CSGC BP No 18 West of Ireland Preview

93rd West Of Ireland
Captain Centurion Log
Yesterdays Qualifying round marked the commencement of the 93 rd West of Ireland
Amateur Championship. This great event is steeped in tradition dating back to its humble
beginnings in 1923 (when it was won by Larry Vernon) right up to the current day. The
earlier years saw the West dominated by two of the greats of Irish Amateur golf – Co.
Sligo’s GC own Cecil Ewing & Joe Carr from Sutton GC. Between them they contested the
final on no less than 26 occasions. Since then there have been many notable winners
including World No 1, Rory McIllroy and 3 time Major Winner P Harrington, both winning
their first Senior Amateur title here.
Our famous Colt Championship Links is being substantially revitalised under the watchful
eye of noted Golf Architect Pat Ruddy and I am pleased to announce that the following
new features introduced in Phase 1 will be in play for the West,
The Green extensions on Holes 1&2 – although they will not be used for pins.
The new Bunkers on the 1st and 5th
The new Championship Tee’s on Hole 1 and 5 will be in play only for the Matchplay
stages – commencing Sunday
Championship Special
Notable Winners
Rory McIllroy 2005&2006
This Event would not be the success it is without the support and help of the following:
1) The owners of the Sligo Radisson Blu Hotel and Seamus Preston, General Manager for
their support and sponsorship. 2) The Director of Golf David and the staff in the office, bar
and restaurant 3) Mark Millar and staff for getting the course in excellent condition in
difficult weather conditions 4) Enda Lonergan the Tournament Director and General
Secretary of the Connacht Branch of the GUI 5)Emmanuel McCormack and his team for
Padraig Harrington 1994
the excellent Web Coverage 6) All the tournament volunteers from both the club and the
GUI for their unselfish work.
Finally, I would like to wish all the best to all competitors but especially to our own
members competing and I would encourage you to come out and support them.
Aidan Doyle
Shane Lowry
2008
Joe Carr (12 times)
Cecil Ewing (10 times)
Meet Enda Lonergan – West of Ireland Tournament Director
Enda, from Mitchelstown in Cork, will be looking after the West for the 15th time this
week so we thought we would get to know a bit about him and his approach to
Connacht’s Blue Ribbon golfing Championship.
Enda lives in Westport Mayo and is married to Annette a school teacher from
Loughrea. They have 2 daughters Ellen (9) and Marykate (6) who are both avid golfers
and Ellen is on ILGU U12 development Panel. He is a member of Westport GC where he
serves on Men’s Council as Green’s Convenor and Hon Secretary. His parents are Liam
and Mairead who are not golfers but he has 3 fanatical golfing uncles who got Enda
into golf. He plays off a handicap of 8 but is not playing much at the moment due to a
back injury. His first and still favourite sport is Hurling.
CAREER
Co Sligo GC in August 1994 – Administrative Manager
Bantry GC – November 1996 - Manager
Castlebar GC – 1999 - Secretary Manager
Connacht Branch GUI – 2001 to Present General Secretary
- Based in Breaffy GAA Club Business Park
Enda’s on Course Revitalisation
“Overall enough creativity and craft to challenge the top
players”. Dream change is 2nd Green as gives him more Pin
Placement options
General Tournament Setup
The Tee Time Interval was extended last year to 11 mins and resulted in an
average round lasting year 4.35nrs versus over 5.hrs of old. More benign Tee’s
for the Qualifying Rounds also was a factor in this reduction as was last years
weather. Enda , who lives by the motto Fail to Plan , Plan to Fail , selects 2 Pin
positions (A&B) for each green each day. Each morning at 6am dependant on
the weather forecast he will select A or B and the pins will be placed.
4 players were given exemption to the Qualifiers as they were
representing Ireland in a recent tournament in Argentina. Only
2, the defending Champion Jack Hume (playing off +4.5) and
John-Ross Galbraith(Irish Close holder) took up the invite .
The West of Ireland truly is the first Major of the year. In terms of WAGR(see below) only the Irish Amateur is ranked
higher than it in this country. It is the same Category B as the Irish Close. The North and East are Category C and the South
is Category D. The Category is determined by Handicap limit and format and more info can be found on their Website.
