Mount Juliet Golf Notes

Some very good scoring was recorded last Sunday in the Jack Nicklaus Trophy singles which also counted for Golfer of the Year points. With play off the white tees on a blustery day, conditions were far from ideal. The magic score was 41 points and this was recorded in both the ladies and men’s competitions. The best score of the day in either categories qualifies the competitor to have the honour of being the holder of the perpetual trophy for 2011.

This distinction fell to John Keane as he beat Sally Gleeson and Jeff Howes on a countback. All three players recorded 41 points each but John just got home by virtue of the fact that he scored 21 points on the last nine holes against Sally’s and Jeff’s 19 points. Three holes which probably defined the outcome of the result in deciding the winner were possibly the par three, 14th, where Sally failed to score and in Jeff’s case, the 17th and 18th which he proceeded to bogey in his round when victory seemed assured. The other unusual feature about the competition was that the first three prize winners in the men’s section were single figure golfers.

The winner, John, had a fine round of 14 pars, 3 bogies (5th, 8th and 13th) and one birdie at the 9th which when added up totals a round of 74 gross (two over par). Fine scoring indeed which was equalled by Jeff Howes in his round of 12 pars, 4 bogies (7th, 10th 17th and 18th) and two birdies on the 8th and 11th holes and outright victory only eluded him by virtue of his dropped shots on the last two holes played. The second and third places in the ladies section was won with 38 points and Amelia Drumm, who was third in the ladies section, registered 24 points for her first nine holes but faded on the back nine to only register a further 14 points. Third place in the men’s section was won by David Kelly with 38 points also. The C. S. S. for the day was 36 points for the men and 37 points for the ladies.

On the inter club scene, the Duggan Cup Team made their exit to neighbours Gowran Park Golf Club after a great battle in both the home and away matches. The only team standing in the men’s section is the Barton Shield team who have yet to do battle in the qualifying round in two weeks time. The ladies are faring slightly better with the Challenge Cup team yet to play Kilkenny at Callan Golf Club next week and the Ladies Fourball team set to play Carrick-on-Suir Golf Club in the first round shortly.

The Golfer of the Year tables now show Kevin McCartan in a clear lead from Alan Hearn and in the ladies section Sally Gleeson has a narrow lead over Amelia Drumm.

Jack Nicklaus Trophy

Last Sunday saw the May Monthly Medal decided with fine, cloudy, weather and a tricky wind for players to contend with. However the scoring was good with Kevin McCartan returning the best score of the day in the men’s section and Sally Gleeson almost matching his score in the ladies category.

Kevin had nines of 21 and 18 points respectively to beat John Barrett by a shot in category 2. The other categories were won by Hugh O’Connor and Frank Kelly, both players scoring 36 points each to edge home from the opposition. This is Hugh’s second medal this year and he is obviously retaining his early season form. Sally just got the better of Amelia Drumm in the ladies section and consequently both players are leading contenders in the Golfer of the Year competition. In the G.O.Y competition for the men, the leader now is Kevin McCartan as a result of his achievement over last weekend, and he is 3 points clear of his nearest rival, Alan Hearne, who in turn is 2 points clear of Stephen Price and John Barrett.

In the ladies section, Amelia Drumm and Liz Beatty top the table on 20 points and they in turn are 3 points clear of Ruth Skehan and Sally Gleeson. The C.S.S. for Sunday was 36 points for the men and 37 points for the ladies.

Last Wednesday the Ladies Invitation Day for May took centre stage and the format was a 4 person scramble. Myra Phelan led her team to success with 84 points and they just pipped the team led by Lady Captain, Margaret Twomey, with Elizabeth McCalmont’s team in third place.

On the Inter Club front, the Pierce Purcell foursomes team made their exit in the qualifying round at Borris G.C. last week. On a day of disappointment, the pairing of Kevin McCartan and Alan Hearne returned the best score of the day with a score of 81 gross. Unfortunately the rest of the pairings failed to match this fine score and as a consequence failed to make the knockout stages of the competition. The full team comprised of Alan Hearne/Kevin McCartan, Pat Doyle/Tim Kavanagh, John Barrett/Tadhg Gleeson, Terry Sullivan/Frank Kelly and Terry O’Reilly/John Browne.

May Monthly Medal

Ladies Invitation Day Wednesday 11th May – 4 Person Scramble

Christmas Hampers were the order of the day last Sunday with the running of the annual competition for members and their guests to try and adorn the table during the festive season with some festive fare. Six lucky golfers can boast of achieving this feat after their exploits with the small ball. The format of the competition was a fourball betterball stableford played over the first 16 holes and the scoring matched the fine weather of the day. The winning score of 39 points was returned by Kevin McCartan and his partner Jerry McIntyre who just got home on a countback from Gerard Magee and his partner David Kearney. The winning pair almost “blew it” as they signed for a five on the par three 6th hole whereas in fact they had a par 3 on the hole. This cost them a penalty of two points and reduced their score to 39 points instead of 41 points. However they survived to claim the prize from their nearest rivals by virtue of a better last eight holes. In third place came the Lady Captain, Sally Gleeson, playing with David Forbes on 38 points and again they just got home by virtue of a countback on the last eight holes.

The fixtures diary for 2011 is nearing completion and it is hoped that all members will have a copy to “mull” over the Christmas period. It is expected that there will be an increase in the number of competitions available to both members and their guests in the coming year. On this topic the new Captains will “drive in” on Sunday 5th December and this will be preceded by a 9 hole rumble with a separate competition over both nines. The timesheet for these competitions is now open and tee reservations can be made at the golf shop or at golf reservations.

Results Christmas Member/Guest Fourball Betterball Hamper.

Winners
Kevin McCartan (15) and Jerry McIntyre (17) 39 points

Second
Gerard Magee (18) and David Kearney (9) 39 points

Third
Sally Gleeson (13) and David Forbes (22) 38 points