All-Ireland Cups and Shields: So, what does it mean to win a green pennant? Brian McElhinney, who has already won the British Amateur title in this crazy old season, is grinning like the cat who got the cream.
Michael McGeady, who has played his last round of golf as an amateur, is kneeling by his caddy cart and losing the fight to hold back the tears. Garret Mallon is kissing his caddie on the cheek. Strange things happen when you win the Irish Senior Cup.
In a fitting finale to the Bulmers All-Ireland Cups and Shields finals at Rosslare on Saturday, North West - in their 110th year but savouring national glory for the first time in their history - edged out Hermitage to win the Senior Cup, with the destination of the title decided only by the final putt on the final green, while The Island, with some old reliables to the fore, thoroughly outplayed Ballybunion to take their second Jimmy Bruen Shield in three years.
That the Senior Cup final should go to the wire was not entirely a surprise. That it should be Mallon, as he has done all season, who backboned the Buncrana club's victory was entirely appropriate. Cast in the anchor role throughout the club's magical campaign, he emerged unbeaten - a notable achievement - and finished off with the 1 hole win over Seán O'Flaherty that won them the cup.
McElhinney, in as absorbing a battle as there has been in the recent history of this competition, beat Greg Bowden 3 and 2, while McGeady defeated Greg Massey 5 and 4. But those wins had been cancelled out by wins by Brian O'Connor over Paul Van Dessell and Alan Dowling over Pauric O'Flaherty.
The McElhinney-Bowden match produced superb golf. McElhinney was six under par for the 16 holes, and the protagonists produced seven birdies between them in a stretch of four holes from the 12th that had the large galleries enthralled.
In that red-hot sequence, Bowden tried his hardest to break McElhinney, but to no avail. For instance, the Dubliner rolled in a 40-footer for birdie on the 14th, only for McElhinney to calmly roll in a four-footer in reply. And when Bowden's 18-foot birdie putt dropped on the 15th, his opponent replied with a birdie of his own from 15 feet.
In the deciding match, O'Flaherty went one-up on the 14th after Mallon's tee-shot overshot the green, but Mallon levelled immediately by holing a four-footer for birdie. Then, Mallon seized the initiative on the 17th when O'Flaherty pulled his drive into heavy rough and could only hack back out towards the fairway. Mallon played a superb approach from a fairway bunker to the greenside, and pitched and putted for a winning par.
When he holed out for birdie on the 18th, the green pennant was won.
For a number of the Island team, it was a successful return to Jimmy Bruen Shield fare. Three years ago in Galway, Joe Cuffe, Denis Gaffney, Noel Rogers and Gerry Dowdall were also part of that winning team. This time round, captained by Paul Cullen, who was also a player on that occasion, the Island emerged as 4-1 winners.
The Island's mix of experienced campaigners and teenagers was a winning one as Cuffe and Stephen Rogers claimed the top match 5 and 4 over Brendan McKeon and Eoin O'Shaughnessy, while Gaffney and Barry Hughes won 6 and 5 over Edward Stack and Dominic Moriarty. The title was secured by Noel Rogers and Conor Whyte, who beat Didgie O'Connor and David Mulvihill 4 and 2.
