We had two club matches being played out today.
First out, this morning were our Irish Boys Foursomes team who took on Edmonstown Golf Club. This competition is played as two foursomes matches with the cumulative result deciding the tie. Both matches are played in the one venue and today, Pete Anderson and Karl Holmes headed for Edmonstown with the boys.
Our first pair out were Dylan Holmes & Milo Doyle who were giving four shots in their match. Dylan & Milo won the first two holes but even so had not quite hit their rhythm and lost the next three holes to go one down.
Jamie Anderson & Toby Murphy were out second and, at this same point, five holes in, were two down in their match. Jamie & Toby had given two of the six shots they had to give at this point but, in truth, were not playing their best golf. The two boys stuck to their task however and won the sixth, seventh and eighth holes to take a one shot lead. A loss on the tenth however brought the match back to all square at the halfway point. Home advantage played a part as the match moved onto the back nine and the Greystones pair found themselves three down as they stood on the fifteenth, not having won a hole since the eighth. The fifteenth was halved before a birdie win on the sixteenth looked like a momentum shift. This change was short lived however as Jamie saw his tee shot to the par three seventeenth spin back off the front of the green just before the Edmonstown hit their tee shot pin high to the back pin. Milo’s chip came up short, and the hole was lost to a par. Three Down ….
Meanwhile in the first match Dylan & Milo had found their mojo from the sixth and were two under from there to the thirteenth and were three up in the match. A bogey four from nowhere on the par three, thirteenth was soon forgotten as they won the next three holes to go five up with two to play. As with Jamie & Toby the seventeenth was lost to a par and the boys headed to the difficult par four finishing hole where they had to give a shot. The Edmonstown pair hit the green in two after a great second shot while Dylan’s approach shot flew the green leaving a tricky chip back. The hole was ultimately lost and the match finished with Greystones three up.
All eyes now turned to the second match on the eighteenth tee with Greystones three down and, crucially, giving a shot, and with the overall match all square. Edmonstown’s drive went down the inside of the tree line on the left of the hole while Toby split the fairway with an excellent drive; advantage Greystones. From this point the hole became a mini drama in itself. Edmonstown’s recovery shot found bushes and they had to take an unplayable whereas Jamie hit a good shot to just off the right hand side of the green. Edmonstown played to near enough the same spot with their fourth shot and while it looked for all the world that it would be Greystones’ hole a three putt saw the hole halved and the match moved to the nineteenth. Both teams hit excellent drives albeit that Jamie found the rough on the left. Toby hit a fantastic shot to ten feet and when the Edmonstown played a poor approach it looked, once again that Greystones were very much in the driving seat. Edmonstown’s third shot still hadn’t found the putting surface but they held the chip to make an un-likely four while Jamie’s putt to win the match just slipped by the hole. On to the twentieth and once again both teams played excellent drives with Greystones closer to the green but with an awkward, downhill lie and a bunker protecting the pin which Jamie would have to play over. Edmonstown had a much better approach angle and, playing first, hit the green but ran just off into the fringe at the back of the green. Jamie played a fantastic chip, just clearing the bunker and rolling to six feet. The Edmonstown pair failed to get up and down and Toby & Jamie were not going to let another opportunity slip away, making four and closing their match out at 2 down and the overall tie at 1Up to Greystones.
Perhaps not a vintage performance but a gutsy one. Well done to Pete, Karl and all the team.
If this wasn’t enough drama for one day, our Irish Mixed foursomes took to the fairways in the afternoon against a strong Grange Golf Club team. The tee times were staggered with our two home games teeing off at 15.00 while the three away matches teed off at 16.10.
At home, Adam Packman & Aine O’Rourke were out first and up against formidable opponents including a particularity strong +4 handicapper. A loss on the first is never a nice way to begin a match but Adam & Aine played really well to be all square at the turn.
Our second pairing was Diarmaid MacGabhann & Amanda Lawless who were solid today, beginning two up after two and winning the ninth to go down the lane with a healthy three hole advantage. This lead quickly became a five hole lead after wins on the tenth & eleventh.
Just ahead, Adam & Aine had a very different start to the back nine, losing the first two holes to go two down. So, with the away matches in their early stages we were two down in one home match and five up in the other.
As early reports came in from Grange it became clear that to have a chance of winning the tie we almost certainly needed to win both home matches.
First out in Grange, Murt Davis, playing alongside Sandra Cotter, were one down through six, second out, Ben Crowley & Geraldine O’Shea were also one down at this same point while our final pair of Ray Nolan & Anne Costello were one up. By the halfway stage Murt & Sandra were three down and in a tough match, Ben & Geraldine were still one down and fighting hard. The only bit of red on the scoring board away remained Ray & Anne who were holding on to their single hole advantage.
Back in Greystones, Amanda & Diarmaid lost the twelfth but halves on the thirteenth and fourteenth saw them go to dormie 4up and in control while Aine & Adam were staging a bit of a comeback, winning fourteen with a par to get to just one down.
A good half for Adam & Aine on fifteen was followed with a par win on the sixteenth after an excellent tee shot from Aine to eight feet – all square for the first time since the eleventh tee. The match might have been settled on the seventeenth with Grange finding the water however a combination of three putts from us and an excellent Grange up and down saw the hole halved.
Both ladies found the eighteenth fairway and, with Adam first to play, he hit a rescue from 235 yards to ten feet. His Grange opponent followed this shot with a 230 yard four iron which caught the rough just in front of the green, and stopped perhaps twenty feet from the pin. Grange’s elected to putt from off the green, a tough shot which ran eight feet passed the hole. Aine then calmly rolled her putt to the hole side for a four. Grange missed their putt to give us our first point of the tie. A fantastic comeback by Aine & Adam.
Behind, Diarmaid & Amanda were still playing. Grange had won fifteen and sixteen and the Greystones pair needed a half to close the match. On seventeen, Diarmaid hit a lovely pitch to ten feet and with two putts to win the hole Amanda duly obliged, rolling the ball to six inches for a 3&1 win.
Two nil to Greystones and at this point the home team and supporters switched to the live scoring app for updates as to what was happening in The Grange.
Sandra & Murt had turned three down but won the first three holes on the back nine to square the match, a loss on the fifteenth was followed by two wins on the next two holes – dormie 1up.
Ben & Geraldine were one down at the halfway point, got it back to friendly with an excellent win on the fifteenth only to loose the sixteenth after going out of bounds – 1 down with two to play.
Ray & Anne stood on the tenth tee with a one hole advantage which they doubled with a win on the fifteenth. They followed this up with a half on the sixteenth – dormie 2up.
So, dormie 1up, dormie 2up and one down with two to play with two points already on the bag – what could possibly go wrong 🙂
Murt & Sandra lost eighteen and were unlucky to lose their first playoff hole to give Grange their first point. Almost simultaneously, Ben & Geraldine lost the seventeenth to lose their match 2&1 and to square the overall tie at two all.
As so often happens in these matches, having lost the eighteenth to par, the final match with Ray & Anne headed back to the first hole for a playoff to decide the tie. The Greystones duo played the hole to perfection and secured the win, and the tie – 3:2 to Greystones.
Well done to managers, Paul and Amanda and to Frances Twomey who looked after the home team today.
