Cathal Butler

Sugrue leads four Cork golfers in top 20 at Munster Youths

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Monkstown Clubhouse

Early morning sunshine burns away the frost from the clubhouse at Monkstown as Day 2 at the Munster Youths gets underway. Picture Niall O’Shea

Mallow’s James Sugrue is the best placed Cork golfer going into the final round of the Munster Youths at Monkstown Golf Club.  The 2014 winner is three shot behind leader Jack McDonnell who shot 73 to finish on -1.  Sugrue is tied for second on +2, Hugh O’Hare from Fortwilliam is also on +2.

Kinsale’s Eric Rumley followed yesterday’s 70 with a 76 and that saw him drop from 3rd to a tie for 12th.  John Murphy is also tied for 12th place, both are seven shots off the lead so at best their chances of winning are marginal.  Cathal Butler is the third of four Kinsale golfers to make the cut, he added a 71 today to his 74 from yesterday, he is now in 6th place but is six strokes off the lead.

Munster Youths Amateur Open Scoring

Adam McSweeney (Douglas) finished in 24th place along with Alan Riordan (Muskerry).  Bandon’s Brian O’Connell was a shot Continue reading →

Rumley leads Cork golfers at Munster Youths

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Fred Daly Trophy Munster Finals

Eric Rumley

Kinsale’s Eric Rumley led the Cork golfers in action today at the Munster Youths in Monkstown Golf Club.  Rumley shot a level par 70 to finish in a tie for third place, and his round was even more impressive when he had to contend with the worst of the weather.

Rumley had a challenging start, he was three over after nine following bogies on the 3rd, 6th and 8th holes.  He bounced back with birdies on the 10th and 11th, and he eagled the par five 15th hole.  A bogey on the closing hole brought him back to level par for his round, but it was still a very impressive round given Continue reading →

Butler through to last 16 in West of Ireland

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Cathal ButlerKinsale’s Cathal Butler had two good wins today to make it through to the last 16 in the West of Ireland Championship.  Butler qualified on the cut mark of 82 and had an impressive 4&3 win over Jamie Fletcher this morning.  This afternoon he faced Conor O’Rourke from Naas, and he dispatched the Irish International on the 17th, winning 2&1.  Butler will have Dermot McElroy tomorrow morning, the Ballymena golfer is the current holder of the West of Ireland title.  The NUIM student has entered the Munster Youths which starts in Monkstown on Wednesday, his plans might yet change with the final of the West scheduled for Wednesday also.

Seanie Barry was first on the course this morning, he had the tough challenge of playing against Sean Flanagan from Co Sligo.  As well as being a local Flanagan was the leading qualifier.  Barry matched Flanagan for most of the round in a very entertaining match.  He eventually lost out to Flanagan on the 18th.

Mark Shanahan got off to a good start this morning and was leading by 2 at the turn.  Play went against him however and he lost to Ben Best on the 18th.  Niall Gorey was a withdrawal this morning due to a shoulder injury and is likely to be out for a few weeks.  Ian O’Rourke also lost out in the first round, he lost out to Intervarsity Champion Alex Gleeson on the 17th.

West of Ireland Championship 2016 Round 2 Results

Five Cork golfers through in Rosses Point

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Mark Shanahan, Cathal Butler and Seanie Barry, Ian O’Rourke and Niall Gorey all made the cut for the matchplay stage of the West of Ireland Championship.  40mph winds this afternoon forced a suspension in play and the inability to continue led to the cancellation of the second strokeplay round.   The tournament committee had a tough decision and decided to make the matchplay draw based on the first round only.

Mark Shanahan and Paul McCarthy had made the good weather on Saturday morning, they both returned 73’s to put themselves in a good position.  McCarthy was one of those adversely affected by the cancellation of Round 2, his 73 this morning to see him provisionally in 21st place with half of the second round scores in.  McCarthy’s first round 84 meant that he finished in 85th place and two shots outside the cut mark.  Cork’s John Hickey also finished on 84, two shots outside the cut.

Sean Barry (Fota Island) was the 64th and final golfer to make the cut, he’ll face leading qualifier Sean Flanagan from Co Sligo in the first game tomorrow.

West of Ireland Matchplay Draw

 

 

Butler takes Top Golfer title in Fota Island

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Kinsale's Cathal Butler

Kinsale’s Cathal Butler

Cathal Butler delivered a strong message on Sunday when he won the Top Golfer Senior Scratch Cup at Fota Island.  The Kinsale and Maynooth University golfer announced his return to top level golf following a serious arm injury in August last year that could have threatened his participation at the top level.

