A round-up ogf golf news from around the country.
New event in Laois
Upwards of 500 golfing visitors from England, Scotland, Wales, Scandinavia and Germany, plus many Irish entries are expected in Co Laois for the inaugural Budweiser International Challenge from May 22nd-25th.
The event will see golfers play on any three of the five courses in the Laois region, with the 12 leading pairs qualifying for a grand final at the Seve Ballesteros-designed Heritage Golf and Country Club at Killenard.
The five clubs participating are: Abbeyleix, Mountrath, Portarlington, Rathdowney and The Heath at a cost of €100.
Promoted by Laois County Council, Laois Tourism and the Midlands Tourism Authority, further details are available form www.laoistourism.ie or from the tourism officer, Laois County Council (0502-64132).
Eight left in Daly trophy
On a very testing day eight clubs progressed to the next stage of the Fred Daly Trophy (Connacht section) at Strandhill and Oughterard Golf Clubs last week.
Between the two venues 15 clubs teed-up, with Co Sligo leading the way at Strandhill with a 382 total from Claremorris (393), Strandhill (400) and Enniscrone (415), who qualified on the fourth card from Westport. Athenry led the way at Oughterard with a 413 total from Athlone (418), Galway (428) and Oughterard (433).
Tommy McGowan (1), from Strandhill, led the individual scores with a 67 while Portumna's Triston O'Rourke (5), shot the best round, 74, at Oughterard.
Quarter-final line-up: Enniscrone v Co Sligo; Strandhill v Claremorris; Oughterard v Athenry; Galway v Athlone.
Parker wins in Tasmania
English teenager Ben Parker, the only British player in the field, won the Toyota Tasmanian Open amateur golf championship on Sunday. The 18-year-old son of Tim Parker, club professional at Gut Waldhof near Hamburg, beat Steve Dartnall (Western Australia) with a par at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off at Davenport Golf Club. They had tied on 16-under-par 264 after the regulation 72 holes.
Parker had rounds were 62, 66, 66 and 70 over the par-70 course. Seven weeks ago Parker, a Royal Birkdale Golf Club member, became the first British player to win the Junior Orange Bowl in Florida.
Honours for Island
Island members took the major honours at the BMW-sponsored Hilary Society outing to St Anne's on Sunday, with Declan Moran winning the nett with a 71. UCD student and Island member, Brendan Walton won the gross with an 72. Moran edged out Co Louth's Gerald Kelly on a countback with Royal Dublin's Gary McGrane taking third place. The next outing is at Seapoint GC on March 5th.
Eamonn O'Carroll (Letterkenny) won the North Western Alliance outing to Portsalon GC. O'Carroll (10) shot a nett 71 to beat Seamus Friel (Strabane) on a countback from Dennis Kelly (Strabane) and Pauric McHugh (Ballybofey and Stranorlar), who both shot 73. The gross went to John McBride (Rosapenna) on a countback from Enda McMenamin (Ballybofey and Stranorlar) after both shot 75.
Hayden is president
Foxrock GC in South Dublin recently made their own small piece of club history and in the process joined a growing band of clubs who have elected women as presidents.
The recently-appointed president is Anne Hayden. Other clubs who will have women as presidents this year are Woodenbridge (Alyse McCarthy), Galway (Margaret Mulholland), Claremorris (Dr Ann Moran), Connemara (Mary Joyce) and Oughterard (Ann Lee), while Sutton's Mairin Byrne, the club's vice-president, will take over from Eamon O'Hanrahan once his term ends. Hayden, a former lady captain of Foxrock, previously served as both chairperson and vice-president of the Eastern District of the ILGU.
skeenan@irish-times.ie
