JOHN GREENE WINS THE SOUTH OF IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP.

24 year old Carlow golfer John Greene won The South Of Ireland Championship at Lahinch in convincing fashion.He saw off the favourite,Pat Murray from Limerick by a 5/4 magin in the semi-final and in the final beat 20 year old International Kelan McDonagh(Athlone/NUIM)on the 17th green to claim his first Major win.

McDonagh was strongly fancied to win the final having held his nerve to see off Cian Daly from Castletroy in the other semi-final with a birdie four at the 20th hole,but Greene never let him into the game with a fantastic display of putting.

FIRST ROUND.

John Waldron (Muskerry) bt Paul Bulfin (Carlow) 6/5, Jason Tobin (Carrick-On-Suir) bt Ronan Purcell (Abbeyleix) 2/1, David O’Donovan (Muskerry) bt Brian Kennedy (South County) 2/1, Niall Goulding (Portmarnock) bt Barry Daly (Edmondstown) 1H, Mark Sheridan (Old Conna) bt Daniel Hallissey (Muskerry) 3/2, Declan McInerney (Lahinch) bt Colum Kenny (UCD/Curragh) 1H, Tyler Morris (The Farms GC, USA) bt Robert Loftus (Ennis) 3/1, Daniel Kovari (Old Lake Hungary) bt Michael Brett (Portmarnock) 3/2, Geoff Lenehan (Portmarnock) bt Declan King (Tramore) 1H, Eoghan Murphy (Cork) bt Patrick Collier (Lahinch) 4/3, Kieran Canty (Douglas bt David Reilly (Westmanstown) 3/2, Tristan O’Rourke (Nenagh) bt John Kavanagh (Castletroy) 3/2, Ian O’Rourke (Cork) bt Hannes Boch (Ballybunion) 4/3, Graham Nugent (Kilkenny) bt Don Coughlan (Douglas) 4/3, IvanGenockey (The Island) bt Barry Fennelly (The Royal Dublin) 1H, Ronan Burke (Castle) bt Alan Meskell (Tipperary) 1H

Byron Campbell (Malone) bt Edward Stack(Ballybunion) 2/1, Mark Morrissey (Mt Wolseley) bt Daniel Holland (Castle) 5/4, Peter Ryan (Tuam) bt Kevin Nolan (Dun Laoghaire) 6/5, Greg Carew (Edenderry) bt Karl Murray (Charlesland) 20th, Cian Geraghty (Carton House) –v- Shane Smyth (Co Louth) 20th, Conor McGrogan (Newbridge) bt Gary Collins (Rosslare) 1H, Brian Casey (Headfort ) bt William Jones (Youghal) 6/5, Garth Dillon (The Heath) w/o Tom Flanaghan (New Forest), Seve Gonzales (Sun Valley GC USA) bt Michael Paul O’Brien (Charlesland) 1H, Damien Glynn (Galway) bt Tony Cleary (Dromoland) 3/2, Paul O’Hara (Kilkenny) bt Conor O’Rourke (Naas) 4/3, Colum Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) bt Mark Feane (Lahinch) 2/1, Bryan Ronan (Co Louth) bt Richard Bridges (Stackstown) 2/1, Warren Kelly (Killeen) bt David Hunt (Nenagh) 19th, Marcus Gibson (Terrey Hills G&GC Sydney) bt Shane Walsh (Killeen) 2/1, Colm O’Sullivan (Fota Island) bt Simon Bryan (Delgany) 3/2

Shane Hogan (Nenagh) bt Sean Cannon (Athonry 1H, David Murray (Skerries) bt Fergal O’Sullivan (Tralee) 5/4, Shane McGlynn (South County) bt Gregory Harden (Onondaga G&CC USA) 4/3, Mark Timmins (Mt Wolseley) bt Richard Walsh (Kilkenny) 5/4, Sam Devey (Skerries) bt Noel Pyne (Ennis) 3/2, Martin O’Toole (Lucan) bt Patrick Sheehy (Newcastle West) 19th, Derek Downie (Sutton) bt Richie Cummins (Limerick) 1H, Gary Hurley (West Waterford) bt Jonathan Ward (Westmanstown) 4/3, Donal Hogan (Killeen) bt Liam Doran (Ardee) 4/3, Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) bt Pio O’Leary (Lucan) 2H, David Keating (Fota Island) bt Evan Long (Thurles) 2/1, Michael McGinley (Grange) bt Paul O’Neill (Shannon) 2/1, Ross McCormack (Naas) bt Quentin Carew (Edenderry) 1H, Kyle Dunne (New Ross) bt Kenneth Irwin (Castlebar) 2H, Emmet Leahy (Cahir Park) bt Kieran Maher (Limerick) 4/3, Liam Harnett (Milltown) bt David O’Driscoll (Ballybunion) 4/3

