Shay’s Short Game: stellar field set for Close Championship

Top class field for Close Championship

Ireland’s amateur championship season moves into its highest gear in the coming weeks with the staging of the AIG Irish Amateur Close Championship at The European Club, the World Amateur Teams Championships at Carton House and the Home Internationals.

The Close starts next Saturday, August 4th over a links which is in remarkably fine championship condition akin to the joys acclaimed by the competitors in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Ballyliffin exactly one month ago. It can be no coincidence that both events are on great links designed by Pat Ruddy and in this case owned and managed and presented by him.

This year’s event is sure to produce plenty of excitement as the field includes former winners Jamie Fletcher and Alex Gleeson; Irish Amateur Open winners Peter O’Keeffe, Colm Campbell and Robbie Cannon (who also won the South in 2009); North of Ireland winners Ronan Lester and Sean Flanagan; South of Ireland winners Caolan Rafferty, James Sugrue and Conor Purcell; West of Ireland winner Robrt Brazill and East of Ireland winner Reece Black.

The Championship commences with strokeplay qualifying rounds on Saturday and Sunday, August 4th and 5th with the matchplay battles running from Monday through to Wednesday.

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Coulter fourth in Young Masters

Beth Coulter from Kirkistown Castle finished fourth in the European Young Masters at Hauger Golfklubb, Norway as England’s Caitlin Whitehead won the title with rounds of 71, 69 and 73 in windy conditions to finish on a total of three-under-par 213 for a three shot victory. It is the second succesive year England have won the individual Girls’ title following Lily-May Humphreys success in 2017. Coulter has rounds of 71, 72 and 75 for 218 while Aine Donegan shot 86, 78 and 76 for 240.

Sebastien Friedrichsen has won the Boys’ event with a birdie at the first hole of a playoff with Finland’s Sakke Siltala after both tied on 214. Both players had rounds of 70, 71 and 73. Ireland’s Keaton Morrison finished 23rd after shooting three 76s for 228 while Joseph Byrne carded 78, 73 and 81 for 232.

Three venues for Jack O’Driscoll Classic

Mayfield GAA Club in Cork are holding Golf Classics at three venues to raise money for the Jack O’Driscoll fund. Jack, a player with the Mayfield club, fell in the snow earlier this year and has sustained life changing injuries.

As a young man of 20, Jack is as positive and determined now as he was on the pitch. He is working hard with the medical team in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire to enable him to have some quality of life in the future. At this stage, Jack has very little movement below the chest and the medical opinion is that intensive rehab over the next few years may enable Jack, at best, to regain the use of his arms, elbows and possibly his wrists and hands. Jack will probably never walk again.

The three venues for the Classics are Fota Island on August 23rd, Cork Golf Club on August 27th and Castlemartyr Golf Club on August 28th. The event is a three person scramble and the cost per team is €300. For places on the time sheet at any of the venues contact Pat Peate 0862543927 (patpeate@yahoo.ie); Brian Walsh 0964005107; Anthony Lotty 0873131312 or Eddie McCarthy 0872769358.

Boys’ team for Royal Dornoch named

The Golfing Union of Ireland have named the Ireland team line-up for the Boys Home Internationals at Royal Dornoch in Scotland from August 7th-9th.

Six of the 11 players were automatic selections based on their position in the Bridgestone Boys International Order of Merit or the Tom Montgomery Order of Merit. Mark Power (Kilkenny), Aaron Marshall (Lisburn) and David Kitt (Athenry) secured their places via the Bridgestone Boys International Order of Merit while Max Kennedy (Royal Dublin), Luke O’Neill (Connemara) and Tom McKibbin (Holywood) earned their places through the Tom Montgomery Order of Merit.

The five remaining places went to: John Brady (Rosslare), Charlie Denvir (Elm Park), Allan Hill (Roscommon), Odhran Maguire (Slieve Russell) and Eoin Murphy (Dundalk).

This year’s selection contains five members of the team who played the Boys Home Internationals at St Anne’s Old Links in 2017, namely Brady, Denvir, Marshall, Murphy and Power. Ireland finished second behind England last year.

John Brady and Mark Power are making their third appearance at the Boys Home Internationals having also played in 2016 at Ballyliffin. Ireland last won this event in 2013 at Forest Pines.

