The Short Game

The day's other stories in brief

Lessons for fans

Fans at this week's Smurfit Kappa European Open at The K Club are again being offered the opportunity to improve their game.

For the fifth successive year, tournament co-sponsors 02 Ireland will be providing professional tuition at their teaching academy, which will be manned by Irish PGA professionals in an area adjacent to the practice ground of the Smurfit course.

Proceeds go to Irish Autism Action, with a €5 donation for adults, while lessons are free to anyone under 16 years of age. It is anticipated that up to 1,500 individual lessons will be given.

The academy will run from 10am to 6pm on Thursday to Saturday (closing between 1pm and 2pm each day) and from 10am to 1pm on Sunday.

Harps in fine tune

Home side Derrygonnelly Harps GAA club from Fermanagh will once again represent Ulster in the final of the FBD All Ireland Golf Challenge following their great performance to clinch the provincial title at Castle Hume GC, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. History was also made, as Derrygonnelly Harps are the first team in the eight years the event is running to retain their provincial title. The quartet of Pat Duffy, Patsy Burns, Dermot Burns and Gerard Dundas just pipped former All Ireland champions Drumrath Sarsfields on a countback as they finished on 84 points.

Derrygonnelly had a back-nine total of 46 pts to Drumrath's 40 pts.

The Harps will now take on the best of GAA golfers from Leinster, Connacht and Munster at the All Ireland final of the challenge over two days at Faithlegg Hotel and Golf Club, Waterford, on September 8th and 9th.

'The Swing' unveiled

Ryder Cup hero, and European Team vice-captain for 2008, Paul McGinley last week unveiled the new sculpture known as The Swing at the Hollystown Golf Roundabout in Dublin 15, in the presence of the mayor of Fingal County Council, Alan Farrell.

The sculpture was commissioned by Oliver Barry, owner of Hollystown Golf Club, in conjunction with Fingal County Council to mark the development of the Hollystown area over the past 10 years and to celebrate the 15th birthday of Hollystown Golf Club.

It was designed by Alan Ryan Hall, an internationally renowned sculptor based in Valentia Island, Co Kerry. Ryan Hall won a competition run by Hollystown Golf Club and Fingal County Council to find a piece of art to represent The Hollystown Golf Community and the greater area of Dublin 15.

Keating lifts title

Australian Stacey Keating, who opened her account in the Irish Women's Strokeplay Championship with an unimpressive 80, reversed her fortunes in the closing two rounds to lift the title at Clandeboye on Sunday. The overnight leader, Aussie Emma Bennett, returned a disappointing 79, but Keating followed her initial score of 80 with below par rounds of 72 and 73, giving her the winning aggregate score of 225. In second and third places were Irish players Niamh Kitching (Claremorris) and Marian Riordan (Tipperary), just pipping another Aussie, Bree Arthur, and Stephanie Evans from Wales.

Gerry O'Keeffe of Waterford GC won the Leinster Veterans' Amateur Open Championship at Killerig Golf Club last week, recording a six-stroke victory over Muskerry's Paddy Harrington. O'Keeffe added a 77 to his opening round of 75. Third place went to Blainroe's Eamon Connolly.

Leona pips her twin

The Maguire twins, Leona and Lisa, from the Slieve Russell Club, led the way in the Connacht Girls Championship at Loughrea last week, with the Julie Conroy Trophy going to Leona by just one shot from Lisa. Leona had two rounds of 76 for a 152 total with Lisa on 153 and Ciara Butler from Newlands third on 155.

The Juvenile Trophy (under-15) also went to Leona with the Bently Trophy for best nett going to Diandra O'Connell from Ennis on 144.

The Connacht Under-15 Girls Interprovincial Team (Portarlington, July 31st) is: Daryl Conroy (Castlebar), Niamh Carty (Co Sligo), Aisling Hill (Roscommon), Megan O'Hara (Co Sligo), Holly Robinson (Co Sligo), with Shauna Brady (Co Sligo) first reserve.

Big hitters take note

With $500,000 in prize-money up for grabs at the RE/MAX Long Drive World Championships in America later this year, Ballykisteen Hotel and Golf Resort in Co Tipperary is set to host the qualifying Long Drive Championship of Ireland on Sunday, July 15th.

Open to professionals and amateurs, the top five players from the Irish championship will advance to the European Finals on September 9th, as well as two qualifiers from both the seniors (45+) and ladies division.

The qualifiers will advance to the European finals in The Netherlands where hopefuls will try to make it on to the world stage in Nevada in October and take home the lucrative pay cheque.

Further information from the tournament director on (086) 233 8764 and goltour@o2.ie.

Juveniles for Laytown

The Laytown and Bettystown Juvenile Championship, now called the East of Ireland Juvenile Championships, will be held at the Meath Links next Tuesday and Wednesday, July 11th and 12th. This is the 45th year of the Drogheda Concentrates-sponsored event which entertains over 250 young golfers over the two days. Boys and girls will compete in nine competitions ranging from the famous Pee Wee Trophy for boys and girls under-eight to the girls under-21 championship on the final day. Prize winners in last year's successful event came from as far afield as Belfast and Connemara.

To book places call 041-9827563 between 9am and 5pm.

Turley to the fore

The low handicappers came to the fore in Patrick Crosbie's Captain's Prize at Howth on Saturday as Tom Turley came charging out of the pack with a superb second-day display to take victory. Turley had started the day five points behind the four leaders, but on a day when play was delayed by five and a half hours because of the mist sitting over the Hill of Howth, Turley, playing off a handicap of six, produced a stunning second round of 38 points, in extremely testing, windy conditions to win on the second 18 from Brian Gallagher, who recorded 33 points on day two.

Starting on the back nine, Turley had equal nines of 19 points to pip seven handicapper Gallagher, who had been one of four players on 39 points after day one. In third was John Costello (12) on 71 points, following a second best of the day 34 points, to go along with an opening 37. Two of the joint first-round leaders, Martin Cleary (13) and Robert Fallon (14), were next best also on 71 points.

The veteran's prize went to Séamus McLoughlin, with Dermot Toomey, the best Past Captain's winner, Ciarán Mulhall the Committee prize winner and Pat Lambe taking the gross.

Curragh scratch event

On Sunday, July 22nd, the Curragh Golf Club will stage its 18th Ladies Scratch Cup. And as an added bonus for players this year they will be playing over the newly upgraded course. This 36-hole competition will be a shotgun start at 9am and 2pm. Entry fee of a30 includes lunch and dinner. Entries limited to the lowest 60 handicaps of 12 handicap or below. The closing date for entries is Monday July 16th. The competition will count for Order of Merit points, including the senior order.

Entries should be sent to Scratch Cup, Ladies section, Curragh Golf Club, Curragh, Co Kildare, or emailed to Sineadkeane@ireland.com. The club can be contacted at 045-441238 for more details.

O'Malley likes June

Setting club records is nothing new to Cathal O'Malley of Westport. The month of June has just seen him play some superb golf.

Midway through the month, O'Malley recorded four sub-rounds of 70 in the Midland Scratch Cup to finish third, a week later he shot nine under par in a club competition - which amounted to 44 points off a plus one handicap, and then finally in Tony McCabe's Captain's Prize he picked up the gross prize with a score of 69, four under par.

His reward for such a marvellous display of consistent golf was that he became the first Westport golfer in 99 years to reach a handicap of plus two.

For the record books, he was also the first Westport golfer to reach +1.