Short Game

Dublin claim inter-county -ON a bright and windy day at the Cloghogue course in Newry, Dublin emerged victorious in the women's Inter-County Pitch and Putt Championship with a score of six-over-par 438.

The team of Ger Ward, Sheila Elmes, Barbara Furlong, Philo Condron and Maree O’Toole were never behind and aided by a rock solid display by their number one player Ward, emerged deserving winners by a margin of three shots from a hard chasing Cork team on 441, with Tipperary third on 444.

- THE Connacht Veterans Championship, which starts today, and originally scheduled for Tuam GC, has been switched to Claremorris Golf Club.

Morrow declared winner of rained-in Leinster Seniors

THE Leinster Seniors Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by the Algarve Tourist Board, was reduced to one round due to inclement weather at The Heath Golf Club last week.

With two-thirds of the field still to complete their second round persistent rain and flooding caused the abandonment of the second round which left Adrian Morrow from Portmarnock declared the winner. Morrow had shot a superb first round four-under par 67 to lead by four shots.

Tony Hayes from The K Club took second place on 71 from Brendan McDonnell from Castlewarden and Bandon’s John Carroll on 73.

Category winners included Brian Whitaker of Elm Park, Nick Brittan from Carton House and John Moloughney from Templemore.

CONNACHT champions Portumna defeated Leinster champions Mullingar 4-1 in the final of the 3-sponsored Irish Mixed Foursomes played at Bandon Golf Club last week to capture their first green pennant.

In the semi-final matches Portumna defeated Munster champions Tramore 4-1 while Mullingar scored a 3-2 win over the Ulster champions Strabane.

THE Wicklow Scratch Cup, over 36 holes and sponsored by Under Armour, will take place in Delgany Golf Club on Sunday next.

Timesheet available for entries through www.delganygolfclub.com – online bookings, click on Open Days.

European sweep for universities

THERE was a clean sweep by Irish Universities at the first ever European Universities Golf Championship in Vale da Pinta in the Algarve in Portugal last week.

Played over four rounds, the Paddy Harrington Golf Scholarship students from NUI Maynooth won both the team and the individual titles.

The Maynooth team were nine strokes behind leaders University of Ulster going into the final round. However, scores of nine under par and four under par, saw them overturn the deficit and win the team event.

Joáo Carlota, NUI Maynooth, broke the course record with a nine-under-par 63, while his team-mate James Monaghan carded a four-under-par 68 to win the individual championship, from Aaron Kearney from the University of Ulster and Carlota.

University of Ulster were second and completing the one-two-three for Ireland were NUI Cork, while Darmstadt from Germany were fourth followed by St Gallen University from Switzerland, Malaga University from Spain and Porto University from Portugal.

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP: 1 NUI Maynooth; 2 University of Ulster; 3 NUI Cork. Individual Championship: 1 James Monaghan (NUI Maynooth); 2 Aaron Kearney (University of Ulster; 3 Joáo Carlota (NUI Maynooth).

McDonnell leads Killeavy challenge

THE FBD GAA Golf Challenge All-Ireland final takes place at Faithlegg next weekend when the four provincial champions will be joined by teams from Chicago and New York.

Steven McDonnell will be hoping he can bring some All-Ireland pride back to Ulster GAA this year as he lines out for Killeavy. McDonnell, together with his uncle Michael and team-mates Jim McKay and Michael Concannon squeezed through the Ulster final at Concra Wood after a countback to beat the local Oram team by two points.

The Connacht and Leinster finals were equally nail-biting. At Naas, Dublin club St Jude’s left it to the last putt to secure the Leinster title and prevent northside rivals and All-Ireland champions St Brigid’s from making it four provincial titles in a row. While in Roscommon, Claremorris held their nerve to see off the challenge of St Dominic’s in another tight finish.

Munster champions Clonoulty-Rossmore complete the Irish line-up and they will be led by former All Star Declan Ryan. Wolfe Tones GAA Club of Chicago and Donegal GAA Club of New York will cross the Atlantic to represent the US and with 2005 champions Claremorris the only qualifiers who have claimed the title in the past, there’s every possibility a brand new All-Ireland champion could be added to the roll of honour.

Thomas back to defend Seniors title

WELSH International Vicki Thomas defends her Irish Senior Women’s Open Strokeplay title when competitors tee up at Laytown and Bettystown Golf Club this morning in the first of three days of action.

In last years event, Thomas holed from eight feet for birdie at the last to defeat Strabanes Helen Jones by one stroke for her second title in three years, having won previously in Woodbrook in 2006.

This year’s field of 80 includes competitors from right across Europe and North America and should be as competitive as ever, with the majority of players availing of the additional practice in advance of next week’s Senior British Open at Pyle and Kenfig in Wales.

With the full Ireland squad from the Senior Women’s European Team Championship in action, home favourite Phil O’Gorman looks the most likely to secure an Irish victory, the first since Mary McKenna’s successful outing at Baltray in 2001.

McConnell North’s strokeplay king

EVEN the elements couldn’t dampen the spirits or hinder the drama that unfolded as Simon McConnell claimed the inaugural North of Ireland Strokeplay Championship after a play-off at Galgorm Castle GC in Ballymena last week.

The new 36-hole event, sponsored by Specsavers, took place on Sunday and attracted a top field of over 50 players from all over Ireland and Scotland, including current East of Ireland champion and Irish international Paul Cutler plus Ireland veteran and former professional Jim Carvill, who was the man denied by McConnell at the first play-off hole.

Scoring after the first round at the Ballymena venue was hotly contested, with Ballyclare’s McConnell and Warrenpoint’s Carvill tied at the top after their three-under-par 69s.

McConnell showed great composure and made par while his opponent could only manage bogey.