Sara Byrne

Walsh wins in Cork, Munster Senior Championships

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Paula Walsh (Doneraile)

Paula Walsh (Doneraile)

Doneraile’s Paula Walsh won the Munster Senior Open Championship in Cork today, and her three under par display meant that she was a wire to wire winner over the three rounds.  Paula went into the final round with a three shot lead, and her four birdies and single bogey saw her extend her grip on the tournament to win by six strokes.  The Doneraile golfer is also a member of Cork and she used her knowledge of the Little Island course as she dominated the event.  Two early birdies on the first and second would have settled her as she continued with a very steady game to maintain and extend her lead.  It’s two in a row for North Cork, last years winner in Waterville was Valerie Clancy from Mitchelstown.  Second place went to Sara Byrne from Douglas who was one of only three players to break par on the final day.  It was a great finish for Byrne who opened with a disappointing 80 in the first round.  A second round 75 saw her jump up to 6th place and the one under par 73 today saw the Douglas golfer finish in second place overall.

Gallery: Munster Senior & Junior Championships

Sara had a dream start, with three straight birdies from the first hole.  Two more birdies followed on the back nine and she played a very tidy game with just four bogies on the card.  Byrne also won the De Courcey Trophy and Continue reading →

Martin, Clancy, Thompson & Byrne named on ILGU Panels

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Valerie Clancy

Valerie Clancy

The ILGU announced their coaching panels for 2016/2017 and there was good news for several Cork golfers.  Valerie Clancy and Mairead Martin were both named on the ILGU High Performance panel for 2017.  It’s a great achievement for both girls as they have continued to improve through the 2016 season.

2016 was also a breakthrough for Cork’s Rachel Thompson who was added to the funded performance panel for the year ahead.  The high performance panel has the stated objective of developing world class players while the funded performance panel is aimed at encouraging golfers to compete at international level, at individual and team events.  Thompson, Martin and Clancy all featured on the Irish Girls team that won  the home internationals in Wales earlier this year.

Sara Byrne (Douglas) was named on the Horizon coaching panel which is aimed at supporting and developing younger players, and preparing them for the transition to the high performance panel in years to come.  The ILGU are currently in the process of developing the new structure with the regional professionals with a view to rolling out the revised plans early in the new year.

HIGH PERFORMANCE PANELSmartphones Direct
Ciara Casey
Valerie Clancy
Maria Dunne
Paula Grant
Leona Maguire*
Mairead Martin
Julie McCarthy
Niamh McSherry
Olivia Mehaffey*
Annabel Wilson
(*Denotes US based players)
FUNDED PERFORMANCE PANEL
Georgia Carr
Louise Coffey
Elisa Corcoran
Mary Doyle
Meadhbh Doyle
Kate Dwyer
Emma Forbes
Alice Hutchinson
Lisa Maguire
Jessica Ross
Chloe Ryan
Sinead Sexton
Rachel Thompson
Lauren Walsh
HORIZON PERFORMANCE PANEL
Sara Byrne
Beth Coulter
Aine Donegan
Anna Foster
Kate Lanigan
Niamh O’Dwyer
Canice Screene

Continue reading →

Coughlan and Ní Thuama retain National Foursomes Title, Byrne competes in

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May Fitzgibbon Winners 2016

Winners of the May Fitzgibbon Trophy final, Clodagh Coughlan & Aoife Ni Thuama from Douglas Golf Club with ILGU President Valerie Hassett Pic Ronan Lang

Douglas pair Clodagh Coughlan and Aoife Ni Thuama won the May Fitzgibbon Trophy on Monday, making it back to back national wins for the Douglas Girls.  The competition took place on Greystones Golf Club and twenty foursomes pairs took part, all having qualified from the five districts.  The Douglas girls had qualified for the national finals in May when they were in the top four at the Munster qualifier in Adare Manor.  The qualified in Adare as the best gross winners.  Last year the Douglas girls combined for 37 points to win by two shots.  This year they dominated, carding 39 points for their foursomes round and winning bay a margin of five shots.  Conditions were perfect in Greystones which set the scene for some good scores throughout the day.  Scoring seemed to be fairly Continue reading →

Byrne loses out on 23rd hole in Irish Close Plate

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2016 Irish Girls Close Championship at Kilkenny Golf Club

Sara Byrne (Douglas) competing in the semi final of the Plate (Pat Fletcher Trophy) at the 2016 Irish Girls Close Championship at Kilkenny Golf Club.. Picture by Pat Cashman

Sara Byrne from Douglas was the unlucky loser in a titanic battle at the plate final in the Irish Girls Close at Kilkenny yesterday.  The 23 hole battle was Byrne’s second time that day going to additional holes.  In the morning semi final she beat Cork’s Rachel Thompson on the 19th.

Byrne got off to a good start in the final, with 2 birdies and a par to bring her 4 shots clear after 8 holes.  Sara’s opponent Beth Coulter wasn’t going to be put off and clawed back the deficit with a number of birdies.  It took 23 holes for the match to come to an eventual conclusion in which the Douglas member lost out.

