Short Game

Other golf stories in brief

Grange lift Irish TimesShield at home

HOME advantage proved vital as Grange GC bridged a 72-year gap to lift The Irish Times Shield in the Leinster Alliance outing last week.

Their team of four, led by club captain Brian Treston with Tony Frew, captain of the Leinster Alliance, John Nolan and Brian Williams, amassed 105 points to win on the fourth card from Elm Park to record only their third success in the competition.

In the individual event Williams led the way with the best score of the day, 40 points off a nine handicap, with Jamie Keegan from Old Conna next on 38, winning on the back nine from Noel Mannion (7) from Dún Laoghaire.

The gross went to Keegan Cummings, a four-handicapper from Elm Park, with 35 points, with Dún Laoghaire scratch player John McDermott second on 33.

The next outing of the Alliance is at Carton House on Sunday, September 13th. Time sheet with Michael Neary at 01-2827297.

Ulster U-15 girls claim four-in-a-row

THE Ulster team impressed yet again to take the Girls' under-15 Interprovincial title for the fourth successive year with Munster again the runners-up at Athy GC.

Munster started the final brightly, with the emerging Chloe Ryan recording a notable 6 and 4 victory over Jessica Carty.

However, Ulster had strength in depth, with seasoned campaigners Jessica Boal and Colette McNichol and newcomers to the team Laura Fekkes and Sarah Boden all winning their matches.

Leinster turned on the style in their battle against Connacht to take third place.

Emma Murphy, Jenny Sykes and Shannon Heery all won by convincing margins. However, Roscommon's Bláithín O'Brien and April Timothy pulled two matches back for Connacht before Rebecca O'Regan secured the tie for Leinster.

In the semi-finals Ulster eased past Connacht 5-2½, while Munster were comfortable 5-1 winners over Leinster.

Dunne the first to retain Boys' title

PAUL DUNNE from Greystones became the first player to successfully defend the Irish Boys Amateur Close Championship and the first player to win the title twice with a two-shot victory over Knock's Colin Fairweather at Bangor Golf Club.

Dunne, who will captain the Britain and Ireland boys team which take on the Continent of Europe for the Jacques Leglise Trophy at Ganton later this week, fired rounds of 73 and 67 on a blustery final day's play.

Reeve Whitson from Mourne, who started the day 10 strokes off the halfway lead, set an early target with two 67s for a four round total of 282, before Knock's Colin Fairweather raised the bar with a closing 69 for a total of three-under-par 281.

Dunne edged a stroke ahead of Fairweather with a birdie four on the 16th hole, a par followed on the 17th before Dunne finished in style, holing a 12-footer for birdie on the final hole.

Moyola Park's Chris Selfridge, who will represent Ireland with Dunne in the Junior Players Championship at Sawgrass in September, won the under-17 trophy, while 2008 under-15 champion Dermot McElroy from Ballymena won the under-16 title.

Husband and wife clean up in captain's prizes at Clane

TO win one Captain's Prize in the family is good, but how about claiming two? Well, that is what happened at Clane Golf Club this year as a husband and wife won the club's two big prizes.

The successful couple in question were John and Catherine Nolan. John won Pat Quinn's Captain's Prize, while Catherine was victorious in Moira Daly's Lady Captain's Prize.

Catherine's victory was actually her second success in three years as she won Mary Coonan's prize in 2007, while playing off a handicap of 21.

This year's win was done in some style. Starting the competition off a handicap of 18, she held a five-shot lead after day one and despite having to play day two off 15, she was undaunted and with a 36-hole total of 139 she marched to an 11-shot victory over her nearest rival, Theresa Redmond (32), with Catherine Murphy (21) in third on 154.

John's victory, however, was a much closer affair. Playing off a handicap of 19, John - a Laois minor hurler in his youth - shot a nett 65 on day one. His nett 62 on day two, however, was just enough to give him a one-shot winning margin over a host of players which included Seán Byrne (14), Paddy Kennedy (19), Niall Bryan (12) and Pat McDonnell (10).

Having been a member of the club for 19 years, this was John's first major success on the golf course, but a truly memorable one.

Ireland defend Home Internationals

THE Ireland team which sets out tomorrow to defend their Home Internationals title at Hillside Golf Club in England is a mixture of experience and debutants - the newcomers being Robert Cannon, Kelan McDonagh and Paul O'Kane. Walker Cup team member Niall Kearney Irish Close champion Pat Murray will bring the experience.

The Irish are likely to face stiff opposition to retain their crown. The English team boasts no fewer than seven Walker Cup team members and with World Champions Scotland also fielding a strong team.

-THERE was a surprise guest at the Lahinch Captain's Dinner in Paul O'Connell of Limerick, captain of the recent Lions team in South Africa.

Lahinch captain Austin Slattery, presented him with a set of golf cuff links, each bearing a symbol of the Lions and the goat, with which Lahinch has become associated.

O'Connell, who plays off five, said he was proud to be a member of Lahinch, particularly when approached by an American in South Africa who said he too was proud to be a member of the Lahinch club and liked the coincidence.

He said he had been playing golf in Limerick since he was 15 years of age. Robert McCavery, the professional at the club, said: "As you would expect, he has not been seen as much at Lahinch for the last two years with his commitment to rugby."

Gleeson among 'Boys' favourites

ALEX Gleeson, a member of the Castle and Co Sligo, Ross Young from Rosslare and Gary Walshe from Waterford Castle will be among the favourites to lift the Boys' Under-15 Close title at Mallow GC this week.

Gleeson is having an excellent season, with victories in Connacht and Ulster and a second in Leinster, while Young was successful in Leinster and Walshe in Munster.

To add to his reputation Gleeson was also a member of the Castle team that won the Leinster Junior Cup title and will represent the province in the Bulmers All-Ireland finals at Tullamore GC from September 16th-19th.