Mallow’s Adam Boland shot a one under par 71 in Castletroy yesterday in the opening round of the Irish Boys Open Championship. Fresh from a positive weekend with Mallow’s Senior Cup team, Boland bogied the 3rd hole but followed it with three birdies on the back nine to turn on -2. He opened the back nine with two bogies but got a shot back soon after and signed for a 71. That has him in 8th place, four shots behind defending champion Mark Power who’s in the lead on -5. Sean Leonard and Jack Egan will need to improve today if they are to make the cut. Both are on +6, and Kanturk’s Daniel Continue reading
Jerry Crean
Crean & O’Donovan Challenge in Leinster.
Donal O’Donovan
Jerry Crean and Donal O’Donovan are tied for fourth after they both shot opening rounds of 76 in the Leinster Seniors Open at Dun Laoghaire. Kinsale’s Crean had a tough start with bogies on the first and second, and a double bogey on the ninth meant that he turned on +4. He made the trip back in level par though, and that saw him finish in a tie for fourth place. Donie O’Donovan had a better start with a birdie on the 2nd, but a few dropped shots saw him turn on +2. He followed that with eight straight pars but a mistake on the final hole cost him two shots and he also signed for a 76 (+4).
Holder Micheal Quirke is one shot back alongside Tom Cleary on 77, both are in a large group that are tied for 10th place. Both are six shots off the lead and still in with a chance of challenging in tomorrow’s final round. Fota’s George Mellerick is back in the pack after a disappointing 85. Dun Laoghaire Golf Course proved to be a very testing challenge for the players at the Leinster Seniors Championship today despite the very benign conditions. Frank Flynn (Laytown & Bettystown) leads Continue reading
Cleary takes 2nd place in Connacht Seniors
Cork’s Tom Cleary heralded the start to his season when he took second place at the Connacht Seniors today. The former Munster and Irish Seniors winner shot a par par 73 today in Claremorris to jump up the leaderboard and take the runner-up spot. Cleary had three birdies on the back nine to get back to level par for the day. He finished one shot behind winner Nigel Duke (Killiney) who retained the title he won last year. Cleary was the only golfer to match par over the two days as the golfers struggled in testing weather conditions.
Pat Lyons (Cork) and Donie O’Donovan (Bandon) both finished in a tie for 11th place. Both golfers put in a challenge on the front nine today but they faded on the back nine as they dropped a number of shots. Michael Quirke (Doneraile) was in Continue reading
No Joy for Cork Golfers
There was no joy today for the seniors who were playing in the Irish Seniors Open Championship in Co Tipperary, and Brian O’Donovan also failed to secure a full card in the PGA China final qualifying.
Holder Tom Cleary was among the local hopefuls in action but he couldn’t match the results of 2016 and rounds of 78,76,78 saw him finish just inside the top 20. Not much of a consolation but he was the highest placed golfer from Cork after the three rounds. Doneraile’s Tahg Heenan opened with a disappointing 81 on Wednesday but closed with two rounds of 76 to finish one shot behind Cleary and inside the top 30. Micheal Quirke had threatened the lead on day one after shooting a 73 but rounds of 79 yesterday and 82 today saw him drop out of contention. Kinsale’s Jerry Crean was the only other Cork golfer to make the cut and he finished one shot behind Quirke. The winner was Wales Nicholas Grimmitt who finished on +7 to edge out Tramore’s John Mitchell by one shot.
Bandon’s Brian O’Donovan was in action in the final round of qualifying at the PGA China Tour School this morning. O’Donovan had been hoping to claim on of the 16 full tour cards on offer after posting rounds of 71/72/70. The wheels came off on the final round however and O’Donovan shot a 77 to finish outside the qualifiers. In the past O’Donovan has used Monday qualifying to gain entry into some of the events, the Shenzen based professional is a Lead Instructor at one of the Mission Hills Academies in Shenzen.
Quirke wins Leinster Seniors Title
Michael Quirke (Doneraile) winner of the 2016 Leinster Seniors Amateur Open Championship trophy after his victory at Glasson Golf Club today. Picture by Pat Cashman
Doneraile’s Michael Quirke won the Leinster Seniors today, a one under par 72 was enough to give the North Cork man a three stroke margin of victory at Glasson Golf Club. Fifteen steady pars were interrupted by two birdies and one bogey as Quirke carded one of only two under par rounds of the championship. Michael had shot a level par 73 in the first round to hold the joint lead with Garth McGimpsey and Val Smith. Neither Smith or McGimpsey could match their first round scores, McGimpsey’s 78 was good enough for 4th place while Smith faded with an 86. Barry O’Leary (Greystones) was second on +2 and John Mitchell (Tramore) was third on +4. Cork’s Tom Cleary had another 76 today to give him a share of 5th place, with Jerry Crean (Kinsale) and Peter Cowley (Cork) tied in 13th place. George Mellerick (Fota Island), John Cuffe (Monkstown) and Paddy Harrington (Muskerry) all finished down the field. Continue reading
Quirke Leads Leinster Seniors, Barrett 2nd in Leinster Boys
Michael Quirke (Doneraile)
Greg Barrett (Mallow)
Cork Golf News 