The neighbours in Kilkenny are well accustomed to the sight of trophies being hauled out of the backs of cars and into the Power household. But the one brought over the threshold last Sunday was unique in that it was a team affair as Eddie and wife Eileen Rose joined forces to win the East of Ireland Mixed Foursomes championship, sponsored by Cassidy's Hotel, at Luttrellstown Castle.
"It's the first time we've won it together, so it was a bit special," admitted Eddie. Ironically, he'd won the event at Milltown in 1994 in partnership with another Irish international Kate MacCann. "Eileen Rose gave me the push for that one and told me to find someone else," he joked.
Indeed, Curtis Cup player Eileen Rose was due a change in fortune in the event. On two previous occasions, she had finished in fourth place - along with Eddie - and, last year, she was runner-up with her brother, Kevin McDaid, which was played when her husband was away competing for Ireland in a representative match with the New York Metropolitan Golf Association.
After an opening round 78 which included a triple bogey and a double bogey, the Power partnership had to produce good golf to win this prestigious competition, which attracted a strong invasion force that included British Open amateur champion Alison Rose, who played with Scotland's Stephen Marshall.
However, the main threat to the eventual winners actually emerged from David Coolican, of Milltown, and Irish international Alison Coffey, of Warrenpoint. In fact, the Coolican-Coffey foursome led by two shots going into the final round - and it took an exceptionally good round from the Powers to go on and win by three strokes.
In effect, it developed into a matchplay-like situation in the final round and the Powers actually went one shot ahead with a birdie at the fourth hole. That minimum margin stayed in place until the 16th, where Eileen Rose hit an eight-iron approach to six feet and Eddie sank the putt. Seconds earlier, Coolican had watched as his 15-foot birdie attempt agonisingly lipped out. So, two shots ahead with two to play, the margin increased to three after their opponents took three from the edge of the green at the 17th.
"We were thrilled with the win," said Eddie. "We were under a considerable amount of pressure to perform." The Powers had rounds of 78-7472 for 224, a three-shot margin over Coolican and Coffey, with Elm Park duo of Michael Turley and Paula Gorman three shots further adrift. The prize for best nett went to Rory O'Keeffe (Skerries) and Lily Owens (Malahide).
Angela Palmer, the lady president at The Kerries club in Tralee, was in hot-form on the double last week. Angela won the 18-holes stableford event with 35 points and, a few days later, teamed up with Tom Nix and Michael Hennebry to finish runners-up in the mixed scramble.
