The AIG Irish Close Championship will return to The European Club from August 4th-8th next year. A new date for the blue-riband event in Irish domestic golf means the championship is more accessible than ever before for Ireland’s leading amateurs.
Scheduled to commence on the Saturday of the August Bank Holiday for the foreseeable future, the date change will see the Close take place after the South of Ireland and before the Home Internationals which are scheduled to move into September.
Ballybunion (2019), Rosapenna (Sandy Hills, 2020), Malone (2021) and Headfort (New, 2022) have also been confirmed as host venues for the coming years.
Mark Wehrly, GUI championships manager said: “We are delighted to confirm these wonderful venues for the AIG Irish Close Championship over the coming years – and we’re very grateful to the clubs for offering their facilities for the championship.
“We’re hopeful that the new date will help our leading amateur players, many of whom are career amateurs with jobs and young families, to continue supporting what is our leading domestic championship.
“We also hope the change in the date of the Home Internationals will further enhance the attraction of the Close to our best players.”
The date change required the GUI to liaise with Mullingar Golf Club in relation to their Scratch Trophy which has occupied the bank holiday weekend for a long number of years.
“We very much value the engagement and positive response from Mullingar in relation to the date change of the Close” Wehrly said. “The club have recognised the significance of this change for the Irish Close and have been more than accommodating in agreeing to move their Scratch Trophy dates”.
The last time The European Club staged the Close in 2006, Rory McIlroy won the second of his back to back titles.
First ILGU Senior Cup win for Killarney
Killarney won their first ILGU All-Ireland Senior Cup title when the beat Royal Portrush 4-1 in the final at Royal Curragh. After a dramatic 3-2 semi-final win over The Island - won on the second tie hole with a birdie from Kelly Brotherton against Clodagh Walsh, the Munster champions proved far too strong for Royal Portrush in the final winning the top three matches.
Valerie Clancy claimed the first point for Killarney with a 4 and 3 win over Gemma McClenaghan, followed shortly by Kelly Brotherton who also sealed a 4 and 3 victory over Naoimh Quigg. With the Royal Portrush up in both the last two games, it was all down to the first match in which Mairead Martin was dormie two against Lucy Simpson and she made sure the trophy went South with a birdie on the 17th. With the title won the other two matches between Mary Sheehy and Emma Forbes and Claire Keating with Hannah Henderson were called-in.
Duke wins Munster Seniors title
Killiney’s Nigel Duke won the Munster Seniors Amateur Open in Lee Valley, beating Maurice Kelly from Naas on countback after both golfers shot a one over par 73. The weather in Lee Valley was much improved for the second round, but no one managed to break par for the second successive day.
Duke was one of four overnight leaders after they shot a level par 72 on the first round. After the second round he was tied with Maurice Kelly when both golfers shot a 73 to finish the championship on one over par 145. With both golfers having carded scores of 72 and 73, Duke won thanks to his one under par back nine. That included birdies on the 11th and the 14th.
Kelly was one shot worse off on his back nine. His round included four birdies and four bogies, but he added a fifth bogey on the par four 17th to record a level par back nine. Barry O’Leary (Greystones) was third after finished on 146 and John Mitchell (Tramore) was fourth on 148. The Veterans title also went to Kelly.
Power named Léglise Trophy team captain
Kilkenny’s Mark Power will captain the Britain and Ireland Jacques Léglise Trophy team to play the Continent of Europe at Ballybunion starting on Friday.
The team, which will be managed for the first time by Stuart Wilson, who won The Amateur Championship in 2004, will be looking to win back the Jacques Léglise Trophy after the Continent of Europe won a close encounter by 13½ to 11½ at Prince’s in Kent last year.
B&I won the matches in 2013 at Royal St David’s and 2014 at Barsebäck in Sweden while the 2015 match at Royal Dornoch finished in a tie at 12½ - 12½. B&I has won 28 matches overall with the Continent of Europe claiming 11 victories and one match being halved.
Power, the Irish Boys champion, is one of four members who played on the 2016 team with Toby Briggs, Alex Fitzpatrick and Charlie Strickland. Strickland won the Peter McEvoy Trophy and the Duncan Putter in April.
Among the newcomers to the team are Ben Jones and Darren Howie. Jones won the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters in June while Howie was runner-up in that event and was the leading stroke play qualifier at the Boys Amateur Championship at Nairn.
