A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
O'Donoghue wins ninth club title
WINNING a club matchplay title once in your club is an achievement enough, but doing so on numerous occasions is all the more noteworthy.
However, in Clonmel Golf Club they have a lady who has been a regular winner of the prestigious event.
They recently held the Donoughmore Cup final and emerging victorious after a hard-fought match was Helen O’Donoghue who defeated Shauna O’Brien to be crowned the club matchplay champion for 2010.
Amazingly it was O’Donoghue’s ninth time to win the title. She has won the Donoughmore Cup nine times over five decades, winning in 1978, ’82, ’86, ’87, ’88, ’99, 2001, ’03 and this year.
Little did anyone imagine when she won in 1978 that she was going to have such success in the event, the highlight of which probably came in the ’80s when she won four times including a three in a row from 1986 to ’88, while also winning it three times in five years between 1999 and 2003.
Meadow part of Alabama success
IRELAND’S Stephanie Meadow from Royal Portrush is the highest ranked “home nations” player on the US College circuit after her first term as a golf scholarship student at the University of Alabama. Meadows Golfweek ranking of 48th has seen her help the University of Alabama to be ranked the number one women’s golf team on the US collegiate circuit for the first time in their history.
Meadow had a series of consistent performances during her opening semester which included a tied-25th in her first collegiate tournament at the NCAA Fall Preview played at the Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas, where her team claimed victory. Meadow had another top-25 finish as the University of Alabama claimed their second win of the season at the Tar Heel Invitational played over the UNC Finlay Golf Course at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in October.
The University of Alabama finished their Fall schedule at the PAC 10-SEC Challenge played at Stanford Golf Club, Stanford, California, last week, and scored a second-place finish in the team tournament with Meadow claiming 16th place. Meadow will next be in action in early February at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
Links Society season starts next month
THE Links Golf Society, which has raised over €9 million, through the generosity of the golfing community over the past 12 years, will begin another season at Co Louth GC, Baltray, on December 9th with the Lion Court-sponsored outing. Other outings are planned for Portmarnock Links for the Waterford Crystal event on January 13th with the final outing, the President’s Des Smyth day, sponsored by Esso, at the Royal Dublin GC on February 24th, 2011.
ST AUGUSTINE’S College in Dungarvan was celebrating on Tuesday when they won the Munster final of the Irish Schools Under-15 Strokeplay Championship at Tramore GC defeating De La Salle, Waterford, by four strokes to reach the national final in Seapoint next April. There was consolation for De La Salle as they will represent Munster in the national matchplay finals after they defeated Crescent Comprehensive, Limerick, 3 and 2 in the regional final at Mitchelstown.
Cutler moves up to 20th in amateur world rankings
IRELAND’S Paul Cutler from Portstewart moved up one place in the amateur world rankings to 20th place this week as the USA’s Peter Uihlein remains at number one.
In week 45, the University of Iowa’s Vince India took the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate with a two-round, 10-under-par total of 132 before inclement weather forced the third and final round to be abandoned. India shot successive rounds of 66 to claim victory by two shots from Conrad Shindler.
In South Carolina, Canadian Michael Young triumphed by two shots at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate. The Longwood University senior carded rounds of 70, 72 and 74 at Turtle Point Golf Course to finish on even-par 216, the only player under par for the tournament.
In South Africa, Daniel van Tonder won the Eastern Province Strokeplay Championship at Humewood GC in Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth. Van Tonder, who pays off a handicap of plus-four, recovered from an opening round of 77 with a 71 and a 69, to finish six clear of the field. He makes a two-place move to 36th in the world.
Esteban Aristizabal won the Southeastern Fire Invitational by one shot at Eaglebrooke Golf Club in Lakeland, Florida. A final round 71 gave the Colombian a tournament score of seven-under par, enough to claim the victory and move up 760 places to WAGRank 510.
Waterford duo ending term on a high
THE end is nearing for many golfers who held office this year and in Waterford Lady Captain Angela Cashman and Lady President Ann Condon will certainly have very fond memories of the 2010 season which was highly successful at all levels.
But they also showed their golf hasn’t suffered as in a recent turkey competition Cashman was victorious with 27 points while Condon was third on 24 points, just one point adrift of runner-up Maria Shefflin.
Meanwhile, in West Waterford their Lady Captain for the past 12 months Marie Curran was recently presented with the singles matchplay crown, a nice extra to her year in office.
HOW’S this for a coincidence. Two sisters on the Central Oklahoma University team in the US are celebrating holes-in-one recorded in the same round.
Erica and Lindsey Branch each pulled off the feat last week during a round at Kicking Bird Golf Club, Edmond in Oklahoma.
Erica Branch, a third-year student, had the ace on the 114-metres third hole, using a gap wedge in windy conditions. Less than two hours later, freshman Lindsey Branch holed out with an eight-iron tee shot at the 130-metres 11th hole.
Erica Branch shot a one-under 69 while her sister finished with a level-par 70.
Boal the best at Alliance outing
RICKY BOAL, a 19 handicapper from Portsalon, was a five-shot winner of the North Western Alliance outing to the Old Links at Ballyliffin last week. Boal shot a nett 64 to win from Strabane’s Mark Patton (12) on 69 with the Letterkenny pair of Eddie McHugh and Keith Shiels next on 70 and 71 respectively.
Challenge Tour professional Michael McGeady won the gross with a level-par 72. Jason McIntyre from City of Derry was two shots back on 74 and Cathal Patton from Strabane was third on 75. Rosapenna’s Marty McDermott edged out Strabane’s Seán Forbes for fourth after both shot 76. The next outing is to Rosapenna on November 20th.
