Peter O’Keeffe and John Murphy both sit within touching distance of the lead after solid performances in round two of the Flogas Irish Amateur Open. Royal County Down was firm and bouncy again today but the links proved a challenge as just a dozen golfers broke par at the testing Irish Open venue. O’Keeffe was out this afternoon and he continued in the same form as yesterday with plenty of birdies. Two early bogies didn’t distract the Douglas member, and he got back to level before bogeying the the ninth to turn on +1. Three birdies followed on the back nine but a dropped shot on the 14th meant that he signed for another 70 and is now one off the lead on -2. Sean Towndrow Continue reading
Cathal Butler
O’Keeffe leads Cork challenge at Irish Amateur Open
Peter O’Keeffe shot a one under par 70 on the opening day of the Flogas Irish Amateur Open. Royal County Down was playing firm and fast today thanks to the recent dry weather and it proved a test for the Irish golfers as only seven made it into the top 25. O’Keeffe started brightly with a birdie on the first but dropped shots on 4 and 8 meant that he turned on +1. There were no more bogies for the Douglas member, and he birdied the 10th and 12th before parring his way home. He’s in a tie for 8th place and three shots off the lead.
Turner leads in Ballykisteen, Great National Hotels Irish Masters R2
Ian O’Rourke is the next best Cork golfer but there’s a gap of over 50 players between him and O’Keeffe. The Cobh native had been going well, he was two under to the 14th but dropped five shots in the closing holes. That included a triple on the 15th which saw it’s fair share of bogies, doubles and triples on the opening day. Kinsale’s John Murphy is one shot back from O’Rourke on +4, his card featured four birdies and nine pars but the four bogies, a double and a triple took the gloss from his debut round at the Irish Amateur. Cathal Butler (+6) and James Sugrue (+9) will hoping for an improvement tomorrow.
Scoring: Flogas Irish Amateur Open
Play in the second round gets underway at 7.00am when Ian O’Rourke will lead the field of 144 golfers. Live scoring updates are available from Golfnet.
Butler finishes 2nd in Kilkenny Scratch Cup
Cathal Butler bounced back from a few disappointing performances to take second place in the Kilkenny Scratch Cup last weekend. The Kinsale and Munster golfer travelled to Peru a few weeks ago for a 72 hole strokeplay event and despite enjoying the experience, he didn’t feature in the top 10. Two weeks ago he missed the cut in the Munster Strokeplay in testing conditions at Cork Golf Club. He was back in form in Kilkenny however and with rounds of 74/71 he took the runner up spot on the countback, just one behind the winner Graham Nugent. ‘I was really disappointed after missing the cut in Cork for the Munster Strokeplay” said Butler reflecting on the past few weeks
“Kilkenny played firm and fast just like Cork did and that certainly helped. I was delighted to bounce back from the disappointment with some nice golf and a really good strategy which was crucial for dealing with the firm conditions.” With a good performance behind him Cathal is now heading to Royal County Down for the Flogas Irish Amateur Open. “I’m really looking forward to playing one of the best courses in the world this week, from what I have heard it’s very bouncy in Royal County Down so I think that if I can get my strategy right and maintain the level of golf I played in Kilkenny, I will have a good chance of finishing high up the leaderboard.”
The event will see John Murphy make his debut, and Peter O’Keeffe make his first appearance in 10 years. The only other Cork golfers to get on the starting list are James Sugrue and Ian O’Rourke. Play gets underway on Thursday with all five Cork golfers hoping to make an impression.
Bumper entry for Munster Strokeplay
2014 Winner Barry Anderson
A top class field has entered for the Munster Strokeplay which takes place at the end of this month and the cut looks like falling again from the 2016 mark of 0.5. Entries for the showpiece Cork Golf Club event closed last night and there were no less that seven late entries that should qualify, four of those playing from plus handicaps. Although all handicaps will need to be verified, it’s looking like the cut will fall at 0.3, with not all of those playing from this mark getting in on the first cut.
Tiernan McLarnon was one of the late entrants and he leads the handicaps, playing from +3.6. There are over fifty golfers playing from plus handicaps including 24 who Continue reading
Munster Strokeplay closing date approaching
2016 winner Cathal Butler (Kinsale) Picture: Niall O’Shea
Gallery: Munster Strokeplay 2016
Holder Cathal Butler (Kinsale) won the event last year after an exciting play-off win over Cork’s Gary O’Flaherty. Butler has already entered, as has Kinsale’s John Murphy who won the Munster Student’s Championship in Cork GC this week. This year the Munster Strokeplay is a counting event for the GUI Order of Merit (Willie Gill Award) and that should be an added incentive for golfers to travel to Cork for the May Bank Holiday weekend. The event has been a WAGR counting event for several years, and it also counts towards the Munster Senior Order of Merit. Last year there were over 50 golfers playing off scratch or better, and the indications are that a similar standard will be seen when the event gets underway on Saturday 29th April. Peter O’Keeffe (+2.9), Ian O’Rourke (+2.6), Mark Power (+2.5) and James Sugrue (+2) head the entrants at present. A total of 78 golfer will compete in the opening 36 holes, with the top 39 (plus ties) going forward for the second 36 holes on Sunday 30th April.
