Munster Seniors winner John O’Brien (Castlemartyr). Picture: Niall O’Shea
John O’Brien bagged one of his most impressive wins to date when he captured the Munster Seniors Amateur Open in Tipperary Golf Club last week. The Castlemartyr golfer was in fine form, shooting under par on both days to win by a margin of four strokes. O’Brien shot an opening round 71, his one underpower total was just one shot off the lead. He returned on the second day and shot a hugely impressive 69. His very steady round comprised of three birdies on 15 pars.
“It was a great week, I played well and drove the ball well” said O’Brien after his win. “I didn’t miss many fairways and the greens were excellent. I putted great didn’t make many mistakes. On the back nine on Wednesday knew I had a chance so avoiding bogeys was all I was trying to do for the Continue reading
Ireland had a super win against hosts Denmark in semi-final of the European Seniors today. In a match that went all the way to the wire Ireland ended up on the right side of the result after one additional hole. Alan Condren won with a few to spare and Steven Graham won on the 18th. Karl Bornemann & Jim Carvill lost their foursomes match on the 17th, and Peter Sheehan also lost his singles match. With four matches in the score was 2-2, meaning O’Brien’s match would decide the outcome. The Castlemartyr member was one down after 15, and despite winning the 16th the momentum shifted when he lost 17 to a birdie. With the pressure of the match on him, O’Brien birdied the last to extend the match. On the 19th, he calmly slotted a ten foot putt to send Ireland through to tomorrow’s final. It’s been a great week for O’Brien on his international debut, and his form has been matched by his teammates who also have been very solid all week. Ireland now face England tomorrow in the final.
Robbie Walsh leads the Connacht Boys after an impressive round where he shot a 68. The Kinsale teenager had five birdies on his way the the four under par round in Oughterard. A bogey on the final hole spoiled an otherwise flawless round, and he ties the overnight lead with Joshua Hill. Keelan McCarthy (Lee Valley) and Shane Connor (East Cork) are the next best Cork players, they shot level par and are tied for 13th place. Muskerry duo Fionn Hickey (+2) and Jack Egan (+3) are both inside the top thirty, along with Mallow’s Ronan Feerick. Round two in Oughterard takes place tomorrow with the top 45 qualifying for the final round.
Pat Lyons shot an opening one 
Donal McDonnell was the winner on Sunday, picking up his first Senior Scratch Cup title. Fota Island held their annual showpiece on Sunday, again in association with Top Golfer. There was a full timesheet for the event on the Deerpark course, and the three time Irish Open venue proved itself yet again as nobody could break par. Although the course was in great condition, it did play all of it’s 6,927 yards. Donal McDonnell from Monkstown was the winner after four players tied on 73. McDonnell took the title ahead of John O’Brien (Castlemartyr), Kieran Kennedy (Thurles) and David Howard (Fota Island). The Monkstown golfer is a regular on Monkstown’s successful Senior Cup team and has a provincial winners medal, Donal is also Junior Officer in Monkstown. This was his first senior scratch cup title and needless to say he was delighted with his win. Although he was four over par at the turn, McDonnell put together a great back nine. He shot two under for the second nine, and finished 3,3,4 which was crucial in terms of his placing for the countback. Although the top four were tied, John O’Brien took second place, Kennedy was third and David Howard was fourth. Howard had a busy weekend, on Saturday the four handicapper shot a 75 in Muskerry in the Ford Junior Scratch Trophy qualifier, and on Sunday he beat his handicap by two when he shot the 73. Anyone looking to play Fota this week can take advantage of their Masters Week specials, full details are available from the pro shop.
Castlemartyr’s Hugh O’Leary is just one off the lead going into the final round of the Irish Seniors Close. O’Leary was in the top ten after the first round and a one under par 71 today saw him rise to second place, just one shot behind Banbridge’s Jim Carvill. O’Leary had a spectacular back nine. After three bogies on the front nine and another on the 10th, he bounced back with five birdies in seven holes to sign for a 70. O’Leary and Carvill were the only players to break par in the second round.
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