Kinsale’s Senior Scratch Cup is set to be played on Saturday 29th of June, and with the club hosting the AIG Barton Shield in July, it’s sure to attract a large field of golfers. The Scratch Cup has a fresh feel as a result of its inclusion on the 2019 Munster Senior Interprovincial Order of Merit. The competition expects a high-quality field of Munster hopefuls, aiming to play their way on to the Munster Senior Interprovincial team. The South Munster Barton Shield qualifier will take place in Kinsale Golf Club in July. Kinsale won the Munster Barton Shield in 2018 and will be relishing the prospect of qualifying at home. The Scratch Cup will provide an ideal opportunity for clubs participating in the Barton Shield to get acquainted with some of the course changes in advance of the qualifier. With a gap in the national calendar, it’s also gives everyone a chance at a win at a major local event, one which dates back over 50 years.
The Kinsale Scratch Trophy was first played in September 1961 as a club competition and was won by Cork Golf Club. The format consisted of an inter-club scratch competition for teams of four, involving morning foursomes followed by afternoon singles with all scores to count in a Ryder Cup style format. In more recent years, the Scratch Cup has switched from a team to an individual format intermittently. Kinsale signalled the end of the team format of the competition on a winning note. Kieran McCarthy, Paul Crowley, Shane Kenneally and Keith O’Shea emerging victorious in 2007.
In 2008, the event returned to an individual format and the cup remained in Kinsale after John Keating secured the win. Notable past winners (as individuals and team players) include the Higgin’s family from Cork Golf Club in Continue reading
Monkstown’s Sean Desmond won the Munster Students title in Tipperary today, holding onto his second round lead. 
Sean Desmond has the 36 hole lead at the Munster Students Amateur Open. After torrential rain yesterday, golfers benefitted from dry fine weather today in Tipperary Golf Club. Desmond opened with a three over par 75, but came back this afternoon with a three under par 69 to finish on level par. He was three under through 12 holes but a bogey on the 14th set him back. A bridie on the 16th got him back to level and he parred the final two holes to hold the overnight lead. John Cleary (Elm Park) is just one off the lead, and John Bolger (Courtown) is two shots back. Paul Conroy and Harry Duggan are in 4th place on +3 while Kinsale’s Gary Ward is 6th. Duggan (Kilkenny) held the 18 hole lead after an opening 72, but he drifted back to 4th after a second round 75.
Peter O’Keeffe fired himself into a fifth place finish at the East of Ireland, thanks to a three under par 69 in his final round this afternoon.
While many golfers will be familiar with lessons, or fitness, or mental preparation, it not usual to see all three elements coming together. That’s what’s happening with the “One for the Ladies” day which sees all three covered in an exciting day of tuition and play. The idea came to life when Trish Daly saw a gap in the market. Daly is a Cork native who spent the past 30 years in Australia, and retuned to Ireland in 2018 and started her Yoga for Golfers programme at Cork Golf Centre in Inniscarra. Soon after Trish met up with PGA Advanced Professional Sarah Claridge and sports psychologist Deirdre Gallagher who both work out of Cork Golf Centre. While Trish was only up and running with her individual and group yoga for golf classes, she spotted a gap in the market for ladies wishing to improve their golf. After a good deal of planning the trio set about holding their first event in Skibbereen back in March. “While there is a lot of energy put into attracting women into the sport of golf with the very successful “get into golf programme” we found that 
It’s almost twelve months on from where it all kicked off. The St Andrew’s Links Trophy 2018 was when John Murphy had his first major win, and the Kinsale man has kicked on with a great season with University of Louisville in NCAA Division One college. Today he kicks on with his first appearance at the Brabazon Trophy, the English Strokeplay championship. From there it’s onto St Andrew’s to defend his Links trophy, and from there it will be a mixture of Irish, English and European events as the seasons builds towards August. Murphy has the added benefit of being named in the extended Walker Cup panel, and although he missed out on a few early season events in England, he’s now on the right side of the Atlantic for the selectors to see what he can do. Twelve months ago it’s was a sudden death play-off that decided the winner of the St Andrews Links. Given Murphy’s experience in matchplay situations going back to when he was under 15 it was no 
Cork Golf News 