Wednesday 30 June 2010

WALTON WINS PGA SPRINT IN TIPPERARY.

Past Ryder cup hero Philip Walton won his first Irish PGA event this year when he shot a 3 under par round of 69 to win the Skycaddie PGA Sprint at Tipperary golf club.

It didn't look good for Walton,as he was one over par after nine holes.He came to life on the back nine with birdies at the par 4 10th,the short 12th,the long 13th and the par 4 15th.

While Walton came through the pack,Michael Mc Dermott took a triple bogey at the 17th to blow his chances,finishing on one under par 70 and David Ryan who was 3 under, took a double bogey at the 16th and a bogey at the 17th to finish on level par 72.

The win for Walton lifted him up into 10th place on the Lexus Race to Mount Juliet behind the leader David Higgins.

SKYCADDIE PGA SPRINT AT TIPPERARY GOLF CLUB.

WINNER:PHILIP WALTON FOREIRELAND.COM)69 -3.

2ND: EAMON BRADY (CLONTARF) 70 -2.
JIMMY BOLGER (KILKENNY)70 -2.

4TH: DAMIEN MOONEY (UNATTACHED) 71 -1.
MICHAEL MC DERMOTT (LEOPARDSTOWN)71 -1.
GERRY BURKE (CURRAGH) 71 -1.
JOHN KELLY (ST.MARGARETS) 71 -1.
GARRY CULLEN (BEAVERSTOWN) 71 -1.

9TH: DAVID RYAN (CAHIR)72 PAR.
JOHN SUGRUE (TRALEE) 72 PAR.
BARRIE TRAINOR (TEAM IRELAND) 72 PAR.

Tuesday 29 June 2010

ULSTER LADIES CHAMPIONSHIP:CLANDEBOYE.

16 year old Lisburn girl Paula Grant made a clean sweep at Clandeboye when she won the leading qualifing prize after rounds of 76 and 78 in wet conditions and then went on to beat Tara Gribben in a one sided final.

Paula only had to go past the 16th green in one of her four matches.That was against Malone's Louise Coffey in the semi final.Big hitting Louise kept the game alive with an eagle two at the 351 yard 17th hole,but Paula held her nerve to win on the 18th.

19 year old Tara Gribben(Warrenpoint) a daughter of Walker cup player Paddy was in great form all week.She was second best qualifier,one stroke behind Paula and knocked out the holder Victoria Bradshaw in the quarter finals,but when it came to the final she had no answer to the great golf from Paula.

Grant got off to a fast start against Gribben in the final and by the time they reached the 9th she was already 5 up with birdies at the 7th & 8th holes.Tara hit back with a win at the 12th,but had to admit defeat to a par by Paula on the 13th green.

Qualifying Scores.

154 Paula Grant (Lisburn) 76 78
155 Tara Gribben (Warrepoint) 78 77
Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge) 75 80
Sarah Helly (Enniscrone) 75 80
156 Louise Coffey (Malone) 77 79
Carla Reynolds (Seapoint) 75 81
159 Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor) 76 83
160 Lucy Simpson (Massereene) 83 77
Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) 81 79
161 Jennifer Russell (Belvoir Park) 84 77
164 Holly Robinson (Co Sligo) 86 78
165 Gemma McClenaghan (Greencastle) 84 81
Jessica Carty (Holywood) 82 83
Sonya Hopley (Clandeboye) 81 84
166 Kelsey Coey (Clandeboye) 82 84
167 Laura Grant (Lisburn) 85 82

Non-Qualifiers
167 Caroline Adams (Clandeboye) 84 83
Nicola Currie (Clandeboye) 82 85
Alison McCloskey (Clandeboye) 85 82

Round 1
Paula Grant (Lisburn) bt Laura Grant (Lisburn) 3&2
Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush) bt Lucy Simpson (Masserene) 3&1
Louise Coffey (Malone) bt Gemma McClenaghan (Greencastle) 3&2
Jessica Carty (Holywood) bt Sarah Helly (Enniscrone) 2&1
Sonia Hopley (Clandeboye) bt Louise Mernagh (Woodenbridge) 2up
Holly Robinson (Co. Sligo) bt Carla Reynolds (Seapoint) 4&3
Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor) bt Jennifer Russell (Belvoir Park) 19th
Tara Gribben (Warrenpoint) bt Kelsey Coey (Clandeboye) 2&1

QUARTER FINALS.

Paula Grant (Lisburn) bt Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush)3&2.
Louise Coffey (Malone) bt Jessica Carty (Holywood) 4&3.
Sonia Hopley (Clandeboye) bt Holly Robinson (Co Sligo) 2&1.
Tara Gribben (Warrenpoint) bt Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor) 3&2.

SEMI FINALS.

Paula Grant (lisburn) bt Louise Coffey (malone)2up.
Tara Gribben (warrenpoint)bt Sonia Hopley (clandeboye)2&1.

FINAL.

Paula Grant (Lisburn)bt Tara Gribben (Warrenpoint)7&5.

FRED DALY RESULTS (ULSTER)

DONAGHADEE BEAT CARRICKFERGUS.
WHITEHEAD BEAT MASSEREENE.
BANBRIDGE BEAT STRABANE.
SPA BEAT MOURNE.
TANDRAGEE BEAT DUNGANNON.
KILKEEL BEAT MALONE.
WARRENPOINT BEAT BALLYCASTLE.
BALMORAL BEAT ROCKMOUNT.
ARDGLASS BEAT CITY OF DERRY.
BELVIOR PARK BEAT BUNDORAN.
CASTLEROCK BEAT CASTLEHUME.
HOLYWOOD BEAT BALLYBOFEY&STRAN.
PORTSTEWART BEAT CASTLEBLANEY.
OMAGH BEAT DONEGAL.
ROYAL PORTRUSH BEAT BALLYLIFFIN.
BUSHFOOT BEAT BALLYCLARE.

FOURTH ROUND.
---------------

DONAGHADEE BEAT WHITEHEAD.
BANBRIDGE BEAT SPA.
TANDRAGEE BEAT KILKEEL.
BALMORAL BEAT WARRENPOINT.
BELVIOR PARK BEAT ARDGLASS.
HOLYWOOD BEAT CASTLEROCK.
PORTSTEWART BEAT OMAGH.
ROYAL PORTRUSH BEAT BUSHFOOT.

FIFTH ROUND
------------
DONAGHADEE BEAT BANBRIDGE.
TANDRAGEE BEAT BALMORAL.
BELVIOR BEAT HOLYWOOD.
ROYAL PORTRUSH BEAT PORTSTEWART.

ALL IRELAND MIXED FOURSOMES (ULSTER)

ARDGLASS BEAT SCRABO 3-2.
BALLYCASTLE BEAT KILREA 3-2.
BELVIOR PARK V DONAGHADEE 4-1.
CARRICKFERGUS V GREENISLAND 3-2.
CITY OF DERRY V FOYLE 3.5-1.5
CO.CAVAN V CO.ARMAGH 3.5-1.5
DOWNPATRICK BEAT MAHEE ISLAND 4-1.
DUNFANAGHY BEAT ROE PARK 4-1.
DUNMURRY BEAT HILTON 3.5-1.5
KNOCK BEAT CARNALEA 3.5-1.5
LETTERKENNY BEAT BUNDORAN 3-2.
LURGAN BEAT EDENMORE 3.5-1.5
NEWTOWNSTEWART BEAT STRABANE 3-2.
TANDRAGEE BEAT KILLYMOON 4-1.
-------------------------------
SECOND ROUND.

LURGAN BEAT LETTERKENNY 3-2.
DUNFANAGHY BEAT BELVIOR PARK 3-2.
ARDGLASS BEAT TANDRAGEE 3-2.
ROYAL PORTRUSH BEAT BALLYCASTLE 3.5-1.5.
CO.CAVAN BEAT NEWTOWNSTEWART 3.5-1.5.
KNOCK BEAT DUNMURRY 4-1.
CITY OF DERRY BEAT CARRICKFERGUS 3-2.
DOWNPATRICK BEAT ROSSMORE 3-2.
----------------------------------
QUARTER- FINALS.

LURGAN BEAT DUNFANAGHY 3.5-1.5.
ARDGLASS BEAT ROYAL PORTRUSH 3.5-1.5.
CO.CAVAN BEAT KNOCK 3.5-1.5.
CITY OF DERRY BEAT DOWNPATRICK 3-2.
------------------------------------------
SEMI-FINALS.

ARDGLASS BEAT LURGAN 3-2.
CITY OF DERRY BEAT CO.CAVAN 3-2.
-----------------------------------
FINAL.

CITY OF DERRY BEAT ARDGLASS 3.5-1.5

JUNIOR CUP RESULTS (ULSTER)

ROUND 1
--------

BALLYBOFEY BEAT FOYLE 3.5-1.5
BALLYCLARE BEAT CARRICKFERGUS 3-2.
BALLYMENA BEAT GRACEHILL 3-2.
BANBRIDGE BEAT MOURNE 3-2.
BELVIOR PARK BEAT KIRKISTOWN 3.5-1.5
CAIRNDHU BEAT MOYOLA PARK 3.5-1.5
CARNALEA BEAT ROYAL BELFAST 3-2.
CO.CAVAN BEAT ENNISKILLEN 3'5-1.5
DONEGAL BEAT CASTLEHUME 3.5-1.5
SHANDON PARK BEAT CLANDEBOYE 4-1.
DUNMURRY BEAT TANDRAGEE 3-2.
DUNFANAGHY BEAT GREENCASTLE 3-2.
KILKEEL BEAT WARRENPOINT 3.5-1.5
LURGAN BEAT MALONE(HOLDERS) 3.5-1.5
PORTSTEWART BEAT BALLYCASTLE 3-2.
SCRABO BEAT FORTWILLIAM 3-2.

ROUND TWO.
----------

KILKEEL BEAT CO CAVAN 3/2 @ MANNON CASTLE.
CAIRNDHU BEAT BELVIOR PARK 4/1 @ BALLYCLARE.
BALLYMENA BEAT DUNFANAGHY 3.5/1.5 @ CITY OF DERRY.
BANBRIDGE BEAT DONEGAL 4/1 @ OMAGH.
LURGAN BEAT SHANDON PARK 3.5/1.5 @ LISBURN.
DUNMURRY BEAT SCRABO 3/2 @ KNOCK.
CARNALEA BEAT BALLYCLARE 3/2 @ DUNMURRY.
PORTSTEWART BEAT BALLYBOFEY 4.5/0.5 @ FOYLE.

QUARTER FINAL DRAW.
-----------------

CAIRNDHU BEAT KILKEEL 4/1 @ BALMORAL.
BANBRIDGE BEAT BALLYMENA 3.5/1.5@ LISBURN.
DUNMURRY BEAT LURGAN 3/2@ SPA.
PORTSTEWART BEAT CARNALEA 3/2 @HILTON TEMPLEPATRICK.

PIERCE PURCELL RESULTS (ULSTER)

CUSHENDALL BEAT NEWTOWNSTEWART 3-2 @ MOYOLA PARK.

DONAGHADEE BEAT BUNDORAN 4-1 @ DUNGANNON.

LETTERKENNY(HOLDERS) BEAT CLOVERHILL 3-2 @ KILLYMOON.

WARRENPOINT BEAT FORTWILLIAM 3-2 @ SPA.

LISBURN BEAT CLIFTONVILLE 3-2 @ DUNMURRY.

CARRICKFERGUS BEAT MOUNT OBER 3-2 @ FORTWILLIAM.

PORTSALON BEAT GALGORM CASTLE 3-2 @ NEWTOWNSTEWART.

CASTLEBLANEY BEAT NARIN & PORTNOO 3-2 @ ENNISKILLEN.

QUARTER FINALS
-----------------
DONAGHADEE BEAT CUSHENDALL 4-1 @ FORTWILLIAM.

LETTERKENNY (HOLDERS) BEAT WARRENPOINT 4-1 @ DUNGANNON.

