What can be said about the Challenge Cup Leinster South final which was played in Newlands Golf Club this afternoon ? It was everything a pennant final should be, exciting, nerve wrecking and ultimately for Greystones G.C., marvelous…
It was finals day in Newlands where a number of Leinster South pennants would be decided and Iris Haughton’s team faced Ballinscorney in their Leinster final.
Getting to this final was no easy task. Our ladies had to overcome Castle, Carton House, Coolatin and Powerscourt, all of whom fielded very strong teams in previous rounds. Iris was faced with another problem with one of her stalwart players, Regina Connaghton being unavailable for this final having played in all the previous rounds. On the day, Iris drafted in Lady Vice, Celine Joyce, who had won an All-Ireland Challenge pennant in 2014, as a replacement, with Trisha Moore as first substitute.
The teams were very evenly matched and there were little or no shots being given in any matches and so the scene was set for a thrilling afternoons golf.
Anne Browner was out first and got off to a good start, halving the first two holes, and when her opponent hit her drive on the third into the car park, Anne took full advantage. She won this hole and followed up with another win on the forth to go two up. It hadn’t gone unnoticed however that her opponent was out-driving Anne’s driver using a six iron ! Anne lost the fifth, and despite winning the seventh to restore her two hole advantage, losses on the following three holes left Anne one down for the first time in the match. The pair traded holes from there to the thirteenth but an unfortunate loss on fourteen knocked the wind from Anne’s sails as her opponent’s distance advantage began to tell. Anne lost the fifteenth also and could only manage a half on the sixteenth and Ballinascorney had their first point on the board.
Celine was out second and got off to a fine start, winning the first two holes to go two up. Her opponent was reportedly a three handicap pitch n’ putt player before taking up golf and it showed throughout the match. Celine lost the third but came back strongly to win the next two holes and go three up through five holes. She lost six but won the par three ninth with a fine par to restore her three hole advantage going into the back nine. Coming to the fifteenth her lead had been reduced back to two after a chip in from her opponent and unfortunately Celine’s drive on the sixteenth ended on an upslope in the semi rough. Her recovery shot hit a tree and, while she managed to make her opponent hole a putt to win the hole, she was always on the back foot and lost the hole. On the downhill par three sixteenth Celine found the bunker and took three to find the green and lost the hole to a bogey. They headed to the seventeenth tee all square for the first time since the first…
As this unfolded Orla Rush had started like a train, winning the first five holes, playing great golf. Her opponent recovered somewhat to reduce the deficit to three going to the back nine – no match is ever won that easy. Orla, with her son Darragh on the bag, stuck to their task however and closed out their match 4&3, with a win on fifteen. One all…….
Wendy Lee was out third and it was clear that she was up against a serious opponent from the off. Her Ballinascorey opponent was the only one of her team to register a win on the first and, while Wendy won the next two holes, she got into trouble on the tricky par three fourth, finding herself in heavy rough in two and lost this, and the following hole to be back to one down. Ballinascorney must have thought that they had this match under control after winning the eight to go two up but Wendy stuck to her task with a win on fourteen before loosing the fifteenth to go dormie two down – but not out !!
Grace Dodd was our final player and looked in fine form from the off. With the experienced Jane Kirwan on the bag, Grace won the first an halved the second before losing the third hole. What should have been a half on the fourth became a loss when Grace picked up her ball without the putt being given, and the match moved to the fifth tee with Grace one down. This was the last time Grace was down however as she won eight and nine to go one up and from there it was pretty much, all one way traffic. Wins on twelve and thirteen for Grace were followed by a brief respite for her opponent when she won the fourteenth but there was little doubt who was going to come out on top. Grace won the fifteenth and sixteenth holes to close her match 4&2 and earn Greystones their second point of the day – just one more needed to take the pennant back to Wicklow.
Meanwhile Celine’s opponent was teeing off the seventeenth having won the previous two holes to get the match back to all square, and the pressure was mounting. She found a shrubbery down the left hand side of the fairway and had to hit a provisional ball. Celine hit her drive straight down the middle in response. It turned out at that the Ballinascorney player got a free drop and the pair hit their second shots up the fairway. Celine’s second shot came to rest at a distance marker and a rules official was called for the second time on the hole. Celine got relief from the marker, as you might expect, and then hit a great shot to find the edge of the green in three while her opponent could only find the fringe in five, after a visit to the trees. Nothing was being taken for granted however given her short game and Celine held a great fifteen footer, across the green, for a bogey five on this long par four to win the hole and go one up with one to play.
Celine’s Caddy, Deirdre Fitzpatrick had to earn her free water from here. Celine hit a good drive up the middle while her opponent headed up the left hand side of the fairway. The Ballinscorney player then hit her second shot right but, fortunately for her, it hit a tree and rebounded all the way across the fairway to the opposite side – but still advantage Greystones. Celine hit her second shot but adrenaline came into play and she ran into the fairway bunker, one hundred yards out. Her opponent followed her into the bunker but both players got out of it in one and Celine retained her slender advantage.
Meanwhile, behind Celine, a gutsy win on the seventeenth for Wendy kept the match alive and she, and caddy John Brophy headed to the eighteenth tee.
Back on eighteen, Celine pitched to just off the front edge of the green while her opponent hit a lovely pitch but it was just too long and ran out to the back of the green. Celine hit a great chip to three feet and when her Ballinascorney player ran her putt past the hole Celine just had to hold her nerve and – have two – take two – to run out the winner 1Up and seal the pennant for Greystones.
