GOLF: Philip Reidreports on the two-day final in the Algarve where the Fermanagh club made it 13th time lucky with a comprehensive victory

SPORT INVARIABLY contrives to surprise, especially on occasions when a runaway winner emerges from the pack. Think Tiger Woods in the US Masters at Augusta in 1997; or, more recently, Louis Oosthuizen in the British Open at St Andrews this past summer. Think what it takes to get in front, and to stay clear of the chasing pack. Think of the strength of character and fortitude required to finish the job.

If all of those clubs from around Ireland who competed in this year’s Musgrave Club Challenge had a common aim – to raise funds for the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation at Our Lady’s Children Hospital in Crumlin – there was no denying the worthiness of the team who eventually finished up as national champions, as Castle Hume Golf Club from Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh produced a quite stunning performance in the two-day grand final held in the Algarve in Portugal last week.

It was a case of 13th time lucky for Castle Hume, who have been tremendous supporters of this particular inter-club competition, editorially supported by The Irish Times, since its inception, during which time the competition (open to every club in the country) has raised over €1.5 million, with all monies in their entirety going to the charity.

After years of trying, the winning Castle Hume team came about a little by accident. On the night before the club competition to find a team to represent them in the Ulster final, Dara McManus and Matt Doran were still searching for a third player to complete the jigsaw – and approached Anthony Fitzpatrick to enquire if he would be interested. If not exactly the sort of crossing the Ts and dotting the Is that Colin Montgomerie brought to Europe’s Ryder Cup win, it proved to be an inspired choice as the trio gelled together brilliantly to emerge from Ulster in the provincial final at neighbouring Lough Erne resort.

Last week, in the sunshine of the Algarve, Castle Hume went up against the other provincial champions – Newcastle West Golf Club from Co Limerick (Munster winners); Portumna Golf Club from Co Galway (Connacht winners) and Hermitage Golf Club from Dublin (Leinster winners) – and produced as polished and convincing a display as the competition has ever witnessed, finishing with a total of 160 points to have a margin of 16 over runners-up Newcastle West.

The real damage on their challengers was inflicted in the first day’s play, at Vale da Pinta, which is the host venue for next month’s European Seniors Tour qualifying school. There, with two Stableford cards from three counting, eight-handicapper McManus and nine-handicapper Doran produced scores of 38 points and 39 points respectively for a team score of 77, which left them seven clear of Newcastle West.

With a background in other sports – McManus and Doran were accomplished Gaelic footballers and hurlers, and Fitzpatrick an avid soccer player – there was never likely to be any let-up from the Ulster trio for the second day’s play at Morgado Golf Club. So it proved. And although Portumna – with Mary McElroy and the husband and wife combination of Gerry and Mary Madden – improved mightily on their first day’s efforts which had left them with far too much work to do by shooting a day’s best 84 points in the rumble format, Castle Hume shot 83 to add to their 77 for a total of 160 that ensured the title.

With one score to count on the first six holes, two scores on the next six and all three counting on the final six, Castle Hume went out with a simple game plan.

“We wanted to avoid any disaster,” said McManus, a 25-year-old electrician who was a victim of the economic downturn last year when he lost his job but used the time to concentrate on golf and saw his handicap reduced from 16 to eight. Now, thankfully, back in employment, McManus and Doran – who showed his class with a birdie on the 18th – backboned the team, while Fitzpatrick, a fitness instructor at the Slieve Russell resort, contributed strongly with three pars in his closing four holes.

Indeed, any fear that some team could make a late charge to deprive them was banished with the Castle Hume finish which, with all teams having started on the 10th, saw them pick up nine points on the sixth and eighth holes where all three had pars with handicap strokes.

Doran, an electrical wholesaler who has also seen his handicap drop from 15 to nine inside the past three years, summed up what the win meant. “It’s a competition our club has been trying to win for the past 13 years, so it is great to finally get there. But, more importantly, it is a competition in aid of a very worthy cause and I’d encourage clubs to participate.”

Castle Hume finished with 160 points, with Newcastle West (Séamus Moloney, Thomas Foley and Liam Keane) in second place with 144 points. Portumna (Mary McElroy, Mary Madden, Gerry Madden) were third on 143 points, with Hermitage (Seán O’Sullivan, John J O’Sullivan and Christy Cunningham) fourth on 137.

Joe Quinsey, the CEO of the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation in Crumlin, said the competition thanked clubs from all over the country who had participated in the 2010 competition, and Séamus Scally, the incoming chairman of the Musgrave Group, confirmed the company will continue its sponsorship of the competition.

***

Clubs interested in staging qualifying competitions for 2011 – with the provincial champions again returning to the Algarve for the All-Ireland finals next October – can request information and/or entries from tournament organiser Pat Cashman by email at litia@eircom.net