Wednesday 17th August
9 Holes Singles
1st John Forde (9) 21pts (Last 6)
2nd Eddie Lonergan (1) 21pts
3rd Donnacha Smyth (8) 20pts (Last 6)
Twos – €7 per 2
1st Gordon O’Neill
5th James Hempenstall, Dermot Barry, Oliver Nolan, Antti Happonen
Wednesday 17th August
9 Holes Singles
1st John Forde (9) 21pts (Last 6)
2nd Eddie Lonergan (1) 21pts
3rd Donnacha Smyth (8) 20pts (Last 6)
Twos – €7 per 2
1st Gordon O’Neill
5th James Hempenstall, Dermot Barry, Oliver Nolan, Antti Happonen
Wednesday 17th August
Two Person Team
1st Colm Drew (14) 53pts
Julian Keown (4)
2nd Stephen Collier (14) 52pts (Back 9)
Harry McGeehan (15)
3rd Frank Looby (17) 52pts Colm Mulcahy (8)
4th Dave Mangan (10) 51pts
Mark Byrne (8)
5th Barry D O’Leary (5) 50pts
Alan O’Sullivan (17)
Two’s – €11 per 2
5th Conor Lucey, Phillip Nolan, Frank Sexton, Pat O’Regan, Harry McGeehan
11th David Pickerill, Frank Marmion
14th Sean O’Gorman, Donal Waddell, Colm O’Neill, Harry McGeehan, Mark Byrne, Paul Fawsitt
16th Eddie Joynt, Jerry Teehan, Pat O’Regan, Frank Looby
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.
Sunday August 14th
Singles Stableford
1st Alan Hughes (15) 42pts
2nd Niall King (8) 41pts (Back 9)
3rd Ray McDonnell (10) 41pts
4th Keith Walsh (17) 40pts (Back 9)
Gross David Byrne (0) 36pts
Two’s – €6 per Two
1st Brian Murray, Colm O’Donovan, Niall King, Paul Keane
5th Jim McGillion, Paul McKnight, Darren McCormack, Paul Keane
11th Eddie Lonergan, Derek McCormack, Ken Moore
14th Shane O’Connor, Brian Murray, Joe Grennan
16th Kenny Lewis, Tom Sheehy, Eddie Lonergan, Sean Baker, Ray McDonnell, Thomas Kealy
Saturday 13th August
Vice Captains Prize
1st Conor Aherne (19) 12up
Dan Ryan (25)
2nd Alan Byrne (10) 9up (Back 6)
Martin Commons (16)
3rd Jimmy Hackman (7) 9up (Back 9)
Jonathan Kirwan (19)
Front 9: Tom Byrne & Henry Gilbert 6up
Back 9: Seamus Clancy & Dermot Whiston 5up
Two’s – €12 per 2
1st Henry Gilbert
5th Eugene Strong, Fergal Duffy, Gerry Kenny, Colum O’Broin, Ken Moore, Neil Lawless, Barry Massey, Derek Cowley, Niall Kavanagh
11th Martin Commons, Senan O’Duchon
14th James Campion,
16th Collie Dunne, Michael Smullen Brian Murray, Kieran Dowdall, Paul Keane, Thomas Kealy, Denis McGrane
18th Niall Kavanagh
Congratulations to all the prize winners in Vice-Captain John’s prize which took place today. As has been the case all season, the course was in tip top condition for this major and we saw some great scores. Vice Captain John was on hand tonight in the clubhouse to make the presentation.
In first place were Conor Aherne and Dan Ryan who scored a magnificent 12 up. It took count-backs to separate the next three pairs with Alan Byrne and Martin Commons taking second place on the back 6 beating Jimmy Hackman and Jonathan Kirwan into third who beat Tom Byrne and Henry Gilbert on the back 9.
Tom and Henry did take the front nine prize however, with 6up while Dermot Whiston and Seamus Clancy won the back nine prize.
