GOLF ALL-IRELAND CUPS AND SHIELDS FINALSTHE GREEN piece of fabric is a symbol of greatness and, more often than not, it is hard won. Yesterday, Warrenpoint discovered just how hard. In a Barton Shield final with a stubborn Tramore side, Warrenpoint – who had looked set for a runaway win at one point – stumbled over the line, although the hard-fought nature of the one-hole victory probably brought greater satisfaction than if it had been won out the country.
On a day when a cool wind coming off the north Atlantic accentuated the challenge on a course of sand dunes and copious gorse bushes and rough which devoured wayward balls, Warrenpoint – a youthful team with Colm Campbell, at 24, the oldest member – successfully completed the first leg of a planned three-part assault on these Chartis All-Ireland Cups and Shields finals.
Warrenpoint – who today go in search of more glory in the Irish Senior Cup and the Jimmy Bruen – showed resilience to match some sublime shot-making in annexing the Barton Shield, with Tramore left to ponder what might have been after a great fightback.
“Unbelievable, we grafted our way in . . . we love doing it down the stretch,” said Ryan Gribben, who partnered Colm Campbell Jnr to a crucial share of the spoils in the second foursomes against Alan Thomas and David Kiely.
Their halved match, in which Gribben forcefully played a wedge approach on to the 18th green from a seemingly impossible lie in thick rough on the side of a mound for a par, was sufficient – if just about – to secure a win, but only after Thomas, whose putter had worked so well all day, missed a seven-footer birdie putt which would have forced a sudden-death play-off.
In Barton Shield, with the scores from the two foursomes combined to provide the overall result, Paul Reavey and Stephen Coulter had managed to eke out a one-hole win over Chris Butler and Declan King in the top match after what had been a rollercoaster ride.
From early on in the final, it had appeared Warrenpoint would stroll to victory. A combined seven holes up through the 10th, Tramore’s two foursomes pairings fought back manfully. Butler and King were three down standing on the 13th tee but proceeded to win the 13th, 14th and 15th holes to get back to all square and Butler’s birdie putt on the 16th looked set to roll in – with Butler raising his putter to recognise its significance – only for the ball to lip out.
Then, on the 493-yards par-five 17th, Butler’s tee shot found the rough down the right. King could only play for position back to the fairway, and Butler’s subsequent approach flew past the green and came to rest on a cart path.
In contrast, Coulter’s approach from wispier rough enabled him to go for the green in two, with the ball coming to rest off the back. Tramore’s King pitched up to 30 feet and Butler – for the second green running – saw a good putt fail to drop. It stopped on the lip. Bogey six. Warrenpoint completed the job, winning the hole in par. It was to make the difference.
Nobody could begrudge them their win. Reavey, flown back from the US where he is on a year out after graduating from college, and Coulter won eight out of eight matches throughout the provincial and national campaign, while Gribben and Campbell won seven out of eight. Now, they must refocus for the Irish Senior Cup: Warrenpoint face Co Sligo in one semi-final today, while Portmarnock take on Muskerry.
Mitchelstown won a first green pennant when claiming the Irish Junior Cup with a 4-1 win over Lurgan, although the actual match was much closer than the result. John Cahill, a four-time All-Ireland pitch and putt champion, was a one-hole winner over Laurence McGrady and Adrian Gamble won by 3 and 1 over Michael McSherry. The winning point was delivered by 17-year-old Seán Lane, who confidently took out the flag on the 18th hole and sank a 30-foot putt from off the green to win the hole and the match by one. It brought Mitchelstown over the line.
Corrstown booked their place in the Pierce Purcell Shield final, after a 3-2 win over Letterkenny. The heroes for the north Dublin club were Garry Beagan and Andrew Holohan won the 18th to force a play-off and then won at the first tie hole against Patrick McMonagle and Connor McGettigan to set up a final with Woodstock, who were also forced to go to the 19th in the decisive match – Shane Fitzgerald and Michael O’Brien coming up trumps – for a 3-2 win over Athenry.