The Men’s WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING™ system ranks the top amateur golfers in the world on the basis of their
average performance in Counting Events over a rolling 52 week cycle. Counting Events are graded from A to G in accordance
with the strength of the field, with the number of points awarded being proportionate to the event strength.
Jimmy back for 30th Anniversary of famous win
Jimmy Feeney won an emotional West back in 1985 and 30 years on he is back for an emotional return. Here
is the story of how that all came about and his link with Rosses Point.
Jimmy
Feeney
Jimmy's father Leo was born in 1934 in Rosses-Point, emigrated to England in 1958 and settled in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. He was already
an accomplished golfer and joined Tapton Park in Chesterfield. He soon reduced his handicap to scratch and became a regular in the
County team, in which he played from 1959 to 1963. He combined his golfing commitments with his job of driving buses in Chesterfield. He
was also a member of Chesterfield golf club. Leo enjoyed success at club and county level during this time, with the highlight being winning
the Derbyshire Open Championship on four successive occasions from 1959 to 1963, a feat that is yet to be matched. In December 1963,
Leo left Chesterfield with his wife and two daughters, turned Professional and took the combined post of Professional, Head Greenkeeper
and Steward at Chapel en le Frith, 15 miles from Manchester. Chapel was a thriving nine-hole course, and he was assisted by his wife
Pattie as Stewardess. Leo continued as Head Greenkeeper until 1971 when the course was converted to a full 18 holes and as
Steward/Stewardess until 1975, at which point a full-time steward was appointed. During his time as professional Leo won the Derbyshire
Alliance championship on six occasions and was a regular winner on the Pro-am circuit and gained a reputation as a fine teacher. During
the long winter months in North Derbyshire he ran an indoor night school for all standards of players which proved to be extremely popular.
In September 1977, tragedy struck, when Leo, aged 43 was killed in a freak car accident in Portlaiose (Ireland) whilst returning from a
tournament, with his eldest daughter Rosemary. Rosemary was not injured in the accident, but Leo only survived a few hours leaving Pattie
to care for the two girls, Rosemary [18] and Theresa [14], in addition to four boys Jimmy[13], Leo junior [12], Brendan [10] and Kevin [5]. The
golfing community, in Derbyshire and Ireland , where Leo was well-known, as well as the rest of England were deeply shocked and
saddened by this tragedy. A memorial service was held in Chapel in October 1977, and was attended by over a thousand people.
In the months following Leo’s death, Pattie continued in the shop, with the assistance of the then
assistant Andrew Murray [who later became a European tour regular and won the European Open], until
a new Professional was appointed and all the stock had been disposed of. Leo’s children continue to
play golf, all to a good standard. Rosemary, was Captain of the Derbyshire ladies first team in the early
nineties, still plays from single figures and prior to starting a family worked as a tournament director and
rules official for the Professional Golfers Association at the Belfry. Brendan returned to Ireland where he
has settled in Rosses Point, and is a single-figure player there. Kevin, the youngest son, plays from low
single figures, and is a well-respected rules official with the European tour having refereed at several
Ryder cups and major championships. Jimmy, the eldest son, was born in Derbyshire in 1964 and
started playing golf at Chapel en le Frith at the age of ten. At 13, following the death of his father he
visited Gavin Christie for lessons, a golf teacher and life coach to the Ryder Cup player Mark James..
Rickie Fowler, Jimmy Walker referee Kevin Feeney, Rory
McIlroy and Ian Poulter during the 2014 Ryder Cup
Jimmy sinking the winning putt
As a child, Jimmy and his siblings
spent the summer in Rosses Point
with their Grandparents, Rose and
Jimmy Feeney. Jimmy, Leo and
Brendan would join the Junior
competitions and play golf with Kevin
Flanagan, Simon Rooney, Seryth
Heavey and Aiden Anderson.
