Amateur News: As the US collegiate season swings into full action, Irish women are well to the fore in the scoring stakes, Shay Keenan reports
Last week Suzie Hayes (Notre Dame) and the Delaney sisters, Tara and Karen, (both Kent State) all gained top-20 finishes in the Shootout at the Legends women's college tournament at the Legends course at Franklin, Indiana.
Hayes, from Hermitage, is captain of the Notre Dame team this season, and she helped the "Fighting Irish" win the team title by eight shots with a total of 908.
Kent State, thanks to the performances of the Delaneys, finished fifth on 923.
Hayes had rounds of 76, 78 and 76 for 230 to finish 14th in the individual, while Tara Delaney fired two 78s and a 75 for 231 - one ahead of Karen, who shot 79, 78 and 75.
And on Sunday, Alison Walshe shot an even-par 71 as the Tulane University team finished tied for second in the Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championship at the par-71, 5,932-yard Cherokee Country Club.
Tulane, one of eight participating teams, including Kent State, who entered the weekend ranked in the top 25 by Golfweek magazine, shot a team 292 in the final round to finish the event with a season-best 881 (298-291-292) to finish tied with hosts Tennessee (309-290-282).
Tulane finished just seven strokes behind Ohio State's 874 (293-287-294).
Walshe also finished second in the individual race with a one-under par 212 (71, 70, 71).
"We competed very well today," said head coach Sue Bower. "We knew we had to play extremely well simply to maintain our position in the standings, and we were actually able to cut into Ohio State's lead. We fell short of a team title, but this is a tremendous showing against a very talented field.
"Alison Walshe has been nothing short of spectacular since she's been here.
"I knew she was good when she decided to transfer from Boston College, but I never saw this coming. She has been Ms Consistency and I'm proud of the way she and the rest of the team have played all year."
The Kent State team shot their best round of the championship on Sunday to finish fourth overall on 289. Three of the team finished in the top 10 individual, one of only two schools to accomplish that feat.
Tara Delaney, who entered Sunday's final round tied for 18th, had the best day for the Flashes, shooting a one-under-par 71 to jump into a seventh-place finish. Delaney was consistent all afternoon, recording 15 pars, birdies at the third and 12th, and just one bogey.
Karen Delaney also enjoyed her best rounds of the tournament, shooting a 75 and 77 respectively, to round out the scoring.
Kent State will wrap up their fall schedule (November 1st-3rd) at the Las Vegas Showdown in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Meanwhile, the ILGU is already planning for next season with the announcement of three panels for winter training.
The programme starts next month and runs through to March next year. David Kearney, the national coach, will work on the areas of fitness, psychology and nutrition with the panellists at the sessions in St Margaret's Golf Club in north Co Dublin.
The A panel begin their winter programme on November 5th-7th and follow with further sessions on January 14th-16th, followed by matches in March.
The B panel are out a week later, November 12th-14th, and other sessions are scheduled for January 7th-9th and February 11th-13th, while the C panel have three sessions on November 19th-21st, January 21st-23rd and February 19th-20th.
Milltown took the first step towards a possible double when winning the Townsend Foursomes with a 2½ to ½ win over Headfort at St Margaret's on Sunday.
In an exciting final, the outcome hinged on the top match, where former international Rhona Fanagan and Susan Magee came from three down to win on the 20th against Pauline Walsh and Orla Foley. Deirdre Walsh and Maurethe Jackson had given Milltown the lead when they beat Mary McCabe and Hilary Collins 2 and 1.
With the outcome already decided, the closely-fought third match between Milltown's Yvonne Beale and Catherine McDowell and the Headfort pair of PK O'Reilly and Mary McCabe was halved.
Milltown will seek the other part of the double when they take on Skerries in the final of the Junior Cup as part of the Eastern Districts autumn team finals at the Castle next Monday.
ILGU: Winter training panels
IRELAND A: Claire Coughlan, Martina Gillen, Helen Jones, Trish Mangan, Darragh McGowan, Heather Nolan, Sinead O'Sullivan, Deirdre Smith, Catherine Tucket and Deirdre Walsh.
IRELAND B: Fiona Carroll, Joanne Cronin, Maura Diamond, Emma Gilmore, Gemma Hegarty, Sinead Keane, Niamh Kitching, Daniele McVeigh, Gillian O'Leary, Charlene Reid.
IRELAND C: Victoria Bradshaw, Sarah Cunningham, Sarah Faller, Shirley Harvey, Laura Holmes, Anne McCormack, Niamh McMahon, Stephanie Meadow, Orla Murray, Linda Toomey.
