WOMEN'S GOLF/Mitsubishi Motors Irish Times Ladies Masters: Thirty hopefuls battled their way to the final stages of an event which is fast becoming a favourite with women. Johnny Watterson reports
Blessed with a rainless day at Glasson Golf and Country Club last week, 30 women finally advanced to the final stages of the Mitsubishi Motors/Irish Times Ladies Masters finals 2002 to be staged in the splendid Mount Wolseley on August 20th.
Having played in nationwide qualifiers through their clubs, 40 women from each region - Munster, Leinster and Connacht/Ulster - arrived at the midlands club on the banks of Lough Ree hoping to make it through for the final day in Carlow next week, an event to be hosted by Christy O'Connor jnr.
With quite a touch of irony, the overall winner at Glasson, Gort's Patricia Reddy has her two young daughters currently receiving lessons from Christy's brother, Seán.
The 27-handicap player, with 42 points for her round, took up golf only four years back but had to take a year out of the game 12 months ago with an injured back.
But the appetite remained undiminished and after a lifetime of dabbling in camogie, badminton, swimming and squash, she has now landed the biggest win of her golfing career. Just one more stage to go to improve on that milestone.
Reddy's most lucrative run in this, the fourth year of the competition, came between the fifth and ninth holes where she gathered 16 points to add to her overall total in the stableford event.
Her card included five pars and a birdie on the signature par three, which requires the tee shot to traverse quite a chunk of the edge of the lake, around which several of the course's back nine holes weave their way.
"It was my first time playing here and it's a fabulous course. I'd heard about it before I came. I'm just thrilled. Everyone was great to us and it was well organized. I probably got a little tired towards the end but it was a great day out," Reddy said.
"I was happy to get across the water never mind get the ball close to the pin on the par three 15th hole. Things just went lucky for me. I kept out of bunkers and things. The rough didn't really bother me.
"The 18th hole was probably the hardest. I knocked down my tee shot. I was probably tired. But I didn't know what I had at that stage. I never add up my scores as I go along. I purposely didn't want to know what it was although I knew I was going quite well. I was relaxed and just looked forward to the day out," she added.
Barbara Richardson, who won the nearest to the pin with a pitch to 81 centimetres on the 15th, was part of Reddy's threeball. The 24 handicapper from Oughterard also qualified for the Mount Wolseley showdown next week, coming seventh in the Connacht/Ulster section.
Second in the day's events, and topping the Leinster region, was Margaret Hughes from Rathsallagh who was playing off 19 and drew 39 points from the long-playing course where the uphill index one, par four, 16th and the index two, par four, 18th were proving particularly difficult.
With little or no run on the ball and lush rain-sodden rough, even the best of drives to the fairways were requiring long irons to make the green, a detail that did not seem to faze third placed Breda Lawless. The Curra West player, who came home with 37 points from a 24 handicap, also moves through to the final stages.
There were, though, a number of impressive scores from several of the other finalists, who ought to be considered as strong candidates in Mount Wolseley.
Bundoran's Eileen McMullen, playing off a handicap of five, which was the joint lowest of the final qualifiers along with Headfort's Ciara Walsh, returned 37 points, with Walsh scoring 35.
"We are thrilled to see how popular the Mitsubishi Motors/Irish Times Ladies Masters has become nationwide, since its inception four years ago. The level and quality of competition this year to qualify for the semi-finals and finals was astounding and we look forward now to a terrific final in Mount Wolseley on August 20th," said Mitsubishi's Aoife Garvey.
SEMI-FINALS
Glasson, Co Westmeath
1, Patricia Reddy (27), Gort 42pts; 2, Margaret Hughes (19), Rathsallagh 39pts; 3, Breda Lawless (24), Curra West 37pts. Front nine: S Fallon (13), Mountbellew 21pts; Back nine: Ciara Walsh (21) Headford 22pts; Nearest pin: Barbara Richardson (24) Oughterard; Longest drive: Emma Gilmore (10) Mountbellew.
QUALIFIERS FOR FINALS
Mount Woolsley, Co Carlow August 20th.
Leinster: M Hughes (19), Rathsallagh 39pts, C Walsh (21), Headford 35 pts; G Dawson (18), Milltown 34pts; P Walsh (5), Headford 33pts; K Whelan (15), Slade Valley 32pts; A O'Brien (10), Mt Temple 32pts; B McDonnell (24), Westmanstown 31pts; G Nolan (21), Mountrath 31pts; C Osbourne (18), Naas 31pts; B Conway (27), Stackstown 31pts.
Munster: P Hanrahan (19), East Clare 34pts; A Muckley (23), East Cork 32pts; J Sweeney (13), West Waterford 31pts; M Cronin (24), Macroom 31pts; K Phelan (16), Roscrea 30pts; P Niland (10), Limerick 30 pts; M Coman (15), Thurles 28pts; B Clarson (15), Charleville 27pts; J Sheehan (15), West Waterford 27pts; M Kenealy (18), Dunmore East 27pts.
Connacht/Ulster: P Reddy (27), Gort 42pts; B Lawless (24), Curra West 37pts; S Fallon (13), Mountbellew 37pts; E McMullen (5), Bundoran 37pts; L Glover (14), Ballyliffen 36pts; E Gilmore (10), Mountbellew 36pts; B Richardson (24), Oughterard 35pts; M Seymour (6), Roscommon 35pts; K Moran (19), Bundoran 34pts; H Russell (12), Roosapenna (12) 34pts.