Jimmy won the English Universities strokeplay championship in 1984 and was subsequently selected to play for
Connacht in a match against Ayrshire at Rosses Point in April 1985, the week before the West. He travelled to stay
with his Grandmother,who lived just 2 miles from the golf club. His grandfather, also Jimmy, had worked on the
greens at the Point in his youth and passed away in September 1984.
Jimmy entered the 1985 event as part of an Easter holiday with his grandmother. Playing from a 2 handicap, he qualified
comfortably from the strokeplay phase and progressed quietly to the semi-finals where he met an experienced Irish
International, Declan Branigan. Jimmy won through by 2&1 to meet the 16 year old Gary Moore from Royal Portrush. One
down after 13, he birdied the long 14th and also the 15th to move to one-up and held on to the end. Simon Rooney, whom he
had played with during the summer holidays as a child caddied throughout the matchplay stages.
The Irish Times reported : “ The moment of victory was a mixture of delight and sadness as Feeney was embraced by his widowed mother, Pat who
had travelled on the day from England. Both were in tears, as were other relations and friends of the late Leo Feeney, who was born locally before
emigrating to England where he took up an appointment as professional at Chapel –en-le Frith. The shy, bespectacled hero had certainly done his
father proud in a tense match that also reflected enormous credit on Moore who, at 16, was the youngest finalist in the history of the event. “
Jimmy was immediately promoted to the Irish senior panel and named in the 6 man team for the European Championships, to be played in Sweden later in the
year. There Ireland qualified comfortably in the first flight, with Jimmys two scores both counting. Ireland met England in the first knock-out stage and were
heavily beaten, with Jimmy losing to Graham Homewood, a recent finalist in the British Amateur.
Jimmy is a Chartered accountant, qualified with Deloitte in Manchester and has spent the last 25 years in various finance positions at Rolls-Royce plc, the global
engineering company. He has been married to Geraldine since 1990 and has a 20 year old daughter Christina who is at university in Durham and a 17 year old
son Adam who is in his last year at school. He now lives and works in Derby. He played over 100 matches for his county Derbyshire before “retiring” from County
golf in 1996. He won the County Amateur and Open championships on 6 occasions which is a record and was Captain of the Midlands region in 1999 and 2000.
Meet the Bagman of all Bagmen
“The bagman is a very special part of the West of Ireland. I started caddying in 1974 with the
members preferred rate of 50pence or 10 bob. This will be my 42nd year in charge of a bag
that has seen me carry for some great charatcters such as Sean Flanagan(Snr), David
Sheehan(The Grange), Jimmy Feeney, John Dickson (Hollywood), David Long . Since 2008 I
have been on the bag of my nephew Barry Anderson. I am still wishing I was an octopus to
handle the bits and pieces of the boss. After the 2nd round on Sunday evening the Bagman’s
Sweep Draw springs into action on the last 16 players.” Aidan “Kiddo” Andersen
1970 – J. Mc Ateer (Scotland) bagman Joe Henderson
1979 – David Long(ShandonPark) ) bagman Aiden Anderson
1985 – Jimmy Feeney (Chapel en Le Frith) ) bagman Simon Rooney
2011 – Paul Cutler (Portstewart) ) bagman Robbie Fitzpatrick
2013 – Rory McNamara (Headford) ) bagman Alex McAleenan
2014 – Jack Hume (Nass) ) bagman Paddy Bird
Kiddo’s Unexpected Tales of the West
Kiddo played in the 1992 West.He holed his 3rd on 12th with a 7 iron
for eagle and got a putt from the right side semi rough on 16th to
break 80 and miss cut by 1. His Bagman was great buddie and Coast
to Coast co-founder Bill O’ Connor
Declan Brannigan (Laytown & Bettystown) some years ago summed
the West challenging weather up by stating that “ You would arrive
feeling like Jack Nicklaus and go home feeling like Matt Talbot”.
In the early 70’s, when qualifying round was a single round, a 32 year old
seaman, Frankie Doherty, was collected off the boat . He stepped onto the 1st
tee in a howling gale and a level par round of 71 saw him lead the field into
the matchplay stages.
