By SHAY KEENAN
O'Neill wins Leinster Alliance
GOOD scoring was the order of the day as the Ladies Leinster Alliance held their latest outing at the K Club.
A solid score of 20 points over the closing nine holes was enough for Anne O’Neill, playing off a handicap of eight, to claim victory, but it was a close-run contest as herself and Marie Hayden, a nine handicapper, had tied on 37 points. Hayden had 18 points on the back nine.
A third player on 37 points was nine-handicapper Ursula O’Reilly, who had to be content with third place.
Claiming the gross prize with a score of 33 gross points was one handicapper Alison Taylor.
Meanwhile, the East of Ireland Alliance outings at the European Club are ready to resume once again with the first event scheduled to take place on tomorrow week, Wednesday February 8th.
Places on the timesheet are available by calling the Brittas club on 0404 47415.
Moynihan set for action in US
GAVIN Moynihan will be the only European player in a field of 78 for the HP Championship at Carton Woods, Houston, Texas, from February 17th-20th.
The 18-year-old plus-two handicapper from The Island GC, who won the under-18 Order of Merit, finished third in last year’s Junior Players Championship at Sawgrass and will now test his skills against the best in the US over the testing Houston course.
In a busy schedule for the Malahide Community School pupil who has also qualified for the Faldo World Series in China in March, Moynihan will also lead his school in the Leinster final of the Schools’ Matchplay against Kilkenny College in early March.
Three Irish players for Curtis Cup
THREE Irish players are included in the Britain and Ireland preliminary squad of 12 players for the Curtis Cup match against the United States at The Nairn Golf Club from June 8th to 10th, 2012.
The Maguire twins, Lisa and Leona from Slieve Russell plus Stephanie Meadow from Royal Portrush, are joined by Amy Boulden (Conwy), Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), Charley Hull (Woburn), Bronte Law (Bramhall), Becky Harries (Haverfordwest), Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) and Lauren Taylor (Woburn).
The players, watched by team captain Tegwen Matthews and the LGU international selection panel, will take part in a three-day team trial over the Nairn Golf Club’s championship links from Friday to Sunday, March 23rd to 25th.
The names of the players and reserves chosen for the team will be released on Tuesday, March 27th.
Ireland captains for season named
CORK’S Claire Coughlan, Niamh Kitching from Limerick and Terry Sexton from Dún Laoghaire will captain the Irish Ladies, Girls and Senior international teams for the 2012 season.
Coughlan, a past Curtis Cup player, will lead the Irish team for the Women’s Home International matches at her home club of Cork on September 4th-6th. It is the first time the Home Internationals have been played in Ireland since Dundalk in 2005 when the Irish team were looking for three-in-a-row, having won in 2003 and 2004 when Coughlan was a member of the team.
Kitching, a recent past international, will once again captain the girls team at the European Team Championships to be played in GC St Leon-Rot, Germany, on July 10th-14th and the Girls’ Home Internationals at Radyr Golf Club, Wales, on August 7th-9th. Seapoint’s Paula Reynolds will accompany Kitching as team manager for both events.
Sexton, a member of Dún Laoghaire GC and member of the Irish Senior Ladies team that played England in 2001, will take up the reins as captain of the Irish Seniors for the European Senior Ladies Team Championships, Lugano GC, Switzerland, on September 4th-8th and the Senior Home Internationals at Elie and Earlsferry, Scotland, on October 2nd-4th 2012.
Nisbet nabs the Lake Macquarie Amateur title
QUEENSLANDER Daniel Nisbet won the Lake Macquarie Amateur Championship at the Belmont Golf Club, NSW, his final round of 71 for a total of 273 securing him a three-shot victory over his fellow Queenslander Cameron Smith.
Nisbet, who was runner-up at the Australian Master of the Amateurs and at the Australian Amateur Championship over the past two weeks, finally claimed the top spot on a day when he was forced to come from behind the 54-hole leader and the man who defeated him last week, Marcel Schneider.
Schneider fell away in the final round with a six-over-par round of 78 for 279 to finish fifth. Smith, the current Australian Strokeplay Champion, was one of only a few players to break 70 in the final round, his round of 69 moving him from his share of ninth to outright second.
Another to break 70 on the final day was Ireland’s Richard O’Donovan, who finishing in 14th place on 284 after rounds of 70, 71, 74 and 69, while Gary Hurley shot 68 to finish on 285. Reeve Whitson was two shots further back on 287 after carding 71, 72, 68 and 78. Dermot McElroy shot rounds of 75, 69, 72 and 74 for 290. Niall Gorey finished on 295 with rounds of 75 72, 73 and 75.
This week’s event is the NSW Medal and Amateur Championships at the Long Reef and Mona Vale Golf Clubs (Medal) and the Elanora Country Club (NSW Amateur).
Tobin rewarded for strong finish
A STRONG finish will always prove beneficial if you are challenging for victory and that is exactly what happened recently as Carrick-on-Suir held their open singles competition.
When all the scores were added up Jason Tobin and Nicky Butler had recorded impressive rounds as they both tied on 39 points, but it was Tobin’s birdie-birdie finish which proved crucial as he claimed the spoils to continue his good run of recent form.
The 39 points recorded by Tobin, playing off a handicap of plus one, equated to a round of four under 68, a round that was solid throughout as in total it included six birdies.
And it was his strong finish that was to prove decisive. Tobin posted two under for the back nine, compared to seven handicapper’s Butler’s three over to win the competition.
Tobin wasn’t the only one of his group to be playing good golf as the winner’s playing partner Michael Bennett, playing off a handicap of 11, came home in third place carding a commendable 38 points.
The gross prize was claimed by two-handicapper Kieran Treacy as he shot a three over 75 for 33 points.
Tobin’s good form of late has seen him recently rewarded with a call-up to the Munster senior panel.
