LET Tour

Byrne wins second Golf Writers Award

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Dromoland Ambassador Sara Byrne 
Pic. Brian Arthur

After a 2024 to remember, Sara Byrne won a final accolade last week when she was named the the IGWA Women’s Amateur of the Year.  The Douglas golfer won the award in 2023 and won again for 2024 after another impressive set of performances.  The highlight for 2024 should be the key role she played in Gret Britain & Ireland’s win in the Curtis Cup in September.  That has been talked about for the past two weeks following the Sky Sports screening of a programme about the memorable weekend in London.

Byrne turned professional just after September’s Curtis Cup, but before that she made the most of her final eight months of 2024.  The year started with her final semester in University of Miami, and this was marked with two wins and four other top ten finishes.  She followed that with an impressive performance at the Women’s Amateur in Portmarnock, reaching the final 32.  Byrne also made her final appearance for Ireland as an amateur before going unbeaten over the weekend of the Curtis Cup in GB&I’s win.

The Irish Golf Writers announced five award winners before Christmas.  Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy was named Men’s Amateur of the Year.  The University of Louisville senior was runner-up in the East of Ireland Championship and the European Amateur Championship before going on to complete all three stages at the DP World Tour Qualifying School, securing a European Challenge Tour card.

Tom McKibbin, like Byrne was an award winner in 2023 and he won the Men’s Professional Award for a second time.  McKibbin enjoyed another memorable year in just his second season on the DP World Tour, finishing 18th in Continue reading →

Clarke & Keelan’s Solheim Story

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Solhein 2019_1

Simon Keelan and Roy Clarke ready to go at the Solheim Cup on Friday

The Solheim Cup is over for another two years, and while it was a great weekend for ladies golf with an exciting win for Team Europe, there was a Cork link with two of the team caddies coming from Douglas.  Roy Clarke and Simon Keelan are long time tour caddies on the LPGA and LET tours.  The pair  played junior golf together on several Mahon and Douglas teams, and while they were back together in Gleneagles, they were on opposing sides.  Clarke was on the bag for US star Jessica Korda while Keelan was working with Europe’s Caroline Masson.  Not only were the pair on opposing teams, in a strange coincidence their golfers faced up against each other in the opening foursomes on Friday, and again in the singles on Sunday.  They were both winners of sorts, Korda won the two head to head matches and Europe won the overall title, giving both Keelan and Clarke something from the showpiece event.  Keelan is back caddying after a spell working in the exclusive Hogs Head resort in Waterville, and the Douglas man was delighted that Masson was selected for the pinnacle team event in Ladies Golf.  “I’m not sure where to start, I came over with the team five weeks ago when the picks were Continue reading →

Munoz on top in Spain, with Cork’s Keelan on the bag

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

simon-keelan-sept-2016_1Azahara Munoz leads the Costa Del Sol Open after the first 36 holes, an she has Corkman Simon Keelan on the bag with her.  Keelan has spent much of the summer caddying on the Ladies European Tour.  Last week the pair were in action in the Evian Championship in Paris but it was a disappointing week as Munoz finished down the field.  This week she bounced back on home soil and led the field after a second round 66.  Keelan was seen on Sky Sports looking Continue reading →