Byrne had finished in the top ten after the first two strokeplay rounds.  Mairead Martin was third in the strokeplay qualifier and Rachel Thompson and Valerie Clancy were tied for fifth place.  Martin made it through to championship semi- Continue reading →

Foursome Changes for Munster Men, Ladies & Girls matches Day 2

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2016 Interprovincial Championship at Fota Island Golf Club

Robin Dawson (Munster) lines up his putt at the 15th green during the second day of the 2016 Interprovincial Championship at Fota Island. Picture by Pat Cashman

After another disappointing day for Munster yesterday, Munster have made several changes to their foursome pairings for the final match against Connacht.  Robin Dawson and Cathal Butler pair off in the opening match and Peter O’Keeffe and John Hickey have been paired in the second match.  Andrew McCormack and Geoff Lenehan play together in the third pairing while Munster stalwarts Pat Murray and Gary O’Flaherty team up in the back match.  Munster had a very Continue reading →

Walsh, McGrath, Leonard & Byrne make Munster Ladies and Girls teams

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ILGU AIG Senior Cup Munster Final, Douglas Golf Club, Sunday 8th May 2015Munster named strong sides for the upcoming interprovincials which will take place in Slieve Russell next month.  Doneraile’s Paul Walsh is the only Cork golfer to make the Ladies team and it’s a fair reward for several strong performances over the early season.  Walsh was part of the Cork GC team that won the Munster Senior Cup title in Douglas recently.

There were three local golfers selected to play on the Munster Girls team.  Grave McGrath (East Cork), Ciara Leonard (Mitchelstown) and Sarah Byrne (Douglas) were all selected to play under the experienced eye of Jennifer Hickey who will captain the side.

The interprovincial matches take place from the 5th – 7th July and have been running for over half a century and are an essential element in the development of talented and elite golfers. Each province shall play each other by matchplay which will Continue reading →

Cork challenge bows out, ILGU Close

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Yesterday’s quarter-finals marked the end of Cork’s interest in the ILGU Irish Close at Lahinch.  In the morning match Valerie Clancy beat Sara Byrne in the battle of emerging talent, but Clancy lost out in her quarter final match again home favourite Sinead Sexton.  Rachel Thompson and Mairead Martin also lost in their round of 16 matches.

Irish Women’s Close – Championship Quarter-Final Match Play – 14/05/16
Sinead Sexton (Lahinch) beat Valerie Clancy (Killarney) 5&3
Louise Coffey (Malone) beat Georgia Carr (Milltown) 1up
Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) lost to Aoife Lowry (Tipperary) 3&1
Maria Dunne (Skerries) lost to Olivia Mehaffey (RCDL) 2&1
Irish Women’s Close – Championship Match Play – 14/05/16
Sinead Sexton (Lahinch) beat Paula Walsh (Doneraile)2up
Valerie Clancy (Killarney) beat Sara Byrne (Douglas) 2&1
Louise Coffey (Malone) beat Mary Doyle (The Heath) 3&2
Sarah Cunningham (Ennis) lost to Georgia Carr (Milltown) 1up
Chloe Ryan (Castletroy) lost to Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) 1up
Aoife Lowry (Tipperary) beat Rachel Thompson (Cork) 4&2
Maria Dunne (Skerries) beat Lauren Walsh (Castlewarden) 3&2
Olivia Mehaffey (RCDL) beat Mairead Martin (Killarney) 2up

 

Cork interest continues in Lahinch, Ladies Irish Close

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Sara Byrne

Sara Byrne

Two Cork teenagers will face off in the final 16 of the ILGU Close Championship at Lahinch tomorrow.  Sara Byrne from Douglas will play Mitchelstown’s Valerie Clancy in the second match tomorrow morning.  Clancy had a 2&1 win over Lisa O’Shea while Byrne won on the 16th against Nicola Coffey.

Cork’s Rachel Thompson also won on the 16th, closing out her match against Maeve Rooney.  Mairead Martin and Paula Walsh both have daunting matches ahead of them in the morning.  Walsh will take on the Lahinch star Sinead Sexton who finished best qualifier on -4 after 36 holes, Sexton had an 8&7 win today to make it to the second round with ease.  Mairead Martin will play Olive Mehaffey, the current Irish Open Champion.  Martin beat Carlow’s Karen Delaney after their mathc was finally settled on the 19th,while Mehaffey won 8&7 against Linda Toomey.

ILGU Irish Close Round of 16 Draw

Gillian O’Leary lost out this morning but she has a Continue reading →

Clancy & Thompson in Top Ten at Lahinch

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Valerie Clancy

Valerie Clancy

Six of the nine Cork golfers in the Women’s Close have made it through to the matchplay stage which starts tomorrow morning.  Mitchelstown’s Valerie Clancy finished the 36 hole stroke play qualifier in 8th place.  A one under par 73 in he second round saw he jump up the leaderboard.  Cork’s Rachel Thompson recorded a 75/76 to also finish on +3.

Kanturk’s Mairead Martin was the third Cork golfer to finish on +3.  Paula Walsh (Doneraile) finished in 16th place and Sara Byrne and Gillian O’Leary (now representing The Island) also made the cut to get into the matchplay.  Lahinch’s Sinead Sexton led the way with a -4 total, three strokes better than second placed Chloe Ryan.  Olivia Mehaffey, Maria Dunne and Mary Doyle are all safely through to the next round.

 

The top 32 now face off tomorrow which Continue reading →