Sean Desmond

Desmond is King of the South

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Sean Desmond South of Ireland Winner_1

South of Ireland Champion Sean Desmond.  Pic: Brian Arthur

Sean Desmond took full advantage of a South of Ireland that was full of shocks to become the 118th winner of the famous championship.  Desmond was a part of those shocks, beating Irish Internationals Conor Purcell and Tiarnan McLarnon.  His  good run started on Wednesday when he shot a five under par 67 in the fine conditions in Lahinch.  Although he followed with a 78 on day two it was enough to finish in the top thirty to get safely through to the matchplay.  There was an impressive list of golfers in the top 64, but after just two rounds of matchplay ten of the top ranked players were gone.  Desmond was part of that, beating Walker Cup panelist Conor Purcell on the 18th green in the second round.  Desmond was on fire on Saturday morning, but that was the standard needed – he was four under through nine holes and all square with Paul Coughlan, he went on to win on the 17th.  Later on Saturday afternoon he took out another international, he beat Tiarnan McLarnon in the fourth round when the match went to the 19th hole.  With his cousin Eoin Sawyer on the bag for the week resilience seemed to be Desmond’s theme for the tournament,  whether it was a big gun or a few bad holes, Desmond took it one hole at a time and battled when he needed to.

Gallery: South of Ireland Saturday

That win on Saturday evening took him through to this mornings semi-final where he faced Sligo native Sean Flanagan.  Desmond was up at the turn but things changed on the back nine when Flanagan went ahead.  Even though Sean’s drive on the 17th ended up on the 15th fairway, he made a great recovery and birdied the hole to get back to level terms.  He went on to birdie the 18th with a clutch five footer to advance to the final.

Sean Desmond Golffile_2

The Champion!  Pic: Thos Caffrey, Golffile

The Monkstown man faced Keith Egan in the final, and his opponent had also slayed a few giants.  The Carton House member had a good start and was two up after three.  Desmond hung in there, the resilience came to the fore again and he pegged back Egan to level.  He went ahead on the 13th but lost his lead on the 16th.  A nine foot par putt on the 17th gave him a lead going up 18. When Egan missed his birdie, that effectively crowned Desmond as the Champion.  It was another amazing five days in Lahinch, with the course, the club, the village and the atmosphere making it one of the most popular events on the calendar.

See the action from the final green below thanks for Brian Keogh:

 

O’Mahony goes low in Lahinch, South of Ireland Day Two…

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Douglas Senior Scratch Cup 2019_Greg O'Mahony_4

Greg O’Mahony after winning the Douglas Scratch Cup earlier this year

Greg O’Mahony was the only Cork golfer to break par on a tough day in Lahinch today.  The Fota Island golfer went around in three under as the wind and rain tested golfers.

A total of eight golfers made the cut for tomorrow’s matchplay.  Peter O’Keeffe finished his 36 holes on one under and Sean Desmond was two shots behind.  Cork duo Gary O’Flaherty and Paul Buckley were both safely through on +2, and Cathal Butler had to endure a short wait before all of the +4’s were safely inside the top 59.  With James Sugrue and John Murphy, there will be a strong Cork challenge tomorrow with eight golfers hoping to make it through the first round.

Gallery: South of Ireland Day 2, strokeplay qualifier second round

Play gets underway at 7am tomorrow, with the second round starting after the completion of the first round matches.  Live scoring will be available at regular intervals.

South of Ireland Matchplay Draw

7.00am: James Sugrue v Jack Doherty
7.36am: Peter O’Keeffe v James Fox
7.45am: Paul Buckley v Shane O’Connor
8.48am: John Murphy v Aaron Ryan
10.18am: Greg O’Mahony v Evan Farrell
10.45am: Sean Desmond v Jack Ryan
11.12am: Cathal Butler v Ronan Mullarney
11.21am: Gary O’Flaherty v TJ Ford

O’Keeffe keeps up momentum in Lahinch

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Gameface; Peter O'Keeffe in action in the South of Ireland in Lahinch last year

Gameface; Peter O’Keeffe in action in the South of Ireland in Lahinch last year

Following his great performance at the North of Ireland two weeks ago, Peter O’Keeffe kept the championship momentum going with an opening 68 in Lahinch today.  The opening round of the South of Ireland got underway today in benign conditions, and O’Keeffe was the first of the early starters to post a low score.  The Douglas golfer started with a hot hand, birdieing the first two holes.  He gave a shot back on the Klondyke, he got it back on the 9th to turn on three under.

Another birdie followed on the 10th and Peter had eight steady pars before a final birdie on the last.  That put him in the clubhouse lead, although lower scores would follow.  Cathal Butler had shot a 71 (-1), and Sean Desmond would follow with an impressive 67 later in the morning.  Paul Buckley and Greg O’Mahony both shot level par, and Paul Tobin and Gary O’Flaherty finished on 73 to Continue reading →

Munster Students win for Desmond

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

AIG Senior Cup Area Semi Finals 2018 Cork Golf Club Sunday 24th June 2018Monkstown’s Sean Desmond won the Munster Students title in Tipperary today, holding onto his second round lead.   It was a steady round for Desmond, on hiw way to a first championship win.  A birdie on the fourth put him into the red on -1 for the tournament, but he bogied the next hole to go back to level par.  Another bogey followed on the 10th but that was the last error and the Monkstown man parred his way back to the clubhouse to finish on +1 for the tournament.  Paul Conroy (Enniscorthy) took second place after a closing 72, two shots behind on +3 while Tom Dowdall (Woodbrook) took third place on +6.  Maynooth A, represented by Darragh Flynn, Aaron Ryan and Robert Abernethy won the team prize.