LISBURN BEAT CARRICKFERGUS 3-2 @ ANTRIM.

CASTLEBLANEY BEAT PORTSALON 4-1 @ CASTLEHUME.

SEMI FINALS.
-------------

LETTERKENNY (HOLDERS)BEAT DONAGHADEE 4/1@ MOYOLA PARK.

LISBURN BEAT CASTLEBLANEY 3/2 @ TANDRAGEE.

JIMMY BRUEN RESULTS (ULSTER)

2009 Ulster winners of the Jimmy Bruen shield,Foyle golf club failed to qualify for the matchplay section this year at Portstewart.

CUSHENDALL BEAT MALONE 3-2 @ MASSERENNE.
BANBRIDGE BEAT SCRABO 3-2 @ LISBURN.
CO.CAVAN BEAT WARRENPOINT 3-2 @ CASTLEBLANEY.
GALGORM CASTLE BEAT ROYAL PORTRUSH 4-1 @ GRACEHILL.
CLOVERHILL BEAT DUNFANAGHY 3-2 @ OMAGH.
PORTSTEWART BEAT CITY OF DERRY 3.5 - 1.5.
LISBURN BEAT STRABANE 3-2 @ DUNGANNON.
TANDRAGEE BEAT KNOCK 3.5 - 1.5 @ EDENMORE.

QUARTER FINALS.
----------------

CUSHENDALL BEAT BANBRIDGE @ DUNMURRY.3.5-1.5
CO.CAVAN BEAT GALGORM CASTLE @ LURGAN.4-1
PORTSTEWART BEAT CLOVERHILL @ MASSEREENE.4-1
TANDRAGEE BEAT LISBURN @ BANBRIDGE.3.5-1.5

SEMI FINALS.
------------

CUSHENDALL BEAT CO.CAVAN @EDENMORE.
TANDRAGEE BEAT PORTSTEWART @DUNMURRY.

BARTON SHIELD RESULTS(ULSTER SECTION)

Dunmurry won the Ulster section of the Barton Shield for the first time at Moyola Park.They had to go to two tie holes,not once but twice on the same day.In the morning semi-Finals they beat Malone at the 2nd tie hole and in the final the second Dunmurry pair had to win the last two holes against 2005 winners Warrenpoint.They did just that and went on to win the Ulster pennant with a par at the 2nd tie hole.

Dunmurry will now go to Castlebar Golf Club on the 15th to the 18th September where they will represent Ulster in the All Ireland final's.



BARTON SHIELD ( ULSTER )

AT CLANDEBOYE:MALONE BEAT HOLYWOOD 3 HOLES.
BELVIOR PARK BEAT MAHEE ISLAND 7 HOLES.

AFTERNOON: MALONE BEAT BELVOIR PARK 3 HOLES.
---------

AT DUNMURRY: ARDGLASS BEAT ANTRIM 6 HOLES.
DUNMURRY BEAT LISBURN 10 HOLES.

AFTERNOON: DUNMURRY BEAT ARDGLASS 7 HOLES.
----------

AT NORTHWEST:ROSAPENNA BEAT ROYAL PORTRUSH 3 HOLES.
RATHMORE BEAT FOYLE 2 HOLES.

AFTERNOON: RATHMORE BEAT ROSAPENNA 2 HOLES.
---------

AT ROSSMORE:WARRENPOINT BEAT DUNGANNON 8 HOLES.
EDENMORE BEAT OMAGH 6 HOLES.

AFTERNOON: WARRENPOINT BEAT EDENMORE 6 HOLES.
---------
---------------------------------------------------

ULSTER SEMI FINAL & FINAL MOYOLA PARK.

DUNMURRY BEAT MALONE @ 2ND TIE HOLE.

WARRENPOINT BEAT RATHMORE 9 HOLES.

FINAL: DUNMURRY BEAT WARRENPOINT 2ND TIE HOLES.

Monday 28 June 2010

ULSTER SECTION OF THE SENIOR CUP REACHES THE SEMI FINALS.

There is going to be a first time winner in the Ulster section of the Senior cup this year as all 4 semi finalist have never been there before.

Last years winners Castlerock failed to qualify at Strabane,while 2009 All Ireland winners Warrenpoint lost out to Lurgan in the first round at Lurgan.2008 Ulster champions Banbridge lost out to Tandragee also in the first round.

The semi finals will take place at Belvior Park on Sunday 22nd August,with Ardglass playing against Moyola Park at 8.30am,while Lurgan will play Strabane at 9.20am.The winners will play off for the Ulster title in the afternoon at 14.30pm.

SENIOR CUP ULSTER 2010.

QUALIFING@BANGOR: KNOCK,ARDGLASS,BELVOIR PARK,DONAGHADEE.

HILTON:DUNMURRY,GALGORM CASTLE,MOYOLA PARK,FORTWILLIAM.

LURGAN;LURGAN,TANDRAGEE,BANBRIDGE,WARRENPOINT.

STRABANE:STRABANE,FOYLE,PORTSTEWART,CITY OF DERRY.

MATCHPLAY@BANGOR: KNOCK BEAT DONAGHADEE 3.5-1.5.
ARDGLASS BEAT BELVOIR PARK 3-2.
ARDGLASS BEAT KNOCK 3-2.

HILTON: DUNMURRY BEAT FORTWILLIAM 4-1.
MOYOLA PARK BEAT DUNMURRY 3.5-1.5.
MOYOLA PARK BEAT DUNMURRY 3-2.

LURGAN: LURGAN BEAT WARRENPOINT 3-2.
TANDRAGEE BEAT BANBRIDGE 3.5-1.5.
LURGAN BEAT TANDRAGEE 3-2.

STRABANE: STRABANE BEAT CITY OF DERRY 3-2.
PORTSTEWART BEAT FOYLE 3-2.
STRABANE BEAT PORTSTEWART 3-2.

SEMI FINAL TO BE PLAYED AT BELVIOR PARK SUNDAY 22ND AUGUST.

8.30AM: ARDGLASS V MOYOLA PARK.

9.20AM:LURGAN V STRABANE.

FINAL 14.30 PM.

DAMIEN MOONEY WINS AT WINDY NARIN & PORTNOO.

Big hitting Damien Mooney won the 36 hole Nairn & Portnoo PGA Pro Am with scores of 71 and 72.The 71 was made in quite calm conditions on the Saturday,but it was the second round of 72 played in very windy conditions that seperated him from the rest of the pack and left him the clear leader on 3 under par 143.

Only Glen Robertson was able to better Mooney's score with a fantastic 3 under par round of 70 that lifted him into solo 4th place despite taking a 76 the previous day.

First round leaders Eamon Brady and Garry Cullen on 5 under par 68s,had to settle for joint 2nd as they both took 77 in the second round.

Martin Mc Ternan from Co Sligo took home the winning team of local members.Padraig Mc Hugh(11),Sean Rodgers(17) and Patrick Harkin(18)returned a winning total of 184 points.

NAIRN & PORTNOO PGA PRO AM.

WINNER DAMIEN MOONEY (UNATTACHED) 71,72 -3.

2ND EAMON BRADY (CLONTARF)68,77 -1.
GARRY CULLEN(BEAVERSTOWN)68,77 -1.

4TH GLEN ROBINSON(ST.HELENS BAY)76,70 PAR.

5TH MICHAEL MC GEADY(NORTH WEST) 72,75 +1.
TED HIGGINS(FOREIRELAND.COM) 72,75 +1.

7TH DAVID HIGGINS (WATERVILLE) 69,79 +2.
MARTIN MC TIERNAN(CO SLIGO) 74,74 +2.

9TH PETER MARTIN (RIVERSIDE) 74,75 +3.
WAYNE O CALLAGHAN(WAYNEOCALLAGHANGOLF.COM) 76,73 +3.

11TH JOHN KELLY (ST MARGARETS) 72,78 +4.
DARREN MC WILLIAMS (UNATTACHED) 69,81 +4.
ROBERT GILES (GREENORE) 73,77 +4.
DAVID MORTIMER (FOREIRELAND.COM) 74,76 +4.
JOHN DOLAN (BALLYLIFFIN) 72,78 +4.
MARK STAUNTON (FOREIRELAND.COM) 70,80 +4.

Sunday 27 June 2010

SPANISH HOME WINNER ON CHALLENGE TOUR.

Alvaro Velasco ended a Spanish drought as he fired six birdies into a closing round of 65 to become the first home winner of the Fred Olsen Challenge de España in 11 years.

The Spaniard surged through the field to finish on 18 under par 266, two strokes clear of Eliot Saltman who led from the first round.Saltman had a final round 69 for a 16 under par finish.

Velasco was bogey free in his final round at Tecina Golf, La Gomera, to give the home support only their second winner of the Fred Olsen Challenge de Espana since Carl Suneson in 1999. He also becomes the sixth first time Challenge Tour winner of the season.

Ireland's only representive was Athlone's Colm Moriarty.He was full of confidence after his 11th place finish in the Saint-Omer Open on the main tour the previous week.He opened with a 6 under par 65 to share the lead.He lost some ground after returning scores of 73 & 71 on the Friday & Saturday,but Moriarty hit back in the final round with a best of the day 64 for a share of 8th place on 11 under par.

MAIDEN VICTORY FOR DAVID HORSEY IN GERMANY.

25 year old David Horsey came charging through from five behind for his first European Tour victory in the BMW International Open in Germany.

Horsey birdied two of the last three holes to grab the €333,030 first prize,and was surprised to find himself in pole position as long time leader Bradley Dredge and Rafael Carrera-Bello both double bogied the tricky 16th hole to let him in.

Horsey was on the same Walker cup team in 2007 at Royal County Down as Rory McIlroy and won the Challenge Tour rankings the following year.This win will open more doors for him with a two year exemption and lots of other invites.

It was an English one-two when Ross Fisher eagled the par five 18th to take the runners-up spot one shot behind his compatriot.

Newcastle,Co Down resident,Simon Thornton got his first taste of the big time and he handled it in superb fashion.Playing in the last group with Dredge and Fisher he birdied the 5th and eagled the 6th to reach 18 under par.He lost a shot at the 7th and doubled the 10th to drop out of contention but he held on bravely to finish joint 9th on 14 under par and win his biggest cheque to date of €42,400.It has been a good first year for Thornton,as he finished 13th in Madiera and a top 20 in the Joburg Open since gaining his card at tour school at the end of 2009.Thornton had a great week on the greens coming out No1 with an average of 26.8 putts per round.

Shane Lowry and Peter Lawrie both finished in a share of 17th on 12 under par and earned €25,400.

The cut came at 3 under par.Paul Mc Ginley was one shot away after rounds of 71,71.Damien Mc Grane,Michael Hoey and Darren Clarke were all 1 under par while Gary Murphy continues to struggle this year with rounds of 70.75 to miss the cut by 4. shots.

Thursday 24 June 2010

DARA LERNIHAN WINS IRISH CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Dara Lernihan from the Castle golf club in Dublin walked off with the Irish Close Championship at Royal Dublin after beating Rory Leonard in the final.

Two years ago in the same competition Lernihan was disappointed as he lost in the final of the same competition to the Curragh's Paul o Hanlon at Belvoir Park in Belfast.

He made no mistakes this time as he birdied the first two holes to gain a 2 hole advantage that he kept against Leonard the reigning West of Ireland champion from Banbridge.Dara went 3 up with a par at the short 12th and when he lost the 14th to a birdie,he hit back straight away with a long putt for birdie three at the 15th which left him dormie three up.A half in par was good enough to win the title on the 16th green.

In the semi final Dara had an easy win over Stephan Crowe from Dunmurray on the 14th green,while Leonard beat the leading qualifier Luke Lennox from Moyola Park.

Lennox took the top qualifing spot with rounds of 76,66,beating Richard o Donovan from Lucan on a countback.