Thomas Neenan (Lahinch) bt Joe McCarthy (Forrest Little) 1H, Michael Buggy (Castlecomer) bt Eugene Smith (Ardee) 4/3, Joe Dillon (Headfort) bt David Daly (Muskerry) 3/2, Richard Knightly (The Royal Dublin) bt David Fitzgerald (Dromoland) 5/3, J P Hughes (Douglas) bt Ross O’Sullivan (Fota Island) 2/1, Craig Martin (Kilkenny) bt Pat King (Lee Valley) 23rd, Mark Kingston (Bantry Bay) bt Michael Horan (Birr) 2/1, Peter Sheehan (Ballybunion) bt David Kelleher (Portmarnock) 3/2, Eoin O’Connor (Ballybunion) bt Simon Keelan (Douglas) 5/3, Gary McGrane (The Royal Dublin) bt David Conway (Portmarnock) 1H, John Reynolds (Dungarvan) bt Arthur Pierse Jnr (Tipperary) 5/3, Ryan Symington (Lisburn) bt Eoin O’Brien (Dun Laoghaire) 2/1, Mark Ryan (Grange) bt David Barry (Mahon) 4/3, James Hanby (Castle) bt Jerome Counihan (Dun Laoghaire) 1H, Barry Reddan (Co Louth) bt Derek Byrne (Douglas) 19th , Damien Coyne (Tuam) bt Ross Grehan (Curragh) 4/3.

SECOND ROUND.

John Waldron (Muskerry) bt Michael Durcan (Co Sligo) 19th, Stephen Loftus (Lahinch) bt Jason Tobin (Carrick-On-Suir) 1H, Kelan McDonagh (Athlone/NUIM) bt David O’Donovan (Muskerry) 3/2, Niall Goulding (Portmarnock) bt Joe Lyons (Galway) 7/6, Mark Sheridan (Old Conna) bt Stephen Healy (Claremorris) 4/2, Declan McInerney (Lahinch) bt Brendan Walton (the Island) 2/1, Ross Kenny (Hermitage) bt Tyler Morris (The Farms USA) 3/2, Daniel Kovari (Old Lake Hungary) w/o Rory McNamara (Headfort) Thomas O Flynn (Fota Island) bt Geoff Lernehan (Portmarnock) 19th ,Stephen Moloney (Castletroy) bt Eoghan Murphy (Cork) 1H, Gerard Dunne (Seapoint) bt Kieran Canty (Douglas) 3/2, Reeve Whitson (Mourne) bt Tristan O’Rourke (Nenagh) 5/4, Ian O’Rourke (Cork) bt Sean Barry (Lee Valley) 5/3, Graham Nugent (Kilkenny) bt Chris Carvill (Belvoir Park) 2/1, Ivan Genockey (The Island) bt Michael O’Kelly (Limerick) 4/2, Dara Lernihan (Castle) bt Ronan Burke (Castle) 4/3

Simon Ward (Co Louth) bt Byron Campbell (Malone) 7/5, Mark Morrissey (Mt Wolseley) bt Abhishek Ruia (Dunham Forrest G&CC UK) 7/6, Jon Foran (Thurles) bt Peter Ryan (Tuam) 5/4, James Monaghan (The Island) bt Greg Carew (Edenderry) 7/6, Kieran Kennedy (Thurles) bt Cian Geraghty (Carton House) 5/4, Conor McGrogan (Newbridge) bt Alan Harrington (Cork) 2/1, Brian Casey (Headfort) bt Andrew Kelly (Charleville) 1H, Gareth Dillon (The Heath) bt Eoin Arthurs (Forrest Little) 2H, Darren Crowe (Dunmurry) bt Seve Gonzales (Sun Valley USA) 3/2, Kevin Stack (Dungharvan) bt Damien Glynn (Galway) 3/2, Paul O’Hara (Kilkenny) bt Gerard Kelly (UCD/Co Louth) 1H, Des Morgan (Mullingar) bt Colum Abernethy (Dun Laoghaire) 8/7, Jeff Hopkins (Skerries) bt Bryan Ronan (Co Louth) 5/3, Cian Daly (Castletroy) bt Warren Kelly (Killeen) 5/3, Gavin Smyth (Clonmel) bt Marcus Gibson (Terrey Hills Syndey) 6/5, Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin) bt Colm O’Sullivan (Fota Island) 2/1