Tom Gavin, is recorded to be the only competitor to have taken one of the big
hitters out of the Championship before the matchplay started. A finely struck 6
iron sailed over the flag on the 6th and struck Jimmy Clynch (Laytown and
Bettystown) on the side of head as he was seated on the bench of the 7th tee.
1979 was the year of the marathon West as David Long (Shandon Park) beat Arthur Pierse
(Tipperary GC) on the 8th tie hole. Caddying for Long, who was portly man with deadly accuracy
from tee to green, I recall his putter was stone cold on the day of the final, until reaching the 12 th
green when he got a jail break of a given putt from well outside the gimmie range to remain four
down with six to play. A birdie on 17th saw him draw level and then victory on the 26th hole.
Barry Anderson while playing against Rory McNamara
(Headford G.C.) in a quarter final , encountered a
southerly wind so strong that a drive on the 18 th followed
by a three wood was 40 yards short of the green. Both
competitors completed rounds in the mid 80’s
Co Sligo GC
Male Voice Choir
The MVC Spring Charity Concert
raised a massive €6,000 and will be
presented to the charities on Easter
Sunday at 6 pm in the club house
Well done to all those that qualified
in pretty dreadful weather led by
Gary McGrane, son of Damien the
winner of the West in 1987. Second
was long time West regular David
Kelleher and on his bag was TJ
Ford. Also qualified is 15 year old
Harry Gillivan from Westport.
WEST OF IRELAND QUALIFIERS
1st Gary McGrane (1) The Royal Dublin 72
2nd David Kelleher (1) Portmarnock 72
3rd Daniel Brennan (0) Shannon 73
4th Harry Gillivan (3) Westport GC 74
5th Shane McDermott (1) Co. Cavan GC 74
6th Greg O'Mahony (1) Lee Valley 75
7th Ryan O'Doherty (2) Enniscrone GC 76
8th Dale Jackson (1) Massereene GC 76
9th Jamie Fletcher (1) Warrenpoint GC 76
West Of Ireland Championship Outright Betting
Jack Hume 11/2 Dermot McElroy 10/1 Gary McDermott 16/1
Richard Bridges 16/1 John Ross Galbraith 18/1 Geoff Lenehan 20/1
Robert Cannon 22/1 Colm Campbell 25/1 Alex Gleeson 28/1
S
K
R
M
The Cup is Back!.
Thank you to all the members who showed up
yesterday at 9 and those who wrote to say
they were unable to attend. John Horan
thought he had found it in Mayo but it was a
replica of SAM. The fotofit included featured 3
Wexford men (Stafford, Rahilly and Murphy)
and the eyes of Keyes. This in no way implies
that people from Wexford are more likely to be
burglars than from any South East county..
The lowest cut mark over the past 10 years in the
West of Ireland was 147 in 2005, the first year Rory
McIllroy won.
To easily identify players in
the Matchplay stages a
numbering system will be
used which will be visible on
the players bag =>>>
64
Brendan Cashel , past Captain of
Portmarnock, played in 22
consecutive West’s and is currently
researchimg a book to cover the
History of the West of Ireland
Championship since its inception.
Brendan plans to visit us as a
spectator this weekend
The highest cut in the same period was 159
when Rory McNamara won in 2013
Local Player Profiles -1
Name : Declan Reidy DOB: 16/12/1993 Current/Lowest +.2/+.3 Best golfing achievement to date? Senior Cup 2013
What is your current golfing goal? To play for ireland
How many Wests and best finish Played in 2 best finish was last 32 in 2014 Best round in the West 67 to make the cut
last year What do you like best about the West The support from the locals and that cheer when a good shot is hit
Who is your caddy Paraic Hanley Golf Pro you most admire? Shane Lowry Excluding CSGC Favourite golf course? Old
course in St Andrews What is your favourite hole in County Sligo and why? 17th anything can happen
What would be your ideal fourball ? Lowry Mcilroy and Henry Shefflin
Name: Stephen Brady Age : 24 - 9/7/90 Handicap Current/Lowest 0.7/ 0.0
Current goal: do well in WOI - not been playing enough to compete in recent years.
