SHORT GAME:LEINSTER'S Flagship Championship, The East of Ireland, will have a top class field competing at Co Louth Golf Club over next weekend's June Bank Holiday.

The scene of Shane Lowry’s famous 3 Irish Open victory last year, Ireland’s top amateur golfers will compete over the Baltray links from Saturday through to Monday over 72 holes strokeplay.

Last year’s winner Paul Cutler from Portstewart will join an elite group of players if he successfully defends his title.

However in-form players like West of Ireland champion Rory Leonard from Banbridge will have their own designs on the title.

Restored Woodenbridge all set for Festival of Golf 

WOODENBRIDGE GC will hold their inaugural Festival of Golf from June 29th to July 4th. The idea was hatched before the course was flooded in January, but the festival now has an extra dimension, celebrating the recovery of the course and its restoration to its former glory.

The Festival will feature nightly entertainment in the club, great food, craic, and prizes to ensure that every visitor and member can enjoy their golf and the Woodenbridge atmosphere to the full.

The Woodenbridge Hotel Lodge (0402 35146) and Arklow Bay Hotel (0402 32309) are both sponsors of the Club and have special deals on offer to cater for those who wish to stay over for a few days..

Woodenbridge have endured acts of God that few other golf clubs have had to deal with. They have also faced financial challenges resulting from the recession, like many other Irish golf clubs.

But in 2010, Woodenbridge have again faced down their challenges and come out stronger and better than ever. Contact Wodenbrdige at 0402 35202 or website www.woodenbridge.ie tee times.

THE UCDWomens' Golf Society will hold their annual outing to Milltown GC on Monday, July 5th. The format is threeball singles and the cost is €72 (including dinner), or €25 dinner only, graduates under 30 – golf and dinner €40. Contact Geraldine Feeney 087-2631882 or Patricia Martin 086-8376918.

Kelly adds Seniors Open title to Close

KILLEEN’S Maurice Kelly (pictured above) fired a closing round of 73 to add to his opening 76 and 74 for a 223 total to win the Irish Seniors Amateur Open Championship at Castletroy Golf Club by three strokes from Tipperary’s Arthur Pierse.

Kelly, who also holds the Irish Seniors Amateur Close title, which he will defend at Blainroe GC on July 7th-9th, got off to a superb start with pars on the opening three holes followed by back to back birdies.

His first dropped shot of the round came on the par-four eighth hole and another followed on the 10th before he steadied the ship with four straight pars. A birdie on the 15th hole made victory a formality for the Killeen man who has won the Seniors Order of Merit in four of the last five years.

Pierse, who opened with 76 and 77, also recorded a 73 on the final day to clinch the runner-up spot ahead of Michael Coote from Tralee (80 74 73), John Carroll from Bandon (74, 77, 76) and Tony Cleary from Cork (74, 77, 76).

Carroll was winner of the over 60s Trophy, while Roy Smethurst from England shot rounds of 76, 79 and 77 for 232 to win the over 65s, while Galway’s Seán Hosty carded 81, 77 and 80 for a three-round total of 238 to win the over 70s category.

Glynn books Faldo Series Europe spot

CONOR GLYNN, a promising one-handicapper from Carton House, booked a return trip to Lough Erne when he won the Boys’ Under-18 event and the overall title at the Faldo Series Ireland Championship over the Faldo Course last week.

Glynn carded rounds of 70 and 78 in blustery conditions to finish five shots clear of fellow Carton House club member Cian Geraghty to progress to his second successive Faldo Series Grand Final, where he will be joined by Boys’ Under-21 winner, Bangor’s Patrick Small, Boy’s Under-16 winner, Kieran Lynch from Skibbereen West Carberry and Girls’ Under-16 winner, Chloe Ryan from Castletroy.

All four will return to the Lough Erne Resort, the Home of the Faldo Series Europe, for the 2010 Grand Final on September 21st-23rd, where they will compete against all the age group winners from the other 15 events on this year’s Faldo Series Europe schedule.

Glynn posted the low round of the Championship when he opened with a two-under-par 70 and added a battling 78 to finish five shots ahead of Geraghty.

Seán O’Donoghue, a three-handicapper from Portarlington, finished third in the Under-18 competition with rounds of 80 and 77, while Woolston Manor’s Charlie Day, one of only two Englishman in the field, came fourth, two shots further behind.

120 qualify for Irish Open club finale

SOME 120 teams have qualified nationally to compete at the four regional finals for this year’s AIB Ladies Irish Open Club Challenge.

The top 12 teams from the finals will be awarded an opportunity to play with some of the best lady professional golfers in the world at the AIB Ladies Irish Open Pro-Am on August 5th, in Killeen Castle.

Of the 120 qualifiers throughout the country, 19 have been allocated to the regional final in Galway GC; 41 teams will do battle at Dun Laoghaire GC today; 30 will be in Cork GC on June 8th and 30 are off to Slieve Russell GC on June 11th.

Each team consists of three women from the one club, each representing one of the three handicap classes.

Having qualified with a combined best singles score during April and May, the format at the regional finals will see each team selecting their best two Stableford scores to count on each hole in the battle for the top-12 places. .

Grange host Special Olympics event

AS part of their Centenary Year celebrations, Grange Golf Club hosted a quadrangular trophy for Special Olympics Clubs participating in Link Programmes along with neighbouring clubs Milltown, Elm Park and Killiney last week.

Special Olympics golfers from Cheeverstown, D6 Club, Carmona and Blackrock Flyers, with Grange members as caddies and golf partners competed in a foursomes event over six holes, with the team from Milltown coming out tops after a closely fought encounter.

ALISON WALSHEclaimed one of the 12 places available at Woodmount CC in a sectional qualifier for the US Women's Open and qualified for the Open to be played at Oakmont CC on July 8th-11th.

Walshe carded rounds of 70 and 74 for a 144 total to finish just four shots off the leading qualifier, Chella Choi from Korea (70, 70) with Karine Icher from Switzerland next best on 141 (72-69).