Tony McKeown (Monkstown), winner of the Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy. Pic: Niall O’Shea
Tony McKeown is the latest winner of the Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy after he came through six rounds of golf to claim the title. The Monkstown member was brought all the way to the 17th green before he finally got the win. It wasn’t the first time over the weekend that McKeown finished on the 17th, and there was relief to finally get over the line as Tony came close to winning in 2021, when he was the beaten finalist as John McSweeney won.
64 golfers started out on Friday morning, and that was reduced to just 16 after the first two rounds which finished late on Friday evening. After another two rounds on Saturday there was just four remaining. Fota Island’s John O’Sullivan faced Doneraile’s John Hickey in the first semi-final, with Tony McKeown up against Muskerry’s Tony Keating.
Winner of the Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy Tony McKeown pictured with Muskerry Captain Eric Cotter and semi-finalist Tony Keating. Picture: Niall O’Shea
The Muskerry man had an interesting route to the semi-final, gaining two concessions in Saturday’s matches. He advanced from the third round without hitting a ball, and his fourth round win came on the 5th green when his opponent retired injured.
Despite the easy path to the semi-final, and the home course advantage, he came off second best to McKeown who wrapped up his win on the 17th. The other semi-final was a close affair with John O’Sullivan winning on the 16th.
“Delighted to win this competition. I was a beaten finalist in 2021 so I was relieved to get over the line this time,” said McKeown. “It is quite a tough weekend, although I think matches going to the 17th or 18th help. Too much waiting around in between matches isn’t ideal.”
Two weeks previously, McKeown qualified with a 76, easily inside the cut mark for the matchplay stage. The Monkstown man didn’t have any easy matches over the three days, but he persevered to win out over each opponent as each match neared the end.
“I got off to a fast start in most of my matches, which helped confidence. However, I was 5 up with 5 to play in the semi-final and everything started to go wrong, so I was lucky to get over the line there on 17. I played quite well on Friday, but as the weekend went on I was relying more and more on my putter, which thankfully saved me on plenty of occasions over the weekend.”
The scale of the win in the annual Muskerry competition is always impressive. Well over 200 golfers entered the qualifier, which was held over two days. The Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy remains the only 18/64 mixed strokeplay and matchplay event at this level, and it has been running since 1970. McKeown is the first winner to come from Monkstown, and now adds his name to the long list of winners which dates back over 50 years.
Gallery: Muskerry Junior Scratch Trophy 2026
The course in Muskerry was in great condition for the showpiece event, having benefitted greatly from the recent rise in temperatures. There were firm fairways and fast greens on the Bruen course over the three days. The event was again sponsored by RBC Brewin Dolphin, who are in their second year supporting the competition.
Blarney will host their Senior Scratch Cup this weekend; this is the third staging of the Christy Horgan Memorial event. The event is a 36-hole competition with the first round getting underway at 9am. Organisers Darren and Damien Kelleher have been busy lining everything up for Saturday, and a high-quality field will battle it out for the title.
Blarney have also confirmed the dates for their Junior, Intermediate and Minor Scratch Cups. They will take place on Sunday 31st May and Monday 1st June. The competitions are being sponsored by McKenna Golf Academy and O’Connell Buggies, and there is over €1,000 worth of prizes on offer. Each of the three competitions will take place from different tees.
The Junior Scratch Cup (index 2.5 – 9.4) is being played from the blue tees. The Intermediate Cup (index 9.5 – 17.4) is being played from the white tees and the Minor Cup (index 17.5+) is playing from the green tees. The entry fee is €35 for visitors and €10 for members. Bookings can be made by calling the club on 021 4281 891.
Both Douglas and Kinsale are holding their Junior Scratch Cups this weekend, while Lee Valley are holding theirs the following weekend. East Cork were due to hold their Senior Scratch Cup this Sunday, but it has been rescheduled to July 11th.
Cork Golf News 