McCarthy continues leading role in Lahinch, South of Ireland Day 2

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Paul McCarthy Munster Youths Tralee

Paul McCarthy

Paul McCarthy shot another under par round to finish the strokeplay phase in a tie for second place.  McCarthy shot a two under par 70, with two birdies in the last three holes to get back into the red.  McCarthy, currently playing off +2 was just one shot behind leader Jake Whelan from Newlands.  Peter O’Keeffe carded his second successive 74 to finish in on +4 and safely inside the cut for the matchplay phase.  Cork’s John Hickey finished one shot outside O’Keeffe, Hickey was having a solid round until the 11th when he went on to bogey five of the closing holes.  Both O’Keeffe and Hickey were in great positions after the opening round, and solid second rounds meant that they were never at risk of missing the cut.

Kinsale’s Cathal Butler was hovering around the cut line after day one and a second round 73 certainly helped his chances of making the Continue reading →

Castlemartyr Scratch Cup Weekend

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Castlemartyr Scratch Cups 2016Castlemartyr Golf Club will hold its annual scratch cups weekend from Friday 29th July  to Sunday the 31st.  This has proven to be a very popular weekend in the past for golfers and the club are expecting large numbers again this year. Last year saw numbers exceeding 400 over the three days.  The scratch cup weekend caters for Junior, Intermediate and Minor golfers and there will be a total of €2,500 worth of prizes up for grabs.  Once again Castlemartyr Golf Club will be partnering with McCarthy Insurance Group who will be sponsoring this event. The McCarthy Insurance Group  have sponsored this event for the past four years and are one of the main reasons why it has been such a success.

 

Last year the spoils went to Kevin Dorgan of Cork GC, Conor Hayes of Slievnamon GC & Bernard Wallace of Kinsale GC  with each respectively winning the Junior, Intermediate and Minor scratch cups.  Club Captain Tony Continue reading →

Super 69 for McCarthy in Lahinch, South of Ireland Day 1 Report

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Paul McCarthy (Mallow Golf Club)

Paul McCarthy (Mallow Golf Club)

Mallow’s Paul McCarthy took advantage of an early start this morning to set the tone for the opening round of the South of Ireland Championship.  McCarthy raced into the lead with a near flawless 69 and finished in second place at the end of play on the opening day.  The 2015 Munster Youths champion went out in 34 thanks to birdies on the 2nd and 8th.  He had another two birdies on the way back but dropped a shot on the index one 15th hole.  He signed for a 69 leaving him one shot off the lead held by Jake Whelan from Newlands.

McCarthy was naturally very happy with the round, especially because it was an all-round performance: “It was an all round solid day really, but if I had to pick something it was my putting which was very good from start to finish.”  McCarthy goes into day two as Continue reading →

Three Cork Girls selected for Irish Team

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ILGU AIG Senior Cup Munster Final, Douglas Golf Club, Sunday 8th May 2015

Rachel Thompson

Cork’s Rachel Thompson along with Killarney’s Mairead Martin and Valerie Clancy have been selected on the Irish Girls team that will compete in the home internationals

All three have shown great form this season.  Mairead Martin from Kanturk reached the semi-final stage of the Irish Girls Close over the weekend, while Thompson reached the semi-final of the plate competition.  Valerie Clancy from Mitchelstown won the Munster Senior Open in Waterville back in March and followed that with a very good performance in the Irish Ladies Close at Lahinch in May.

Ireland are putting forward an exceptional girls’ team, which includes Julie McCarthy (Forrest Little), Niamh McSherry (Lurgan), Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden) and Annabel Wilson (Lurgan).   Leinster, Ulster and Irish Girls Champion, Julie McCarthy is unstoppable and dominating Irish U18 golf alongside in form 15 year old Annabel Wilson. Wilson had a superb performance at the European Team Championships and subsequently at the Junior British Open, where she finished 9th. Having just Continue reading →

O’Callaghan wins Top Golfer Junior Scratch Cup at Cork

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AIG Junior Cup, South Munster Area Final, Blarney Golf Club, Wednesday 13th July 2016Fermoy’s Brian O’Callaghan topped off a great week yesterday with a win in the Cork Junior Scratch Cup.  On Wednesday evening Brian was involved in a dramatic finish to the AIG Junior Cup area final, he birdied the 19th in Blarney to send his Fermoy team through to the Munster Finals.  The left hander was back in form on Sunday and went around the course in Little Island in a one over par 73.  O’Callaghan finished one shot clear of the field in the Top Golfer Tour event, just ahead of Kinsle’s Mervyn Young.  Cork’s Eddie Cagney took third place with the best of a large number of 75’s.  Monkstown’s Gerry Holland won the nett category with 68, beating Ronan Cullinane by one stroke.  The course in Cork was in great Continue reading →

Walsh and Egan selected on Munster Under 16 Team

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Edward Walsh

Mallow’s Edward Walsh

Mallow’s Edward Walsh and Muskerry’s Jack Egan have made the six-man Munster Under 16 team.  The team was named today by Munster Junior Convenor Kevin Murray and features the two talented Cork Golfers.  Both golfers had impressive results in 2015, Egan won the Munster Under 14 Close in East Cork and Walsh won the Under 15 category at the Munster Boys Under 16 in Clonmel.

Walsh is Mallow’s third player to make the inter-pro teams.  Greg Barrett was named on the Under 18 (boys) team at the start of last week and Ronan Feerick was called up to the Under 14 team on Friday.  The Boys interprovincials take place in Tullamore this week.

 

Munster Boys Under 14 Team
Charlie Dawson (Tramore)
Jack Egan (Muskerry)
Sean Enright (Limerick)
Ian Halpin (Cahir Park)
Jonathan Keane (Lahinch)
Edward Walsh (Mallow)

Non-travelling reserve – Aaron Cashin (Tramore

Team Captain – Kevin Murray
Team  Manager – John Fennessy
Provincial Coach – Fred Twomey

 

Munster Boys Under 16 Open Championship 2016, Nenagh Golf Club, Wednesday 29th June 2016, Jack Egan

Byrne loses out on 23rd hole in Irish Close Plate

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2016 Irish Girls Close Championship at Kilkenny Golf Club

Sara Byrne (Douglas) competing in the semi final of the Plate (Pat Fletcher Trophy) at the 2016 Irish Girls Close Championship at Kilkenny Golf Club.. Picture by Pat Cashman

Sara Byrne from Douglas was the unlucky loser in a titanic battle at the plate final in the Irish Girls Close at Kilkenny yesterday.  The 23 hole battle was Byrne’s second time that day going to additional holes.  In the morning semi final she beat Cork’s Rachel Thompson on the 19th.

Byrne got off to a good start in the final, with 2 birdies and a par to bring her 4 shots clear after 8 holes.  Sara’s opponent Beth Coulter wasn’t going to be put off and clawed back the deficit with a number of birdies.  It took 23 holes for the match to come to an eventual conclusion in which the Douglas member lost out.

Byrne had finished in the top ten after the first two strokeplay rounds.  Mairead Martin was third in the strokeplay qualifier and Rachel Thompson and Valerie Clancy were tied for fifth place.  Martin made it through to championship semi- Continue reading →