Donal O'Reilly overcame a Jean van de Velde-type experience to win the recent Captain's (John Joy) Prize at Clonmel.

With the par-72 course playing very long, six-handicapper Billy Hewitt set the early target with a nett 68 and for most of the day that looked like being the winning score. Playing in one of the last three-balls, 14-handicap O'Reilly arrived on the 18th tee just three over par gross. In other words he needed a par five for a 61! A snap hook off the tee was only the beginning of his problems and he must have thought he had blown the big one when he pencilled in a nine. However that still left him with a 65 and, to his huge relief, he was the only one to better Hewitt's effort.