Howard wins in Thurles, Munster PGA

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Munster PGA Thurles Nov 2019

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Jack Howard chalked up another PGA win on Monday, finishing joint first at the Munster PGA Winter Series event in Thurles.  It was a first trip to the mid Tipperary course with host Raymond Ryan ensuring there was a warm reception for all the players.  Howard led the way in the 14 hole competition, the Fota Island assistant had birdies on the 2nd and 3rd but dropped a shot on the 11th.  He recovered with birdies on the 15th and the 18th to claim a share of the lead.  Paul O’Neill from Shannon also had four birdies and a bogey to tie the lead while Limerick’s Tim Rice birdied the final four holes to recover from being one over with four to play.  Jack Ryan, the new assistant in Castletroy was fourth with a two under return whole Ronan Collins, Raymond Ryan and Mark Collins all finished on one under.  It was a double success for Jack Howard and Paul O’Neill, they partnered with Ronan Collins for a winning 54 points in the team event.  Second place went to Mark Collins, Jack Ryan and Shane Irwin.

Munster PGA Winter Series, Thurles Golf Club, sponsored by Callaway Golf.

14 Holes, 4th November

Singles
-3 Jack Howard (Fota Island)
-3 Paul O’Neill (Shannon)
-3 Tim Rice (Limerick) 53
-2 Jack Ryan (Castletroy)
-1 Gary Howie (Castletroy)
-1 Ted Higgins (Caddymasters)
-1 Ronan Collins (Fota Island)
-1 Raymond Ryan (Thurles)
-1 Mark Collins (Charleville)

Team Event
1st Jack Howard, Paul O’Neill, Ronan Collins 54 points
2nd Mark Collins, Jack Ryan, Shane Irwin 49 points
2nd Ted Higgins, Tim Rice, Padraig Dooley 49 points

Cassidy goes low in Ballybunion

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Kinsale Pro Shop Challenge 2019Kinsale’s Eoghan Cassidy broke 70 in Ballybunion today as he took advantage of better weather conditions.  The youngster shot a 69 which included five birdies after a double bogey on the fifth.  Cassidy came home in 32 strokes thanks to three birdies in is last five holes.  The impressive round, the second lowest of the day, saw him jump from 36th place up to 12th place.  The teenager also found a sum of money on the course which he handed in to the tournament committee at the end of his round.

Fionn Hickey carded a second successive 76 to drop back to a tie for third, although the Muskerry golfer is now eight shots off the lead.  Seapoint’s Dylan Keating was dialled in today, shooting a very impressive 65 to take the lead.  With the wind and rain gone, Ballybunion’s Cashen course was a fair test for the field today, and Keating delivered.  He was four under at the halyway stage, thanks to birdies on the first and eight, and an eagle  on the 9th to go out in 33 strokes.  He dropped a shot on the Continue reading →

Hickey leads Munster Boys

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Fred Daly Trophy Munster Finals 2019Fionn Hickey (Muskerry) holds a share of the lead in Ballybunion after the opening day of the Munster Boys.  Testing conditions were in play all day as 68 golfers – including 11 from Cork battled with wind and rain, and there was little in the way of respite as the rain continued into the late afternoon.  Hickey had a tough start, he had a double bogey seven on the opening hole.  He was four over after four holes but two birdies on the fifth and sixth got him back on track.  He turned on +3 and a very steady back nine (+1) saw him card a leading four over par 76.  Hickey is tied for the lead with Knock’s Lee Mitchell.

Youghal’s Charlie Flavin shot 81 to finish in the top ten while Stephen Riordan and Ronan Feerick are in the top 20.  Robbie Walsh and Alex Dineen are in the top 30 while Eoghan Casidy, Mel Deasy and Keelan McCarthy are all in the top 40.

Round two gets underway tomorrow morning at 7.54am on the Cashen course, and with better conditions forecast the race will be on to post a score in top 45.  That’s the cut mark for Friday’s final round.  The cut is currently +18, but th Continue reading →

Mairead helps Cardinals to title

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Louisville Womens Golf Cardinal Cup Oct 2019Kanturk’s Mairead Martin took second place in the Cardinal Cup as University of Louisville Womens Golf earned their first win of the season.  Playing as hosts on their home course, Louisville beat the field by eight strokes to come home in style.  Mairead was the best placed Louisville golfer, with rounds of 68, 73, 69 to finish on -6.

