A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Goulding in commanding lead
Niall Goulding took a commanding lead in the race for the overall awards in the Links Golfing Society winter series. The Portmarnock international shot his second successive 69 to win the Waterford Crystal-sponsored outing to Portmarnock Hotel and Links last week and race to five under par in the best 36 holes in both the nett and gross categories.
Goulding, also winner of this outing last year, had two shots to spare over Des Smyth, after the Ryder Cup vice-captain finished with three three's for a 71. Goulding shot five birdies in halves of 34 and 35 to win the nett from John Dwyer (Ashbourne) and Don Coughlan (Cork), who both finished on 72.
Smyth took the gross by a shot from amateur international Mark Campbell (Stackstown) with Frank Flynn (Laytown and Bettystown) third on 73. The remaining outings in the winter series are at Seapoint GC on February 9th (shot-gun start) and at Portmarnock Hotel and Links on April 9th.
Rate my golf course
Planning a day's golf for 2006? Then Tony Bean of Maynooth may be of help to the enthusiastic golfer. His new website www.ratemygolfcourse.ie provides a comprehensive and up to date listing of 431 courses in Ireland. Golfers can get basic and helpful information on these courses and can post reviews of their golfing experiences under a number of headings, ie condition of course, food, staff helpfulness, etc.
Launched last August, the site has had over 160,000 hits which puts them on target as the most comprehensive and up to date reference site for golfers in Ireland and from abroad.
US students dominate
American college students dominated the Harder Hall Invitational women's amateur tournament, the first event of the Orange Blossom Tour in Florida, with Stacy Lewis (University of Arkansas) chalking up one of the biggest victories in the 51 years of the event.
Lewis, from The Woodlands, Texas, won by 11 shots with scores of 69, 69, 75 and 73 for a two-under-par total of 286.
Garrett Phillips, from St Simons Island, Georgia, finished second on 297 with Abigale Schepperie (Alabama) third on 298.
Sarah Carty, a 19-year-old six-handicapper from The Island Golf Club, Dublin, and the only other European apart from Wales veteran Vicki Thomas competing in the event, finished on 346 with scores of 89, 81, 88 and 88.
Thomas tied with Taffy Brower from Boynton Beach, Florida, on 157 for the seniors prize, awarded on 36-hole aggregate scores.
Lyle and Kidd play it cool
Celebrities including two-time major winner, Scotland's Sandy Lyle, and supermodel, Jodie Kidd will be playing in golf's "coolest" tournament - the Chivas Snow Golf Championship - at Engadin, St Moritz, Switzerland next Friday and Saturday.
The tournament, which is played on a nine-hole snow course, will see Lyle come up against a field including European Tour professionals Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain) and Lee Slattery (England).
In addition, the women's field includes model and compulsive golfer, Kidd.
The tournament forms part of the Chivas Life Series - a series of events in extraordinary places including Chivas Elephant Polo in Nepal and the Chivas Ocean Series in Uruguay.
Gilcreest and McNeill in groove
Ciarán Gilcreest of Letterkenny and Ballybofey & Stranorlar's Derek McNeill were the big winners at the North Western Golfing Alliance's opening outing of 2006 when they won the nett and the gross categories respectively at Dunfanaghy Golf Club last Saturday.
Six-handicapper Gilcreest had a slender one-shot margin over the rest of the field as his score of 64 was just good enough to pip Ballyliffin's Alan Doherty (4) in the nett category.
Third place went to City of Derry's David Brady (14), who was a shot further back on 66.
In the gross section, McNeill, like Gilcreest, had one shot to spare as his level par round of 68 was one better than Cruit Island's Donal Boyle, while a further shot back in third spot was Enda McMenamin (1, Ballybofey and Stranorlar) with a round of 70.
It was also a memorable day for Kevin Doherty, who started the new golfing year in fine style by recording a hole in one at the par-three, second hole.
The Alliance's next outing is not until Saturday, February 4th, when they play North West Golf Club.
Hussey starts with an ace
Is there a better way to start the new golfing year than a win with a hole in one? Probably not, but that is exactly what happened to Therese Hussey, who is a member of Kilternan Golf Club.
The club are currently playing out of Powerscourt Golf Club in Enniskerry at present, but Hussey will still have fond memories of her visit as she aced the short par-three third hole.
With the hole measuring 105 metres, the 27-handicapper used her nine wood to great effect to hole her tee shot. That ace helped her in no small way to go on and win the 12-hole competition.
Her score in class one and two of 25 points gave her a three-point winning margin over Nuala LeGros (28) who had 22 points. The class three winner was Jacinta O'Herlihy, playing off 34, who had 22 points.
But all the plaudits on the day belonged to Hussey for her double success.
Irish trio fail to figure
Three Scots - Graeme Brown from Montrose, Glasgow's Barry Hume and Lee Rhind (Uphall) - survived the Asian Tour Qualifying School Stage One in Malaysia on Saturday. They go forward to the final school next week when the leading 40 will gain playing rights on the Asian Tour.
However, the Irish trio of Eddie Barr, Gavin McNeill and Padraig O'Rourke failed to figure among the stage-one qualifiers from four venues at Johor Bahru.
The standard of play necessary to make the grade was high. The leading 14 and ties made it through at the Straits course with 10-under-par 278 or better.
The same number advanced from the Village and Allamanda courses with five-under-par (283) and seven-under-par (281) or better totals. Only at the Cempaka venue where the top 18 and ties went forward was par golf (288) for the four rounds good enough to qualify.
Barr was three shots outside the cut at Palm Resort G&CC - Allamanda course - after rounds of 66, 74, 72, 72, while McNeill finished on 301. O'Rourke, playing at Tanjong Puteri G&CC - Straits course - was well off the pace after rounds of 68, 72, 76 and 74.
Flavin makes an early strike
After 30 years of golf, John Flavin scored his first hole in one on New Year's Day.
The general manager at Luttrellstown Castle may also claim the first of the year when he holed out at the 12th hole in Portmarnock GC at about 12.30pm on New Year's Day.
Knapp begins with double
It has been a good start to 2006 for Michelle Knapp who has begun the new golfing year with a double success.
Last Tuesday the 33-handicapper recorded 27 points to win on the last three holes from Suzanne Ruttle (19) with Eileen O'Donovan (23) back in third place with 26 points.
Then two days later she once again tasted success, as her 20 points were good enough to win in class four.
The other class winners on the day were Anne O'Neill in class one, Mary Clynch in class two, and Mary Gavin in class three.
Hicks is a clear winner
A runaway success for Mary Hicks at the Grange Golf Club last week, as the 16 handicapper recorded 25 points over the Pink course to win the 12-hole competition by five points from Sheila Floyd (15) and Barbara Hughes (23).
There was a similar winning margin for Jo Swan (36) at Kilcoole whose 23 points for the nine holes was five better than Alice Griffin (23).
skeenan@irish-times.ie