Full Results below:
1st Conor Aherne (19) 12up
Dan Ryan (25)
2nd Alan Byrne (10) 9up (Back 6)
Martin Commons (16)
3rd Jimmy Hackman (7) 9up (Back 9)
Jonathan Kirwan (19)
Front 9: Tom Byrne & Henry Gilbert 6up
Back 9: Seamus Clancy & Dermot Whiston 5up
Two’s – €12 per 2
1st Henry Gilbert
5th Eugene Strong, Fergal Duffy, Gerry Kenny, Colum O’Broin, Ken Moore, Neil Lawless, Barry Massey, Derek Cowley, Niall Kavanagh
11th Martin Commons, Senan O’Duchon
14th James Campion,
16th Collie Dunne, Michael Smullen Brian Murray, Kieran Dowdall, Paul Keane
18th Niall Kavanagh
Wednesday 10th August
9 Hole Singles
1st Heber O’Farrell (10) 22 pts (Last 6)
2nd Warren Marmion (13) 22 pts
3rd Jim Campion (10) 21 pts
Two’s – €17 per Two
5th Tom Shelly, Martin Nolan, Frank Marmion
Wednesday 10th August
Singles Stableford
1st Derek O’Regan (10) 44 pts
2nd Clive Woolham (24) 43 pts
3rd Jonathan Kirwan (21) 41 pts (Back 9)
4th Larry Darcy (17) 41 pts
Class 1 Brian Murray (8) 39 pts (Back 9)
Class 2 Gerry Kenny (10) 39 pts (Back 9)
Class 3 Ray Hogan (18) 40 pts
Class 4 George Hughes (23) 39 pts (Back 9)
Gross David Martin (1) 37 pts
Front 9 Tom Byrne (9) 23 pts
Back 9 Les Gaw (25) 21 pts (Last 3)
Two’s – €6 per Two
1st Sean O’Gorman, Thomas Kealy, Kieran Dowdall, Anthony Byrne
5th Gerry Kenny, John Commons, Martin Commons, Gerald Hollinsworth, John Hynes, Thomas Kealy, Jim Ryan, Mark Byrne, Vincent Prendergast, Conor Aherne, Trevor Philips, Stan McHugh, Adam Packman, David Martin, Derek O’Regan, Colm Drew
11th Jim Ryan, Jack McGovern
14th Gerry Kenny, Denis Cromie, John Commons, Gerald Hollinsworth, Alan Keane, Brian Gilroy, Tom McGovern, David Martin, Seanan O’Duchon
16th Denis Cromie, Brian Murray, Julian Pollard, Tom Byrne, Louis O’Connor, Charles Tarter
Sunday 7th August
Singles Stableford
1st Colum O’Broin (18) 45pts
2nd Michael McDonnell (17) 42pts
3rd Craig McCormack (10) 41 pts (Back 9)
4th Jim McGillion (19) 41 pts (Back 9)
Gross Alan Condren (0) 35pts
Two’s – €10 per Two
5th Kieran O’Driscoll, Craig McCormack
11th Colum O’Broin
14th John O’Keeffe, Colm Mulcahy, Garry O’Connor
16th Alan Condren, Tom Byrne, Craig McCormack, Ken Moore
Saturday August 6th
Singles Stableford
1st Robert Nolan (28) 44pts
2nd Colm O’Neill (13) 41pts
3rd Michael Farrelly (7) 40pts (Back 3)
4th Diarmuid MacGabhann 40pts (Back 6)
Gross Diarmuid MacGabhann 35 pts
Class 1 Winner Brian Murray (8) 38pts
Class 1 Runner Up Tom Byrne (9) 37pts (Back 9)
Class 2 Winner John Darcy (12) 40pts (Last 6)
Class 2 Runner Up Peter Nolan (10) 40pts
Class 3 Winner Paul Fawsitt (17) 40pts
Class 3 Runner Up Malcom Heron (15) 38pts
Class 4 Winner John Carroll (21) 40pts (Back 9)
Class 4 Runner Up Les Gaw (26) 40pts (Back 9)
Front 9 Thomas O’Sulivan (29) 23pts
Back 9 Antti Happonen (9) 21pts (Last 1)
Two’s Results – €13 per 2
5th Cian McNaughton, Walter Gilbert, Robert Nolan
11th Craig McCormack, Jimmy Hackman, Gavan McGirr
14th Brian Frawley, Antti Happonen, Craig McCormack, Rod O’Shea, Edward Davis, Edward Murtagh, Gerry Browner, Dermot Barry
16th Niall Stokes, Ray Nolan