Now playing in her second year in Louisville, this was her best finish in a college tournament.  “It was a really great weekend,” Martin said. “I felt really comfortable out here and I enjoyed it a lot.  I felt really proud of my performance, and especially the team’s performance this weekend as well.”  She finished in second place, two shots off the lead on 210.  She carded a final-round 3-under-par 69, which included four birdies, as all of them came on the back nine.  Martin led the tournament in par-3 scoring, finishing with a 2.83 average and 2-under-par.  She was also second in par-4 scoring with a 3.87 average.

“It was an unbelievable day,” head coach Whitney Young said. “The team really came together. Everyone contributed this week, and today especially. They just kept fighting and making birdies. To be able to have my first team victory as Continue reading →

Colaiste Choilm though to Schools Final

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The 2018 Colaiste Choilm winning team

Colaiste Choilm from Ballincollig booked their place in the Munster Schools final on Monday with a hard fought win over De La Salle Waterford.  The reigning Munster champions were back in Castlemartyr, the venue where they won last year.  And they were up against the 2018 beaten finalists in the semi final.  Lee Valley’s Keelan McCarthy led the way for the Ballinollig side, he had a two hole win over Rory Milne to win the first point.  Zak Collins had to go to the 19th before he saw off the challenge from Alex King to win a second point.  Both Stephen Riordan and Jack O’Keeffe lost out to level the match at 2-2, meaning the match would be decided by John Lehane and Alex Browne.  That match went all the way to the 18th before Lehane secured the winning point for Colaiste Choilm.  In the second semi-final Colaiste an Spioraid Naoimh were very unlucky not to make it an all-Cork final.

The Bishopstown students were up against St Josephs Ballybunion and this too was a tight match.  Robbie Walsh and Jack Lucey put points on the board for the Cork side but James Walsh, Ben O’Connor and Eoghan Hallihan all lost out in the later stages of their games to see St Joesph’s advance.  Although the final was scheduled to take place in the afternoon the forecasted rain came early with lasted through the morning and early afternoon.  Unfortunately for all of the golfers, the rain persisted and a heavy downpour around lunchtime made the course unplayable.  Colaiste Choilm and St Joesph’s will now have to Continue reading →

JP McManus Pro-Am Announces Details of Ticket Tender, final 100 tickets available

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Paul McGinley, Rory McIlroy, JP McManus, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry after the round of golf 20/4/2018

Pictured at the JP McManus Pro-Am Launch in Adare Manor last year were Paul McGinley, Rory McIlroy, JP McManus, Padraig Harrington and Shane Lowry. Credit ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

An additional 100 tickets will be tendered this month for the sold-out JP McManus Pro-Am, taking place at Adare Manor on the 6th & 7th July 2020. The tournament reached capacity on August 1st this year; however, due to unprecedented demand, The European Tour have released some additional tickets for public tender ahead of the sixth staging of the charity event.

Anybody wishing to submit a bid for a ticket cap, or number of ticket caps, is asked to now email tickets@jpmcmanusproam.com with their offer, full name and phone number. The highest bids will each receive the opportunity to purchase the cap or caps at the offer price they submitted.  The news comes as the no.10 ranked golfer in the world, Xander Schauffele, Ryder Cup stars Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick & Tyrrell Hatton and former world boxing heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko join the field today.  Indeed, Fleetwood and Finau went head to head in Continue reading →

Sugrue named as Cork Person of the Month for October

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Sugrue Cork Person of the Month

Mallow golfer James Sugrue, who won the Amateur Championship this year, is October Person of  the Month. James has just announced he will turn Pro next summer. Pictured at the recent award presentation l/r Pat Lemasney, Southern; Manus O’Callaghan, Organiser; Ronan McManamy, M.D. Irish Examiner/The Echo; James Sugrue, Cork Person of the Month; Ann-Marie O’Sullivan, AM O’Sullivan PR; John Lehane, Lexus Cork. Pic by Tony O’Connell Photography.

Mallow golfer James Sugrue, has joined the greats of golf, and has now been named Cork Person of the Month for October. James has also announced that he will turn professional next June, after his involvement in the US Open.  Last June, the 22 year old Mallow native won gold at the 124th Amateur Championship, following in the footsteps of Cork great Jimmy Bruen, and so became only the fourth Irishman to win the Amateur Championship, with a nail-biting one-hole win over Scotland’s Euan Walker at Portmarnock.  Other past Republic of Ireland winners were Bruen, Carr and McElhinney. As a result of this win James will play in two more Majors over the next 10 months following his Open Continue reading →