Quarter Finals:
Stephen Crowe (Dunmurry) bt Stephen Loftus (Lahinch) 4/3
Dara Lernihan (Castle) bt Eoin Arthurs (Forrest Little) 5/4
Luke Lennox (Moyola Park) bt Alan Dunbar (Rathmore) 1 hole
Rory Leonard (Banbridge) bt Gerard Kelly (Co. Louth) 4/3.

Semi Finals:
Dara Lernihan (Castle) bt Stephen Crowe (Dunmurry) 6/4
Rory Leonard (Banbridege) bt Luke Lennox (Moyola Park) 3/2.

Final:
Dara Lernihan (Castle) bt Rory Leonard (Banbridge) 3/2.

Qualifying Scores:
142: L Lennox (Moyola Park) 76 66 (Leading Qualifier), R, O'Donovan (Lucan) 70 72

143: S Ryan (The Royal Dublin) 76 67

144: S Crowe (Dunmurry) 76 68

145: J Monaghan (The Island) 72 73, J Fox (Portmarnock) 72 73, B Anderson (Co. Sligo) 71 74

146: P Dunne (Greystones) 77 69, D Lernihan (Castle) 74 72, G McDermott (Co. Sligo) 72 74, D Hallissey (Muskerry) 71 75

147: G O'Flaherty (Cork) 76 71, M McAlpin (Royal Portrush) 76 71, G Kelly (Co. Louth) 74 73

148: K Quigg (City of Derry) 76 72, S Power (West Waterford) 76 72, D Morgan (Mullingar) 76 72, C O'Sullivan (Fota Island) 75 73, R Leonard (Banbridge) 75 73, I Brennan (Greenore) 73 75, A Condren (Greystones) 73 75, A Dunbar (Rathmore) 72 76

149: D Daly (Muskerry) 76 73, M Durcan (Co. Sligo) 76 73, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 75 74, R Burke (Castle) 75 74, G Dillon (The Heath) 75 74, J Lyons (Galway) 74 75, H Diamond (Belvoir Park) 74 75

150: R McNamara (Headfort) 77 73, S Prendergast (The Royal Dublin) 77 73, J Tobin (Carrick-on-suir) 77 73, E McCormack (Galway) 76 74, N Gorey (Lee Valley) 75 75

151: C Fairweather (Knock) 78 73, T O'Flynn (Fota Island) 78 73, R Walsh (Kilkenny) 78 73, D Reilly (Westmanstown) 76 75, C Curley (Newlands) 76 75, R McCarthy (The Island) 75 76, C Martin (Kilkenny) 75 76, G Dunne (Seapoint) 73 78, D King (Tramore) 73 78

152: S Moloney (Castletroy) 79 73, A Hogan (Newlands) 79 73, B O`Donovan (Bandon) 79 73, R Cannon (Laytown & Bettystown) 78 74, N Grant (Knock) 78 74, P McCrudden (Royal Portrush) 76 76, D Holland (Castle) 75 77, S Barry (Lee Valley) 74 78, P O'Kane (Moyola Park) 74 78

153: S Healy (Claremorris) 81 72, B Daly (Edmondstown) 81 72, D Coghlan (The Royal Dublin) 81 72, D Downie (Sutton) 78 75, M Sinclair (Knock) 77 76, S Loftus (Lahinch) 76 77, S Bryan (Delgany) 76 77

154: D Murray (Skerries) 81 73, T McGowan (Strandhill) 78 76, R Knightly (The Royal Dublin) 78 76, G Carew (Edenderry) 76 78

Non-qualifiers:
154: M Collins (Mahon) 75 79, R Bridges (Stackstown) 74 80, B Campbell (Malone) 73 81

CRAIG LEE HITS A 61 TO WIN THE BOVEY MASTERS.

CRAIG Lee stormed to victory in the latest PGA EuroPro Tour event – The Dunlop Masters.

Scotsman Lee, 33, claimed the £10,000 winner’s prize at Bovey Castle in Devon as he finished six shots ahead of England’s Steve Uzzell (Hornsea GC). Lee trailed by three shots after the first round of 70 on Wednesday before a score of seven-under 63 on Thursday gave him a share of the lead going into the last day.

He sprinted to glory on Friday with a breathtaking performance that included birdies on seven of the first 11 holes and an eagle on the par-five 12th for a 9 under par score of 61. This victory for Lee (Aspire Golf Club) moves him into 2nd place on the order of merit behind Daniel Guant.

It was a busy week at home for the Irish Professionals with the Quinn Insurance Pro Am at Slieve Russell so only 6 made the journey to Devon.

The best of those was Tim Rice who returned scores of 72,68,72 for a share of 25th place on 2 over par.David Rawluk had a final round of 73 to add to his 70 and 72 to finish well down in 38th place on 5 over par.

With the 36 hole cut coming at +5,Brendan Mc Carroll missed out by only one shot on +6.Michael Lavelle was one worse on +7,Noel Fox was 4 shots too many on +9 while Monkstown's Ronan Collins had a nightmare and finished 31 over par for 36 holes.

Irish Results
----------------
25th:Tim Rice 72,68,72 212 +2 £345.
38th:David Rawluk 70,72,73 215 +5 £255.

Missed +5 cut.

Brendan Mc Carroll +6.
Michael Lavelle +7.
Noel Fox +9.
Ronan Collins +31.

DAVID HIGGINS FINAL BIRDIE BLITZ WINS QUINN DIRECT PRO AM.

Ex European Tour Professional,David Higgins,birdied the final 5 holes at the Slieve Russell course in County Cavan to win the Quinn Direct Pro Am on 12 under par after two rounds of 66.
Higgins who led after an opening 66 had a late start from the 10th tee for the second round.By that stage European Tour player Damien Mc Grane had finished his second round and was sitting in the clubhouse in a comfortable position on 9 under par after a bogey free round of 67 to go with his opening 68.

Starting his round on the back nine Higgins lost shots at the 17th and 2nd holes to wipe out two of the 3 birdies that he made earlier.With 5 holes to play David was 2 shots behind Mc Grane and looking like a runner up spot.He managed to birdie all 5 holes for his second 66 and a victory by 3 shots.He collected the €10,000 winning prize and now sits proudly on top of the Irish PGA Lexus Race To Mount Juliet order of merit.

Damien Mc Grane was the runner up with steady rounds of 68 & 67 giving him a 9 under par total.There was a 3 shot gap to Seamus Mc Monagle 69,69,Neil Manchip 70,68 and Darren Mc Williams 71,67 all 6 under par.

Killymoon Professional Gary Chambers took his own team of 3 amateurs from Killymoon and they won themselves a holiday in Portugal later in the year after winning the Pro Am with 188 points.

QUINN INSURANCE PRO AM RESULTS.

1ST: DAVID HIGGINS(WATERVILLE) 66 66 -12 €10,000.

2ND:DAMIEN MC GRANE(UNATTACHED)68,67 -9 €7,300.

3RD:SEAMUS MC MONAGLE(EDMONSTOWN) 69,69 -6 €4,333
NEIL MANCHIP(GUI NATIONAL ACADEMY)70,68 -6 €4,333.
DARREN MC WILLIAMS(UNATTACHED) 71,67 -6 €4,333.

6TH:DAMIEN MOONEY(UNATTACHED) 73,66 -5 €2,825.
JOHN KELLY (ST MARGARETS) 67,72 -5 €2,825.

8TH:EAMON DARCY (LE SALLE) 69,71 -4 €2,250.
BRIAN MC ELHINNEY(TEAM IRELAND) 67,73 -4 €2,250.
SIMON THORNTON (TEAM IRELAND) 70,70 -4 €2,250.

11TH:PETER MARTIN (RIVERSIDE ACADEMY) 68,73 -3 €1,550.
MARK STAUNTON(FOREIRELAND.COM) 69,72 -3 €1,550.
DAVID MORTIMER(FOREIRELAND.COM)71,70 -3 €1,550.

14TH:MICHAEL MC GEADY(NORTH WEST) 71,71 -2 €966.66.
MARK O SULLIVAN(ASHBOURNE) 72,70 -2 €966.66
PETER LAWRIE(LIBERTY MANAGEMENT)71,71 -2 €966.66.

17TH:DAVID RYAN(CAHIR PARK) 71,72 -1 €831.25.
JOHN DIGNAM(SLADE VALLEY) 72,71 -1 €831.25.
JIMMY BOLGER(KILKENNY) 74,69 -1 €831.25.
BRENDAN MC GOVERN(HEADFORT) 72,71 -1 €831.25.

21ST:DAVID HUGHES(MASSEREENE) 71,74 +1 €712.50.
BARRIE TRAINOR(TEAM IRELAND)73,72 +1 73,72 +1 €712.50
JOHN DWYER(ASHBOURNE) 70,75 +1 €712.50.
GARY CHAMBERS(KILLYMOON) 77,68 +1 €712.50
MICHAEL COLLINS(FOREIRELAND.COM) 74,71 +1 €712.50.
PHILIP WALTON (UNATTACHED) 73,72 +1 €712.50.

WARRENPOINTS EDDIE BARR OF TO A GOOD START ON THE QUEENSLAND TOUR.

Warrenpoint's Eddie Barr gained his PGA qualification at Warrenpoint golf club under Head professional Nigel Shaw before emigrating to Austrailia.

Eddie has made his mark on the local Queensland Pro Am circuit winning the order of merit last year.He has got off to a great start again this year by winning the Minerva Mines Emerald Pro Am with a 9 under par total after rounds of 66,65.

He also has a 3rd place finish in the Blackwater Pro Am on 7 under par,and a 4th, 5th twice,6th and a 10th finish in his other 6 outings.

After 7 competitions Eddie is in 4th place on the order of merit,behind the leader Samual C Brazel who has won the last 4 Pro Am's in a row.

MARTIN WIEGELE MAKES SECOND HOLE IN ONE AT THE SAME HOLE 12 MONTHS LATER.

Austrian Martin Wiegele made a hole on one at the 165 yard,8th hole at the Karnten Golf Club in his home country during last year's Austrian Open on the Challenge Tour and walked away with a brand new car.

This year he made a hole in one at the same hole,only this time he not only won another car,but he won the tournament as well on 13 under par and the prize money of €25,600.

Northern Ireland's Johnny Caldwell finished joint 27th on -6 with scores of 68,71,72,71 while Gareth Shaw was 46th on -3 after rounds of 67,76,72,70.

EAST OF IRELAND SUCCESS FOR CIAN CURLEY.

Newlands' Cian Curley picked up his first Championship success at the Famous County Louth golf club with a 7 under par total of 281.Having led after 2 rounds of 68 he fell behind when Galway's Eddie Mc Cormack hit a third round of 67 to move 3 in front of him.

While Mc Cormack fell away over the last round with a 79,Curley held his nerve to sign for a level par 72.Gary McDermott (Co Sligo) put up a good show with a final round of 70 to win the runner up prize on 5 under par.

Curley was delighted with his first Major,as he had lost out to Pat Murray in the final of the Irish Close Championship last year.

Moments after his victory he received a phone call from his good friend Shane Lowry who made history on the same course last year when he won the Irish Open as an amateur.

