Short Game

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Rathsallagh plan for course upgrade

RATHSALLAGH Golf Club will be open to members only from November until March, 2011. This will facilitate the golf course to be rested and allow for general maintenance and upgrades to take place.

The refreshed Rathsallagh will be delighted to welcome all corporate and society outings from March 1st, 2011 and are taking bookings on 045-403112.

Rathsallagh will also be offering the first 25 fourballs who make a golf reservation, and who use the password “Irish Times”, a 25 per cent discount.

Located in west Wicklow and designed by Christy O’Connor Jr and Peter McEvoy, Rathsallagh is one of the most challenging courses in Ireland. It is listed in the top 30 courses in the country, offering a demanding but fair championship parkland test of the highest quality.

SUMMERHILL College will represent Connacht in the National Under-19 schools matchplay finals in Seapoint next April after they won the provincial title in Ballinrobe on Thursday after defeating St Murdedachs of Ballina in the final, winning 4½ to ½.

On the successful Summerhill team were Darragh O’Sullivan, Thomas Finnegan, Declan Reidy, Ruairí O’Connor and Alan Gaynor.

The Plate final was won by Ballinrobe Community School, who defeated St Brigid’s Loughrea 4-1.

Neumann to lead European side for Junior Solheim Cup

LOTTA Neumann will captain the European team for the Ping Junior Solheim Cup, to be played at Knightsbrook Spa Resort Golf Hotel, Trim, Co Meath, on September 20th-21st, next year

Neumann (44), is a former British and US Women’s Open champion, who represented Europe in six Solheim Cups (1990-2000) and was a vice-captain under Alison Nicholas at the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms, Illinois.

Next year’s event will be the first to be held in Ireland with the anticipated inclusion of the Maguire twins, Lisa and Leona.

The qualification process starts at the Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Sherry Golf Jerez (March 2nd-6th) and then takes in the French International Junior Championship at St Cloud (March 31st-April 4th), the Irish Under-18 Girls’ Championship at Knightsbrook (April 16th-17th), the European Girls’ Team Championship at Is Molas, Sardinia, Italy (July 5th-9th), the European Ladies’ Team Championship at GC Murhof, Austria (July 5th-9th), the European Individual Championship (July 20th-23rd).

The qualification system culminates at the end of the Girls’ British Open Amateur Championship at Gullane GC, Scotland, on August 8th-12th when the leading six players from the points table will earn an automatic place in the European side. The six qualifiers will be joined by six captain’s picks.

Gorry crowns winning streak

RATHCORE’S Christine Gorry can look back with great satisfaction on her golf year which featured a remarkable eight-week winning streak at the Co Meath club. Playing off a handicap of 36 she won the club Captain’s Prize, the Vice-Captain’s and Lady Captain’s prize for the ladies and this having only taken up the game of golf a few years ago.

All her success culminated in her winning the All-Ireland Lady Captain’s Prize winners’ competition, sponsored by the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone, played in Roscrea last month. Christine was playing off 34 when she won that event with 38 points.

Mullally makes mark at Alliance event

THE superb Dún Laoghaire Golf Club was the setting for the latest Leinster Alliance outing on Sunday last.

And on a brilliant day, weather-wise, scoring was of a very high standard. Youth led the way with Ian Mullally, a nine handicapper from Greystones scoring an excellent 41 points to win by two points from local player Derek Rath (3), from Old Conna, who had the best of the 39, just edging out Bray’s Terry Smith (7) on a countback, while in fourth place was Graham Dunning (5), from Castlewarden, with 38 points.

The best gross was won by Carl Purcell (scr) from the host club with 38 points, two clear of another scratch player David Murray, from Skerries, with Mark Justice (1), also from Skerries, third on 35 points.

The next outing of the Alliance is on Sunday, October 31st, at Killeen Castle with places on the timesheet available from Michael Neary on 01-2827297.

Ballyliffin land Donegal title

BALLYLIFFIN GC recorded their second Donegal League victory in as many years with an historic victory over Letterkenny in this year’s final.

Ballyliffin recorded a very respectable half match in the first leg away in Letterkenny and took this result together with a six-hole advantage home to Glashedy Links.

Despite an early loss in the top match Ballyliffin were strong and when the teams were called in, they had secured the required 2½ matches to seal victory.

The Ballyliffin team was: Liam Doherty, Des Kemmy, Matt Kemmy, Noel Quigley, John Grant, Neil Grant, Packie N Grant, Hugh McEleney, John McGeoghegan, Charlie Duffy, Paddy McDermott, Kevin McLaughlin, Marc Desmond, Oscar Mailey, Barry Kearney and Pascal Mooney.

THE Galgorm Castle team of Neil McVeigh, Mark Hamilton, David Kernohan and Nisar Khan won the Great North Links Classic over Ballyliffin, Portstewart, and Royal Portrush with a final tally of 301 points. In second place on 291 were the Portstewart team of Jim Lenfesty, Ciarán Cooley, Joe Lenfesty and Fergal Stewart.

Gareth Ryan from Elm Park won the individual award from Ballyliffin’s Hugh Hunter and Mike Moriarty.

Higgins is order of merit champion

DAVID HIGGINS is the Irish PGA Order of Merit champion for the second year in a row having shot an impressive seven-under-par 65 at the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with PING and Fáilte Ireland at Mount Juliet.

Higgins’ win in Kilkenny on Saturday saw him finish with a season’s total of 46,038 points.

The Waterville professional was one under at the turn before producing an incredible run of scoring as he stormed through the back nine with six birdies and picked up €14,000 in prize money, which included a € 10,000 bonus for finishing on top of the Order of Merit.

As an extra bonus to his success Higgins has also secured a place in next season’s PGA Championship at Wentworth as well as a spot in the field for the 3 Irish Open.

On Saturday, Damien Mooney finished in second place behind Higgins on three-under-par 69, while there was a six-way tie for third place on one under.