. Cathal Butler continued his positive form with rounds of 69 & 70. That was good enough for third place and valuable points on the Munster Order of Merit. O’Keeffe also takes the lead in the Munster Order of Merit as a result of today’s win.
Gallery: Investec Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup 2019
Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) receiving the Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup from Michael O’Connor (Investec). Also included are Marian Nugent (President) and Diarmuid Linehan (Captain), Muskerrry Golf Club.
Picture: Joe Lane
The story of the afternoon belonged to Kinsale’s Shane Kenneally. He produced a best of the day round of 64 (-7). Four birdies on the front nine, an eagle two on the 11th hole, and a birdie on the 18th saw him recover from an opening 77 to take 4th place overall. Cork’s Gary O’Flaherty was 5th (141, -1) in his first competitive event of the season. The nett prize went to Muskerry’s Zak Collins, a second round 70 saw him finish on -5 (nett).
Muskerry was in great condition for the showpiece event, the ground was a bit on the soft side but overall the course was great with the greens rolling nicely. This marks the start of a busy few weeks for Cork’s top golfers. While some will be heading for Co Sligo next week, both East Cork (Sat) and Fota Island (Sun) are holding Senior Scratch Cups. The qualifiers for the Ford Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy also take place on Friday and Saturday next with times still available on both days.
Investec Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup 2019
136 Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas) 66 70
138 James Sugrue (Mallow) 67, 71
139 Cathal Butler (Kinsale) 69, 70
141 Shane Kenneally (Kinsale) 77, 64; Gary O’Flaherty (Cork) 72, 69; Jack Egan (Muskerry) 71,70
142 Sean Leonard (Mitchelstown) 71,71; Ian Bermingham (Douglas) 68,74
144 Andrew McCormack (Castletroy) 73,71; Philip Spratt (West Waterford) 71,73; David Fitzgerald (Tralee) 71,73; Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little) 70,74
145 Zak Collins (Muskerry) 75, 70; Fionn Hickey (Muskerry) 74,71; Noel McGee (Fota Island) 73,72; Rory Fives (Faithlegg) 73,72; Paul Tobin (Douglas) 72,73
146 Ian Spillane (Killarney) 75,71; Rory Milne (Faithlegg) 71,75
147 Alan Moriarty (Macroom) 74, 73
CSS Round 1:71
CSS Round 2:71
Gallery: Investec Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup 2019
Pictures from R1 in Muskerry: Continue reading
Four Cork Golfers head for Sligo
Mel Deasy
The West of Ireland qualifier takes place on Sunday and four Cork golfers will be heading for Co Sligo with the hope of making the tournament proper. Mel Deasy, now wearing Lee Valley colours will be hoping to make his first senior championship start while Kieran Murphy from Cork Golf Club will also challenge for one of the ten championship spots. Kinsale have two representatives in the qualifier, Mark Healy and Eric Rumley. They will be hoping to join the three Kinsale members already in the Championship field; Cathal Butler, Gary Ward and Keith Fitzpatrick.
West of Ireland Qualifier Tee Times
This week marks the start of a busy few weeks for Cork’s top golfers with six already confirmed for the West of Ireland. Peter O’Keeffe (+3.7) and James Sugrue (+3.6) are both in the top ten of entries, the Irish squad members had some very impressive performances at national and international level in 2018 and both will be hoping to add another championship to their resume at the first opportunity this year. Kinsale trio Cathal Butler, Gary Ward and Keith Fitzpatrick will be joined by Sean Desmond (Monkstown), Greg O’Mahony (Fota Island) and Padraig O’Connor (Macroom). This year the event has a different format, the traditional 36/64 has been replaced by a 72 hole strokeplay event. The reason behind the change is that Co Sligo is also hosting the Flogas Irish Amateur Open this year. It’s the first time in 96 years that the event will not be run as a match play competition with a new date also adding to the changes. With the Irish Open taking place in Mid May, the decision made to move the West from the traditional Easter date. For anyone not heading to Sligo, the East Cork SSC takes place on Saturday 6th April.
Saturday Showdown in Muskerry
Muskerry Captain Diarmuid Linehan pictured with the holder Fionn Hickey and Michael O’Connor from Investec at the launch of the Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup.
Excitement is building for the first major golf competition for 2019, the Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup on Saturday. With new sponsors Investec on board, the club put renewed effort into the famous event. They reaped the rewards with a strong field of entries which includes two Irish internationals and several Munster interprovincial players. Peter O’Keeffe and James Sugrue lead the field in terms of handicaps, both golfers are past winners, Sugrue won in 2016 while O’Keeffe’s win came ten years earlier in 2006 will be looking to add to his growing haul of titles. Both golfers have been busy in the off-season. Sugrue was at the Irish training camp in South Africa which incorporated two top level international events, while O’Keeffe made an appearance at an Alps tour event and has been focused on practice in the recent weeks.
Draw: Investec Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup
Munster golfers Gary O’Flaherty, Cathal Butler and Andrew McCormack were among the early entries and there is currently a standby list in place as over 80 golfers have entered the event. The original limit of 66 players has been moved to Continue reading
Draw: Investec Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup
R1 gets underway at 8.30am
Cork Golf News 