Monkstown’s Cian McNamara was back in the winners circle yesterday after shooting a five under par 64 at the Delgany Pro-Am. McNamara has been playing a reduced schedule this year, playing in three or four events each month. Although not playing as much as some fellow professionals he racked up quite a few top five and top ten finishes this year and proving the Limerick native is still a threat on the Irish region circuit. On Wednesday he teamed up with his assistant Shane Irwin and both qualified for the PGA Fourball Championship in Headfort, finishing in second place.
McNamara had a good start, he turned on -3 thanks to an eagle on the third and a birdie on the ninth. Another birdie followed on the 10th but he handed back a shot with a bogey on the 12th. McNamara had a strong finish with birdies on the 16th and 18th to sign for a five under par 64. That was more than enough for the win, McNamara was two ahead of second placed Damien McGrane and Daniel Beattie. It’s a busy week for Cian, he is back in action today at the Beaverstown Pro Am in Donabate.
David Higgins retained his PGA Irish Club Professional title in Dromoland today. The Waterville man shot a second successive 70 to win by three and ahead of a three way tie for second which included Colm Moriarty, Brian McElhinney and Richard Kilpatrick. Higgins had a steady round one birdie on the front nine was balanced by a bogey on the back nine as he eased to his first Irish Region win of the new season.
The 106th Irish PGA Championship came to a conclusion today with two Cork golfers in the top 10. Monkstown’s Cian McNamara finished of his tournament in style with a two under par 70. The Limerick native got off to a great start with three birdies on the front nine and another one on he 11th. He bogied the 13th and 16th which pegged him back a little but still stayed in the red and signed for a 70. Davey Barry also rounded off a great week, finishing in a tie for 7th place alongside McNamara. Davey signed for a one over par 73 today but jumped up two places on the leaderboard. Barry was three over par through 11 holes but added two birdies on the way home to get back on track and ensure his top ten finish.
Cian McNamara followed up his good pro-am performance yesterday with an opening 69 at the first round of the PGA Irish Championship. It was a second successive 69 for the Monkstown professional, with birdies on the 12th, 15th and 16th. He had a steady round of 15 pars to go with the three birdies. Davey Barry is two shots back on -1. He’s tied for 12th place after a round that featured four birdies and three pars. The lead is held by Simon Thornton who is three clear of the field after an opening 69. The 106th staging of the Championship is being hosted by Moyvalley Hotel and Golf Resort.
vey Barry (Douglas Pro-Shop) won his first big event on the PGA Irish Region tour yesterday with a great round in Rosslare. Playing in tough weather conditions the Douglas Assistant Pro won by two shots in the Kelly’s Resort sponsored Rosslare Pro-Am. Barry started well with a run of birdies on the third, fourth and fifth, but he gave two shots back before the turn with bogies on the seventh and ninth. Despite playing the very difficult conditions Davey had a great back nine, he added four birdies including two on 17 and 18 to see him finish two shots clear of Damien McGrane, Mark Murphy and Colm Moriarty. David Ryan shot a two under par 70 to claim fifth position alongside David Higgins, and Wayne O’Callaghan finished in the top twenty. It was a good weekend for Davey who was also named in the field for the Irish PGA Championship which takes place in Moyvalley at the end of this month.
Neither James Sugrue or John Murphy managed to overcome Neil McKinstry’s lead in the Irish Youths yesterday although they both finished inside the top ten. Murphy was in second place, two shots off the lead going into the final round and Sugure was just one shot behind Murphy.
Cork Golf News 