Munster Strokeplay Championship 2017 Entry Form
Murphy leads Munster Students after second round 68
Kinsale’s John Murphy
John Murphy stormed to the top of the leaderboard on day 2 of the Munster Students Championship, thanks to an excellent 68. He’s now four shots clear of the field on 6 under par. 68 was a popular number in Cork Golf Club today, with both James McKeever and Cathal Butler posting 68’s. Butler will disappointed despite tying the low round of the day, he was seven under before carding a triple bogey on the 17th. The Kinsale man dusted himself off and recovered with a par on the 18th. Butler recorded six birdies and an eagle, with one bogey and the triple in the impressive round.
Murphy’s 68 was less dramatic four birdies and a bogey on the front nine saw him on -3 at the turn. He added a birdie on the 10th and shot par golf for the remaining eight holes. The four hole cushion gives him a big advantage going into the final round, but there are some quality golfers in the chasing pack. Monkstown’s Sean Desmond is tied for 5th on level par and James Sugrue is just inside the top Continue reading
Murphy leads Cork Challenge, Munster Students Day 1
John Murphy (Kinsale/MU) lies just one shot off the lead after day one in the Munster Students Championship at Cork Golf Club. The Munster Boys champion finished on two under after carding four birdies and two bogies. The lead is held by Stefan Greenberg (Tandragee) and David Foy (Laytown & Bettystown)on three under, while holder Jack McDonnell (Forrest Little/MU) is just one shot off the lead.
Sean Desmond (Monkstown/UCC) is in the top ten after signing for a one over par 73. Desmond won a Munster Senior Cup title with Monkstown in Cork last August and the course clearly suits him. The UCC student was four under through six holes but he dropped two shots before the turn.He had a mixed start to the back nine and a double bogey 15th meant that he signed for a 73. Kinsale’s Cathal Butler is one shot back and also in the top ten. He eagled the par five second Continue reading
Strong Field for Munster Students
Many of Ireland’s top young golfers will be heading for Cork next week for the inaugural staging of the Munster Students Championship. The newly named Championship replaces the Munster Youths and it features a new ladies competition along with a team competition. Munster Strokeplay Champion Cathal Butler will be joined by Munster Boys Champion John Murphy, and the Kinsale golfers will lead the strong local challenge. Both Murphy and Butler are representing Maynooth University and the home of the Harrington Scholars golf programme will travel in force. Also wearing the MU colours will be Jack McDonnell won the Munster Youths title in Monkstown last year. The team competition will see many colleges enter multiple teams, with the best two scores counting from the three person team. In the ladies competition, local hopes will rest with Muskerry’s Jean O’Driscoll (UCC) and Douglas’ Aiofe Ni Thuama Continue reading
Butler finishes the Year on Top
Normally the transition from Boy’s golf to Men’s golf can take a few years, but this season Cathal Butler proved the jump can happen very quickly. The Kinsale golfer started his first season after Boy’s golf with three big wins. In March he won the Fota Island Senior Scratch Cup, shooting an impressive 67 on the two-time Irish Open course, and what’s more impressive is that he finished five clear of a strong field. He followed that in May by winning the Munster strokeplay, beating Cork’s Gary O’Flaherty on the second hole of a sudden death play-off. After being selected for the Munster Interprovincial team, Cathal rounded off the summer with a win in the Killarney Senior Scratch Cup. Outside of the scratch cups, Butler had several good performances in the national championships. He made it through to the last 16 in the West, and the last 32 in the East. He also finished tied for Continue reading
Butler moves up to second place at Lahinch, Inter-Varsity Championship Day 2.
Cathal Butler (Maynooth) added a second 69 today at round two of the inter-varsities in Lahinch, and he no in second place just two shots off the lead. Munster Youths winner Jack McDonnell is the leader on -8 after recording a 67 in his second round. First round leader Kyle McCarron shot a 72 which sees him remain in second place level with Butler.
John Hickey (CIT) shot one of the low rounds of the day with a 68. The Cork GC Barton Shield member had a flawless four under par round with birdies on the 4th, 5th and 9th, and he added a fourth on the 12th. The round saw Hickey jump back into the top ten. James Sugrue added a level par 72 to his opening 71 and he’s in 15th place going into the final round. Adam McSweeney (CIT) dropped back today after a 76, he’s on +1 in a tie for 18th place.
Golffile.ie Intervarsity Championship Day 2 Gallery
Kieran Lynch (Maynooth) just make the cut on +4 but John Murphy (Maynooth) was one shot outside it on +5. Timmy Broderick, John Boylan and Conor Roche were also among the golfers to miss the cut. In the ladies competition, Paula Walsh missed the cut after an 82 in the second round.
Cork Golf News 