The format for the Jacques Léglise Trophy match is four foursomes ties each morning, eight singles matches on the afternoon of , September 1st and nine singles matches on the afternoon of Saturday, September 2nd,
Britain and Ireland Team: Mark Power (Kilkenny) captain, Toby Briggs (Dunston Hall, England), Alex Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire, England), Luke Harries (Tenby, Wales) , Darren Howie (Peebles, Scotland), Ben Jones (Northamptonshire County, England), Thomas Plumb (Sherborne, England), Charlie Strickland (Ham Manor, England), Robin Williams (Bishopsgate Golf Academy, England).
Seniors team named
The Golfing Union of Ireland has announced the six-man team that will represent Ireland in the European Seniors Team Championship which takes place from September 5th-9th at PGA Sweden National.
The team is: Jim Carvill, Banbridge; Karl Bornemann, Douglas; Eamon Haugh, Castletroy; Garth McGimpsey, Royal Portrush; Adrian Morrow, Portmarnock; John Mitchell, Tramore. The team is captained by Sean O’Leary and the team manager is Brian Hutchinson.
Late surge sees Wardle take the honours
Teenager Bel Wardle came from six shots back to birdie her way to a one-stroke victory in the English women’s open stroke play championship at Woodhall Spa as the Irish challenge faded over the final 36 holes.
Wardle, after rounds of 74, 70 and 78, fired a closing six-under 67 on the Hotchkin course, finishing on three-under par 289 for the 72 holes event and a shot ahead of Dulcie Sverdloff of Essex, who carded rounds of 70, 77, 69 and 74 for 290. Both players charged home and both birdied the last two holes, but it was Wardle who had the edge and adds her name a trophy previously held by Solheim Cup players Charley Hull, Jodi Ewart and Joanne Morley.
It’s Wardle’s second win in three weeks, after she produced a top class performance to claim the English girls’ title in gale force winds - and proved to herself that she could cross the winning line.
Third place went to Austria’s Isabella Holpfer – 73, 69, 75 and 75 for 292 – who had shared the halfway lead on four-under and who was only one shot off the pace at the start of the final round. She took the lead during the last round but slipped out of the reckoning with a bogey on the long 14th and went on to finish on level par.
Meanwhile Sophie Lamb returned her best score of the week with a bogey-free 69 to share fourth place with fellow international Rochelle Morris on one-over.
Paula Grant from Lisburn was best of the Irish in 17th place after rounds of 72, 74, 77 and 79 for 302 with Ciara Casey from Hermitage in 25th place after shooting 78, 72, 78 and 78 for 306, while Meadhbh Doyle from Portarlington on 310 after 76, 78, 79 and 77.
Carton House book place in All-Ireland finals
The Carton House Senior Cup team will start as favourites when they host the All-Ireland finals next month after their 3½ - 1½ win over Laytown and Bettystown in the Leinster final at Malahide.
Early wins for Gary McDermott – 7 and 6 over David Foy – and Paul O’Hanlon – 4 and 3 over Eugene Smith – gave the Kildare Club the perfect start. Jim McDonnell put a point on the board for Laytown and Bettystown with a 5 and 4 win over Des Moran but the winning point came soon after with an excellent one hole win for Jack Doherty over Cian Geraghty in the top match. Robbie Cannon halved with Colin Cunningham in match five.
In the earlier rounds Carton House beat Kilkenny and Newlands while Laytown and Bettystown accounted for The Royal Dublin and Birr on their way to the final.
Higgins prospers at Kilkeel
David Higgins carded a two under par round of 70 to win the Down Syndrome Kilkeel Pro-Am. The Waterville Links man plotted his way around the tight, tree-lined lay-out in Co. Down to finish one shot ahead of Damien McGrane and Mark Whelan (Castlewarden Golf & CC).
The 44-year-old played the opening nine holes at Kilkeel in two under 35 with birdies coming at the fourth and fifth. His only dropped shot of the round came at the 16th when he found the greenside bunker and failed to get up and down. However, he bounced back with a birdie at the last to come home in level par 35 and set the clubhouse target.
Damien McGrane and his amateur partners of Kevin Cummins, Tom Muldoon and Catherine Cummins won the team event with 95 points.
