Host club Kenmare celebrates landmark triumph
The trio of John Duggan, Tomás Mac Gearailt and Thomas McSweeney scored 51 points in the three-ball better ball event to capture the Thomas and George Crosbie Memorial Trophy for the third time in their history.
The club, celebrating its centenary year, won the competition at the inaugural outing at Cork Golf Club in 1973 and they were also successful at Kinsale in 1999.
Yesterday, the team members dovetailed beautifully, scoring halves of 27 and 24 points to win by the narrowest of margins from Castlegregory.
Nine handicapper Mac Gearailt gave the home team the perfect start with a birdie at the par three second, while McSweeney, who plays off 14, gained an invaluable four points with another birdie at the fifth.
Not to be outdone, low category player Duggan also got in on the birdie act with three brilliant returns at the fourth, ninth and 15th holes on a course that was in pristine condition for the big occasion.
Fellow Kerry club Castlegregory made a tremendous effort to top the leaders late in the day with three birdies in the last four holes.
Dan O’Connor began the charge at the 15th; Seán Leen struck at the next and O’Connor also bettered par at the last in a magnificent finishing spurt.
Michael Burrows, the other team member, also made his mark with four solid pars at the more difficult holes.
West Cork clubs Glengarriff and Berehaven produced strong finishes to claim third and fourth places respectively and the top six was completed by Newcastle West and Lismore who made it a four-county spread in the prize list honours.
Yet another course record has tumbled as David Ryan went on the rampage at Malahide.
The former Irish Assistants’ Champion from Cork fired nine birdies as he stormed to a seven-under-par 64 in the Philip Walton Charity pro-am event with the title sponsor himself four shots back.
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