Robert Cannon (Laytown & Bettystown) bt Shane Hogan (Nenagh) 1H, David Finn (Mallow) bt David Murray (Skerries) 1H, Shane McGlynn (South County) bt Kieran Cunnane (Woodstock) 6/5, Gareth Bohill (Co Louth) bt Mark Timmins (Mt Wolseley) 20th, Sam Devey (Skerries) bt Ciaran Boggan (Co Meath) 4/3, Garth McGee (Malone) bt Martin O’Toole (Lucan) 3/1, Derek Downie (Sutton) bt Shaun O’Connor (Skerries) 20th, Gary Hurley (West Waterford) bt Niall Gorey (Lee Valley) 2/1, Gary McDermott (Co Sligo) bt Shane Hogan 9Killeen) 3/2, Ian Brennan (Greenore) bt Allan Kiernan (Forrest Little) 7/5, John Greene (Carlow) bt David Keating (Fota Island) 1H, Michael McGinley (Grange) bt Seamus Power (West Waterford) 2/1 , Ross McCormack (Naas) bt Alan Glynn (Porters Park UK), Kyle Dunne (New Ross) bt Aaron Kearney (Castlerock) 21st, Emmet Leahy (Cahir Park) bt Eddie Power (Kilkenny) 1H, Liam Harnett (Milltown) bt James Fox (Portmarnock) 1H

Thomas Neenan(Lahinch) bt David Kernohan(Galgorm Castle) 1H,Michael Buggy (Castlecomer) bt Martin Poucher(Limerick)20th,Joe Dillon(Headfort) bt Enda Maguire(Seapoint) 2/1, Tim O’Mahony (Mallow) bt Richard Knightley (The Royal Dublin) 1H,Robert McCarthy (The Island) bt J.P.Hughes (Douglas) 4/3, Craig Martin (Kilkenny) bt Colin Fairweather (Knock) 1H, Eamonn Haugh (Castletroy) bt Mark Kingston (Bantry) 5/4, Richard O’Donovan (Lucan) bt Peter Sheehan (Ballybunion) 2/1, Gary O’Flaherty (Cork) bt Eoin O’Connor (Ballybunion) 5/4, Gary McGrane (The Royal Dublin) bt Kenny McGarry (Bandon) 7/5,Mark Shanahan (West Waterford) bt John Reynolds (Dungarvan) 2/1, David Ruddy (Thurles) bt Ryan Symington (Lisburn) 3/2,Brian Keenan (The Heath) bt Mark Ryan (Grange) 1H, James Hanby (Castle) bt Darragh F Coghlan (The Royal Dublin) 1H,Conor Glynn(Carton House) bt Barry Reddan(Co.Louth) 4/3,Pat Murray (Limerick)bt Damien Coyne (Tuam) 5/4

THIRD ROUND.

S Loftus bt J Waldron 3/2,K McDonagh bt N Goulding 1H,M Sheridan bt D McInerney 2/1, D Kovari bt R Kenny 3/2,S Moloney bt T O’Flynn 1H, R Whitson bt G Dunne 3/2, G Nugent bt I O’Rourke 19th.,D Lernihan bt I Genockey 4/3, S Ward bt M Morrissey 1H, J Monaghan bt J Foran 19th.,K Kennedy bt C McGrogan 1H, B Casey bt G Dillon 2/1, D Crowe bt K Stack 2/1, P O’Hara bt D Morgan 2/1, C Daly bt J Hopkins 3/2 ,G Smyth bt S Ryan 3/2, R Cannon bt D Finn 3/2, S McGlynn bt G Bohill 19th., S Devey bt G McGee 2/1, D Downie bt G Hurley 1H, I Brennan bt G McDermott 20th.,J Greene bt M McGinley 19th.,R McCormack bt K Dunne 1H, L Harnett bt E Leahy 20th., T Neenan bt M Buggy 2/1, T O’Mahony bt J Dillon 19th., C Martin bt R McCarthy 2/1, R O’Donovan bt E Haugh 1H, G McGrane bt G O’Flaherty 2/1, M Shanahan bt D Ruddy 20th.B Keenan bt J Hanby 1H, P Murray bt C Glynn 4/3.

FOURTH ROUND.

