Special tournament
The 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games were a stunning success in Ireland and brought to the attention of the world the unique talents and abilities of athletes with learning disabilities.Compiled by Shay Keenanand Kevin McKenna
That talent and ability were much on display at Elm Park and Portmarnock Links, where Irish golfers competed with great success. Since then, the game has continued to develop, and on Thursday, September 22nd, the Special Olympics Ireland golf competition will take place at the Curragh GC with the first players teeing off at 9.30am. Teams from the five regions - Munster (holders of the Inter Regional Trophy), Leinster, Eastern, Ulster and Connacht - will be at the Curragh with 100 competitors expected in the Skills and 80 at levels two, four and five on the course.
Fourth win for Williams
Sutton's Aidan Williams chalked up his fourth success in the Joe Duffy BMW Mixed Matchplay at Sutton Golf Club on Saturday when, with partner Julie Doherty, they beat another Sutton pair, John Flanagan and Linda McCoy, 3 and 2 in the final. Williams, whose three previous successes in the event were with Liz Balbernie, and Doherty had a tough semi-final when they beat the fancied Malahide mother and son partnership Olive and Oliver Shannon, while Flanagan and McCoy beat J and P Taylor.
Over 100 pairs for finals
The Irish finals of the International Pairs take place next week with the Munster/Leinster decider at Faithlegg GC on Monday and the Connacht/Ulster final at Ballyliffin on Thursday. Over 100 pairs have qualified for the Irish finals with the winning pairs going on to the world finals at Celtic Manor in Wales next June.
Only one pair from last year's final made it through again, and they come from the Cloverhill Club in Armagh where David Pilkington and James Hanratty again won the club qualifier.
Hospice fundraiser
The Irish Hospice Foundation is hoping to get the support of over 100 clubs for a National Nearest-the-Pin Competition which is being organised to coincide with World Hospice Day on October 8th. There will be an overall trophy for the winner and five prizes of a golfing trip to the Old Course at St Andrews. Prizes at each club include specially labelled bottles of champagne and golf balls. The prizes will be awarded for a birdie and nearest to the pin. The competition will be run on a par-three of the club's choice alongside the main competition day for men and women golfers.
The patron of the event is Christy O'Connor Junior, who hopes for a great response. "Hospice has always benefited from fantastic support from the Irish golfing community at local level," he says.
This unique event in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation is being supported by the Professional Golfers' Association (Irish Region), who will co-operate with the local club co-ordinator to ensure a successful event. Each club will nominate a member who will act as volunteer co-ordinator responsible for running the nearest- the-pin competition in the club. The Irish Hospice Foundation is looking for club members who will be willing to supervise a group of junior golfers or Transition Year students to take entries in their club on the day. Volunteers should contact the Irish Hospice Foundation at 01 679 31 88.
Purcell's run continues
It has been some year for Abbeyleix's Ronan Purcell. On Sunday he secured his latest win when he won the WJ Ryan Trophy with a superb score of 44 points, a good score made even better when you consider he plays off a handicap of just two. He was six under par gross, shooting a round of 66 (nines of 34 and 32) with six birdies on his card at the third, seventh, 10th, 13th, 15th and 16th holes.
On Sunday he won by two points from Cristóir Maher (11), with Tony Dunne (17) third on 41 points. Purcell is in a rich vein of form this season. At the end of July during the Monthly Medal he set a course record at the club, less than 24 hours after Brendan Murphy (3) had beaten the previous standard when he shot 66. But Purcell returned to shoot a nine-under-par 63 (a nett 60) and ensure Murphy's course record of 66 lasted barely a day.
In fact, during his superb 63, Purcell actually dropped a shot at the par three 17th hole. Purcell and Murphy - who regularly play together - have been playing wonderful golf and Purcell picked up the gross prizes in both John Alley's President's Prize and Larry Ryder's Captain's Prize in the summer.
Major achievement
For some of us winning one "major" during our career is good enough. But in Bearna Golf Club there is one member who in the last couple of years has been making a habit of winning them and all that off a single figure handicap too.
Recently at the Co Galway club, Colm Feeney - who plays off four - won Noreen Joyce's President's Prize with a score of 38 points. Back in July, he won John O'Meara's Captain's Prize, played over 36 holes with a score of 76 points. So 2005 saw him complete the double. Last season, he almost did the same. In August of 2004 he won Brendan Davis's President's Prize, but missed out on the Captain's (John Collins) Prize, but only on a countback (over 27 holes) when he was beaten by none other than this year's Captain John O'Meara. But still, while he missed out on back-to-back doubles, he has still won three out of four majors, not bad by anyone's standards.
Tynan takes honours
Roganstown Golf Club near Swords provided the venue for the recent Leinster Alliance's outing and the new course provided a wonderful test for the members with Milltown's Tony Tynan winning with a total of 36 points, off eight, two better than Eamon O'Donoghue (8, Beech Park). And the Alliance's own Captain, Alistair Smith, won the gross prize with 29 points, while Dominic Reilly of Leopardstown Driving Range took the professional's Prize.
skeenan@irish-times.ie
