Sara Byrne

Byrne Secures Tour Status for 2026

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Sara Byrne in action in the Curtis Cup in Sunningdale.
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Sara Byrne rounded off her season on a positive note in Spain last weekend when she secured a top 70 finish on the Ladies European Tour.  That was enough the secure her playing status for her second year as a touring professional.

Byrne started the year with playing rights on the LET, but also had a full card for the Epsom Tour, the LPGA’s secondary tour.  She played seven events in the first half of the season, making three cuts and recording one top twenty finish.  She prioritised t Continue reading →

Byrne set for Irish pro debut

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Sara Byrne 

Sara Byrne will tee it up for the first time as a professional in Ireland this week as she takes part in her second KPMG Irish woman’s open the Douglas golfer is in her first year in the professional ranks having turned pro after the Curtis cup last Sept.  Sara is one of nine professionals and seven amateurs playing in Carton House this week, a record number of Irish golfers to feature at the event.

The event attracted over 34,000 spectators last year in it’s first visit to Carton House and this year’s numbers are likely to be bigger, especially if any of the Irish are still in contention going into the weekend.  Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are just €25 and under 16’s are free with a paying adult.  The KPMG Women’s Irish Open returned in 2022 after a ten year gap, with Continue reading →

Return to form for Sara Byrne

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Sara Byrne 
Picture: Niall O’Shea

Sara Byrne has a welcome return to form last week as she finished in the top 15 on the Ladies European Tour in France.  After an opening 74, Byrne rose steadily through the leaderboard with rounds of 68, 70 and a closing 72.  Byrne, who is splitting her time between the LET and the Epson Tour in the US.

Playing on both sides of the Atlantic is a logistical challenge but Byrne is making the most of both cards.  She has earned over €16,000 in Europe and $6,000 in the US.  Byrne is back in action in Europe again this week in the Czech Continue reading →

Byrne off to a good start, Slievenamon set to close

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Sara Byrne (Pic. Brian Arthur)

Sara Byrne got her 2025 season off to a positive start with a top 25 finish on the Ladies European Tour in Morocco.  Byrne bagged over €5,400 but it could have been more as a final round 77 saw her drop a number of places on the leaderboard.  Rounds of 71 and 69 in the opening two days put the Douglas golfer inside the top ten.  A final round 77, which included a double bogey on the last.

On a positive note Byrne had 15 birdies for her 54 holes, an impressive total for the three days.  Byrne is unlikely to get into the field for this week’s Saudi Ladies International.  The tournament has a $5m purse and has attracted a top class field.  The 2024 Curtis Cup winner has status on the LET and the Epson Tour in the US.  It’s likely that Byrne will target the Epsom Tour when it starts in mid March.

Jack Murphy finished his first tournament in Hawaii on -8 but despite having a few good round he only finished in 38th place.  Murphy opened with a level par 72, mainly due to a tough opening nine that saw him record four bogies.  He improved with two rounds in the 60’s, a three under Continue reading →

Exciting 2025 ahead for Cork Golf

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Cork Golf Club which wil host a number of national events in 2025. Pic: Niall O’Shea

2025 promises to be a busy and exciting year for Cork golfers and Cork golf clubs.  Golf Ireland launched the 2025 calendar recently and four Cork courses will host important events in the months ahead.

Cork Golf Club will host four major events in a busy year for the club.  In addition to the Munster Stroke Play which has been held on the May Bank Holiday weekend for over a decade, the Little Island club will also host the Flogas Irish Boys Amateur Open and the Boys Home Internationals.  The club will also host the Women’s Cork Scratch Cup in early April.

Cork has a habit of being a winning venue for golfers who went on to greatness and with Irish Boys Captain watching over the field, he will be hoping for another winner with star potential when it comes to the Irish Boys.  The last big winner in Cork was Shane Lowry, he  won the Irish Close Championship when it was last held in Cork in 2007.  Lowry beat local favourite Niall Turner in the final to claim his first Irish title.  He went on to win the West and North, and the Mullingar Scratch Cup the following year, before winning the Continue reading →

Byrne wins second Golf Writers Award

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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 →

Byrne sails through LPGA Q Series

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Sara Byrne’s whirlwind 2024 is continuing, the Douglas star passed the latest test last week in Florida when she qualified for the final stage of the LPGA qualifying school.

Byrne was in a field of close to 200 golfers having made the cut at the initial stage in California back in August.  Sara needed to finish the 72 hole qualifier inside the top 35 to reach final qualifying, and the 22 years old came through in impressive form.

She opened with a five under par 67 that had her at the top of the leaderboard for most of the first day.  A second round 73 saw her drop back a few places but she bounced back in the third would with a three under par 69.  That had Sara in twelfth place going into the final round, with high hopes of finishing inside the cut mark.

Byrne went through the first nine on the final day in -1, but the best was yet to come as she dropped in another four birdies to finish on 68 (-4).  That took her to -11 for the tournament and up to sixth place.

“The week was very solid.  I got off to a flying start which I knew I needed a low one like that and to be Continue reading →

McCarthy wins Blarney Scratch Cup

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Keelan McCarthy winner of the Blarney Senior Scratch Cup pictured with members of Blarney Golf Club.

Keelan McCarthy scooped one of the last trophies for 2024 last weekend when he won the Blarney Senior Scratch Cup.  The Lee Valley man led from the start on Saturday to win the inaugural Christy Horgan Cup, named in memory of the Blarney clubman.

McCarthy made all the running in the morning and led the field by four shots after shooting a one under par 69.  David Lane, Ryan Lyons, Robbie Walsh, and Aidan Rowsome were the next best going into the second round with Ben Murray and Padraig O’Connor also chasing.

David Howard shot the round of the day on Saturday afternoon when he carded a three under par 67.  When added to his morning 76 it left him on three over, and with that he secured second place.  McCarthy added a second round 72 to his morning score to finish on +1, and he won by two.  David Lane added a second round 72 to take third place and Ben Murray was third.

McCarthy was delighted to win his first scratch cup.  A previous winner of the Bruen Youths in Muskerry, Keelan has waited a few years to claim another major win.  “I’m absolutely Continue reading →

Top Thirty finish for Byrne in France

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Sara Byrne (Picture: Niall O’Shea)

Sara Byrne had another impressive week on the course when she finished in the top thirty at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.  Byrne was in Ladies European Tour action for the second time in two weeks, hoping to make the most of her playing opportunities before the end of the year.

The Douglas golfer opened with a level par 71 on the opening day of the 54 hole tournament, and a one over par 72 followed on the second day which saw her safely inside the cut mark of +5.  A final day 71 saw her finish in 28th place at Golf Barriere in northern France.

Byrne carded 11 birdies in the 54 holes, showing she has the game to stake a claim for a tour card on the professional circuit.  She won over Continue reading →

Douglas Celebrate Senior Cup and Curtis Cup Successes

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Sara Byrne in action in the Curtis Cup in Sunningdale. Picture: Niall O’Shea

Sara Byrne had a fairytale end to her amateur career, going unbeaten in five sessions and helping GB&I to win the Curtis Cup for the first time since 2016.

The Douglas golfer may have missed out on her club’s AIG Senior Cup win, but she made a lifetime of memories in Sunningdale.  Byrne played in all five sessions and she was the only player to undefeated over the three days.  She had a win and three halves in the opening two days alongside Lottie Woad, and closed out her final round as an amateur with a decisive win.

Team captain Catriona Matthew kept her faith in Byrne and Woad on the Continue reading →