Work: Ulster bank in Galway How many wests?: this will be my 7th with my best finish being the last
32 nd same year leading score in round 1 of 69. Best score 69
What do you like best about the West? I like that it's at home and always plenty of support for local guys
playing. Always a highlight of the year when getting to play a top tournament on your home course.
Favourite pro: Kaymer and Mcilroy Favourite course: Baltray Co Louth.
Favourite hole at CSGC : 14 tough fair and always demands full attention and good shots.
Name: Sean Flanagan What age - DOB 18/08/1995 What is your exact /lowest handicap +1.2/+1.3
What is your best golfing achievement to date? Being a member on the 2013 Boys Home International winning team.
What is your current golfing goal? To become a member of the Irish Senior Home International Team
How many Wests and what was your best finish First West was in 2012 and my best finish was getting to the last 16.
Best round in the West My 70 in the second qualifying round in 2014. What do u like best about the West ? There is a great buzz
around the club the week of the West. It’s the best tournament of the year in my opinion and having so many friends and family
around the club during the week makes it even more special for me. What do you think of your draw in the West? I think my draw
this year is the best one I've got so far. Playing with my good friend Alex Gleeson and past West of ireland Champion Jimmy Feeney
will definitely be make it that bit more enjoyable. Who is your caddy? My Brother Tom. He plays off 13 and is 13 years old. Golf
Professional you most admire : Shane Lowry Excluding Co Sligo what is your favorite golf course Royal County Down
Favourite hole in County Sligo and why? 4th. It demands and rewards a solid shot but also punishes a miss-hit.
What would be your ideal fourball Rory Mcilroy, Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia.
Local Player Profiles -2
Name : Gary McDermott DOB 17/6/1981 What is your Exact/Lowest handicap ? +3.4/+3.4
What is your best golfing achievement to date? Representing Ireland at Home Internationals in
CSGC- Unbeaten for the week and highest points earner for the Team. 4-5/6 What is your current
golfing goal - To win an Amateur Championship How many Wests have you played in This will be
my 11th consecutive. What is your best round in the West- 66 in my first West (Good Friday) What
do u like about West- The home support, the good will of the members to do well. The buzz about
the clubhouse and Village. You dont get this at other tournament. What do you think of your draw
in the West - Happy with the draw- Neither of the extreme times. Playing with a good friend in Kelan
McDonagh. Who is your caddy - Robert Kelly`Golf Pro you most admire- Padraig Harrington.
Hardwork/ Commitment/ Dedication. A great professional. Excluding Co Sligo what is your favorite
golf course Royal Portrush- Most holes have a risk reward element. What is your favourite hole in
County Sligo and why- 14th from Championship tee. Ideal position for approach is down the left
which brings hazard into play. A demanding hole in all conditions. What would be your ideal
fourball- My Current Fourball partners- Philip Gallagher, Shane Filan, Paul Keaveney.
Name : Barry Anderson DOB 29/10/1990 What is your exact/lowest handicap ? +2.4/+2.7
What is your best golfing achievement to date? Holding the winning putt to beat England and win
the Boys Home Internationals in 2008. What is your current golfing goal To win an Irish Amateur
“major” – preferably the West! How many Wests have you played in and what was best finish
This will be my 8th West and I have reached the Quarter-Final stage twice in 2010 & 2011 Best round
in the West 69 in 2014 What do you like about West The history – the list of past champions is a
whos who of Irish golf From growing up watching and idolising these players to seeing them
competing and winning majors it pretty cool. To be able to compete in the West now is a great thrill
each time but it would be nice to someday add my name to that list of players. What do you think of
your draw in the West I’ll tell you on Saturday evening! Who is your caddy As has been the case
from 2008 – my uncle, Aiden “kiddo” Anderson.Golf Pro you most admire Rory McIlroy Excluding
Co Sligo what is your favourite course Royal County Down Favourite hole in CSGC and why?
3rd Hole – the view from on top of that tee is one of the best in the country. The new green looks like
it’s going to improve an already great hole! What would be your ideal fourball Tiger Woods (in his
prime), Rory Mcilroy and Brian O’Driscoll.
