A rivalry that reaches a new level

PHILIP REIDwitnessed former hurling greats from Kilkenny and Tipperary do battle on the golf course

AH, THE old story of conflict and resolution. You throw down a challenge to the old warhorses of Tipperary and Kilkenny and you just know that their competitive instincts can’t resist it, a chance to get one over on the other.

It doesn’t matter that this sporting rivalry involves threading in the footsteps of other sporting legends – Tiger Woods et al – on the Palmer Ryder Cup course at The K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare, rather than in front of around 80,000 at Croke Park, belting a smaller white ball with 336 dimples rather than a leather sliothar and with metal heads rather than ash. It’s Tipperary versus Kilkenny and, deep down, that’s enough to stir the desire that all sporting greats have to finish on the right side of the final score.

Between them, these hurlers of renown possess 16 All-Ireland hurling medals and when Eddie Keher and Babs Keating were on opposing sides in the All-Ireland final of 1971 – the first to be shot in colour on RTÉ television – Keher shot 2-11 and found himself on the losing side as a bare-footed Keating inspired Tipp to a win over their great rivals.

That was then, this is now: Keher and DJ Carey, representing Kilkenny, stand on the first tee and realise they have the same ball.

“I’ll play a Titleist 1 to start,” says Carey, a five-handicapper and the low man of the quartet.

“I’ve a Titleist 1 too, but I’ve markings all over it,” replies Keher.

Yet, for this knee-wobbling opening tee shot, it is as if the pair are determined there will be no mix-up: Carey’s drive is pushed way right into the trees, never to be seen again, and Keher’s opening tee-shot is reminiscent of Tiger Woods’s pull-hooked drive on the first hole of the 2006 Ryder Cup as it curls left into the lake.

Tipperary men and both Keating and John Leahy respond by finding the fairway . . . and although Leahy’s three-wood approach disappears right in the strong winds never to be seen, Keating’s seven-iron approach to the heart of the green and two-putts for par is sufficient to set down the marker.

“We’ve an old saying in Tipp, ‘beat the feckers back to Freshford’,” quips Keating, rekindling a sentiment that no doubt has been heard in many a Tipp dressingroom down the years. Leahy, a player under Keating’s management in All-Ireland successes, laughs with its familiarity.

For sure, Keating’s philosophy that a quick start – be it in hurling or golf – is important is emphasised by another winning par on the second hole, where Keher is left with a two and a half footer for a share of the spoils.

“If Eddie had a free 40 years ago, you’d give it to him . . . . but you wouldn’t give him that,” whispers Keating, his call backed up when the ball slides by the hole. These one-time sporting adversaries have, in fact, been on family holidays together for the last 13 years: Keating knows when and where to concede a putt. This was not such a time.

Keating, a 12-handicapper out of Hermitage, was on fire for the opening four holes which, in tough conditions, he covered in one under – par-par-par-birdie – using a wedge acquired on a trip to Pebble Beach years ago like a magic want to give the two Tipp men a four-hole lead in the fourball format off three-quarter handicaps.

“I’ll come calling yet,” Keating reminds Leahy, a remark that was to have more than a semblance of truth in it as the match turned from a runaway win into a closely-fought affair more in tune with the hurling rivalry.

Four down after four holes, Keher and Carey managed to stop the rot by halving the fifth and, finally, won the par three eighth where Leahy was bunkered off the tee and Keating’s tee shot dived into the Liffey. Keher and Carey, in the unfamiliar position of having the honour on the ninth, pause for breath; and Keher recounts an old story of a hurling manager from Graiguenamanagh in Kilkenny venturing into Mullinahone – Leahy’s home town – to find out some information on their opponents for an upcoming club hurling tournament final.

When the Kilkenny man wanders into the bar and inquires about the make-up of the Mullinahone team, he’s told they’re all up at the boxing club and, sure enough, on making his way up to the gym, he finds them working out on punch bags.

So, it was that the last words spoken by the manager to his team as they left the dressingroom the following week for the final were, “if there’s any trouble, whatever you do, don’t drop your hurleys . . . they’re all trained boxers.”

If Messrs Keating and Leahy figured they had delivered the knockout punch on their opponents on the front nine, after which they turned three-up, there was to be a rude awakening as the players turned for home. Kilkenny men don’t give up easily, and the natural competitiveness of Keher and Carey meant they rolled up their sleeves.

