SHORT GAME:STEPHANIE MEADOW celebrated her selection to play for Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup match at Nairn from June 8th to 10th by finishing joint-sixth in a field of 90 players in the Liz Murphey US Collegiate Classic over the University of Georgia course on Sunday.
Meadow carded three rounds of 71 over a par-72 course for a 213 total – four shots behind the winner, Alabama team-mate Jennifer Kirby, who shot rounds of 66, 72 and 71.
Emily Tubert from Arkansas University and Marta Silva Zamora from Georgia shared third place after both finished on 211. Alabama won the team event from Georgia.
Smith claims opening Scratch Cup
DEIRDRE SMITH from Co Louth claimed the first Scratch Cup of the 2012 season by a margin of one stroke at the Zara Bolton Scratch Cup, sponsored by The Ramore Restaurant, at Royal Portrush last week.
Playing over the Valley course and trailing Sarah Cunningham from Ennis by one stroke after the first round, Smith called on her vast experience to card a 74 in the second round while Cunningham slipped to joint-fourth after a 77.
Muskerry’s Jean O’Driscoll leap-frogged the field to finish second after an impressive closing 71 while Victoria Bradshaw from Bangor signed for a second 74 to finish third.
Smith now leads the ILGU/Titleist Scratch Cup circuit from Bradshaw with Gillian O’Leary (Cork) and Jessica Carty (Hollywood) closely behind in third. The circuit now moves 50 miles south to the Championship links for the Royal Co Down Scratch Salver. With four events from six to count, points are awarded to players who shoot scores within three strokes of the competition scratch score, with the winner being crowned after the Hermitage Scratch Cup in early May.
THE DublinScratch Foursomes, which is run annually by Grange Golf Club, takes place this year on Sunday, April 15th. Details from the general manager, Grange Golf Club, 01-4932889.
Walton set to compete on the European Senior Tour
PHILIP WALTON reached another milestone in his career last week when he became eligible to play on the European Senior Tour as he celebrated his 50th birthday.
A three-time winner on the the European Tour, Walton – with victories in the Open de Catalonia, Peugeot Open de France and Murphy’s English Open – is best known for his victory in the 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill, New York, playing Jay Haas of the USA in the penultimate singles,
Walton held his nerve to two-putt the final green and secure a historic win for Europe – much to the delight of his team captain Bernard Gallacher.
After turning professional in 1983 Walton went on to win the Irish PGA Championship four times. In 1995 Walton, Ronan Rafferty and David Feherty won the Alfred Dunhill Cup.
Away from competition Walton has also been involved in golf club design and counts the County Tipperary Golf Club at Dundrum House amongst those projects, a 150-acre course specifically designed to use the natural features of woodland, parkland and the Multeen river.
Walton embarks on the next stage of a lengthy golfing career when he officially joins the European Senior Tour circuit. In the mix on the tour will also be some of his old adversaries, including Ian Woosnam, to whom he lost that Carroll’s Irish Open play-off at Portmarnock in 1988.
Turner challenge fades in Delhi
NIALL TURNER’S good form on the Asian Tour continued at the weekend when he finished in a tie for 16th place at the Panasonic Open India at Delhi Golf Club.
Turner finished in disappointing fashion with a final round of 74, his worst round of the week to end on one-under par overall, although he will have been boosted by his opening three rounds of 73, 69 and 71. The event was won by India’s Digvijay Singh on 11-under par, two clear of the rest of the field.
Sam Torrance, the victorious former Ryder Cup captain, received a lifetime achievement award at the 2012 Annodata Scottish Golf Awards. Torrance was given the award in the year that marks a decade since he led the European team to victory over the United States at the Belfry.
The 58-year-old became the third recipient of the award after former Open Champion Paul Lawrie and 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.
Malahide win Leinster matchplay title
IN unusual warm summer conditions at a well-presented Naas GC, Malahide Community School won the Leinster final of the Irish Schools’ Matchplay Championships, defeating Kilkenny College 4-1.
Gavin Moynihan led the way with a hard-earned one-hole victory over Brendan Dowling. Paul McBride added a second point with a 4 and 3 win over Joshua Glass while Conor Purcell secured the victory beating Jeremy Duncan by the same margin. Darren Glennon and Ross Steedman finished level as did Jushua McDonnell and Harry Duggan.
THE Irishteam for the Four Nations Under-16 Development Match at Hilton Templepatrick GC on Thursday, Friday and Saturday is: Marc Boucher (Carton House), David Carey (Hermitage), Caolan Kennedy (Forrest Little), Rowan Lester (Hermitage), Neil McKinstry (Cairndhu), Cameron Mills (Shandon Park), Tommy O'Driscoll (Tralee/Ring of Kerry), James Sugrue (Mallow).
Power wins first eGolf Tour title
WEST Waterford’s Séamus Power (left) shot a final-round 70 to win his first eGolf Tour title as well as the $15,000 (€11,300) first prize at the River Run Classic in North Carolina.
Power had entered the final round on 14-under-par and with a three-shot lead following rounds of 64 and 66 and with his final round of 70 left him on 16-under-par and title winner by two shots ahead of Canadian Cam Burke.
The River Run Classic is the fifth of 24 scheduled events on the 2012 eGolf Tour schedule and is the first of 10 scheduled 54-hole events on the tour’s 2012 schedule.
“This win is great for me,” said Power, who moved up to number seven on the tour’s money list with earnings of $20,893 (€16,000). “The money obviously helps, but more importantly, it moves me further up the list where I can hopefully get Q-School paid for by finishing in the top 20. That was one of my goals this year, so this helps a lot.”
Power had been showing good form as at the previous week’s Irish Creek Classic rounds of 62 and 70 gave him the tournament’s 18- and 36-hole leads, but closing rounds of 73 and 72 left him tied for 22nd. Regardless, that experience paid dividends at River Run, where he bounced back for his first win.