281 C Curley (Newlands) 68 68 73 72
283 G McDermott (Co. Sligo) 72 71 70 70
285 P Cutler (Portstewart) 68 74 69 74, D Morgan (Mullingar) 67 73 70 75
286 E McCormack (Galway) 68 72 67 79
288 P Dunne (Greystones) 71 72 73 72
289 P Murray (Limerick) 71 73 70 75
290 L Lennox (Moyola Park) 76 71 67 76, G Bohill (Co. Louth) 75 72 69 74, P Purdy (Shandon Park) 72 74 70 74, D Lernihan (Castle) 72 70 74 74
291 T O'Flynn (Fota Island) 76 69 71 75, E Maguire (Seapoint) 75 68 72 76, D Downie (Sutton) 73 72 74 72, R O'Donovan (Lucan) 73 70 75 73, A Kearney (Castlerock) 73 69 78 71
292 J Hume (Rathsallagh) 78 70 70 74, H Diamond (Belvoir Park) 74 69 74 75, R Cannon (Laytown & Bettystown) 71 76 71 74, R McCarthy (The Island) 71 76 68 77, G McGee (Malone) 71 75 74 72, S Devey (Skerries) 70 75 71 76, D Crowe (Dunmurry) 69 75 73 75
293 S Crowe (Dunmurry) 76 70 73 74, D Coghlan (The Royal Dublin) 74 73 74 72, J Monaghan (The Island) 74 73 67 79, E Arthurs (Forrest Little) 72 74 72 75, R McNamara (Headfort) 71 72 74 76, J Fox (Portmarnock) 70 73 74 76
294 J Lyons (Galway) 74 72 69 79, R Newman (Brookman's Park) 74 69 74 77
295 C Martin (Kilkenny) 70 75 74 76
296 G McGrane (The Royal Dublin) 75 72 77 72, L Harnett (Milltown) 72 73 77 74, D McElroy (Ballymena) 70 75 75 76, S Walsh (Baltinglass/UCD) 70 75 72 79, I O'Rourke (Cork) 69 77 73 77
297 R Kenny (Hermitage) 76 71 72 78, G Boyd (Donaghadee) 75 71 72 79, D Coyle (Co. Louth) 72 75 74 76
298 D Kernohan (Galgorm Castle) 73 72 74 79
299 M Sinclair (Knock) 74 73 69 83, C Doran (Banbridge) 74 71 76 78
300 D Mallon (Dungannon) 76 71 73 80, D King (Tramore) 70 77 75 78
302 J Greene (Carlow) 79 69 74 80, J Hopkins (Skerries) 76 72 78 76
303 J Mulready (Castle) 76 71 79 77
304 D O'Donovan (Muskerry) 73 72 78 81, P O'Kane (Moyola Park) 72 75 79 78
306 M Brett (Portmarnock) 73 74 78 81 281 C Curley (Newlands) 68 68 73 72

RORY HAD HIS FIRST GAME WITH TIGER .

Rory McIlroy had his first game of golf with the World No1 Tiger Woods,playing a 9 hole skins game before the start of the Memorial tournament in Ohio. Ten Professionals took part in 2 groups of 5,all for charity.

Group 1: Phil Mickleson won all (9 skins) in his group with the host Jack Nicklaus,Ernie Els,Kenny Perry & Sean o Hair.

Group 2: Tiger Woods (6 skins),Zach Johnston (3 skins ),Rory McIlroy,Steve Stricker & Jim Furyk.

Rory got his own back on Tiger in the main tournament when he finished on 9 under par,while Tiger could only manage to finish 6 under par.

GRAEME MC DOWELL'S SEASON SO FAR.

PGA TOUR.
---------

ACCENTURE WORLD MATCHPLAY:LOST 1ST ROUND LUKE DONALD.

HONDA CLASSIC (31ST +2 $33,950.)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DORAL (6TH -10 $214,300.

ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL (MISSED CUT +3.)

THE MASTERS AUGUSTA (MISSED CUT +5)

TPC SAWGRASS (26TH -5 $58,250.)

US OPEN PEBBLE BEACH (WON PAR $1,350,000)

WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL,FIRESTONE (22ND -1 $72,000.)

USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP WHISTLING STRAITS (MISSED CUT +3)

PGA Grand slam of golf, Bermuda ( 3rd +1 $225,000. )

EUROPEAN TOUR.
-------------------

CHINA OPEN (8TH -10 €34,857.)

BALLENTINES CHAMPIONSHIP (28TH -1 €19,624)

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP WENTWORTH (28TH +2 €39,375.)

MADRID MASTERS (4TH -17 €75,000)

CELTIC MANOR WALES OPEN (WON -15 €350,940.)

SCOTTISH OPEN LOCH LOMAND(21st +1 €39,706.)

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ST.ANDREWS (23rd -3 €49,996.)

IRISH OPEN,KILLARNEY (31ST -3 €24,450.)

Austrian Open,Diamond Country Club ( 3rd -14 €38,750. )

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( 17th -6 €44,200. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama Spain ( WON -3 €500,000. )

WGC-HSBC Champions. Shanghai China ( 34th -1 €36,557. )

Hong Kong Open. ( 5th -19 €76,689. )

Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah ( 13th -6 €84,662. )

PETER LAWRIE'S YEAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR SO FAR.

Joberg Open ( Missed Cut +3.)

Abu Dhabi ( 27th -9 €13,350.)

Qatar Masters ( 9th -6 €33,264.)

Dubai Desert Classic ( Missed Cut +3.)

Malaysian Open ( 10th -8 €26,488.)

Trophy Hassan ( 10th -15 €25,483.)

Andalucia Open ( 77th +6 €1,477.)

China Open ( 28th -4 €15,827.)

Ballantines Korea ( 57th +4 €6,615.)

Spanish Open ( Missed Cut +5.)

PGA Championship ( 56th +6 €13,590.)

Madrid Masters ( 6th -13 €45,000.)

Celtic Manor Wales Open ( 20th -2 €23,192.)

BMW International Germany ( 17th -12 €25,400.)

Alstom Open de France ( 42nd Par €17,400. )

Scottish Open Loch Lomond ( 21st +1 €39,706.)

Scandinavian Masters,Stockholm ( Missed Cut +7.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( Missed Cut +3.)

Czech Open,Czech Republic (2nd -10 €173,710)Lost Play Off.

Johnny Walker Championship,Gleneagles ( Missed cut +3.)

European Masters,Crans-sur-Sierre ( 9th -11 €39,000.)

KLM Open,Hilversum,Netherlands ( 34th -3 €12,600.)

Vivendi Cup, France ( Missed cut Par. )

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +3. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( 6th -15 €90,000. )

Castello Masters, Valencia ( 3rd -11 €95,000. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Spain ( 47th +13 €14,700. )

Hong Kong Open ( 47th -5 €7,958. )

Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah ( 13th -6 €84,662. )

SIMON THORNTON'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

African Open (Missed Cut +3.)

Joburg Open ( -9 €15,938.)

Andalucia Open ( 36th -3 €6,500.)

Madeira Open ( 13th -8 €10,103.)

Spanish Open ( Missed Cut +7.)

Italian Open ( Missed Cut +6.)

Mallorca Open ( Retired.)

Madrid Masters ( Missed Cut +4.)

Celtic Manor Wales Open ( 61st +5 €5,580.)

Estoril Open de Portugal ( Missed cut Par 143.)

BMW Internation Germany ( 9th -14 €42,400.)

Alstom Open de France ( Missed cut +6.)

Scandinavian Masters,Stockholm ( 41st +3 €9,280.)

Irish Open, Killarney ( Missed Cut +3.)

Czech Open,Czech Republic ( Missed Cut +3.)

Johnny Walker Championship,Gleneagles ( 26th -1 €15,100.)

KLM Open,Hilversum,Netherlands ( 57th Par €5,040.)

Austrian Open,Diamond Country Club ( 26th -6 €7,012. )

Vivendi Cup, France ( Missed cut +1. )

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +7. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( Missed cut +2. )

Castello Masters, Valencia ( Missed cut +3. )

PAUL MC GINLEY'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

Trophy Hassan ( Missed Cut +2.)

Andalucia Open ( 45th -2 €4,900.)

China Open ( 53rd +1 €6,390.)

Ballantines Korea ( Missed Cut +3.)

Mallorca Open ( 63rd +15 €2,000.)

PGA Championship Wentworth ( 28th +2 €39,375.)

Madrid Masters (41st -6 €8,700 )

Celtic Manor Wales Open ( Missed Cut +3.)

BMW International Germany ( Missed cut -2.)

Alstom Open de France ( Missed cut +3.)

Scottish Open Loch Lomond ( Missed cut +6.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( 14th -7 €43,200.)

Johnny Walker Championship,Gleneagles ( 35th Par €11,707.)

European Masters,Crans-sur-Sierre ( Missed Cut +2.)

KLM Open, Hilversum, Netherlands ( Missed Cut +4.)

Vivendi Cup, France ( 19th -9 €14,088. )

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +3. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( 54th -6 €10,500. )

Castello Masters, Valencia ( 51st -1 €8,000. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Spain ( Missed cut +7. )

Hong Kong Open ( 64th +3 €4,160. )

DARREN CLARKE'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

African Open ( 28th -12 €8,542.)

Joburg Open ( 2nd -17 €119,730.)

Abu Dhabi ( 56th -3 €4,612.)

Dubai Desert Classic ( 27th -2 €16,633.)

Avantha Masters ( 8th -10 €29,775.)

Malaysian Open ( Missed Cut +6.)

Trophy Hassan ( 43rd -5 €7,425.)

Andalucia Open ( 52nd -1 €3,900.)

BMW International Germany ( Missed cut -1.)

Spanish Open ( 30th -3 €16,900.)

Italian Open ( Missed Cut +3.)

PGA Wentworth Wentworth ( Missed Cut +9.)

Celtic Manor Wales Open ( 39th +2 €12,844.)

Estoril Open de Portugal,Penha Longa ( 6th -12 €32,500.)

Alstom Open de France ( Missed cut +2.)

Scottish Open Loch Lomond ( 2nd -9 €401,063.)

Open Championship St.Andrews ( 44th Par €20,385.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( 12th -8 €49,950.)

USPGA Championship Whistling Straits ( 48th +1 $12,934. )

European Masters,Crans-sur-Sierre ( 15th -9 €25,625.)

KLM Open, Hilversum, Netherlands ( 17th -6 €22,464.)

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +1. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( Missed cut -1. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Spain ( 26th +8 €27,600. )

Hong Kong Open ( 19th -12 €22,066. )

Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah ( 28th -2 €49,432. )

PADRAIG HARRINGTON'S SEASON SO FAR.

PGA TOUR AMERICA
---------------------------------

Northern Trust Open Riviera ( Missed Cut +3.)

AT&T Pebble Beach ( 16th -11 $93,000.)

Accenture Matchplay ( Lost 1st round to J.M Singh.)

Honda Classic PGA National ( 40th +4 $19,118.)

World CA Championship Doral ( 3rd -11 $426,666.)

Transitions Championship Innisbrook ( 8th -6 $145,800.)

Shell Houston Open ( 40th -1 $23,200.)

The Masters Augusta ( Missed Cut +5.)

Quail Hollow Championship ( 7th -6 $175,964.)

Players Championship Sawgrass ( Missed Cut +1.)

St Jude Classic,TPC Memphis ( 56th +3 $12,656.)

US Open,Pebble Beach ( 22nd +9 $83,634)

The Travelers TPC River Highlands ( 5th -12 $210,750.)

WGC Bridgestone Invitational,Firestone ( 9th -5 $125,833.)

USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP WHISTLING STRAITS ( MISSED CUT +2.)

The Barclays FedEx Play-Off's ( 47th -1 $50,500. )

The Deutsche Bank Championship FedEx Play-Off's ( Missed Cut Par.)

FedEx Cup.... Bonus Money $80,000.

EUROPEAN TOUR
--------------------------------

PGA Championship Wentworth ( 6th -2 €126,450.)

Open Championship St.Andrews ( Missed cut +6.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( 2nd -16 €333,330.)

Vivendi Cup, France ( 8th -13 €26,276. )

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( 17th -6 €44,200. )

WGC-HSBC Champions, Shanghai, China ( 16th -5 €55,337. )

Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah ( 39th +1 €36,050. )
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASIAN TOUR.

Iskandar Johor Open, Malaysia ( Won -20 $198,125. )

MICHAEL HOEY'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

Alfred Dunhill ( 44th -1 €5,300.)

South African Open ( 35th -2 €10,800.)

African Open ( 55th -7 €3,425.)

Joburg Open ( 23rd -7 €12,480.)

Abu Dubai Championship ( Missed cut PAR.)

Qatar Masters ( 32nd PAR €12,779.)

