New look for Mullingar: Competitors to the Mullingar Scratch Cup on August 6th and 7th will face some new and exciting challenges in the layout for this year's 72-hole competition.
With course development now complete, competitors in the Owens Group-sponsored event will face new greens at the fourth and sixth on the opening nine and all 18 greens are now sand-based.
Garth Shaw from Lurgan will defend the title he won in a play-off with Rory McIlroy last year. Both are again at the top of their games, McIlroy recently retaining his Irish Close Championship and Shaw winning the Irish Youths title.
Also in the field are Séamus Power (West Waterford), Shane Lowry (Esker Hills), Aaron O'Callaghan (Douglas) and Simon Ward (Co Louth) as well as the recently crowned North of Ireland champion, Darren Crowe.
O'Connor pips Fluit
UCD's Niall O'Connor won the Boyd Quaich international students golf championship at St Andrews last week in the tightest of finishes. O'Connor, with rounds of 75, 70, 73 and 71, tied with Canadian Justin Fluit from the University of Waterloo in Ontario on one-over-par 289 from two rounds over the Old Course and two rounds over the New.
The rules of the Boyd Quaich, a memorial to St Andrews student brothers Quentin and Anthony Boyd, killed in the summer of 1944, do not cater for a play-off, and on a countback, O'Connor had a 71 over the Old Course to Fluit's 72 in the final round to lift the title.
It had been nip-and-tuck between O'Connor, a member of Elm Park and Portmarnock, and Fluit. Both shot 73 over the New Course in the third round to leave it all hinging on the final round over the Old Course.
Gordon Yates from Stirling University was third on 293. The last Irish winner of the title was Dr David Sheehan from the Grange.
New mid-amateur event
The inaugural Leinster Mid-Amateur Open Championship takes place on Friday, August 18th, at the Grange GC and will be run in conjunction with the club for the first time.
The event has been held annually by the Grange since 1993 except for four years when the course was under reconstruction. Dr David Sheehan, captain of the club in 1993, was responsible for initiating the event. The trophy was presented by the late Dr Paddy Moriarty, past president of the Grange.
Allianz is the new sponsor of the championship, which will be played over 36 holes strokeplay, and competitors aged 35 and over will be eligible. Entries are limited to 80 competitors with the lowest exact handicaps at the closing date of seven or less.
Entries close on Monday, July 31st, and entry forms are available from www.gui.ie
First for Curra West
Curra West GC reached another milestone in their 11-year history when they won their first Connacht Pennant at Tubbercurry GC last week. The Kenny Cup, for juniors under 18, was won in fine fashion with a 3½-1½ victory over holders Co Sligo in the final.
Having qualified at their home course, the squad of Eamon Hayes, Brian McCormack, Damien Donohue, David Cunningham and Ronan Nevin beat Enniscrone GC by the same margin in the semi-final.
Dunne good at Laytown
Some 250 junior boys and girls ranging in age from five to 20 turned up for the annual Laytown and Bettystown Juniors Championship last week, and pride of place went to Gerard Dunne from the Seapoint club.
Dunne, who plays off two, shot an excellent 69 gross to win the Bettystown Cup from Morgan Grimes (Skerries) 71, and Gerard Kelly (Co Louth) 72. Dearbhla Behan from Balbriggan retained the girls under-21 title with an 84 from Aimee Wickham and Kerry Cahill.
Conor Byrne won the Pee Wee Cup for the under-8s from Hugo Dwyer and James McElearney. The next juniors event at Laytown & Bettystown is the Des Smyth Trophy in August, and the Ryder Cup vice-captain will present the trophy.
Ulster on the double
There was double joy for Ulster when Lucy Simpson, Masereene, and Sarah Louise Winter won the Maher's Munster Open Girls Championship and Plate respectively in glorious sunshine at Limerick GC last week.
Simpson (15) was too good for 14-year-old Emma O'Driscoll, Ballybunion, winning on the 15th. O'Driscoll had played the match of her life in the morning's semi-final, defeating Shannon's far more experienced Naoimh McMahon on the 22nd hole.
This effort took its toll and in the heat of the afternoon, the Ulster girl was a model of consistency and once she got ahead made no mistakes to win 4 and 3.
The Plate final was a close affair with Winter taking the honours from Ann McCormack on the final green.
Good old Warren
Celbridge Elm Hall GC president Gerry Fogarty presented his prize for 2006 to a most remarkable and popular winner in Ronnie Warren. Playing off 22, Warren recorded a net 135 over the two-day stroke competition. Nothing remarkable, it would seem, except he underwent a course of radiotherapy for cancer in 2005, was hospitalised with a heart attack in 2004, and is 77 years young.
"Ronnie has been a club stalwart for many years and his contribution to the club since its foundation in 1997 has been immeasurable," said Fogarty.
Eighth great for McCarthy
Visions of the eighth hole at Woodenbridge will last long in the memory of Alyse McCarthy. She is the first woman to be elected club president, and the eighth hole has played a significant part during her year in office.
To mark the occasion of her presidency, the members presented McCarthy with a painting of the signature eighth hole - an intimidating par three of some 109 yards across the Avoca river. A week later McCarthy fell foul of the dreaded carry and landed three balls in the water.
However, there was great rejoicing last week when she made amends for the previous week's error by holing in one. Another first for the popular McCarthy, mother of the former international and current member of the ILGU staff Denise, it was her first ace in some 50 years of playing golf.
Blues' classic coming up
Waterford United FC will hold their third annual Golf Classic at Faithlegg GC on Friday week, July 28th. Tee times are still available all day from 8am.
The event is a four-person team competition with two to score at each hole. GUI handicaps will be applied and there will be a steak dinner for all after the golf. The cost of a team is €250 and Faithlegg House Hotel is offering a special rate of €69 per person sharing for those wanting to stay on the Friday night.
Anyone interested in playing should email their entry to office@waterford-united.ie or fax it to 051 853226. Entries are also available on www.waterford-united.ie or by phoning the Waterford United office at 051 853222.
Transplant society
Are you a transplant recipient looking to get back to fitness slowly but surely? Well, if so, the recently formed Irish Transplant Golf Society could be just the place for you.
The Society was formed only last month and the aim is to encourage transplant recipients back to full fitness with the gentle skills of golf - walking, putting, chipping - which will eventually lead to competitiveness and the desire to partake in sport.
The society's outings are based on a scramble format, allowing non-golfers to play with golfers who will teach them the game and make them feel part of the competition.
Already the society has given two successful clinics, with the help of the Irish Kidney Association. The society are already affiliated to the GUI and welcome new members. Anyone interested in joining get in touch with Colin White (secretary), who can be contacted at the Irish Kidney Association headquarters on 01 6689788, or the society's captain, Tom Devereux, on 094 9546055.