Butler went around the Deerpark course in Fota in 67 strokes, four under par.  James Fitzpartick (Mount Julliet) and Gavin Young (Nenagh) were next best with 72 and Lee Valley’s Pat Power was fourth with a 73.  John Hickey and Hugh Foley Continue reading →

UCC lose out on the 19th in Matchplay Final

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UCC came agonisingly close to winning the Irish Colleges Matchplay at Woodbrook today.  A win on the 19th hole saw Ulster University win the title.  the four UCC golfers were unbeaten going into the final.  The had a 3-0 win over holders UCD yesterday and faced Trinity College this morning.  Greg O’Mahony halved his singles match and Ben Murray won 2&1.  Paul Tobin and Bill Murray won their foursomes match 4&3.  In the final they faced Ulster University and Greg O’Mahony won on the 17th again to get a point for UCC.  Ben Murray lost his match on the 17th meaning it all went down to the foursomes match. Tobin and Murray were leading playing the last but lost the 18th Continue reading →

McSweeney & O’Mahony lead Cork challenge at Colleges Strokeplay

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AIG Junior Cup Munster Finals

Adam McSweeney

Adam McSweeney and Greg O’Mahony posted the best of the Cork results at the first round of the Irish Colleges Strokeplay at Strandhill today.  McSweeney representing Cork IT and O’Mahony representing UCC both shot 76 to be tied in 10th place.  Altough it was a six over par round, the CSS for the day was 74 representing the stormy conditions that prevailed in Co Sligo.

Both Cathal Butler and Gary Ward are three shots back on 79, tied for 25th place.  Ward is on the Maynooth B team and they currently hold the lead in the team competition after the first round.  The second and final round takes place tomorrow.

Irish Colleges Stroke Play Team Scores

Irish Colleges Stroke Play Individual Scores

4 Cork Golfers Included in National Panels

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Kinsale's Cathal Butler

Kinsale’s Cathal Butler

The GUI national panels were announced today and four Cork golfers have made the training panels.  Kinsale’s Cathal Butler made his return to competitive golf this week in Rosslare and he has been added to the Men’s Development Panel.  Butler’s Kinsale stablemate John Murphy has gone straight into the Boy’s Panel while Sean Desmond (Monkstown) made it into the Boy’s Development Panel.  Mallow’s Ed Walsh is the 4th Cork golfer to get the call up, he is on the Boy’s Under 16 Panel. Continue reading →

30th Bruen Youths at Muskerry Golf Club

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Entries are now open for the prestigious Bruen Youths which will take place at Muskerry Golf Club on Monday 24th August.   This year will mark the 30th staging of the event which started in 1895.  It was started to mark the 50th anniversary of Jimmy Bruen’s famous win in the British Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale.  In another link to the revered Cork golfer, the cup that is played for is the cup that was awarded for the Muskerry Captain’s Prize in 1945 which was won by Bruen himself.

David Higgins, past winner of the Bruen Youths at Muskerry Golf Club

David Higgins, past winner of the Bruen Youths at Muskerry Golf Club

The competition provides young golfers with one of very few opportunities to play medal golf over 36 holes.  A double shotgun start is the format for the competition and entry is just €10.  Full details and bookings are available on the Muskerry website and booking can be made online.

The trophy is a “who’s who” of the best golfers of any given era from the last three decades, and include the names of current tour professional’s David Higgins and Niall Turner.  More recent winners include Youghal’s Conor Coyne and Kinsale’s Cathal Butler.

Turner, Butler, Coyne, McKenna & Barry – Thursday Round-Up

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Two wins for Butler in Wales
Cathal Butler had two wins in Wales today as Ireland beat Wales to take third place at the Boys Home Internationals.  Butler partnered Devin Morley for the third day in the foursomes and the pair recorded their third win when they closed out their match on the 16th green.  Butler was back in singles action this afternoon and he again finished on the 16th with a 3&2 win over Wales Tom Davies.  Butler’s record for the 2015 Home Internationals will read as an impressive 4 points from a possible 5.  The Kinsale golfer will be back in action on Sunday when his club head for Golf Coast Golf Club for the Munster finals of the Fred Daly Trophy.

McKenna Makes the Cut in Coventry
Ciaran McKenna needed two birdies in his final three holes to make the cut at the Galvin Green PGA Assistants Championship in Coventry today.  McKenna was four over par after 15 and it looked like he was headed home.  Birdies on the 16th and 17th rescued his card and a par at a last saw him through right on the cut mark.  Davey Barry didn’t have the same luck, he couldn’t get his round together and finished well outside the cut.

Coyne out of Contention in Ulster Youths
Conor Coyne (Youghal) had a third round 75 to take him out of the reckoning at the Ulster Youths in Belvoir Park Golf Club.  Final scores for the fourth round are no available but Coyne was over ten shots off the lead going into the final round.

Turner Leads Northern Ireland Open
After a lengthy injury lay-off, Muskerry’s Niall Turner is back in form and hold a share of the lead in the Challenge Tour event in Galgorm Castle.  Turner shot a six under par 66 in his round this morning, including an impressive eagle 2 after driving the green on the par four second hole.  Turner has a lie in tomorrow as his second round won’t get underway until 2.20pm