Lillian Behan made a quick return to the winners' enclosure when she won the Heath Ladies Scratch Cup over the weekend. The former Curtis Cup players had four shots to spare over Oonagh Purfield from Co Louth with former international Mary Gorry back in third place on 156.
After the disappointment of losing in the Leinster championship final to Alison Coffey last week, the Curragh plus one handicapper left the field in no doubt as to her intentions: she posted a 75 to lead the field by two after the first round and her 74 in the afternoon in very difficult conditions of wind and rain left the Curragh star well ahead of the top-class field.
Purfield shot rounds of 77 and 76 while the consistent Gorry had two 78s. Una Marsden from Tullamore won the net with 142 while the best 18s went to Hazel Kavanagh and Yvonne Cassidy.
Karl Bornemann won the Bank of Ireland-sponsored Tipperary Scratch Cup at the weekend when he chipped in on the 18th to beat local Pat Murray by one shot. The Cork man came to the 18th needing a par to force a tie but from off the green he holed for a birdie three and a round of 70 to go with his first round 72 which gave him a one over par total of 142.
Murray, with rounds of 72 and 71, finished a shot ahead of Irish international Brian Omelia from Newlands on 142. Local veteran Arthur Pierce led the field after an opening round of 71 but had to settle for fifth place with a second round of 74.
The Lawrie family have had a most successful golfing week. While Peter (right) was winning his card for the Mastercard Tour in Britain, his mother, Ann headed the Countess of Granard qualifiers in her home club, Newlands. Peter, from the Newlands club and UCD, had five shots to spare over his nearest challenger in his qualifying tournament. His mother and partner Marie Gleeson had a winning margin of just 21/8 shots.
Host club Mullingar won Golfaid's fastest round of golf when they pipped last year's winners Elm Park, Doneraile and Warrenpoint in the final at Mullingar. On a wet and windy afternoon, they played second and set a tough target of 14 minutes, 30 seconds which couldn't be matched for the rest of the afternoon. They won a day out at the K Club for 70 members and the whole event, in which 44 clubs participated, raised a record £87,000 for the Children in Need charity.
The Holy Faith Past Pupils Union golfing society celebrates its 25th anniversary with a charity golf classic at Malahide on May 8th in aid of the Life Centre, Pearse Street. The day's golf, meals and prizes will cost £50 per person and the event is open to all women with an ILGU handicap. To enter contact Deirdre Lennon at 01-8453268, Marie O'Neill (01-8451401) or Jeannie Hamill (01-2838032).
The children of Chernobyl will be the beneficiaries of a Golf Classic in Hollywood Lakes on May 5th. Organised by Bayer Diagnostics, all funds raised will help bring 50 children from Chernobyl on a three-week holiday to Skerries in July. Following a visit by the children to Bayer's plant in Swords last July, a team was set up to organise the classic, with Hollywood Lakes agreeing to put the course at their disposal. A number of slots are still available at £250. Contact Catherine or Fergus at 8132222.
The Mended Hearts Golf Classic will take place at Forrest Little on Monday, August 17th. Tee times are from 10.0-1.0 and 1.30-3.0. The £40 fee includes golf, dinner and cabaret.
Hermitage Golf Club have lined-up a top-class field for the 27th staging of the Statoil-sponsored Ladies Scratch Cup at Hermitage next Sunday. Leinster champion, Alison Coffey and runner-up Lillian Behan are included in the entry while Hazel Kavanagh, last year's winner, will defend her title.
Liam McNamara has lost none of his old sparkle. The former international led the field home by three shots when winning the Club Championship and the Brennie Scannell Trophy at Woodbrook. McNamara shot two rounds of 76 to win from David Griffiths, who shot 78 and 77 for 155.
The pressures of office didn't hinder Craddockstown Lady Captain Margaret Swan last week when, with her partner Margaret Doyle, she won the club foursomes.
The Elm Park Junior Foursomes went to the Island pair of John McEvoy and Gerry Dowdall, who won on the break of a tie from local pair Eamon McCarvill and Clive Redford. The Island pair shot 66 1/2 and won on the back nine, while Jimmy Doyle from Portarlington and Val Mulvey from Dublin Mountain teamed up to take third place.
There was some hot scoring in the monthly medal in Ballinascorney. The winner was Roddy Carroll, a 15 handicapper, who shot a magnificent six-over-par 75 for a nett score of 60. An indication of just how good the winning score was is that the best gross score was just one more, 76.
The Island's Ann Condon won the Irish Senior Ladies Golf Association outing at Seapoint with a fine score of 43 points. Terry Sexton, a six handicapper from Dun Laoghaire, won the gross with 29.
Irish Youths international and winner of Munster and Ulster Youths' Championships last year John Foster (Ballyclare) added the Dundalk Senior Scratch Cup to his collection of victories on Sunday when he shot a level par, 36-hole total of 144. He won by two shots from Royal Dublin's Liam Brady, a nephew of the former Irish international soccer player, and Balbriggan's emerging star Ian Griffin.
Is it a record - 21 tie holes? Well, the opening round of the Charleville matchplay foursomes proved a marathon affair as Noel Smith and Frank Sheehan took on Paul Fayne and Ger Flanagan last week. Level after 18, the foursome took a further four and a half hours and 21 holes to decide the match with victory going to Smith and Sheehan on the third - the third time around.
Brothers Paul and Ken Bradshaw joined forces to win the Brother International Fourball at Forrest Little over the weekend. Donabate's Paul, off nine, and Ken, off 13, finished on 8 up to win on a tie from Derek and Kenneth McCabe from the local club. John Hutchinson from Royal Dublin and his brother David, from St Anne's took the gross prize with 2 up.
