Women's fourball eventThe 2003 Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Women's Golf Challenge Fourball gets under way with golf clubs across the country teeing off over the next couple of weeks. Now in its third year, the event has proved hugely popular with over 120 golf clubs from all four provinces participating in 2002.
The competition is Ireland's most flexible stableford women's golf event and can be held in conjunction with any other club competition played in fourball or threeball stableford format. The reward for each club winner is that the top 12 teams in each province with qualify for the provincial deciders at four venues in July.
The Munster qualifier takes place at Fota Island on July 21st, the Leinster finals at Citywest on July 23rd, the Slieve Russell hosts the Ulster decider on July 28th and Connacht will decide the final qualifiers on July 30th at Galway Bay Golf Club.
The Challenge will culminate in a National Final to be held in Druid's Glen on August 25th when former Irish Tour Professional and Teaching Professional Aideen Rogers will present the winners with a specially commissioned Nutri-Grain Challenge trophy and a perpetual trophy.
Entries and further information can be obtained from The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ladies Golf Challenge Office on 01 2895915.
Heswall gets Open
Heswall Golf Club has been chosen to host the Junior British Open Championships in 2006, the year that the championship returns to nearby Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake.
It will be the first time that the club has hosted an R&A Championship although it has held many county events and was the venue for the English Seniors Amateur Championship last year.
Founded in 1902, Heswall commands uninterrupted views over the Dee Estuary to the hills of north Wales and beyond. It will join a list of distinguished Junior Open venues which include Formby, Crail and Royal Musselburgh. Kilmarnock (Barassie) will be the host when the Open is at Royal Troon in 2004.
The Junior Open Championships were first played in 1994 and are held every second year. The championships are run in three categories - gold for handicap thre and under, silver for handicaps four to nine, and bronze for handicaps of 10 to 21. The gold category is played over 54 holes and the others over 36 holes.
Over 100 at K Club final
Over 100 golfers enjoyed the final of the Sports Spread/K Club golf competition in association with The Irish Times at the K Club last Tuesday. The lucky winners enjoyed 18 holes on the championship course and more than 15 of them managed to beat Paul McGinley on the Par three 17th hole.
The winning Irish Times readers team with a score of 90 points was Ronan O'Donovan, John O'Donovan, Chris Leonard and Donal Carroll.
Anyone who beat McGinley on the par three got a free €50 bet on this weeks US Masters, compliments of Sports Spread. Following the dinner, Kevin Moran and Paul McGinley held a questions and answers session.
Sutton face Corrstown
Sutton will begin the defence of the Barton Cup title when they take on Corrstown in the first round of the FBD-sponsored event later this month.
A record 128 teams were in last week's draw for the 2003 competition which will take eight rounds to reach the final this year. Interesting meetings in the first round include: Dublin Mountain and Kilmashogue, Howth and Portmarnock, Ardee and Seapoint, Glen O'The Downs and Druids Glen and recent finalists Mountrath and Kilkenny.
Last year's runners up Baltinglass, who lost out in an exciting final at the fifth tie hole, play Newlands. The first round has to be played on or before the April 20th with the first leg of the final being held on August 23rd and the second leg on September 6th.
Sports Council awards
Martina Gillen and Tricia Mangan have each been awarded a3,000 towards their expenses for 2003 by the Irish Sports Council. Gillen, a member of Beaverstown and currently studying at Kent State University in Michigan, and Mangan (Ennis) are the only Irish players on the Ladies Golf Union International Panel.
They were nominated for grants by the Irish Ladies Golf Union training committee chaired by Brigid McCaw. Other players nominated for Sports Council funding are the top four on the Order of Merit - Maria Dunne (Skerries), Sinead Keane (Curragh), Marian Riordan (Tipperary) and Claire Coughlan (Cork) who each receive €a1,600.
The top eight players on the Junior Order of Merit will each receive a1,285. They are Karen Delaney (Carlow), Heather Nolan (Shannon), Tara Delaney (Carlow), Danielle McVeigh (Royal County Down Ladies), Dawn Marie Conaty (Ashbourne), Sinead O'Sullivan (Galway), Roma Convery (Cairndhu) and Alison Kingston (Bandon).
Mangan got the year off to a flying start with a win in the Ford sponsored Cork Scratch Cup at the weekend. The Ennis scratch player fired a 146 total for the 36 hole event to win by three from local Claire Coughlan, with Tara Delaney (Carlow) next on 151.
Banbridge take title
Neil Honeyford holed an eight-foot putt at the first extra hole at Holywood Golf Club last Friday to clinch the NASUWT Ulster Schools golf championship for Banbridge Academy. Academy's five-man team defeated Royal Belfast Academical Institute 3-2, thanks to Honeyford's overtime victory against Clark Atkinson.
It was the first win in five years for Banbridge, who beat Coleraine AI 4.5 to 0-5 in the morning semi- finals. RBAI, recent winners of the Ulster Schools rugby title, defeated Campbell College 4-1. Banbridge Academy will represent Ulster in the All-Ireland Schools finals at Portuma Golf Club, Galway, on August 25th.
Ardee win winter league
Ardee Golf Club came out on top at the conclusion of the Leinster Senior Alliance Winter League last week. The outcome went to the wire with Ardee needing eight points from the final match away to Co Meath Golf Club, Trim. Managed by Tom Hickey, who also played his part in the victory,
Ardee secured the necessary points by winning three matches and halves in two others took them clear of the other seven clubs which included Royal Tara, Headfort, Delvin Castle, Lucan, Black Bush and Westmanstown.
Barnes gets hole in one
Ensuring that her name would be remembered in the 2003 folklore of Glen of the Downs golf club in Co Wicklow recently was Susan Barnes, who claimed the first hole-in-one of the new year.
Playing in the weekly 12-hole competition, she proved that water was no deterrent at all to her, as she aced the seventh hole, which is a short par three of just 110 yards over water. She holed with a well struck seven iron.
Glen of the Downs have joined the National Hole in One Club - sponsored by Anglo Irish Bank - and a board is soon to be erected in the Clubhouse, which will record the full details of everyone who achieves an ace at the club. The player involved will also receive a certificate marking their achievement.
