Murphy Enjoying Well Earned Break

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John Murphy in action at the Horizon Irish Open in September.
Pic: Niall O’Shea

John Murphy is enjoying a well earned break after a long season on tour.  The Kinsale golfer recently completed his third year as a tour professional, and had a punishing schedule of 27 tournaments which brought him to 21 different countries over three continents.  2023 was undoubtedly Murphy’s toughest year on tour, but the 25 year old battled until the end and will tee it up on the Challenge Tour in 2024.

Murphy made the season ending Challenge Tour final in 2022, but after a disappointing performance in the grand final he reversed his form and won at tour card for 2023 at the final stage of qualifying Continue reading →

Ann Heskin, a golfing legend

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Ann Heskin

A true legend of Irish golf passed away last week, Ann Heskin of Douglas, Munster and Ireland fame was an important and influential figure in the game for several decades.

Heskin had a positive impact on the game across three separate facets, she was an accomplished player, an astute team captain, and a committed administrator.  She represented Ireland as a player, team captain and selector, and she was President of the ILGU in 2005 following 15 years of service in provincial and national roles.  She was also a member of the executive of the Ladies Golfing Union prior to becoming President of the ILGU.

Her contribution to golf spanned over 40 years.  Originally she took up the game in the 1940’s but it was when she joined Douglas in 1963 that she Continue reading →

Pro Shop Challenge Cheques Presented

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Rory Best, Ian Stafford, Ger Broderick and John Murphy pictured after completing the Pro Shop Challenge in Kinsale. Pic:  Niall O’Shea

The proceeds from the 2023 Pro Shop Challenge were recently presented to the beneficiaries, with two local Cork charities benefiting from over €20,000 each.  Cork ARC and Breakthrough Cancer Research were both selected as the charities that would benefit from the event, and both have strong links to the core of the event which was held in memory of Darragh Ryan.  Darragh was involved in the original Kinsale Pro Shop Challenge when he was raising funds for Special Olympics.  Sadly Darragh passed away in late 2022 after a battle with cancer.  Darragh’s uncle, Ian Stafford set about creating a special Pro Shop Challenge for 2023.  Firstly he managed to sign up Irish International Rory Best along with Kinsale tour Continue reading →

Wet Weather in East Cork

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Pictured on a dry spring day, the 12th at East Cork Golf Club.  Pic: Niall O’Shea

The recent wet weather has not been kind to Cork golf courses, with many closed at different times over the past two weeks.  While Midleton and Glanmire were in the news, the heavy rain also had a devastating impact on East Cork Golf Club.  Close to 30 centimetres of rain fell on the course, and when feeder streams to the Owenacurra burst its banks a large part of the course was underwater.

Head greenkeeper Alex Newenham explained the impact of the heavy rain on the course.  “The day of Storm Babet saw the two rivers that border it burst their banks.  Our 12th fairway and 13th and 15th fairways Continue reading →

Mark Healy, the Tusculum Pioneer

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Mark Healy pictured with Morgan Cain after their win.

Mark Healy’s journey to Tennessee started out as a college student and while the journey isn’t over, Mark is now director of the golf programme he was playing in just two years ago.  Healy first went to Tennessee in 2019 after finishing his Leaving Certificate in Hamilton High School.  Although it was Covid interrupted, Mark played for three years on the golf team, racking up a few top twenty results for the Division 2 college.

In addition to his golf exploits, Mark also secured a degree in economics.  And when he decided to stay on to pursue a post graduate degree, he took on a role of associate coach with the golf Continue reading →

Byrne continues form, Walsh second at Intervarsities

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Sara Byrne

Sara Byrne continued her current run of form with a solid, performance at the World Amateur Team Championships in Abu Dhabi last week.  Byrne started with a blistering 68 on the opening day, taking full advantage of an early tee time and cooler playing conditions.  Six birdies in that opening round showed that the course was set up for low scores and at the end of the opening day Byrne led the field of 108 golfers.  A later tee time on the second day meant Sara was playing in the hottest part of the day, and a Continue reading →

Byrne claims first NCAA Win

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Sara Byrne has had a good start to her final year in college in Miami. Pic: Niall O’Shea

While there was little in the way of golf in Cork last weekend, there were a few Cork golfers making waves.  Sara Byrne recorded his first NCAA win last week when she came out on top in the Pat Bradley Invitational in Florida.  Byrne opened with a level par 72, but found herself eight shots off the lead after teammate Barbora Bujakova shot a 64.  It didn’t even look like Byrne might match par after a tough start.  She found herself three over par after just five holes thanks to three bogies in a row from the third hole.  Four birdies would follow to get Byrne into the red but a bogey on the second last hole saw her sign for level par.

Day two saw a very different start from Byrne, she dropped six bridies in her opening nine holes to race up the leaderboard.  A level par Continue reading →

Cork hosts MacKenzie Society Gathering

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Harry Canning receiving the MacKenzie Gathering trophy from Alan McKinght. Pic: Niall O’Shea

Cork Golf Club celebrated part of their history when the club hosted the 33rd Annual Gathering of the Alister MacKenzie Society.  MacKenzie was the most prolific course architect and designer in the early 1900’s.  MacKenzie is responsible for some of the most famous golf courses from the first half of the last century including Augusta National, Cypress Point and Royal Melbourne.

In 1925 he came to Cork and redeveloped the Little Island links which had been home to Cork since 1897.  MacKenzie also had a hand in designs in Muskerry and Douglas in the 1920’s as well as designing Lahinch’s famous Old Continue reading →

Impressive US Debut for Cain

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Mark Healy pictured with Morgan Cain after their win.

Cork duo Morgan Cain and Mark Healy were part of a win in the US last week when their college team Tusculum Pioneers won the King University Invitational.  Healy is in his first year as Director of Golf Operations while Cain joined the Pioneers as a student freshman in August.

Morgan Cain was playing in his first NCAA event and he led the competition after day one thanks to a four under par round.  Cain posted five birdies on the opening round including three on his outward nine for a 32.  He moved his score to -4 with a birdie on the 13th before surrendering a bogey on the 16th. He bounced back with a birdie on 17 and would end the day with a par on the final hole for his opening 66.  He got off to a rocky start in the second round as he went out with a 38, but shot three-under par 32 for his final nine holes of Continue reading →

No joy for Cork clubs at inter-club finals

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The final weekend of AIG Inter-Club All-Ireland finals took place in Westport over the week with five competitions down for decision.  It was the third weekend of events and it saw Cork clubs still looking for their first green pennant of the 2023 campaign.  Quarter-finals had taken place already in these events, and that meant the there were just two Cork teams in action from the five competitions.  Lee Valley had qualified from Munster East in the Women’s Minor Cup, the Cork club have a good record in the ladies cups events and they saw off the challenge from Rockmount in the semi-final on Thursday.  Impressive wins for Emma O’Halloran, Dinah O’Mahony and Joesphine Martin saw them through to the final on Continue reading →