Omega Dubai Desert Classic ( Missed cut +3.)

Trophy Hassan ( Missed cut +4.)

Andalucia Open ( 36th -3 €6,500.)

Madeira Island Open ( 6th -11 €21,000.)

Spanish Open Seville ( Missed cut +9.)

BMW Italian Open ( Retired.)

PGA Championship Wentworth ( Retired.)

BMW International Germany ( Missed cut -1)

Alstom Open de France ( 11th -6 €49,020.)

Scottish Open Loch Lomond ( Missed cut +5.)

Scandinavian Masters,Stockholm ( 14th -3 €22,560)

Irish Open,Killarney ( 7th -11 €90,000.)

Czech Open,Czech Republic ( 43rd +2 €11,000.)

European Masters,Crans-sur-Sierre ( 54th Par €6,833.)

KLM Open, Hilversum, Netherlands ( 57th Par €5,040.)

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +6. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( 48th -8 €13,800. )

Castello Masters, Valencia ( 72nd +6 €2,997. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Spain ( 35th +10 €21,300. )

Hong Kong Open ( 25th -9 €17,454. )

GARY MURPHY'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

Alfred Dunhill ( Missed cut +5.)

S.African Open ( 43rd...-1. €5,800 )

African Open ( Missed cut +2.)

Joburg Open ( Missed cut -2.)

Avantha Masters ( RETIRED.)

Maylaysian Open ( Missed cut +13.)

Andalucia Open ( 81st +6 €1,477.)

Maderia Open ( Missed cut +1.)

Spanish Open ( Missed cut +10.)

Italian Open ( Missed cut +9.)

Mallorca Open ( Missed cut +7.)

Madrid Masters ( Missed cut +2 )

Celtic Manor Wales Open ( Missed cut +8.)

Estoril Open de Portugal,Penha Longa ( 43rd -3 €5,200.)

BMW International Germany ( Missed cut +1.)

Scandinavian Masters,Stockholm ( Missed Cut +5.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( Missed Cut +11.)

Czech Open,Czech Republic ( 79th +20 €2,976.)

Johnny Walker Championship,Gleneagles ( Missed cut +6.)

KLM Open, Hilversum, Netherlands ( Missed Cut +4.)

Austrian Open, Diamond Country Club ( 64th +4 €1,875. )

Vivendi Cup, France ( 72nd +2 €1,832. )

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +6. )

DAMIEN MC GRANE'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

Alfred Dunhill Leopard Creek G.C S.Africa ( 8th -11 €21,933.)

South African Open Pearl Valley G.C ( 21st -5 €10,800.)

Abu Dhabi Championship,Abu Dhabi G.C ( Missed Cut +8.)

Qatar Masters Doha G.C ( Missed Cut +3.)

Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates G.C ( 44th +1 €9,428.)

Trophy Hassan 11 Morocco ( Missed Cut -1.)

Open de Andalucia Malaga Spain ( Missed Cut +1.)

Volvo China Open Suzhou G.C ( 17th -7 €23,341.)

Balantines Championship PINX G.C Korea ( Missed Cut.)

Spanish Open Club de Golf Seville ( 17th -5 €23,180.)

Iberdrola Open Mallorca ( 44th +8 €4,240.)

PGA Championship Wentworth ( 17th +1 €51,423.)

Madrid Masters Club de Campo Madrid ( 36th -7 €10,350.)

Celtic Manor Wales Open Twenty Ten Course ( 20th -2 €23,192.)

Estoril Open de Portugal,Penha Longa GC ( 5th -13 €42,400.)

BMW International Germany ( Missed Cut -1.)

Alstom Open de France ( 11th -6 €49,020.)

Scottish Open Loch Lomond ( 16th -1 €48,730.)

Scandinavian Masters,Stockholm.( 8th -6 €35,947.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( 35th -2 €21,600.)

Czech Open,Czech Republic ( 25th -1 €19,900.)

Johnny Walker Championship,Gleneagles ( 7th -5 €43,774.)

KLM Open, Hilversum, Netherlands ( 26th -4 €16,290.)

Austrian Open, Diamond Country Club ( 6th -13 €24,375. )

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +3. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( 41st -9 €17,100. )

Castello Masters, Valencia ( 30th -5 €15,850. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Spain ( 2nd -1 €223,710. )

Hong Kong Open ( 11th -15 €30,296. )

Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah ( 59th +13 €15,840. )

GARETH MAYBIN'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

Alfred Dunhill Leopard Creek G.C ( 4th -12 €38,825.)

South African Open Pearl Valley G.C ( 35th -2 €10,800)

Abu Dhabi Championship (Missed Cut +6.)

Qatar Masters Doha G.C ( 49th +3 €7,070.)

Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirates G.C ( 20th -3 €19,594.)

Avantha Masters DLF Golf Club New Delhi ( 44th -2 €7,500.)

Trophy Hassan 11 Morocco ( 10th -15 €25,483.)

Open de Andalucia Malaga Spain ( 36th -3 €6,500.)

Volvo China Open Suzhou G.C ( 45th -1 €9,351.)

Ballantines Championship PINX G.C Korea (2nd -8 €191,516.)

BMW Italian Open Royal Park Roveri ( 42nd -2 €7,800.)

PGA Championship Wentworth ( 34th +3 €31,950.)

Celtic Manor Wales Open Twenty Ten G.C ( 27th -1 €19,688.)

US Open..Pebble Beach ( 63rd +16 $16,672 )

Alstom Open de France ( 32nd -2 €22,312.)

Scottish Open Loch Lomond ( 45th +6 €18,770.)

Open Championship St.Andrews ( Missed cut +4.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( Missed Cut +1.)

European Masters,Crans-sur-Sierre ( 30th -6 €17,500.)

KLM Open, Hilversum, Netherlands ( 57th Par €5,040.)

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( Missed cut +1. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( Missed cut -3. )

Castello Masters, Valencia ( 19th -7 €23,650. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Spain ( 2nd -1 €223,710. )

Hong Kong Open ( 7th -17 €46,665. )

Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah ( 55th +9 €18,571. )

SHANE LOWRY'S YEAR SO FAR ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR.

Alfred Dunhill Leopard Creek G.C South Africa: ( 17th -7 €11,712)

South African Open Pearl Valley S.Africa : ( Missed Cut +2)

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship ( 4th -17 €75,000)

Qatar Masters Doha G.C ( 24th -3 €18,117)

Omega Dubai Desert Classic Emirites G.C ( Missed Cut +5.)

Avanta Masters DFL G.C New Delhi ( 59th -2 €4,200.)

Trophy Hassan 11 Morocco ( Missed Cut PAR.)

Open de Andalucia Malaga G.C Spain ( 64th +2 €2,150.)

Volvo China Open Suzhou G.C ( 23rd -5. €19,451.)

Ballantines Championship PINX G.C Korea ( 40th +1 €12,789.)

Spanish Open Club de Golf Seville ( 12th -7 €33,300.)

PGA Championship Wentworth ( 65th +8 €9,450.)

Madrid Masters Club de Campo Madrid ( 41st -6 €8,700.)

Celtic Manor Wales Open Twenty Ten G.C ( 39th +2 €12,844)

BMW International Germany ( 17th €25,400.)

Alstom Open de France ( Missed cut +2.)

Scottish Open Loch Lomond ( 7th -6 €108,288.)

Open Championship St.Andrews ( 37th -1 €26,188.)

Irish Open,Killarney ( 21st -5 €32,550.)

USPGA Championship,Whistling Straits ( Missed Cut +6.)

Czech Open,Czech Republic ( 29th Par €16,900.)

Johnny Walker Championship,Gleneagles (Missed cut +2.)

European Masters,Crans-sur-Sierre ( Missed Cut +4.)

KLM Open, Hilversum, Netherlands ( 50th -1 €7,020.)

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( 53rd +2 €2,181. )

Portugal Masters, Victoria ( 54th -6 €10,500. )

Castello Masters, Valencia ( 66th +3 €4,200. )

Andalucia Masters, Valderrama, Spain ( 18th +6 €37,300. )

Hong Kong Open ( Missed cut +1. )

RORY MCILROYS RESULTS FOR HIS SEASON SO FAR !

EUROPEAN TOUR.
--------------

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship: (3rd) 66,69,67,67 -19 €93,900

Omega Dubai Desert Classic.(6th) 68,70,69,73 -8 €57,818

BMW PGA Championship, Wentworth.(48th) 72,71,73,73 +5 €18,900.

Alstom Open de France (4th) 68,71,69,66 -10 €150,000.

Open Championship St.Andrews (3rd) 63,80,69,68 -8 €305,536.

Irish Open,Killarney (35th) 67,68,76,71 -2 €21,600.

Alfred Dunhill Championship, St.Andrews ( 53rd ) 71,74,70,75 +2 €2,181.

WGC-HSBC Champions, Shanghai, China ( 5th ) 71, 71, 71, 67 -8 €179,199.

Hong Kong Open ( 6th ) 63, 66, 66, 67 -18 €63,305.

Dubai World Championship, Jumeirah ( 5th ) 71, 72, 66, 67 -12 €179,199.



USPGA TOUR.
-----------

WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Arizona:Lost last 32 to Oliver Wilson 20th.

Honda Classic, Palm Beach, Florida 71,69,75,69 +4 (40th) $19,118.

WGC-CA Championship, Florida 76,73,73,73 +7 (65th) $40,625.

Shell Houston Open,Texas: 74/73 +3 ( Missed cut by 1.) 74/73 +3.

MASTERS TOURNAMENT, Augusta 74/77 +7 ( Missed cut by 4.)

Quail Hollow Championship, North Carolina 72,73,66,62 -15 (WON) $1,170,000.

The Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass 73/72 +1 ( Missed cut.)

Memorial Tournament, Dublin, Ohio, 72,68,68,71 -9 (10th) $156,000.

St Jude Classic,TPC,Memphis 69,66,72,71 -2(29TH) $34,090.

US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Pebble Beach, 75,77 +10 (Missed cut.) $2,000..

WGC Bridgestone Invitational,Firestone. 68,69,69,69 -5 (9th) $125,833.

USPGA CHAMPIONSHIP,WHISTLING STRAITS 71,68,67,72 -10 (3RD) $331,527.

The Barclays FedEx Cup play-offs 68,74,71,72 +1 (56th) $29,250.

Duetsche Bank Championship,TPC Boston 64,76,69,71 -4 (37th) $34,500.

BMW Championship, Cog Hill, Illinois 76,74,68,69 +3 (37th) €33,000.

FedEx Cup Bonus Money $140,000.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHALLENGE TOUR
--------------
Egyptian Open ,Mirage City GC, Eygpt. 71, 74, 69, 68 -6 ( 12th ) €3,308.

RORY MCILROY WINS HIS FIRST PGA TOUR EVENT IN AMERICA.

Rory McIlroy,2 days short of his 21st birthday,took the PGA Tour by storm with his first victory on American soil when he won the QUAIL HOLLOW CHAMPIONSHIP with a final round of 10 under par 62 for a 4 shot win from Masters Champion Phil Mickleson.

After missing the last 2 cuts,Rory was struggling 2 shots outside the cut mark with 3 holes to play in the 2nd round when he hit his 2nd shot to the 7th(His 16th) to set up a 4 foot putt for an eagle which was going to change his golf season.

He made the cut on the +1 mark and it was as if he had regained his lost confidence. He hit 9 birdies in a 3rd round of 66 to put himself back in contention.Saving the best to last,he set off in company with Anthony Kim.8 birdies and an eagle,ensured a record breaking 62 that not only lined his bank account with $1,170,000 but also lifted him to 9th in the World rankings and from 166th to 25th in the FEDEX CUP standings.

ENGLISH MAN KEENAN TAKES IRISH MASTERS TITLE AT CASTLE DARGEN,SLIGO.

Ian Keenan said he was proud of a win that was “a long time coming” after a final round 67 gave him a one stroke victory at 11 under par at the Castle Dargan PGA EuroPro Tour event in Sligo.