K McDonagh bt S Loftus 2/1, M Sheridan bt D Kovari 21st., R Whitson bt S Moloney 4/3, D Lernihan bt G Nugent 7/6, J Monaghan bt S Ward 2Holes, B Casey bt K Kennedy 19th., P O’Hara bt D Crowe 1H, C Daly bt G Smyth 1H, S McGlynn bt R Cannon 3/2, S Devey bt D Downie 3/2, J Greene bt I Brennan 1H, L Harnett bt R McCormack 7/6, T Neenan bt T O’Mahony 3/2, R O’Donovan bt C Martin 3/2, M Shanahan bt G McGrane 1H, P Murray bt B Keenan 1H.

FIFTH ROUND.
K McDonagh bt M Sheridan 4/3, D Lernihan bt R Whitson 3/2, B Casey bt J Monaghan 19th. C Daly bt P O’Hara 4/3, S Devey bt S McGlynn 2/1, J Greene bt L Harnett 2/1, T Neenan bt R O’Donovan 1H, P Murray bt M Shanahan 2H.

QUARTER FINALS.
K McDonagh bt D Lernihan 2H, C Daly bt B Casey 1H, J Greene bt S Devey 1H, P Murray bt T Neenan 6/4,

SEMI-FINAL.
Kelan McDonagh bt Cian Daly 20th., John Greene bt Pat Murray 5/4.

FINAL.

John Greene(Carlow) bt Kelan McDonagh(Athlone/NUIM)2/1

LADIES INTERNATIONAL TEAM'S 2010.

LADIES HOME INTERNATIONAL MATCHES, Whitechurch, Cardiff, 8th – 10th September 2010.
Captain – Claire Robinson (Knock)
Manager – Fiona McComb (Ballycastle)
TEAM.
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Louise Coffey (Malone)
Mary Dowling (New Ross)
Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell)
Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell)
Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co. Down Ladies)
Gillian O'Leary (Cork)
Sinead O'Sullivan (Galway)
Charlene Reid (Royal Portrush)
Reserves
Victoria Bradshaw (Bangor)
Lucy Simpson (Massereene)
Aedin Murphy (Carlow)
Sarah Cunningham (Ennis)

Seniors' team for the European Senior Ladies Team Championships in Berlin, Germany, 31 August - 4 September 2010.

EUROPEAN SENIOR LADIES' TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS, Berlin, Germany
Team Captain - Roma English (Larne)

Pat Doran (Donabate)
Niamh Giblin (Dun Laoghaire)
Valerie Hassett (Ennis)
Helen Jones (Strabane)
Violet McBride (Belvoir Park)
Sheena McElroy (Grange)
Phil O'Gorman (Laytown /Bettystown)


LADIES BRITISH OPEN AMATEUR STROKE PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP, Tenby, Wales, 18th – 20th August 2010

Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell)
Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell)
Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co. Down Ladies)
Reserves
Sinead O'Sullivan
Gillian O'Leary

BELGIUM INTERNATIONAL JUNIORS, Royal Golf Club of Belgium, 25th – 28th August 2010
Tara Gribben (Warrenpoint)
Lucy Simpson (Massereene)
Reserve
Ciara Butler (Newlands)

LEONA MAGUIRE ON EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM.

Ireland's 15 year old Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell), has been selected to represent Europe for the Junior Ryder Cup match against the United States to be played at Gleneagles, Scotland, 27-28 September.

Twins Leona and Lisa, were both members of the European team which lost out to the Americans at the 2008 contest in Kentucky,USA.

2010 EUROPEAN JUNIOR RYDER CUP TEAM.

Isabella Deliert (Sweden)
Manon Giladi (France)
Leona Maguire (Ireland)
Manon Mole (France)
Sophia Popov (Germany)
Kelly Tidy (England)

LANGER WINS BRITISH SENIORS AT CARNOUSTIE.

German,Bernhard Langer held off the challenge of US Ryder Cup Captain,Corey Pavin to win The Senior Open Championship at Carnoustie.

Langer who started his last round 3 shots clear of Pavin had a closing round of 72 for a 5 under par total 279, one better than the US Ryder Cup Captain, who finished his first Senior Major with a round of 70.

Langer,joined the Seniors Tour almost three years ago.He has finished in the top 10 in 7 of his 12 Senior Majors, but incredibly this was his first Major since winning the second of his Green Jackets at Augusta National in 1993.

It was a 2 horse race during the last round with Pavin cutting the 3 shot advantage to 1 early in the round,but Langer showed all his experience to hang on the the lead until the 72nd hole.

