A round-up of other golf news in brief
Old Conna claim 'Irish Times' shield
THE Leinster Alliance held the 84th staging of The Irish TimesShield at Luttrellstown on Sunday.
And it proved to be a good day for one club in particular as the Old Conna club dominated the prizes.
Firstly the junior team of Jamie Keenan (1), Mark Kerrigan (5), Simon Kerrigan (8) and Isaac Agnew (9) brought in a best of the day 111 points, being the best three out of four scores, led home by Mark Kerrigan who had 38 points, to win by a comfortable eight points from Slade Valley.
Joe Drea (5), also from Old Conna, won the best nett with 39 points, from John Conroy (3) from Bray, who also had the best 38 points with Kerrigan third.
The gross prize was won by John Hughes (scr) from Woodbrook with 36 points, one clear of Old Conna’s Jamie Keenan, whose 35 points claimed runners-up spot on the back nine.
The next outing of the Alliance is to The K Club on Sunday, September 12th, and the timesheet is now open with Michael Neary on 01-2827297.
** ASHBOURNE Golf Club, Co Meath, are hosting two Ladies Scratch Cups on Friday, September 3rd. A senior event for handicaps scratch to nine and a junior for handicaps 10 to 18.
Bookings can be made online at www.ashbournegolfclub.ie or by contacting Helen Caulfield at 087 9182717.
In-form Kilkenny through to All-Ireland Senior Cup finals
KILKENNY will be Leinster’s representatives in the All-Ireland Senior Cup finals at Castlebar next month after coming through with a 4-1 win over Laytown and Bettystown in the final at the Grange on Sunday.
Wins for Paul O’Hara, Eddie Power and Richard Walsh gave the Kilkenny team the necessary three points while Graham Nugent and Craig Martin halved their matches.
** PAUL McGinley was an interested spectator at Powerscourt last week where Portmarnock were crowned champions of the McGinley Trophy for 2010.
The first semi-final between Stackstown’s Jim Kavanagh and Declan O’Brien and the Old Conna pairing of Jack Martin and Brendan Shortt went to the 18th with Old Conna winning with a good par by Martin. In the second semi-final Portmarnock’s Denis Corboy and Michael Kearney were two down after six to the Woodbrook pair of Pat Cuneen and Peter O’Flanagan but fought back to win.
In the final Portmarnock again had a slow start and went two down again after six against Old Conna. Some solid golf was played by both pairs but Portmarnock won the 17th to go one-up and held on to win on the 18th.
The trophy was presented to the winners by McGinley who was delighted with the interest in this year’s competition as it continues to grow from year to year.
Mohan wins Leinster title
ROSS MOHAN from Royal Dublin won the Titleist Footjoy Leinster Boys’ Under-13 Series at Newlands GC with a fine score of 34 gross points. The leading qualifier from Elmgreen three weeks ago, Mohan quickly put behind him the early setback of putting his first shot out of bounds by completing the remaining 17 holes in level par. Michael Cooke (Waterford) was runner-up on 29, one ahead of Marc Boucher (Carton House) and Jack Brown (The Heath).
** THE NUI Galway Alumni Association will hold their first outing at Mullingar GC on Friday, September 17th. Contact colm.odwyer@nuigalway.ie for bookings.
Keenan notches notable double
SEVENTEEN-year-old Jamie Keenan outlined his potential by notching a notable double within five days on the highly-competitive Leinster boys’ golf circuit.
First, the Old Conna golfer was three-under-par gross for four rounds when winning the Wicklow Boys’ Championship at Greystones. Then he followed this five days later by heading a 72-strong field to win the Allianz Dublin Boys’ title at The Grange.
Rounds of 70 and 74 – against the tough par of 68 – gave him a one-shot win from seven-handicapper Nick O’Loughlin of Bray, who pipped Ardee’s Evan Farrell on the last nine.
The leading net scorer was 10-handicapper Conor Stone of Clontarf, by one shot from Ross Buggy (11) from Newlands.
** BALLINROBE GC, in conjunction with the PGA, are holding a pro-am any combination on September 16th. Entry fee is € 300 per team of three. To book call 094 9541118.
O'Connell earns home comfort
CORK’S Kevin O’Connell played the game of his life on Saturday when he shot a magnificent 52 points in the singles over his home Cork GC course. The six-handicap Junior Cup player had nine birdies, an eagle and just one dropped shot in his gross 62. And it could have been even better as he missed from three feet at the 15th and then three-putted the 16th, his only dropped shot of the day.
Out in 30 with the eagle coming at the third hole – a 285-metres par four – where he drove the green, O’Connell came home in 32 for a day’s best 62.
** BALLYMENA’S Dermot McElroy shot a closing round of 73 to win the PGA Southern Branch-sponsored Irish Boys’ Amateur Close Championship at Dungarvan Golf Club last week.
A 75 in testing conditions on the final morning was good enough for McElroy to maintain the lead entering the final round but the gap was narrowed to three as Tullamore’s Stuart Grehan shot a third-round 74. However, McElroy forged clear over the closing nine as Grehan dropped shots and eventually relinquished the runners-up spot to Conor Glynn from Carton House, the leading under-17 player. Local Jack Leacy won the under-16 trophy.
Howth grab their 10th Uden Cup title
HOWTH GC overcame north Dublin rivals Hollywood Lakes in the final of the Uden Cup last Friday.
Howth, managed by club vice-captain Bernard Byrne, had brought a commanding lead of 6-1 into the second leg at Hollywood Lakes.
Having done so well on their home course, it meant that Howth only required a further 1½ points from the seven away matches to clinch the cup and they duly achieved that target.
The victory was Howth’s 10th win in an event which was first played in 1940 for the purposes of providing competition for 12- to 15-handicap male golfers in the greater north Dublin area.
Their last Uden Cup win was back in 2003.
This year’s Uden Cup had 22 competing teams and Howth had beaten five clubs – Swords Open, St Margaret’s, Donabate, Balcarrick and then Hollywood Lakes – on their way to another success.