Ireland Boys Captain Alasdair Gibson (Knock) will accompany the team along with manager John McKinstry (Cairndhu) and GUI National Coach Neil Manchip.

Lumsden Cup at The Royal Dublin

The Lumsden Cup will take place on Sunday next over the Royal Dublin Links at Dollymount, for the 91st time since its inauguration in 1926. The 36 holes event is an Open Competition for all golfers in the province of Leinster, with a handicap of nine and under.

John Lumsden, a Scottish banker after whom the trophy is named was one the true pioneers of golf in Ireland. He was a vice president of The Golfing Union of Ireland and a founding member of The Royal Dublin Golf Club. He was tireless in promoting the game of golf and was always available to assist and advise in encouraging the spread of golf throughout the country.

Back-to-back wins for Leinster

Leinster halved with Munster on the final day at Slieve Russell to complete back-to-back wins in the Under-18 Interprovincial Championship.

Unbeaten over three days, the reigning champions defeated Ulster 7-3 and halved with Connacht and Munster on their way to the title. It was a nervous finish for Leinster, who needed Charlie Denvir to win the anchor leg against Munster to be certain of the half point they needed to top the standings.

Denvir from Elm Park made an invaluable contribution over the three days with a perfect record in his three singles matches and two more points gained alongside Alex Maguire in foursomes. Max Kennedy from Royal Dublin was unbeaten with four wins and two halved matches.

Connacht finished second after they beat Ulster 6.5-3.5 on the final day while Munster had to settle for third.

Meanwhile, Ulster retained the Under-16 Interprovincial Championship despite losing their final game. The reigning champions had two big wins against Munster (4-1) and Connacht (4.5-0.5) on the opening day. It meant that Ulster needed to garner two match points from their final encounter with Leinster to keep the trophy.

It was a close-run affair in the end as Leinster claimed a 3-2 win but Conor Byrne’s 2 and 1 victory in the final game ensured Ulster finished first. Byrne took a maximum three points from this three matches to end the week as Ulster’s leading scorer. Leinster finished second overall with Connacht third following a 5-0 win in their closing match against Munster.

In the Under-14 Championship, Munster clinched victory after a dramatic finish saw them overtake Leinster. A 4-1 win over Connacht in the final round of matches ensured that Munster finished with a superior total of match points as Leinster were surprisingly beaten 3.5-1.5 by Ulster. Just half a point separated the teams at the top.

Scratch Cup circuit success for Smith

Deirdre Smith, from Co. Louth, has won the ILGU Scratch Cup Circuit for the second time. Beginning with a win at Royal County Down in early April, Smith travelled the length and breadth of the country, carding three more runner-up finishes and a course record at the Royal Portrush Zara Bolton Scratch Cup.

This year was the first where Scratch Cups were paired in order to count towards the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) and with seven separate winners in the eight events, it was clear that competition was hot throughout the Scratch Cup season.

Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe) began the circuit on a high, claiming the Carlow event in March, while Louise Coffey won the first of two events at Cork in April. On a Leaving Certificate study break, Mairead Martin (Kanturk) was on fire in Lahinch, totalling 10 under par for 36 holes and on the May Bank Holiday weekend, Anna Foster (Elm Park) claimed her first win at Hermitage. At the Ulster based Scratch Cups, Smith claimed honours in RCD while Paula Grant (Lisburn) and Lucy Simpson (Masserene) trumped at the Royal Portrush Mabel Harrison and Zara Bolton. Finally, four months late, Louise CofSebastien Friedrichsen has won the Boys’ European Young Masters title at Hauger Golfklubb, Norway. After a brilliant sand-save on the 54th hole by the Danish player, the gold medal would be decided by a ‘sudden death’ playoff between Friedrichsen and Finland’s Sakke Siltala.

Greystones win Fred Daly Leinster final

Congratulations to Greystones GC who were 4-1 winners over The Island GC in the Leinster Finals of the Fred Daly Trophy at Esker Hills GC.

Having claimed their first Leinster Pennant in 2007 and then again in 2013, Greystones GC add a third Leinster Pennant to their collection and now qualify for the Fred Daly All Irelands Finals at Tramore GC on Sunday 30 September 2018.

Also, congratulations to Highfield GC who are the winners of the Fred Daly Plate beating Wexford GC. The Plate was initiated in Leinster last year to afford clubs the opportunity to play more competitive golf at this age level during the summer months.