Gary Ward was the next best Cork player, he was tenth while Paul Tobin and Mark Healy both finished in the top twenty.  Desmond now adds his name Continue reading →

Desmond Leads Munster Students

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Douglas Senior Senior Scratch Cup 26th May 2019Sean Desmond has the 36 hole lead at the Munster Students Amateur Open.  After torrential rain yesterday, golfers benefitted from dry fine weather today in Tipperary Golf Club.  Desmond opened with a three over par 75, but came back this afternoon with a three under par 69 to finish on level par.  He was three under through 12 holes but a bogey on the 14th set him back.   A bridie on the 16th got him back to level and he parred the final two holes to hold the overnight lead.  John Cleary (Elm Park) is just one off the lead, and John Bolger (Courtown) is two shots back.  Paul Conroy and Harry Duggan are in 4th place on +3 while Kinsale’s Gary Ward is 6th.  Duggan (Kilkenny) held the 18 hole lead after an opening 72, but he drifted back to 4th after a second round 75.

The final round get’s underway tomorrow at 7.30am, with Desmond’s leaders group off at 10.10am.

 

O’Keeffe takes 5th place at East of Ireland

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

Douglas Senior Senior Scratch Cup 26th May 2019Peter O’Keeffe fired himself into a fifth place finish at the East of Ireland, thanks to a three under par 69 in his final round this afternoon.

O’Keeffe has an impressive back nine, he went on a birdie run and was three under for his final seven holes, and it was an impressive finish given the difficulty of the course in Baltray.  The result is a nice boost for the 2017 Irish Open Champion as he looks to cement his place on the Irish Squad.  O’Keeffe started the season with a win in the Muskerry Senior Scratch Cup, and the performance in Co Louth signals that he’s back on form.  Greg O’Mahony built on last week’s win in Douglas with a top twenty finish.  The Fota Island member will probably be disappointed with a closing 75 having been well placed after a 71 this morning.

Sean Desmond was the only other Cork golfer to make the cut, he finished in 23rd place on +5 after a final round 72.

Mallow’s James Sugrue and Kinsale’s both missed the East as they played in the Brabazon Trophy in The Alwoodley Club in Leeds.  Sugrue had a an impressive event, finishing in the top twenty.  Like much of the field, Sugrue batteld with the back nine over the four days, but on Sunday he had four birdies on the first ten holes before he eventually succumbed to two bogeys on the closing holes.  It meant that he finished with a 70, which saw him jump from 35th to tied 18th.  Both are back in action this week in the St Andrews Links Trophy.  Murphy will be keen to show some of the form he had on display recently in the NCAA Regionals and Finals, especially as he missed the cut in Leeds last weekend.

Super 65 for Butler in Co Sligo, Flogas Irish Amateur Open

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com

AIG Senior Cup Area Semi Finals 2018 Cork Golf Club Sunday 24th June 2018A birdie three on the last hole was the perfect finish to Cathal Butler’s round in Co Sligo today, as he signed for a 65 after a great second round.  Butler, who had a four over par 75 in his opening round, got to work early today and was three under through five holes.  He added another two birdies before the turn to go out in 31 (-5).  Although he had a few good birdie chances on the back nine he ended up with eight consecutive pars. He did close out on the 18th with a birdie, leaving him on -2 and tied for 20th at the halfway stage.  Needless to say the Kinsale golfer was in a positive frame of mind after his round.  “It was a relief as much as anything – it feels like a long time since I shot a low one” said Butler after the round.  “I was hitting it lovely, I only missed one green and hit a lot of the shots close.  The putter was steady throughout and it was nice to hole a long one on 18 to finish.”  Butler has been struggling with a back injury for the past while and that has contributed to his lack of recent appearances near the top of the leaderboard.  “I’m off around 2pm tomorrow so I’ll get a chance to go to the gym before hand.  My back has been troublesome for the past few weeks so I’ll do some exercises before I go out to play.”  As for the strategy for tomorrow, it more of the same for Cathal.  “I’ll just keep trying to make good decisions and smooth swings.  If I can stay as relaxed as I was today it should be another good day.”

James Sugrue followed his opening 70 (-1) with a two over par 73 today.  The Mallow man had a colourful back nine, comprised of two pars, three birdies, three bogies and an unfortunate double on the par five 12th.  He’s just inside the top 50, and a good round tomorrow should see him through to Sunday.  The 54 hole cut after tomorrow’s third round will see the top 50 (plus ties) go forward for Sunday’s final round.  Mel Deasy, back at the venue where he led the qualifier for the West just a few weeks ago has found the going a little tougher.  Rounds of 72 & 74 has him Continue reading →

McLarnon tames Lee Valley

/ niall@corkgolfnews.com
Tiarnan McLarnon_Lee Valley Scratch Cup_Apr 2019_2

Tiarnan McLarnon, the Boylesports Lee Valley Scratch Cup winner 2019

It was a weekend that started with Storm Hannah, but it finished with Storm Tiarnan as the Massereene golfer put manners on both the course and the field at the Boylesports Lee Valley Scratch Cup.  It was a wire to wire win for the Antrim golfer, after an opening 73 which put him in the lead, he set a course record on Saturday afternoon with a six under par 66.  Going into the final round he had a four shot lead, that meant he just needed to keep pace with second placed Ronan Mullarney.  The Irish International went on the attack again though and closed with a three under par 69 to extend his lead and win by a clear margin of seven strokes.  The 16th hole summed up the weekend for McLarnon, after missing the green he chipped in for birdie.  That effectively sealed his win, and after two regulation pars on 17 and 18 he smiled to crowd to acknowledge his first win in Lee Valley.  While Tiarnan led from the front, the chasers didn’t Continue reading →