Local Player Profiles -3
Name David Brady DOB 18……20-1-97 What is your exact/lowest handicap ? 0.0/+0.6
What is your best golfing achievement to date? Representing Ireland @ U14, U16 and U18
European junior champion; Course record 64 at CSGC; Junior Captain CSGC 2015, a great
honour. What is your current golfing goal; Win the West; and have a good 2015 season.
How many Wests and best finish- only 1 (2014) and was beaten in 2nd round matchplay What is
your best round in the West 64 What u like about West Top class field of players and
fantastic supporters. What do you think of your draw in the West. I like it. Early time on day 1.
Who is your caddy Dad- Terry Brady Golf Professional you most admire Rory McIlroy
Excluding Co Sligo what is your favorite golf course that you have played Monty course at
Carton house. What is your favourite hole in County Sligo and why 4th hole. Best par 3 in the
world.
What would be your ideal fourball Rory, Sergio and Jordan Spieth.
Name Steffan O’Hara DOB 16/10/91 What is your exact/lowest handicap?+1.1/+2.0
What is your best golfing achievement to date? Winning Ulster youths 2012
What is your current golfing goal Turn pro and enjoy what i love doing
How many Wests and best finish 4 best finish last 8 Best round in the West 68
What you like about West home course and crowd wanting a local winner
Who is your caddy Ben Rooney Golf Pro you most admire Shane Lowry
Excluding Co Sligo what is your favorite course Valderamma
What is your favourite hole in County Sligo and why 12 because a good drive can result in a
good score on the hole at good time in the round
What would be your ideal fourball Declan Reidy, Mark Morrisey, Sean Flanagan
Oops!
The last question on the players profile was what was the funniest incident you
have experienced/witnessed in golf … these were some of the replies!!
Declan Reidy “Playing a 4ball match on the 5th hole, hit my second shot second
stone dead for eagle and then Steffan holds his second for the albatross. Never
had a smile wiped off my face as quick”.
David Brady “Ben Rooney’s up and down from way over the back of the sixth green.
His nominated strategy of bouncing it off the bench worked!!! ”
Sean Flanagan “When Declan Reidy slam dunked a 60 yard pitch shot into a bin in the practice round for the
Senior Cup Finals in Royal Tara Golf Club
Gary McDermott “ Keith O'Neill letting his electric trolley off ahead of him on the 7th hole in the European Club. As he was
chatting away he didn’t notice that his trolley was working with a "strong draw" that day and ended up in the lake with Keith
following in after it to retrieve it. (One of many funny Keith stories) “
Barry Anderson “A number of years ago I had invited some friends down from Kildare and one of them hit his tee shot
into the bunker on the 13th hole. The ball had run up against the side of the bunker so that he had to kneel down and
attempt to hit the shot off his knees. I’ll add in at this point that it was a scorching hot day and we were all bathed in sun
cream. Anyway, he proceeded to take a swipe at the ball but in the process – lost balance and fell face first into the
bunker. He had a face on him like an ice-cream covered in beige coloured sprinkles. We all fell around the place
laughing.......the worst thing was the ball only got half way up the slope and then rolled back into the bunker!! “
Steffan O’Hara “Declan Reidy four twos on par 3s 2 weeks ago and not entering the twos ha “
Web Reporter Extraordinaire – Emmanuel McCormack
Emmanuel revolutionised the reporting of the West in 2009 and thereafter .. he explains how it happens
“ The coverage started about 2009 and Twitter was used with a feed to the club's website. Twitter was quite a new media tool back then with
few regular users and it was regarded as a bit of joke by most adults. Now we see Twitter used by Governments and large Corporations to
get their message out there. The following year Vincent McGee suggested that we would use a fancy communications tool called
"Coveritlive". This added a whole new dimension to the coverage. It looked very impressive on the club's West of Ireland webpage and
brought in many viewers, not only to our coverage but also to the County Sligo Golf Club website. We now had a very easy method for
people to send in their own messages of support for the players and viewers were highly complementary of our coverage.
