Compiled by Shay Keenan and Kevin McKenna.
Maybin a leading student
Irish international Gareth Maybin will lead the University of South Alabama team as he defends the individual championship as they close out the "fall season" when they host the sixth US Fall Beach Classic this week.
The South Alabama tournament, held at the Gulf Shores Golf Club, will feature some of the top-ranked players on the US Collegiate scene including Maybin who is ranked 34th.
South Alabama will be gunning for its first tournament win of the fall season as they welcome the 14 teams from five conferences.
Eight teams in this year's tournament are currently ranked in the top-100 by GolfWeek.com, with the highest being the 44th-ranked Gamecocks of Jacksonville State.
Maybin tied a course record with a second-round 64 at last year's event, while also setting a new tournament record with a three-round 204. Maybin has won two tournament titles this season and six career-individual honours, one behind former Jaguar Heath Slocum.
South Alabama will also look to rebound from a 13th-place finish last week at the Coca-Cola/Tennessee Tournament of Champions in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Irish links with Toledo
Ireland's Richard Kilpatrick and Martin McTiernan played their part as Toledo University recorded a seventh-place finish at the eighth annual Windon Memorial Classic with senior Brad Heaven leading the Rockets individually with a one-over par 217 (70-72-75) and 11th-place showing.
Minnesota captured the team title with a five-under par 859 and Purdue's Peter Richardson earned individual honours with a tournament-record tying 10-under par total of 206 (67-68-71).
Rounding out the Rockets' line-up was junior Justin Bertsch in a 36th-place tie (78-70-76-224), junior Richard Kilpatrick (74-71-80-225) in a 43rd-place tie, senior Doug Batty (71-78-77-226) in a 49th-place tie and Martin McTernan (74-77-76-227) in a 53rd-place tie.
Limerick change codes
Friends and supporters of Limerick FC are getting together to hold a golf fundraising classic in Limerick County Golf & Country Club on November 6th, 7th and 8th. The event is hoping to attract former Limerick FC players and support from all sports men in the City and County. The field is limited to 60 teams and details are available from Gerry McKeon, general manager, at Limerick County Golf and Country Club.
Tight contest expected
The Townhouse Hotel in Naas will host the Leinster Council Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland Convention next Sunday, commencing at 11.00 a.m. It's the last Leinster Council Convention as the organizational structure of the PPUI changes in the wake of the Union's Strategic Plan.
The Leinster Council Convention will elect two Leinster representatives to the newly enlarged National Executive Council that will govern the game in Ireland. Paddy Browne (Collinstown) and Jim Finglas (Seapoint) are expected to be the front runners for these positions on the NEC.
McGeady still on a roll
Michael McGeady, who helped Ireland retain the Carey Cup in New York earlier in the month, continued his good form when he shot the best round of the day to win the North Western Alliance outing to Narin and Portnoo on Saturday.
The City of Derry plus-three handicapper fired a one-under-par 68 to win the gross by four shots from Eamonn McDermott from Portsalon. Padraig McLoughlin from North West took third place on a break of a tie from Ballybofey's Enda McMenamin and Paul Wallace after the trio had tied on 75. The best nett went to Letterkenny's 15 handicapper Danny McLaughlin with a 67 and he had one shot to spare over Eddie McHugh (Ballybofey and Stranorlar) and two from Joe Blake (Letterkenny).
O'Donovan wins in style
To win a monthly medal at any time in your golfing career is memorable, but to do so with 18 straight pars well that has to be something even more special. Yet that is exactly what seven handicapper Pat O'Donovan did when winning the recent monthly medal at Hermitage golf club.
Nick Faldo was famous for winning his first British Open title back in 1987 in similar fashion at Muirfield and now O'Donovan has achieved a similar feat. Yet it looked as if his chances of doing so were going to disappear as he was playing the 18th hole. Having put his drive into trouble, he could only hack out and was still hadn't made the green in three.
But he must have known it was going to be his day when he bladed his chip shot, it hit the flag and disappeared for a par four.
It gave Pat, a former producer in RTÉ and now manager of Harold's Cross Greyhound Racing track, a round of 64, which in the end was to see his handicap cut by a further two shots to five. In fact, it has been a good season for Hermitage members as O'Donovan's former RTÉ colleague Seán Óg Ó Ceallacháin won a singles event earlier in the summer as well as recording a hole in one.
Barrett excels after cut
Being cut a shot made no difference at all to Ballybunion's Breeda Barrett as she made it to the winner's circle recently. First playing off 21 and with 39 points she had to settle for third spot in the ladies singles event won by Ursula O'Connor - who fired an impressive 43 points off a handicap of 45, who won by six from Kathleen Lehane (45).
Barrett's score saw her handicap cut by one to 20, but then competing in the weekend singles she won with a score of 40 points to beat Dori Cotter (36) by a single point, with Carmel Carroll (24) in third also on 39.
Top scores still coming
The golfing season may well be drawing to a close, but that hasn't stopped the high scores being recorded around the country. Last week at Greystones golf club, Geraldine T Brady just missed out on the magical 50 points mark when finishing on 49. Not surprisingly it secured her victory in last Thursday week's competition. She had seven points to spare over Róisín Norris (31), who was second with 42 points.
The big scores continued at Greystones the following week as Josephine Cooney (31) fired 45 points to win by six from Patricia Coleman (33) in the mini hamper event. Meanwhile, down at nearby Glen of the Downs Elizabeth McGowen, playing off 38, also just missed out on the 50 points mark, falling just two shy as she won class four by eight points from Lisa Flynn (36).
