NCAA Golf

Swift End to Murphy’s College Season

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

John Murphy

11 days and it was all over.  On the 13th March the NCAA announced the cancellation of the college golf season, and by the 24th John Murphy was on a plane heading home.  Instead of heading to Sawgrass CC in Florida for the second last regular season tournament, John Murphy was headed home.  Although he had planned to sit things out in Louisville, the fear of missing a summer of golf in Ireland was part of the decision to come home, and after three years in the University of Louisville, college life looked like it was over for the Kinsale man.  The plans to compete in the NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championships were gone, the exams and graduation plans were changed, and an important trip to Louisville for his parents Carmel and Owen were all cancelled.    While the wider public health issues are far more important, it was a crushing blow for Murphy who was having a really strong season.  Murphy had two individual wins on the Division One circuit and three team wins.  It was a great season for Murphy in many respects.  He comfortably maintained his ranking in the WAGR top 150 and he came back to Cork with his head high, happy that he had seen more improvements in his game in his final year.

“My senior year certainly filled me with confidence” explained Murphy.  “It was great to be recognized on a national stage and I had a lot of fun on the golf course and continued to learn and grow as a player.  I had certainly put in some good work the last few years and put myself in a Continue reading →

Top 5 for Murphy in Alabama

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

John Murphy

Kinsale’s John Murphy got his final US College semester off to a good start with a top five finish in his first tournament.  Murphy was competing in Alabama in the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate and shot impressive rounds of 69, 70, 69 in his way to an eight under par finish for the event.  Murphy’s Cardinals finished in third place in the team competition, again continuing their good form from the fall series.  Murphy now has five more events in the next two months before his Cardinals team head for the play-offs.  Murphy was ranked inside top 100 in the US college rankings and this was his fourth top ten Continue reading →

Murphy helps Cardinals to NCAA Finals

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
John Murphy May 2019_1

John Murphy in action at the NCAA Regionals today (Pic: @UofLMGolf/Twitter)

“That was a grind” – that was the first reaction from a smiling John Murphy after finishing his final round at the NCAA Regionals in Louisville.  But it was a very positive finish as two birdies on 16 and 17, and a long par putt on 18 from Murphy proved to be crucial as his University of Louisville side qualified for the NCAA National Championships earlier this evening.  Murphy finished the 54 hole tournament tied for 12th place on -2, and his finish ensured that the Cardinals finished in the top five and now go though to the final stage of the college season.  Overnight the Cardinals were in fifth place, with a six shot cushion over their nearest challenger.  At the turn though it was a different story with the Louisville holding the last qualifying spot by just one shot.  Murphy was level par for his first nine but dropped three shots in the next five holes.  At that stage it was getting tight, but the third year student was two under for his final four holes which helped the Cardinals go through to the nationals for just the fourth time in their history.  In the end they took fourth place as other teams dropped shots on the closing holes.

 

The Cardinals were playing on their home Continue reading →