Keenan (Royal Liverpool) led the tournament after the opening round at six under par, and a second round 70 saw him tee off one stroke behind final round leader Andrew Thorpe.

Three birdies on the front nine saw Keenan seize the initiative as Thorpe dropped an early shot. An eagle at the tenth saw him strengthen his position but he admitted a wobble at the 16th had him worried – before he composed himself to finish one stroke clear of Justin Evans.

Paul o Hanlon(Curragh) had his 3rd top 10 finish this year on the Europro Tour,but it could have been so much better.After making eagles at the 6th & 10 holes he was up with the leaders on 10 under par,but he slipped back into a share of 4th place when he made bogies at the 14th,16th and the 17th holes.

Tim Rice(Limerick) made it to 9 under after 13 holes but he too bogied the 14th and 16th to also share 4th place on -7.

Brian McElhinney was steady with rounds of 67/70/70 to share 7th spot on -6.

Irish Results.
---------------------
4th:Paul oHanlon 70,67,69,Tim Rice 67,72,67 -7.

7th:Brian McElhinney 67,70,70 -6.

11th:Michael Lavelle 68,71,69 -5.

15th:Ruaidhri McGee 71,70,69 -3.

18th:Mark Staunton 69,72,70 -2.

21st:Barrie Trainor 70,71,71...Brendan McCarroll 67,76,69 -1.

27th:Jonathon Mallon 69,70,74...David Rawluk 70,71,72..Cian McNamara 71,71,71 Par.

36th:David Mortimer 72,72,70 +1.

39th:Michael McGeady 70,75,70...Michael Collins 73,71,71 +2.

52nd:Damien Mooney 70,75,74 +3.

53rd:Noel Fox 75,69,76 +4.

Missed cut +3.

Robert Brady,Daniel Sugrue,Padraig Dooley +4.

Mark Campbell +5.

Shane Franklin,David Hughes,Martin McTiernan,Ger Hall +6.

Neil o Briain +10.

Shane Deegan +11.

Andrew Carey +13.

David McQuillen +14.

Stuart Taylor,Ronan Collins +15.

Bobby King,Eoin Gibbons +16.

Lioyd Mulligan +23.

Derek McNamara +26.

Michael Mulryan,Michael Kelly NR.

SUPERB SHANE LOWRY FIRES HIMSELF INTO OPEN WITH RECORD

Ireland's Shane Lowry equalled one of Sir Nick Faldo's records with a sizzling eight under par 62 at Sunningdale Old Golf in the first round of The Open Championship qualifying.It was matched in the afternoon by Ryder Cup Captain Colm Montgomery.

Lowry went on to take the top qualifing spot with a second round of 67 and this will be a first Major for Shane since he turned Professional last year after his amazing play off win against Robert Rock in the Irish Open at Baltray.

Gareth Maybin takes another stride forward in only his second year on the main tour.He shot 132 to join Thomas Bjorn in 4th place.Marcel Siem took the 10th and final spot after a 6 man play off on 134.



OPEN QUALIFIERS AT SUNNINGDALE.



129 SHANE LOWRY.

131 COLIN MONTGOMERY ANDREW COLTART.

132 GARETH MAYBIN THOMAS BJORN.

133 J.M LARA TANO GOYA IGNACIO GARRIDO BRADLEY DREDGE.

134 MARCEL SIEM.

MARK STAUNTON WINS IRISH CLUB PROFESSIONALS

Former Irish Assisants'Champion and a past winner of the Ulster PGA Championship,Mark Staunton(foreireland.com) rose to 3rd in the Lexus race to Mount Juliet with a brilliant victory in the wind swept Irish Club Professionals tournament at the beautiful Dundalk Golf Club.

Staunton played in the worst of the weather on day one.He produced some short game magic to card a 4 under par round of 68 that was made up with 14 pars & 4 birdies.
This gave him a one shot lead into the final round from John Kelly(St.Margarets).

There was a good improvement in the weather for the final round and it was reflected in the scoring. Glen Robertson (St Helens Bay) shot a 68 to set the clubhouse target on 141(-3)Robert Giles had a 69 to finish on 142(-1) The only other players to finish under par were Michael Collins,past Irish PGA Champion David Mortimer and J P Dolan on 143(-1).

Staunton held his nerve after making 3 bogeys on the back nine to hit a superb 5 iron into the 191 yard 17th hole and holed the putt for a birdie two that allowed him to win the title by one shot with a level par 72 and a total of 140 (-4)

IRISH PROFESSIONALS CHAMPIONSHIP.
----------------------------------------

WINNER:MARK STAUNTON (FOREIRELAND.COM) 68,72 140.

2ND:GLEN ROBINSON (ST.HELENS BAY) 73,68 141.

3RD:ROBERT GILES (GREENORE) 73,69 142.

4TH:DAVID MORTIMER (FOREIRELAND.COM) 72,71 143.
JOHN P DOLAN (BALLYLIFFIN) 72,71 143.
MICHAEL COLLINS (FOREIRELAND.COM)75,68 143.

7TH:PATRICK DEVINE (ROYAL DUBLIN) 73,72 145.
LIAM BOWLER (WEXFORD) 72,73 145.
IAN KERR (BUNCLODY) 72,73 145.
DAVID WALKER (FOXROCK) 71,74 145.

11TH:BARRIE TRAINOR (TEAM IRELAND) 76,70 146.
JIMMY BOLGER (KILKENNY) 73,73 146.
RAYMOND BURNS (SOUTH COUNTY) 71,75 146.
JOHN KELLY (ST.MARGARETS) 69,77 146.

STUART ARCHIBALD WINS HIS FIRST EUROPRO EVENT IN 5 HOLE PLAY OFF.

STUART Archibald has claimed a remarkable victory on the PGA EuroPro Tour after winning a dramatic three-way play-off.

Archibald, 25, triumphed at the Dawson and Sanderson Classic at Longhirst Hall in Northumberland as he edged out Daniel Gaunt and Matt Allen. The trio ended on level par after three rounds and needed five extra play-off holes before Archibald scooped the £10,000 winner’s prize and his first ever EuroPro Tour win.

“This is the biggest moment of my career so far,” said a delighted Archibald, who was seven shots off the lead and in danger of not making the cut after the first day. Hopefully I will now get a few invites to the Challenge Tour and get a couple of starts. It means I’m financially set for a couple of seasons so this is the beginning for me.

5 out of the 9 Irish competing made some money with Brian Mc Elhinney and Neil o Briain the best in joint 11th place on +4.They got £675 each.
Mc Elhinney battled the first round bravely in the near gale force winds to start with a 75.He followed up with a 74 to easily make the +10 cut mark by 3 shots.McElhinney was still 7 over with 8 holes to go in the final round before putting in a storming finish with 3 birdies to jump well up the field into 11th spot.

Brendan Mc Carroll was packing his bags after a first round of 80.After improving by 10 shots in the second round he made the cut on 6 over par.A great run of birdie,birdie and eagle from the 10th to the 12th helped to produce a final round of 68 for a share of 15th place on +5 and a cheque for £550.

Tim Rice +6 and David Rawluk +13 were the other two Irish to finish all 3 rounds.

Irish results.
-------------------
11th:Brian Mc Elhinney 75,74,68 Neil o Briain 74,70,73 +4 £675.
15th:Brendan Mc Carroll 80,70,68 +5 £550.
16th:Tim Rice 75,70,74 +6 £437.
41st:David Rawluk 74,76,76 +13 £240.

Missed +10 cut
--------------
Ger Hall +12.
Noel Fox +13.
Cian McNamara +15.
Mark Campbell +17.

USA WIN 7TH SUCCESSIVE CURTIS CUP:USA 12.5 GB&I 7.5

The 36th Curtis Cup match took place at the Essex County Club, Boston MA, USA as GB&I went in search of their first win in the biennial contest since 1996 in Killarney.It ended in another defeat by 5 points against a strong US team.

Friday, June 11: GB&I 3.5 USA 2.5
The 36th Curtis Cup got underway and finished with the GB&I side leading by one point over their American counterparts, at the Essex County Club, Boston MA, USA. The three morning foursomes ties were all halved before the GB&I gained the lead through wins in the fourball session of play from Ireland's Danielle McVeigh and Pamela Pretswell of Scotland.They were 7 under par better ball to win 4/3.Lisa Maguire who partnered Scot Sally Watson got a vital win at the 16th to nose in front and halved the last 2 holes for an important one hole victory.
Leona Maguire and her partner Rachel Jennings were level after 10 holes against the very impressive 15 year old Alexis Thompson and Jennifer Johnston.They had to admit defeat on the 16th after birdies at the 11th,12th & 16th holes by Alexis & Jennifer.


Morning Foursomes Results
Sally Watson & Rachel Jennings halved with Jennifer Song & Jennifer Johnson
Hannah Barwood & Holly Clyburn halved with Alexis Thompson & Jessica Korda
Danielle McVeigh & Leona Maguire halved with Cydney Clanton & Stephanie Kono

Afternoon Fourball Results
Danielle McVEIGH & Pamela PRETSWELL bt Jennifer SONG & Kimberly KIM 4&3
Rachel JENNINGS & Leona MAGUIRE lost to Alexis THOMPSON & Jennifer JOHNSON 3&2
Sally WATSON & Lisa MAGUIRE bt Jessica KORDA & Tiffany LUA 1 UP

Saturday, June 12 (DAY 2)
GB&I 0 USA 6
The second day of the 36th Curtis Cup saw the GB&I side crash to a 6-0 defeat by the Americans. This result now saw the host team with a five point advantage heading into the final day singles series of matches,meaning that they require just 1.5 of the eight matches on offer to retain the cup,while 2 points would see them win the cup outright for the seventh time in a row.

The Maguire twins played together in the morning fourballs and did very well to reach the 16th green as Jennifer Song & Cydney Clanton were 9 under par better ball for the 16 holes. Danielle Mc Veigh & Pamela Pretswell went down on the 17th to a 6 under par score from Alexis Thompson & Jessica Korda.

The afternoon foursomes were another disaster for GB&I as the Americans won all 3 matches to take a 5 point lead heading into the final day's singles.
Danielle Mc Veigh was back playing with Leona Maguire but once again they fell foul of the brilliance of Alexis Thompson & Jessica Korda. They managed late birdies at the 15th & 17th to see off the Irish pair on the 17th green.


Morning Fourball Results (GB&I 0 USA 3)
Danielle McVEIGH & Pamela PRETSWELL lost to Alexis THOMPSON & Jessica KORDA 2&1
Leona MAGUIRE & Lisa MAGUIRE lost to Jennifer SONG & Cydney CLANTON 3&2
Sally WATSON & Rachel JENNINGS lost to Stephanie KONO & Kimberly KIM 1 Down

Afternoon Foursomes Results (GB&I 0 USA 3)
Danielle McVEIGH & Leona MAGUIRE lost to Alexis THOMPSON & Jessica KORDA 3&1
Hannah BARWOOD & Holly CLYBURN lost to Jennifer SONG & Stephanie KONO 3&1
Sally WATSON & Rachel JENNINGS lost to Tiffany LUA & Jennifer JOHNSON 3&2

The 3 Irish girls won their singles matches,leaving the singles results even at 4 games each.This gave the US a 5 point winning margin overall.The oldest member of the team,22 year old Danielle Mc Veigh from Kilkeel in Co.Down playing at No1 give the GB&I team some hope when she defeated Jennifer Song on the 16th green.An eagle 3 at the 5th gave Danielle a one hole advantage and she never looked back.She birdied and parred her way to a 4 up by the time she reached the 13th and even though Jennifer birdied the 15th to claw one back,Mc Veigh finished the game at the next with a half in par.

The amazing talent of the 15 year old Cavan twins was on show and they didn't disappoint.Lisa had a tough game against Kimberly Kim only getting in front at the 15th hole.She held her nerve and golf game together to halve the last 3 holes for a one hole victory.

