A round-up of today's other stories in brief
St Helen's Bay set to host Junior Pro-Am Series final
THE inaugural year of the Junior Pro-Am Series is drawing to its grand finale with the 16 qualifying teams preparing for the final in St Helen’s Bay Golf Resort next Saturday.
Over the past eight months four regional qualifiers were staged, with over 250 juniors and over 60 assistant professionals
participating in the series. The qualifying juniors that are making the trip to St Helen’s Bay will be representing over 15 different clubs from Co Louth to Frankfield GC in Cork.
The qualifiers for the final are: St Helen’s Bay, Waterford, Elm Park, Milltown, Malahide, Mitchelstown, Monkstown, Frankfield, Co Louth and Lucan.
** USA teenage sensation Lexi Thompson will be going to work full-time on the LPGA Tour next year.
The 16-year-old Thompson asked the LPGA to waive its requirement that members be at least 18 to join. LPGA commissioner Mike Whan approved the petition on Friday, one day after Thompson filed it.
Thompson won the Navistar LPGA Classic in Alabama last month, becoming the youngest winner in LPGA history.
Whan describes Thompson as a unique talent who already has shown maturity handling success and failure. Thompson is eligible for the season-ending Titleholders in November. Her LPGA membership starts with the 2012 season.
Staunton storms to victory
LOCAL professional Mark Staunton stormed to victory in the €24,400 PGA pro-am tournament at Connemara, with a superb 36-hole total of 10-under-par 134.
He squeezed out Barrie Trainor, who is racing towards the finishing line in the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet in association with PING and Fáilte Ireland. Staunton posted rounds of 69 and 65 to finish one stroke clear of Trainor who carded rounds of 67 and 68.
Castle Hume professional Shaun Donnelly and his amateurs Niall Delappe (Ballinamore), Brendan Keane (Connemara) and Eugene Donleavy (Galway) snatched the team award from Gary Wardlow and his amateurs after both teams finished on 185 points. Donnelly and his partners had round of 87 and 98 with Wardlows team on 96 and 89.
Former jockey Mick Kinnane also went home with a prize as he aced the 158-yard third hole with a six iron. He plays off 12 out of The K Club.
Howth charity events raise €21,000
THE Howth Golf Club Captains’ Charity Days proved to be hugely successful as they raised in excess of €21,000 which is to be divided between the Society of St Vincent De Paul and the Capuchin Day Centre for the Homeless.
The Corporate Day featured 31 teams and the winning team with 96 points was the Alpitour Re-Insurance Team while the members team was won with 98 points by the McLean family, Francis, Stephen and Mary, alongside Jimmy ONeill.
** AT the end of their busy season four competition secretaries are having a welcome break next week at St Andrews after receiving invitations to attend the final of the Holmpatrick Cup. The four are Martyn Evans (Grange), Paddy Martin (Warrenpoint), Gerry Austin (Mullingar) and Des Murray (Blarney).
The All-Ireland final line up is Esker Hills (Leinster), Charleville (Munster), Loughrea (Connacht /Ulster) and Links Portmarnock (Dublin).
Women's fourball finals for Kilkenny
SATURDAY and Sunday will see Kilkenny Golf Club host the Miele All-Ireland Women’s Interclub Fourball semi-finals and finals.
Following a series of regional qualifiers four clubs will compete for All-Ireland glory at the weekend, with the semi-final pairings seeing Faithlegg up against Mannan Castle, while Mountbellew will meet Lucan in the other semi-final.
Faithlegg made it through to this weekend’s national finals when they won the southern regional final by beating Castletroy 3-1 at Clonmel, while Lucan were the eastern regional winners as they defeated Wicklow in a closely contested final winning on “holes up” after the teams had finished level at two matches apiece, also at Clonmel.
Mannan Castle played host to the Northern and Western Regional finals and the host club took full advantage of that fact to make this weekend’s national finals as they defeated Killymoon 3-1.
Mountbellew, All-Ireland champions in 2007, gave themselves a chance of a repeat victory when they defeated Moate in the Western Regional advancing, like their semi-final opponents Lucan on the “holes up” ruling after the match had been tied at 2-2.
The competition began back in May with over 200 competing teams.
Finn and Troy win in Killarney
MARIAN Finn (7) and Susan Troy (19) from Thurles returned with 23 points on the back nine for a total of 40 points to win the Lancome Greensomes National Final at Killarney Golf Club over the weekend.
With birdies on the par-four ninth and par-three 12th Finn and Troy won by a point from Ailish Dilger from Limerick and Georgina Keane from Ballybunion who returned 39 points.
Aine Foley and Andrea McHugh from Carlow were the best of the 38s to take third place on a countback.
Mary Dowling from New Ross, playing off scratch, and partner Liz Bennett (6) from Nenagh won the gross with 35 points.
ILGU finals for Headfort Golf Club
HEADFORT Golf Club next Monday, October 10th, is set to be a hive of activity as it is the venue for the 2011 ILGU silver and bronze medal finals.
The Silver medal will be played over the challenging New Course, while the Old Course will be host to the bronze medal event.
The winner of the silver and bronze medals in each club is the player who returned the lowest aggregate of four nett scores in ILGU medal competitions during the course of the season.
Timesheets are in operation for both the silver and the bronze medal events and full contact details on those timesheets are available on the ILGU website.
** FRANK Heffernan has retired as the caddymaster at the Castle GC in Dublin after serving the club for over 50 years.
Heffernan started as a caddy as a 12-year-old and retired last week on his 65th birthday.
At a gala dinner held in his honour and attended by over 250 members of the club, professionals Jimmy and David Kinsella spoke movingly about Heffernan’s contribution to the club over the years noting that he had greeted everyone from President Hillery to Pádraig Harrington in his own inimitable style and charm.
Everyone in golf and at the Castle wishes Frank a long and happy retirement.
