Douglas, Cork and East Cork Golf clubs advance in Senior Cup

DOUGLAS Golf Club hosted two days of exciting inter-club matches last weekend as two rounds of the AIG Men’s Senior Cup took place. 

Eight matches took place on Saturday with the winners coming back in Sunday to play in the next round.

The course in Douglas was in great condition for the event. 

Memories of the harsh wet winter and spring faded as golfers played from firm fairways and fast greens. Both days saw a large number of supporters and spectators out on the course, with Douglas accommodating the large number of cars in a temporary car park behind the practice area. 

The first tee was surrounded by over 150 spectators as Douglas golfer Robbie Walsh teed off just before Fota’s David Howard to get play underway. 

That match proved to be a tight affair, the pair were still tied after 18 and headed down the 19th but before they finished the hole the matches behind settled the result.

Sean Barry won the second match for Fota, beating Jack Murphy on the 17th, behind him though Douglas took control. 

Sean Reddy was 5 up when he closed out his match and Peter O’Keeffe (3 up) and James Walsh (2 up) also won to put Douglas through to the next round. 

They faced Lee Valley, Munster East winners in 2022 and 2023 who beat Douglas on the 4th sudden death hole last year. 

This time the home side came out on top in a very impressive display of golf. All five Douglas players were up in their matches.

Having won their match on Saturday, Cork faced Castlemartyr on Sunday, and while the Little Island side would have been fancied, their opponents gave them a tough match. 

Morgan Cain landed the first point for Cork when he secured a two up win on the 18th green. 

Jonathon O’Sullivan added a second point with a birdie on the 17th to win thee and one. O’Sullivan started in impressive fashion with three birdies and an eagle in his opening four holes, and although his opponent kept him in check he closed out the match with one hole to spare. Frankie Walsh lost his match to Paudie McMahon on the 16th green, but Cork were up in the final two matches. 

In the fourth match Paddy Quill was having a great battle with Irish Seniors International John O’Brien, but Quill finally took the winning point for Cork on the 17th green to seal the win. Cork had played Blarney on Saturday with the young guns closing out the match with some impressive golf. Cain, Walsh and Quill all won before reaching Rosies.

East Cork are the third Cork side through to the Munster East semi-finals, they beat Cobh in a tight match on Saturday and they also beat Tipperary on Sunday with an impressive performance. 

In Tipperary’s Saturday match against Thurles, Irish Boys International Donncha Cleary saw his match go all the way to the 25th hole before he finally put his side through to the third round on Sunday. 

East Cork will face Tramore in their semi-final, the Waterford side accounted for Cahir Park and West Waterford in their two matches.

DISAPPOINTMENT

Ronan Collins, John Hickey Peter O’Keeffe and Jordan Boles were all in Louth on Monday for regional qualifying for The Open. 

Baltray has been the home for the Irish qualifying stage for several years and over 130 golfers teed it up, all hoping to bee on the tee sheet in Royal Troon in July. 

Unfortunately for the Cork crew, they all finished outside the top six who advanced to final qualifying.

Sara Byrne is in the middle of an exciting run of events which will hopefully see her add to her honours as an amateur. 

This week she’s in Portmarnock for the Women’s Amateur, and from there she will head to Lahinch for the Arnold Palmer Cup. 

The Douglas golfer will become the first Cork person to play in the prestigious college tournament that will see 48 elite amateurs play in a Ryder Cup style format over three days. 

Byrne will be joined by fellow Douglas member Aaron O’Callaghan who is an assistant coach for the international team. 

O’Callaghan hit the news last week when he was named as head coach in East Tennessee, his first appointment in a head coach role. 

East Tennessee is a top level division one college, and has strong Irish connections. Cian McNamara and PGA Tour winner Seamus Power. 

Prior to his appointment, O’Callaghan had spent six successful years a Wake Forest where the team won 15 times and finished in their highest place in the NCCA Championships.