Jake Whelan stakes claim for Irish cap with Mullingar Scratch Trophy triumph

The Grange man closed with a four-under 68 to win his first big title on 15-under par

Jake Whelan (Grange) gets his hands on the  Mullingar Scratch Trophy. Picture: Pat Cashman

Jake Whelan took a giant step towards winning that elusive Irish cap when he birdied the last two holes to snatch a one-shot win over County Sligo’s TJ Ford in the Mullingar Scratch Trophy on Monday.

Thirty years after Paul McGinley etched his name on the famous silver cup, the Grange man (26) followed in the Dubliner’s famous footsteps when he closed with a four-under 68 to win his first big title on 15-under par.