By SHAY KEENAN
Blast from the past at Laytown
MANY names from the past are included in the field for the Laytown and Bettystown Scratch Cup, sponsored by Hibernian Steel, on May 3rd.
The Co Meath Club, celebrating their centenary this year, have invited many of the past winners to celebrate 100 years of golf at the east cost venue.
The event is over 36 holes with a shotgun start for each 18. For timesheet contact Helen at 041-9827170
THE Kilkenny Scratch Cup, sponsored by Smithwicks, will take place at Kilkenny GC on Saturday, May 16th. The event is over 36 holes with and entry fee of €30 that also includes lunch. The time sheet is now available at 056-7765400 and the closing date is Monday, May 11th.
Cullen takes Dave Pelz gold medal
GARY CULLEN from Beaverstown GC took the overall honours and the the Dave Pelz gold medal, which is awarded to the player with the best three net scores, as the Hilary Society’s winter series concluded at Sutton last week.
Cullen beat Laytown’s Séamus Ward on the tie-breaking fourth card after they both finished on six under par. The Niall O’Brien silver medal, awarded for the best three gross scores, was won by Balbriggan’s Robbie Cannon while the seniors’ prize went to Séamus McParland from Greenore.
The winner on the day was Alan Kiernan from Forest Little with a 67 gross off three handicap from John Grant (5) of The Island on 68, beating Alan Levey of Sutton on the back nine. The best gross was 72 shot by McParland while the professionals prize was shared between Robert Giles of Greenore and Royal Dublin’s Leonard Owens. The team score was won with a 60 net by McParland, Levey and Shane Kerrigan of Beaverstown.
Killeen Castle's application approved by GUI
KILLEEN CASTLE Golf Club’s application for affiliation to the GUI has been approved and official club competitions are now under way at the Co Meath club.
Membership of the club now stands at over 230 including the 100 former Luttrellstown members who transferred to Killeen Castle.
Barry O’Connor, general manager, says that applications for membership are continuing to arrive on a daily basis and given the current level of interest he expects that membership for 2009 will be filled shortly.
The Jack Nicklaus-designed course is now open for both individual and corporate green fee play.
Green fee bookings and membership inquiries can be made at 01-6893000.
World class entry for Royal Dublin
THE Irish Amateur Open Championship, sponsored by AIB, at The Royal Dublin GC on May 8th-10th has attracted a world-class entry which includes the members of the Britain and Ireland Walker Cup squad and the defending champion, Pedro Figueiredo from Portugal.
The cut-off for the field of 120 fell at plus 0.6 and has attracted 75 overseas players from 14 countries while the Irish entry will comprise 45 players.
The Great Britain Ireland Walker Cup squad also includes the two remaining amateurs of Scotland’s three-man team that won the World Amateur Team Championship in Adelaide last November – Wallace Booth and Gavin Dear. The other Walker Cup squad players are Paul Cutler (Portstewart), Alan Dunbar (Rathmore), Luke Goddard, (England), Sam Hutsby (England), Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin), Dara Lernihan (Castle), Shane Lowry (Esker Hills), Steven McEwan (Scotland), Keir McNicoll (Scotland), Paul O’Hara (Scotland), Dale Whitnell (England), Gordon Yates (Scotland) and Ben Enoch (Wales).
McNicoll holds the lowest handicap in the field at plus six, while the leading Irish player, Lowry, plays off plus four.
Leona leads junior rankings
LEONA MAGUIRE, who won the French under-21 Amateur Championship at St Cloud Golf Club last week, leads the European PING Junior Solheim Cup ranking and is a virtual shoo-in for the team event to be played at Aurora Country Club, Aurora, Illinois, USA, on August 18th-19th.
The next qualifying events are the European Ladies’ Team Championship in Slovenia and the European Girls’ Team Championship in Finland, which both take place from July 7th-11th. The leading six players on the points table on July 13th will qualify for the team automatically while six players will receive a wild card from the European captain, Carin Koch of Sweden.
Roscommon open for play on Friday
THE newly-redesigned Roscommon Golf Club is set to open for play this Friday.
Over the last 18 months or so the club have made huge strides with their new remodelled course which includes a new 18-hole layout, nine remodelled green complexes and a completely new 16th hole – a tough par three surrounded by four greenside bunkers.
The remodel comprises of the original nine greens being upgraded to USGA specification and new designs to each complex.
The redesign team have made full use of the space of the course.
They have used some of the existing features, while lengthening some of the holes too in order to create new challenges which should be suitable to golfers of all standards.
The work on the course was carried out by Ken Kearney of Kearney Golf Design, while the construction work was undertaken by DAR Golf and has been completed on time and on budget.
Amongst the events to be hosted by the club this year on the newly-designed course are a Ladies Scratch Cup on May 30th, the GUI Men’s Senior Close Championship from July 7th to 10th and the Irish Mixed Foursomes Finals on July 25th and 26th.
SEAPOINT GC, neighbours to the venue for this year’s 3 Irish Open at Baltray GC in Co Louth next month, are offering a special deal to visitors to the Irish Open. For just €25 golfers may play in the Seapoint open days on May 12th and 13th. Tee times available at +35341 98 22 333 or www.seapointgolfclub.com.