We noticed that there was fantastic reaction from members, visitors and from complete strangers all around the world who logged in to get the latest news
updates and up-to-the-minute pictures from the course. Some of these people didn't even play golf but seemed to really enjoy the whole experience. When a
local gets a good run in "The West" it makes the coverage extra special. We don't apologise for the bias shown to the local lads, but I also think that it is very
important that we show respect for all players and provide a complete and accurate coverage. The news updates and scores are sent to me, usually by text from
members on the course and I post them immediately to the webpage. The ability to send a text with an accurate score is the only skill required to help with
coverage and any help would be most appreciated. I would like to thank any member who helped with coverage and have been very generous with their time
over the past few years. A few members who are willing to be involved for a day (or even part of a day) makes the reporting work really well. Please give your
name and mobile number to David O'Donovan if you are interested in helping with the reports this year.
Tournament director, Enda Lonergan and the GUI Referees have been very helpful. They share scores and allow me access to a
radio link and a buggy so that I can get to the action areas very quickly. I am most grateful to the players who provide five fantastic
days of free entertainment. They give us interviews and show great appreciation for the coverage we provide. Local and National
media have used our coverage to enhance their reporting and we were complimented for our detailed coverage by RTE Sport. I have
had many stories told to me of the efforts that people have made to keep up-to-date with the 'west' coverage. Late night followers in
Australia, early morning followers in the USA and the story of a man in a delivery van in Belmullet who put all deliveries on hold when
he parked up near a cliff side in order to keep 3G coverage on his phone, allowing him to follow the last few holes in the final of the
West of Ireland. “ Emmanuel McCormack March 2015
Emmanuel, has many strings to his bow(!) as he is also a very
talented musician, songwriter, singer and performer and I would
urge you all to listen to him perform his own great song “Cant
Stop Thinking” using the YouTube link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT7qdkOHUto
Saturday 28th March 2015
Singles Stableford, 18 holes White Tees.
1, Dave S Fleming(14), 39pts; 2, Eamon Creed (16), 37pts; 3, Karol Butler (11), 35pts
The competition on Saturday was won by Dave Fleming who plays left handed and drives right handed!. This transition came
about when he was having problems with his driver and decided to give a right handed driver a go. As a result he dropped from
17 to 12 handicap in a short period of time. In second place was another left hander, Eamon Creed on a welcome return to
form … form is temporary but class is …you know the rest. The number of entries was 63 and the CSS was 72.
Dave explains “The round started in inauspicious circumstances insofar as I tried to put my first tee shot into Michael Cullen's front
room! The ball was never seen again, however, due to a putt going in from off the green for a 6, and 1 point, all wasn't lost.
This was followed by a par, bogey, bogey until the round took off.. Pars at the 5th, 6th, 9th ,10th ,and 11th meant the score was
looking competitive. A bunkered tee shot on 13 looked like causing a blank until a 20 footer for par kept things going .A bogey on 14
was followed by a par on 15. Then, disaster struck on the 16th in the form of a 5. It looked like all was lost until pars on the 17th and
18th brought the score up to the winning total of 39 points.”
Dave Fleming
Sunday 29nd March 2015 Singles Strokeplay, 18 holes White Tees
1, Ciaran O’Gara (17), 70 B9; 2, Karl Dolan (9), 70
Ciaran
O'Gara
Prizewinners in Sunday’s Stroke Competition played together and just piping Winter League winner Karl,
was Ciaran O’Gara with a 70. Ciaran, son of the late past Captain Pat works in Dublin in Corporate Services
and has started to play a bit more golf in the past few years. His round was steady enough to start but a
birdie at 5 got him going. This was followed by pars at 6 and 7 and he finished the front 9 on +6. The back
9 wasn't so good as the wind picked up. A 4 putt on 13 for a double bogey, however was followed by solid
pars on 15 and 16, with 16 being a good up and down. He made a longish downhill putt on 17 to save
bogey and came in with a net 70 to win the day. The number of entries was 42 and the CSS was 70.
Day
Date
Competition
Day
Date
Competition
Sun
Sat
12-Apr-15
18-Apr-15
Frank Doherty Cup
Harte Cup
Sun
26-Apr-15
Jackson Cup Qualifier