Short game

Compiled by SHAY KEENAN

Loftus edges out Hurley on back nine

NUI Maynooth made it a one-two in the Men's Intervarsity Series at Carton House last week, with Declan Loftus shooting a two-under-par round of 70 on the Montgomerie Course to edge out Irish Intervarsity champion Gary Hurley on the back nine.

Both finished a shot ahead of the evergreen Joe Lyons – the 2007 West of Ireland champion, now a mature student at NUI Galway, shooting 32 on the back nine for a one-under-par 71.

In the women’s competition, Paula Grant of the University of Ulster shot an impressive 76 to take the spoils by two shots from DCU’s Carla Reynolds.

INTERVARSITY SERIES

Men: 70: D Loftus (NUIM), G Hurley (NUIM) 71: J Lyons (NUIG) 72: D Byrne (NUIG), S Guilfoyle (NUIM), J Hickey (Cork IT) 73: R Gribben (Ulster), C O’Rourke (NUIM), L Harnett (UCD), E O’Donovan (NUIM), J Pierse (UCD) 74: M McClean (Ulster), A Lowry (NUIM), J Roche (NUIM). 76: C Rafferty (DKIT). 77: D Whitty (WIT), C Slevin (NUIM), D Coghlan (TCD), D McDonough (NUIG), R Carvill (Ulster), J Robinson (Ulster), S McCarthy (NUIM), H McHugh (TCD).

Women: 76: P Grant (Ulster) 78: C Reynolds (DCU) 80: K Coey (Ulster) 81: J Sykes (NUIM) 82: J Boal (Ulster), S Sexton (NUIM) 83: L McCarthy (UCC) 84: J Coyne (UCC) 85: R Brady (Ulster) 87: A Farrell (DCU).

Matsuyama climbs back into top 10

Hideki Matsuyama makes the most significant move on last week’s World Amateur Golf Ranking. The two-time Asian amateur champion climbs back into the world top 10. Matsuyama climbs to sixth in the ranking.

The Japanese player has come close this season to emulating his victory on last year’s Japan Tour. He bettered the professionals last year when he won the Taiheiyo Masters, and nearly did so again this season on several occasions with four top 10s in five starts on the Japan Tour.

Matsuyama finished runner-up in the Sun Chlorella Classic and Dunlop Phoenix, fourth in the Taiheiyo Masters and seventh in the Japan Open.

Australia’s Olive Goss was also impressive amongst the professionals recently with a top-20 finish in the Talisker Masters on the PGA Tour of Australia.

North Dublin Captains' festive outing at Malahide

THE North Dublin Golf Club Captains Association will hold their Christmas outing, agm and dinner this coming Friday at Malahide Golf Club.

The golfing timesheet is booked from 9am through to 1.30pm, with the AGM to follow at 5pm, while the dinner will take place at 6pm.

The annual delegates meetings in all four provinces are scheduled for this evening with Leinster Branch at Carton House, Maynooth, at 7.30pm; Munster at the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, Co Cork at 6pm; the Connacht Branch meet at the Abbey Hotel Roscommon, 7.30pm and Ulster at Shandon Park GC at 7pm.

Wilmington to host 2013 Palmer Cup

WILMINGTON Country Club has been announced as the 2013 Palmer Cup venue. The annual Ryder Cup-style competition between the best collegiate golfers from the US and Europe will be played June 7th-9th on the South Course.

The club is located in Wilmington, Delaware, and Robert Trent Jones is credited with the initial design and construction of the South Course.

It underwent an extensive renovation in 2009, led by golf course architect Keith Foster.

Wilmington CC hosted the US Junior Amateur in 1965, and has since hosted the 1971 US Amateur, 1978 US Junior and Girls’ Junior and the 2003 US Mid-Amateur.

The US leads the Palmer Cup series, 8-7-1 but Europe are the current holders of the trophy.

Marren grabs first eagle after 40 years

THEY say patience is a virtue. Well just ask Matt Marren, who has been a member of Letterkenny GC for over 40 years and who has played golf for all of those years, apart from a short break about eight years ago to have a new heart put in place.

In a recent singles competition at the Co Donegal club, Marren had reason to celebrate as he recorded the first eagle of his long golfing career when his eight-iron second shot to the green at the fourth hole rolled into the hole.

No luck for Irish PGA team

THE Irish team, captained by John Kelly and made up of David Ryan and Donal Gleeson, finished in 10th place at the PGAs of Europe International Team Championships in Portugal last week.

The four-round event – which featured 15 different nations – was eventually won by Scotland by nine shots from joint runners-up Holland and England. It was their seventh time to win the tournament.