Mount Juliet Golf Notes

Last week saw the continuation of the popular Summer Series and this proved to be another victory for a team from Rathsallagh Golf Club ably led by James Fitzpatrick. This team were also victorious in the Winter Series some months ago and so continued their rich vein of form. Played on Wednesday last, during our continued troubled summer, they emerged convincing winners with 93 points.

On Sunday last the Member/Guest series also continued with a 3 person rumble over 18 holes. On a day that Tipperary people might rather forget, the winning team were a family of Clonmel Golf Club members who kept the blue and gold colours flying by returning a winning score of 83 points. They were 4 shots clear of their nearest rivals, who are from just across the border in the Windgap area, and they returned a score of 79 points.

This week members are reminded that the Autumn maintenance is taking place which is due to finish today, Wednesday, and this will have the course in pristine condition for the President‘s, (Des Fitzgerald) Prize due to take place on 15th September.

Results Summer Series Wednesday 15th August

Winners:
James Fitzpatrick (9) Rathsallagh G.C.
Paul Sheill (16)
John Fanning (12)
Gavin Flood (12)……………………..93 points.

Member/Guest 18 Hole Rumble Sunday 19th August

Winners:
Frank Smyth (10) Clonmel G.C.
Gavin Smyth (+1)
Mary Smyth (15)……………………..83 points.

Second:
Alan Hearne (7)
Paul Madigan (3)
Bernie Madigan (12)…………………79 points.

The Summer Series Team Event continued last Wednesday and this proved to be a runaway success for a team from Rathsallagh Golf Club. In returning a whopping score of 101 points they had 10 shots to spare from their nearest rivals team of four from Bellewstown Golf Club. The Rathsallagh team had nines of 47 and 54 points respectively. With only two scores to count on all holes their score included four holes where they scored seven points. These were at the 7th, 10th , 17th and 18th holes and these scores helped in no small way to amass their impressive total and leave the remainder of the field trailing in their wake. The runners-up had nines of 45 and 46 points which also contained two seven points at the 13th and 14th holes.

Last Sunday saw a Member/Guest Scotch Mixed Foursomes played with a good turnout of players despite various other activities in London and Thurles. This competition proved to be a success for husband and wife pairings who filled the top three spots in the competition. The winners were Paul and Bernie Madigan and they just prevailed from John and Brenda O’ Sullivan by virtue of a better back nine holes. The winners had 42 points made up of two nines of 21 points each and they got through against the O’ Sullivans nines of 22 and 20 points. In third place came Alan and Alison Hoyne on 40 points.

Next weekend sees the popular Residential Trophy played for on Saturday with the Members Summer League resuming on Sunday. The August Ladies Invitation Day will be held on Wednesday 8th August and a Member/Guest Fourball to be held on Thursday 9th August.

Results Summer Series team Event 25th July

Winners;
Gavin Flood (12) Rathsallagh G.C.
Paul Sheill (18)
James Fitzpatrick (9)
John Fanning (12)……………………..101 points.

Second:
Dave Kelliher (18) Bellewstown G.C.
Barry Kretsch (3)
Mike Finnegan (10)
Stephen Finnegan (20)…………………91 points.

Results Member /Guest Scotch Mixed Foursomes Sunday 29th July

Winners:
Paul Madigan (3)
Bernie Madigan (12)……………….42 points.

Second:
John O’ Sullivan (21)
Brenda O’ Sullivan (28) ……………42 points.

Third:
Alan Hoyne (8)
Alison Hoyne (36)…………………..40 points.

The last of the Golfer of the Year competitions was played last Saturday and this was the final of the McCalmont Cup match play between Amelia Drumm and Jeff Howes. Amelia was in receipt of 13 strokes based on handicaps and this proved to be too much of a burden for Jeff who had to succumb on the 17th hole, but not after a match of some drama and fluctuating scores. Amelia was 3 down after three holes and the signs were ominous but to her credit she fought back in determined fashion to turn her deficit into a winning lead of two holes after the completion of nine holes. She then continued her winning ways by standing on the 13th tee four up only to lose the long par four but hit back straight away by winning the par three 14th to be dormie in the match. But Jeff was not to capitulate so easily and he proceeded to win the 15th and 16th to reduce the deficit but to be fair to Amelia she closed out the match on the long 17th with a half to end what was a fantastic year for her and she also clinched the Golfer of the Year.

Amelia scored a total of 87 points in the G.O.Y. competition and her best six cards came to 64 and was a massive 19 points clear of her nearest challenger for the title Sandra Carr.

In the men’s section of the competition Alan Hearne was the runaway winner at the finish. He accumulated a total of 63 points and his best six cards totalled 55 points and he was 18 points clear of John Keane in second place. Congratulations to both winners on their outstanding success.

The Lady Captain’s(Margaret Twomey) Team took on the Captain’s(James J. Brett) Team in the annual challenge last Sunday with the format being over 18 holes singles stableford. The best eight cards of each team counted and the Lady Captain’s Team prevailed on the day by a score of 266 points to 260 points. Best score of the day was returned by John Browne with 39 points with Lynda Hickey returning the best score of 32 points for the ladies and Frank Kelly scoring 37 points for the men.

The last round of the Summer Series was played last week and this resulted in an emphatic win for a team of Cork based golfers from Kanturk Golf Club who returned a great score of 99 points to win by a margin of 5 shots from their nearest rivals. The winning team had scores of 50 points and 49 points respectively for each nine holes as against the runners-up score of 46 points and 48 points for their nines. The runners-up team, again almost all Cork based, got through by virtue of a better back nine holes score. The first round of the Winter series commences in October with the same format as heretofore i.e., four person team event, any combination, with two scores to count on all holes.

Results Summer Series Wednesday 21st September

Winners          M. Hickey (17) (Kanturk)

                          D. Kiely (17) (Kanturk)

                          J. Tobin (22) (Kanturk)

                          T. Walsh (16) (Kanturk)                     99 points

Runners Up   K. Anderson (17) (Fermoy)

                          J. Baker (15) (Fermoy)

                          G. Dolan (16) (Ring of Kerry)

                          K. Gould (19) (Mitchelstown)             94 points

Kanturk