GOLF ALL-IRELAND CUPS AND SHIELDS:THESE OCCASIONS are not meant for the faint-hearted. You send players into the bear pit, and you expect them to remain cool, calm and collected.
This is not a time for wobbly knees or wandering minds; and, in securing a first GUI green pennant in capturing the Barton Shield in the Bulmers Irish Cups and Shields at Tullamore Golf Club yesterday, the golfing cats of Kilkenny demonstrated fearlessness with some sublime play.
In defeating favourites Banbridge by one hole in a riveting finale to the Barton Shield, Kilkenny ended the long, long wait for such national glory.
“Ah, it was perfect golf,” enthused team captain Pauric O’Rourke, “just solid, solid, pure golf. Unbelievable.”
The other national competition decided yesterday saw Malone out-duel a game Oughterard in the final of the Irish Junior Cup, with the Belfast club winning 3½ -1½.
Kilkenny’s win was achieved in nail-biting fashion, with Paul O’Hara and Craig Martin emerging one-hole winners over Rory Leonard and Ciarán McAleavey, whilst Eddie Power and Richie Walsh finished all square with Connor Doran and Alastair McCully in the second match of this unique foursomes format where the combined scores determine the winners. It proved to be Kilkenny’s day. And how.
Walsh, the hero of the hour, is used to answering the hard questions. A recent graduate of Waterford Institute of Technology with a masters degree in economics and finance, the 23-year-old refused to buckle when questions of a different kind were asked on the 18th hole, a tough par four of 452 yards, where he was firstly required to hit an approach of 215 yards – three-iron to the front of the green – and, then, had to hole a testy three-footer for the par which gave the famed Barton Shield a new home.
O’Hara and Leinster interprovincial Martin stormed into an early lead over Leonard and McAleavy and were three-up at the turn. The northerners kept battling and won the 12th – where Leonard hit a good tee shot to 20 feet on the 197 yards par three – and reduced the deficit to just one hole by taking the 17th, where Martin’s tee-shot found a greenside bunker.
O’Hara and Martin kept their nerves to retain the one-hole lead after the 18th, which meant Power and Walsh – who had a rare auld battle throughout, going two up at the turn only to lose the 10th, 11th and 12th holes, then level matters again when McCully’s drive went out of bounds on the 13th before seeing Doran sink a 12-footer for a winning birdie on the 16th and go all square again on the 17th where the Banbridge pair three-putted – only had to halve the 18th to secure victory for Kilkenny.
It was a hard-earned par, though, where Doran played a fantastic chip from rough over the bunkers for McCully to par, before Walsh closed the door on them.
Malone – a team comprised of youth and experience – ended their drought in the Junior Cup, bridging an 86-year gap.
Andy Montgomerie, at 59, used all of his experience to claim the critical winning point with a one hole win over Mairtín Ó Cearra. Montgomery parred the last – drive, three-wood short of the green, wedge to six-feet, in – to claim the all-important point to add to the big wins recorded earlier by Barry Brennan, 56, a one-time Ulster professional champion, and teenager Danny McCrea.
McCrea, at 17 the youngest member of the Malone team, was hugely impressive. In his semi-final on Wednesday, he was level par for the 12 holes he needed to secure victory and yesterday he was one-under par in fashioning a 5 and 3 win over Aidan Grimes.
Corrstown, meanwhile, claimed a 3-2 win over Douglas in the Pierce Purcell Shield semi-final to set up a final showdown with Letterkenny, who accounted for Loughrea by the same margin.
PIERCE PURCELL SHIELD– Semi-finals
Corrstown 3 Douglas 2 (Corrstown names first): J Dowling, T Merrigan bt R Lonergan, K O’Sullivan 5 and 3; N Hubbard, J Lowe lost to M Lucey, J Scannell 5 and 4; J Beagan, G Began lost to E Cogan, F Walsh 1 hole; G Finnerty, F Lawlor bt T Barry, P Herlihy 3 and 1; C Conneely, P O’Kane bt F Mackey, P O’Driscoll 4 and 2.
Letterkenny 3 Loughrea 2 (Letterkenny names first): B O’Donnell, T McMonagle bt B Dunne, P Hynes 3 and 2; Pat McMonagle, K Sweeney lost to J Greally, G Fahy 1 hole; J Russell, K Walsh bt N Maher, L McGahon 3 and 2; E Margey, B Roache lost to U Finn, C Murray 6 and 5; K King, S Sweeney bt T Slevin, J Creavan 3 and 2.
IRISH JUNIOR CUP– Final
Malone 3½ Oughterard 1½ (Malone names first): B Brennan bt F Ford 6 and 5; D McCrea bt A Grimes 5 and 3; J Thompson lost to C Conneely 2 and 1; A Montgomery bt M Ó Ceara 1 hole; J Gilbert halved with N Faherty.
BARTON SHIELD– Final
Kilkenny bt Banbridge by 1 hole (Kilkenny names first): P O’Hara, C Martin bt R Leonard, C McAleavey 1 hole; E Power, R Walsh halved with C Doran, A McCully.
TODAY’S MATCHES
IRISH SENIOR CUP– Semi-finals
Galway v Laytown Bettystown (Galway names first): 8.30: D Scully v R Cannon; E McCormack v J McGinn; D Coyne v S Barry; D Glynn v R Durnin; J Lyons v P Rafferty).
Castlerock v West Waterford (Castlerock names first): 9.30: D Mulholland v M Shanahan; D Beattie v G Hurley; G Forbes v P Spratt; A Kearney v D Curran; D Mulholland v P Walsh.
PIERCE PURCELL SHIELD– Final
Corrstown v Letterkenny (Corrstown names first): 10.30: J Dowling, T Merrigan v P McMonagle, K Sweeney; J Rafferty, J O’Dwyer v B O’Donnell, T McMonagle; J Beagan, G Beagan v J Russell, K Walsh; G Finnerty, F Lawlor v E Margey, B Roache; C Conneely, P O’Kane v K King, S Sweeney.
JIMMY BRUEN SHIELD– Semi-finals
Carrick-on-Shannon v Waterford (Carrick names first): Noon: A Hogg, J Sharkey v A Aherne, C Lynch; S Bohan, C Loftus v A Mulhall, J Power; N Sharkey, J Loftus v M Daly, E Griffin; D Beirne, G Kavanagh v A Feicks, F Power; N McDermott, T Mulvey v A Ryan, M Freeman.
Nenagh v Foyle (Nenagh names first): 12.50: P Moloney, P Kennedy v S Gauld, C McGeady; C Heffernan, M O’Gara v C Lynch, K Dunn; M Corrigan, J Griffin v B Barr, M Loughrey; M Scroope, S Forde v D Martin, T McGinley; T Lawor, TJ Burns v M Gallagher, D Knox.