Leona got in front as early as the second hole against Tiffany Lua and held on to her advantage throughout the game.She finished the game on the 17th green.

The only other GB&I winner was England.s Holly Clyburn in the final match.She defeated Stephanie Kono by a 2/1 margin.


Sunday, June 13 (DAY 3)
GB&I 4 USA 4

Singles Results
Danielle McVEIGH bt Jennifer SONG 3&2
Sally WATSON lost to Alexis THOMPSON 6&5
Rachel JENNINGS lost to Jennifer JOHNSON 5&4
Lisa MAGUIRE bt Kimberly KIM 1 UP
Hannah BARWOOD lost to Cydney CLANTON 4&3
Leona MAGUIRE bt Tiffany LUA 2&1
Pamela PRETSWELL lost to Jessica KORDA 4&3
Holly CLYBURN bt Stephanie KONO 2&1

FIRST WIN IN 4 YEARS FOR THE GREAT DANE.

Thomas Björn returned to winning ways in fine style with a comprehensive five shot victory at the Estoril Open de Portugal.

The Dane saw off a powerful challenge from Richard Green with a closing 68 for a 23 under par aggregate total of 265.

Australian left-hander Green had nibbled away at the two-time Ryder Cup winner's lead.He reduced it to one shot until the former Dubai Desert Classic winner,Green bogeyed the par four 14th as Bjorn birdied and when Björn's tee shot went within five feet at the par three 15th,Green could only respond by hitting his into a bunker and dropping another shot.

That saw Björn,pull five clear and although he bogeyed the 16th he managed to avoid a nervous finish.

It capped an incredible return to form - when he arrived at The Celtic Manor Wales Open Björn had missed six successive cuts on The European Tour and was outside the top 200 on The Official World Golf Ranking.

A top ten finish in Newport gave him the confidence to book an Open Championship spot at Sunningdale and he added a winner's cheque for €166,660 with his success in Portugal.He climbed into the top 40 on The Race to Dubai as a result.

Damien Mc Grane who had been struggling most of this season got himself into 3rd position on 18 under par after 13 holes.The former China Open champion ran into all sorts of trouble over the closing holes dropping 5 shots in 5 holes to drop into 5th place on 13 under par.

On the other hand it was the opposite for Darren Clarke.He looked to be going home after an opening 75.He completely turned his game around and after scores of 67,68 and the lowest score of the closing round 66,he jumped into a share of 6th place on 12 under par.

It was also a good week for Gary Murphy.Murphy had only made 2 cuts all year and his confidence was very low.Even though he slipped up over the weekend,with a 73 and 72 to finish on 3 under par,he was happy with his 43rd place and can now look forward to the next tournament.

Newcastle resident Simon Thornton was unlucky to miss the one under par cut mark by one shot after rounds of 73 and 71.

Irish Results
-----------------
5th: Damien Mc Grane -13 €42,400.
6th: Darren Clarke -12 €32,500.
43rd:Gary Murphy -3 €5,200.

Missed Cut -1 143.

Simon Thornton Par 144.

CHALLENGE TOUR WIN FOR MURRAY.GOOD TOURNAMENT FOR MC GEADY.

A brilliant final hole birdie cemented George Murray’s first professional victory in his homeland at the Scottish Hydro Challenge after a superb final round performance at the Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course in Aviemore.

The 27 year old was a model of composure as he compiled an outstanding final round of five under par 66 to take the title by four shots from Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson, with England’s Lee Slattery sharing third place with Norwegian Marius Thorp on ten under.

Michael McGeady who was invited to the tournament on a sponsor's invitation took advantage and found himself in joint 8th place after hitting rounds of 68,74,68 and a brilliant closing round of 66.His 8 under par total won him €4,933 and a place in the next tournament.

Colm Moriarty from Athlone was the next best Irishman in 21st position on 5 under par.Clandeboy's Johnny Caldwell was 37th on 1 under par and Lurgan's Gareth Shaw fell back over the weekend to finish down in 54th place on 2 over par.

Paul o Hanlon from the Curragh who,like Mc Geady,was on a sponsor's invite didn't perform too well in his first ever Challenge tour event.He scored 73,77 to miss the level par 36 hole cut by 8 shots.

Results from the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Macdonald Spey Valley GC,Aviemore.

Winner: George Murray -17 267 €32,000.
8th: Michael Mc Geady -8 276 €4,933.
21st:Colm Moriarty -5 279 €1,960.
37th:Jonathon Caldwell -1 283 €1,280.
54th:Gareth Shaw +2 286 €700.

Missed Cut 142

Paul o Hanlon 150.

MARK FARRY WINS IRISH SENIORS OPEN.

Frenchman,Mark Farry held onto his overnight lead to win the Handa Irish Seniors Open around the Montgomerie Course at Carton House with a final round of 69. Added to his opening rounds of 67 and 70.Farry won by two shots on 10 under par from Scottish Professional Ross Drummond.
There was a large Irish contingent playing.Eamon Darcy was the best of the home bunch finishing in 20th place on 1 over par.The home favorite,Des Smyth,never got to grips and finished well down in a share of 39th place on +5.
Irish Results.
------------------
20th: Eamon Darcy 74,70,73 +1 €2,862.
33rd:Eddie Polland 75,70,74 +3 €1,688.
35th:Denis O Sullivan 72,77,71 +4 €1,469.
39th:Des Smyth 72,73,76 +5 €1,200
53rd:Peter O Hagan 76,77,71 +8 €550.
63rd:Eoin Feely 77,72,77 +10 €354.
66th:Jimmy Heggarty 72,77,78 +11 €312.
70th: Michael Quirke (AM) 76,76,79 +15.
73rd: Enda McMenamin (AM)76,79,79 +18
77th:Maurice Kelly (AM) 76,84,80 +24.
79th:Liam Higgins 77,85,81 +27 €200.
80th:Christy O Connor Jun RETIRED.

Tuesday 22 June 2010

GRAND FINISH TO THE SEASON FOR IRISH PGA PROFESSIONALS.

There will be a lot of interest in the Irish PGA order of merit this year with the introduction of a season ending tournament called "The Lexus race to Mount Juliet"in association with Ping and to be played on the 16th & 17th October.

The top 30 on the order of merit will qualify for the Mount Juliet event which will carry a €30,000 purse.To add more interest there is another €17,500 which will go to the top 3 on the final table.The winner will get €10,000,runner up €5,000 and 3rd will take home a bonus of €2,500.

The winner will gain an invite to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in 2011.

The top 3 qualify for the Srixon Play off's which offers the winner a couple of invites to the main tour.

The top 8 qualify for the 2011 Irish Open.

The Mount Juliet course will be a great venue for such an event,having hosted 3 Irish Opens in the mid 1990s.It provided three top winners in Faldo,Langer and Torrance.At the American Express World Championships in 2002 Tiger Woods won and in 2004 Ernie Els took home the title over the same Mount Juliet course.

THE LEXUS RACE TO MOUNT JULIET TABLE AFTER ULSTER PGA CHAMPIONSHIP.

1 David Higgins Waterville 23,223 POINTS.
2 David Mortimer foreireland.com 21,679 "
3 John Kelly St.Margaret's Golf 19,203 "
4 Barrie Trainor Team Ireland 19,171 "
5 Eamonn Brady Clontarf GC 16,614 "
6 Darren McWilliams Unattached 15,652 "
7 Glen Robinson St Helen's Bay 14,910 "
8 Damian Mooney Unattached 13,466 "
9 Mark Staunton foreireland.com 13,410 "
10 Michael McDermott Pure Golf Leopardstown 11,366 "
11 Philip Walton foreireland.com 11,325 "
12 David Ryan Cahir Park 11,162 "
13 Jimmy Bolger Kilkenny 10,767 "
14 Peter Martin Riverside Golf Academy 10,171 "
15 Garry Cullen Beaverstown 8,687 "
16 John Dwyer Ashbourne 8,396 "
17 Robert Giles Greenore 7,508 "
18 Brendan Mc Govern Headfort 7,392 "
19 Connor Mallon Nairn & Portnoo 7,255 "
20 John P. Dolan Dunfanaghy 6,854 "
21 Seamus McMonagle Edmondstown 6,649 "
22 David Hughes Massereene 6,441 "
23 Ian Kerr Bunclody 6,231 "
24 Michael Collins foreireland.com 5,648 "
25 John Dignam Slade Valley 5,400 "
26 Brendan McDermott Castlecomer 5,400 "
27 Peter Jones Coollattin 5,240 "
28 Donal Gleeson Old Conna 5,086 "
29 Neil Manchip GUI National Academy 4,699 "
30 Leslie Walker Dundalk 4,418 "

Monday 21 June 2010

John Kelly wins Carne Pro Am.

The 36 hole Carne Pro Am took place on Saurday 19th and Sunday 20th June on the difficult Connemara Golf Club.The first day was a good test in strong winds sending the scores soaring.The only player to break the par was St Margarets Professional John Kelly.He returned a one under par 70.Local Professional Hugh o Neill was next best on 73 one over par.

On the second day the wind had died down and the scoring got a lot better.John Kelly played steady to return a 73 and his level par score of 144 was good enough to win the first prize by 3 shots from Barrie Trainor(Team Ireland)Trainor took a 77 in the first round.He took advantage of the calmer conditions on the Sunday to return a 2 under par 70 for second place.


Robert Giles(Greenore) brought home the winning team of Frank Healy 12,Edmund Mc Andrews 10 and PJ Mc Hale 18 all Carne members.

CARNE GOLF CLUB PRO AM.

WINNER:JOHN KELLY (ST.MARGARETS) 71,73 144 PAR.

2ND:BARRIE TRAINOR(TEAM IRELAND)77,70 147.

3RD:GEOFF LOUGHREY(ROGANSTOWN)78.71 149.
HUGH O NEILL(CONNEMARA) 73,76 149.
BRENDAN MC GOVERN(HEADFORT) 76,73 149.
MICHAEL COLLINS(FOREIRELAND.COM)76,73 149.

7TH:DAVID HIGGINS(WATERVILLE) 80,70 150.
CONNOR MALLON(NARIN&PORTNOO)74,76 150.
DAVID MORTIMER(FOREIRELAND.COM)74,76 150.

Paul Culter reaches quarter finals of Amateur Championship.

Portstewart's Paul Culter made it through to the quarter finals on the Amateur Championship only to lose to the eventual winner,Korea's Jin Jeogh on the 16th green.

Culter who won the Lytham Trophy this year easily qualified after rounds of 67 and 74 at Muirfield golf club.He went on to beat Jonathan Bell from Royal Blackheath by 4/3 in round one.Michael Stewart(Troon)took Paul to the 18th and in the afternoon he saw off Yuki Usami from Japan by 3/2 to reach the quarter finals.

Culter came up against great golf from Jin Jeogh and had to admit defeat on the 15th green.It was no surprise when Jeogh went on to claim the title by a 5/4 margin from Scotlands James Byrne. Jeogh is the first Asian winner of the title in the 125 years of the championship.He gets an invite to the Open at St.Andrews and to the 2011 Masters.

Irish Amateur Champion,Alan Dunbar from Rathmore qualified on 139 -3.He went on to beat Michael Buttacavdi from the US 2/1,and Portmarnocks James Fox who qualified on 140 -2.Dunbar took Edouand Espana to the 19th before tumbling out of the Championship.

East of Ireland Champion,Cian Curley got through the qualifing on the +1 143 cut mark but lost in the first round to Tiago Rodrigues from Portugal 3/2.Andrew Hogan also lost in round one to Jose Maria Joia by 4/3.

Paul o Kane (Moyola Park) and his clubmate Luke Lennox both failed to qualify on 146,Banbridge club mates Connor Doran 147 and Rory leonard 153 both failed to qualify.

Great win by Wiegele on main European Tour.