On the par five 10th, 561 yards off the white tees being used in the challenge, Carey hit driver-five wood to 20 feet and, although his eagle putt didn’t drop, the winning birdie was sufficient to reduce arrears to two holes. Match on! After the par three 12th, where Keating was in the water left and Leahy over the green, Carey and Keher reduced the deficit to just one hole. The match was well and truly on.

Carey, who grew up in Gowran to tales of Keher’s hurling wizardry but only got to see him play once in the flesh, is fascinated by his countyman’s competitiveness.

“He really wants to win. He’s jumping all over the place (when hitting the ball),” says Carey of Keher’s unique style, “but it’s like he has the ball on a string.”

And, indeed, Keher – a nine-handicapper and playing despite tweaking his back earlier in the day when over-stretching with a hedge trimmer – demonstrates a hand-eye co-ordination that once upon a time had no equal on the hurling pitch.

The back nine proved to be a roller-coaster ride: Keating and Leahy won the 14th and 15th holes to regain their three-hole advantage, but Keher’s never-say-die attitude (and as deft a shot from greenside rough to a matter of inches from the cup) on the 16th, the course’s signature hole, for a winning par and then an up-down par from Carey to win the 17th meant it was still all to play for as the players marched to the 18th tee.

“Could we have a repeat of ’59?” asks Keating, referring to the last All-Ireland hurling final to finish in a draw.

The 18th is a dogleg par five of 518 off the white tees, and the pressure was put on Leahy after Keating’s drive found bunkers off the tee. Both Keher and Carey had hit superb drives, and Leahy responded in kind. The next question: to lay up or go for the green, some 266 yards away?

“DJ could get there with an iron,” says Keating, making up Leahy’s mind for him. And the 15-handicapper produced a fine three-wood approach which found a greenside bunker, from where he played a good sand shot and two putts for a par to halve the hole and win the match.

So, any omens in the one-hole win for Tipperary ahead of next Sunday’s renewal of rivalry in the All-Ireland hurling final? Not so, it would seem, with all four legendary players believing that Kilkenny will claim the Liam McCarthy Cup for a fourth successive time.

“Tipp is the team that’s coming, Kilkenny’s the team that’s been there. I still think Kilkenny can hold on and win by three or four points,” observes Keher, while Carey concurs that Kilkenny “have the edge” and even the two Tipperary men sided with the Cats.

“At the end of the day, Kilkenny are going for that special four in a row and they know it, and all the resources are going to be put into that,” says Keating, while Leahy, making the point that traditionally Tipperary have more often than not beaten Kilkenny in All-Ireland finals, admits: “It’s going to be very hard for Tipp to play with the intensity that Kilkenny will throw at them. The occasion won’t bother them because they have been there the past number of years. I know there is a lot of hype around Tipperary, and that might rub off on them negatively, because it’ll be an occasion in Tipperary and Kilkenny are going up to do a job.”

• Eddie Keher is a patron of the FBD GAA All-Ireland Golf Challenge.

10th FBD GAA All-Ireland Golf Challenge Final

THE DONEGAL GAA club of New York became the last team to book their place in the 10th FBD GAA All-Ireland Golf Challenge Final which takes place at Faithlegg House Hotel and Golf Club on September 12th-13th. The New York champions were triumphant at the Links at Union Vale over the weekend and will join the four provincial winners and the Chicago champions to battle it out for a chance to win an All-Ireland trophy for their club.

Steven McDonnell will be hoping he can bring some pride back to Ulster GAA this year as he lines out for his club, Killeavy. McDonnell, together with his uncle Michael and team- mates Jim McKay and Michael Concannon squeezed through the Ulster final at Concra Wood in Co Monaghan after a count-back on the back nine to beat local team 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 to prevent current All-Ireland champions St Brigid’s from making it four provincial titles in a row.

In Roscommon, Mayo representatives Claremorris held their nerve to see off the challenge of the local team from St Dominics.

Munster champions Clonoulty-Rossmore will be led by former Tipperary All Star Declan Ryan. Wolfe Tones GAA Club of Chicago will join Donegal GAA Club of New York in crossing the Atlantic to represent the US . With 2005 champions Claremorris the only qualifiers who have claimed the title in the past, there’s every possibility that a new champion could be added to the roll of honour.