While all the top golfers were in America for the US Open,it opened the door for lesser known players to accept an invite to the Saint-Omer Open in France.Martin Wiegele from Austria who was plying his trade on the Challenge tour and who won his National title two weeks ago was hoping to join the main tour next year as one of 20 graduates.

All that has now changed.The Austrian,shot a three under par 68 to finish with a seven under par total 277.Not only did he win €100,000 but he now has an exemption on the main tour until the end of 2011.
Wiegele finished two better than a group of five players tied for second - Sweden's Pelle Edberg, France's Raphaël Jacquelin and the English trio of Matt Haines, Robert Dinwiddie and Jamie Elson all finishing five under.

Athlone's Colm Moriarty who has been struggling on the Challenge tour this year,was joint first round leader with the winner as they both opened with 66s.He followed up with 73,73,and 72 to finish in a share of 11th place on level par 284.

The only other Irishman in action was Gary Murphy.He missed the +3 cut mark by 3 shots after scores of 75,73.

Saturday 19 June 2010

Craig Lee hits a 61 for victory in Bovey Masters.

CRAIG Lee has stormed to victory in the latest PGA EuroPro Tour event – The Dunlop Masters.

Scotsman Lee, 33, claimed the £10,000 winner’s prize at Bovey Castle in Devon as he finished six shots ahead of England’s Steve Uzzell (Hornsea GC). Lee trailed by three shots after the first round of 70 on Wednesday before a score of seven-under 63 on Thursday gave him a share of the lead going into the last day.

But he sprinted towards glory on Friday with a breathtaking performance that included birdies on seven of the first 11 holes and an eagle on the par-five 12th for a 9 under par score of 61. This victory for Lee (Aspire Golf Club) moves him into 2nd place on the order of merit behind Daniel Guant.

It was a busy week at home fot the Irish Professionals with the Quinn Insurance Pro Am at Slieve Russell so only 6 made the journey to Devon.

The best of those was Tim Rice who returned scores of 72,68,72 for a share of 25th place on 2 over par.David Rawluk had a final round of 73 to add to his 70 and 72 to finish well down in 38th place on 5 over par.

With the 36 hole cut coming at +5,Brendan Mc Carroll missed out by only one shot on +6,Michael Lavelle was one worse on +7.Noel Fox was 4 shots too many on +9 while Monkstowns Ronan Collins had a nightmare and finished 31 over par for 36 holes.

Irish Results
----------------
25th:Tim Rice 72,68,72 212 +2 £345.
38th:David Rawluk 70,72,73 215 +5 £255.

Missed +5 cut.

Brendan Mc Carroll +6.
Michael Lavelle +7.
Noel Fox +9.
Ronan Collins +31.

Sunday 13 June 2010

First win in 4 years for the Great Dane in Portugal.

Thomas Björn returned to winning ways in fine style with a comprehensive five shot victory at the Estoril Open de Portugal.

The Dane saw off a fine challenge from Richard Green with a closing 68 for a 23 under par aggregate total of 265.

Australian left-hander Green had nibbled away at the two-time Ryder Cup winner's lead and had reduced it to one shot until the former Dubai Desert Classic winner Green bogeyed the par four 14th as his playing partner birdied and when Björn's tee shot went within five feet at the par three next Green could only respond by hitting his into a bunker and dropping another shot.

That saw Björn,pull five clear and although he bogeyed the 16th he managed to avoid a nervous finish.

It caps an incredible return to form over the last ten days - when he arrived at The Celtic Manor Wales Open last week Björn had missed six successive cuts on The European Tour and was outside the top 200 on The Official World Golf Ranking.

A top ten finish in Newport gave him the confidence to book an Open Championship spot at Sunningdale on Monday and he adds a winner's cheque for €166,660 with his success at Penha Longa Golf club, climbing into the top 40 on The Race to Dubai as a result.

Damien Mc Grane who has been struggling most of this season got himself into 3rd position on 18 under par after 13 holes.The former China Open champion ran into all sorts of trouble over the closing holes dropping 5 shots in 5 holes to drop into 5th place on 13 under par.

On the other hand it was the opposite for Darren Clarke.He looked to be going home after an opening 75.He completely turned his game around and after scores of 67,68 and the lowest score of the closing round 66,he jumped into a share of 6th place on 12 under par.

It was also a good week for Gary Murphy.Murphy had only made 2 cuts all year and his confidence was very low.Even though he slipped up over the weekend with a 73 and 72to finish on 3 under par he was happy with his 43rd place and can now look forward to the next tournament.

Newcastle resident Simon Thornton was unlucky to miss the one under par cut mark by one shot after rounds of 73 and 71.

Irish Results
-----------------
5th: Damien Mc Grane -13 €42,400.
6th: Darren Clarke -12 €32,500.
43rd:Gary Murphy -3 €5,200.

Missed Cut -1 143.

Simon Thornton Par 144.

Home win for George Murray in Scotland.

A brilliant final hole birdie cemented George Murray’s first professional victory in his homeland at the Scottish Hydro Challenge after a superb final round performance at the Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Course in Aviemore.

The 27 year old was a model of composure as he compiled an outstanding final round of five under par 66 to take the title by four shots from Sweden’s Magnus Carlsson, with England’s Lee Slattery sharing third place with Norwegian Marius Thorp on ten under.

Michael McGeady who was invited to the tournament on a sponsers invitation took advantage and found himself in joint 8th place after hitting rounds of 68,74,68 and a brilliant closing round of 66.His 8 under par total won him €4,933 and a place in the next tournament.

Colm Moriarty from Athlone was the next best Irishman in 21st position on 5 under par.Clandeboys Johnny Caldwell was 37th on 1 under par and Lurgans Gareth Shaw fell back over the weekend to finish down in 54th place on 2 over par.

Paul o Hanlon from the Curragh who like Mc Geady was on a sponsers invite didn't perform too well in his first ever Challenge tour event.He scored 73,77 to miss the level par 36 hole cut by 8 shots.

Results from the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Macdonald Spey Valley GC,Aviemore.

Winner: George Murray -17 267 €32,000.
8th: Michael Mc Geady -8 276 €4,933.
21st:Colm Moriarty -5 279 €1,960.
37th:Jonathon Caldwell -1 283 €1,280.
54th:Gareth Shaw +2 286 €700.

Missed Cut 142

Paul o Hanlon 150.

Saturday 12 June 2010

Stuart Archibald claims his first Europro win.

STUART Archibald has claimed a remarkable victory on the PGA EuroPro Tour after winning a dramatic three-way play-off.

Archibald, 25, triumphed at the Dawson and Sanderson Classic at Longhirst Hall in Northumberland as he edged out Daniel Gaunt and Matt Allen. The trio ended on level par after three rounds and needed five extra play-off holes before Archibald scooped the £10,000 winner’s prize and his first ever EuroPro Tour win.

“This is the biggest moment of my career so far,” said a delighted Archibald, who was seven shots off the lead and in danger of not making the cut after the first day. Hopefully I will now get a few invites to the Challenge Tour and get a couple of starts. It means I’m financially set for a couple of seasons so this is the beginning for me.

5 out of the 9 Irish competing made some money with Brian Mc Elhinney and Neil o Briain the best in joint 11th place on +4.They got £675 each.
Mc Elhinney battled the first round bravely in the near gale force winds to start with a 75.He followed up with a 74 to easily make the +10 cut mark by 3 shots.Brian was still 7 over with 8 holes to go in the final round before putting in a storming finish with 3 birdies to jump well up the field into 11th spot.

Brendan Mc Carroll was packing his bags after a first round of 80.After improving by 10 shots in the second round he made the cut on 6 over par.A great run of birdie,birdie and eagle from the 10th to the 12th helped to produce a final round of 68 for a share of 15th place on +5 and a cheque for £550.

Tim Rice +6 and David Rawluk +13 were the other two Irish to finish all 3 rounds.

Irish results.
-------------------
11th:Brian Mc Elhinney 75,74,68 Neil o Briain 74,70,73 +4 £675.
15th:Brendan Mc Carroll 80,70,68 +5 £550.
16th:Tim Rice 75,70,74 +6 £437.
41st:David Rawluk 74,76,76 +13 £240.

Missed +10 cut
--------------
Ger hall +12.
Noel Fox +13.
Cian McNamara +15.
Mark Campbell +17.

Monday 7 June 2010

Brilliant win for McDowell in Celtic Manor.

Graeme McDowell produced a simply brilliant victory in The Celtic Manor Wales Open after an exhilarating final round.

Playing on The Twenty Ten Course where he hopes to earn his second Ryder Cup cap against the Americans in October, the 30 year old Northern Irishman was forced to pull out all the stops to grab his fifth European Tour title.

In-form Welshman Rhys Davies was the man to put the heat on with a stunning course record 62 that saw him cover the middle 12 holes in ten under par.

But McDowell matched the 25 year old's front nine 30, started for home with two more birdies and, with a three stroke lead once Davies had bogeyed the difficult 16th, did not let the opportunity slip.

A closing 63 for a 15 under par total of 269 gave McDowell, winless since the 2008 Barclays Scottish Open, the €350,940 first prize by three and left Davies a runner-up for the second week running.

Peter Lawrie and Damien McGrane both finished with 71s for a share of 20th place and a cheque for €23,192.Gareth Maybin recovered with a closing 68 to jump into 27th and collect €19,688.
In 39th place was Darren Clarke 73 and Shane Lowry 74.They were on +2 and lifted €12,844 each while Simon Thornton after a brilliant start finished down in 61st on +5 and won €5,580.

Paul McGinley +5 and Gary Murphy +8 both missed the +3 cut mark.

Saturday 5 June 2010

Keenan wins Irish Masters on Europro tour at Castle Dargen.

Ian Keenan said he was proud of a win that was “a long time coming” after a final round 67 gave him a one stroke victory at 11 under par at the Castle Dargan PGA EuroPro Tour event in Sligo.

Keenan (Royal Liverpool) led the tournament after the opening round at six under par, and a second round 70 saw him tee off one stroke behind final round leader Andrew Thorpe.

Three birdies on the front nine saw Keenan seize the initiative as Thorpe dropped an early shot. An eagle at the tenth saw him strengthen his position but he admitted a wobble at the 16th had him worried – before he composed himself to finish one stroke clear of Justin Evans.

Paul oHanlon had his 3rd top 10 finish this year on the Europro Tour,but it could have been so much better.After making eagles at the 6th & 10 holes he was up with the leaders on 10 under par,but he slipped back into a share of 4th place when he made bogies at the 14th/16th and 17th holes.

Tim Rice made it to 9 under after 13 holes but he too bogied the 14th and 16th to also share 4th place on -7.

Brian McElhinney was steady with rounds of 67/70/70 to share 7th spot on -6.

Irish Results.
---------------------
4th:Paul oHanlon 70,67,69,Tim Rice 67,72,67 -7.
7th:Brian McElhinney 67,70,70 -6.
11th:Michael Lavelle 68,71,69 -5.
15th:Ruaidhri McGee 71,70,69 -3.
18th:Mark Staunton 69,72,70 -2.
21st:Barrie Trainor 70,71,71...Brendan McCarroll 67,76,69 -1.
27th:Jonathon Mallon 69,70,74...David Rawluk 70,71,72..Cian McNamara 71,71,71 Par.
36th:David Mortimer 72,72,70 +1.
39th:Michael McGeady 70,75,70...Michael Collins 73,71,71 +2.
52nd:Damien Mooney 70,75,74 +3.
53rd:Noel Fox 75,69,76 +4.

Missed cut +3.

Robert Brady,Daniel Sugrue,Padraig Dooley +4.
Mark Campbell +5.
Shane Franklin,David Hughes,Martin McTiernan,Ger Hall +6.
Neil oBriain +10.
Shane Deegan +11.
Andrew Carey +13.
David McQuillen +14.
Stuart Taylor,Ronan Collins +15.
Bobby King,Eoin Gibbons +16.
Lioyd Mulligan +23.
Derek McNamara +26.
Michael Mulryan,Michael Kelly NR.