Americans,Jay Don Blake,Russ Cochran,Fred Funk and Austrailian Peter Senior were joint 3rd on 1 under par 283.

Des Smyth was the best of the Irish,finishing in 26th place on 7 over par after rounds of 74,74,72,71 291.

The only other Irishman to make the cut was Denis O Sullivan.He finished down in 58th place on 14 over par 298.

SWEDE RICHARD S JOHNSTON WINS ON HOME SOIL.

33 year old Swede,Richard S Johnson sank a 30 foot birdie putt on the final green at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club in Stockholm to become only the second home winner of the Nordea Scandinavian Masters in the last 12 years.

Johnston played a safe shot into the 18th and looked like he was playing for a par and a play off with Argentina's Rafa Echenique.To the delight of the home supporters and his family,a long sweeping 30 foot putt finished in the hole for a one shot win.

Johnston has not won for 8 years.Since February he has not had a top 30 finish on the PGA Tour in the US where he is now based.This win might bring him back to Europe as he has a two year exemption and a cheque for €266,660.

Rafa Echenique was 2nd on -10 and will have to wait another while for that first win.Edoardo Molinari was 3rd on -9 and Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen was joint 4th alongside Brett Rumford and Mark Brown on -8.

Damien Mc Grane got a poor start with a 73,but he rallied well to finish in a share of 8th place after rounds of 71,69,69.He collected a cheque for €35,947.

Michael Hoey was consistant.He scored 70,70,72,73 to win €22,560 for a share of 14th.

Simon Thornton hit 73,67,74 and a poor closing 77 to drop down into 41st place on +3 and win €9,280.

The 36 hole cut came at +1.Gary Murphy and Peter Lawrie both had second rounds of 77 to miss the cut. (Murphy +5,lawrie +7)

DANIEL GUANT WINS ON CHALLENGE TOUR.

Less than a month after losing the Northern Ireland Masters Europro tournament at Galgorm Castle in a play off to James Hepworth,Austrailian Daniel Guant won on the Challenge Tour.

An invite to The Stoke-By-Nayland Championship on the Challenge Tour was gratefully accepted by Guant as leader of the Europro order of merit,and he took full advantage.He opened with an 8 under par 64 to lead and after following rounds of 69 and 70 found himself 4 shots behind the new leader Danish man,Thorbjorn Olezen heading into the final round.

The 4 shot lead disappeared after Guant started with 3 birdies while Olezen fell back.The new challenge for Guant came from English Amateur,Tommy Fleetwood and Scottish player Craig Lee.Lee set the clubhouse target with a final round of 68 to finish on -16.Both Guant and Fleetwood were 17 under par and on the last green in regulation. While Guant two putted for a par, Fleetwood rushed his first putt 4 feet past and missed the return to hand Guant the trophy on -17.

Guant was guaranteed a Challenge Tour Card for 2011 as Europro order of merit leader but now he can play for the rest of this year and all of 2011.He also won his biggest ever cheque of €24,000.

A great finish of 67 moved Michael Mc Geady up into a share of 20th on -9.Mc Geady had scores of 71,71,70,67 to take home €1,624.

Colm Moriarty was -10 after scores of 69,67,70 but fell back to a share of 24th with a final round of 74.His -8 total earned him €1,365.

The 36 hole cut came at -2 and it was missed by 4 shots by Johnny Caldwell after scores of 72/74.

EUROPEAN LADIES AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP.

German,Sophia Popov was the winner of the European Ladies Amateur Championship in the Czech Republic with a 4 round score of 8 under par 280.She fired rounds of 69,69,69 and 73 in difficult scoring conditions for a 3 shot winning margin from Line Vedel Hansen from Denmark and Manon Gidali from France.

15 year old Leona Maguire from Slieve Russell was the top Irish performer coming in with a 4 under par total of 284 for 5th place.Leona recovered from a poor 75 in the first round to hit scores of 67,71,71.

Twin sister Lisa got a better start with a 69,but fell back with scores of 75,73 and 74 to finish in a share of 21st on 2 over par 290.

144 Ladies took part with the top 60 after 3 rounds making the cut for the final round.Mary Dowling (New Ross)made the +6 cut mark by 1 shot after rounds of 73,73,75 but unfortunately took an 83 in the final round to finish down in joint 60th on +16.

Charlene Reid(Royal Portrush)81,77,74 and Victoria Bradshaw(Bangor)77,80,79 both missed out on the final round.

LEINSTER WIN BOYS INTER-PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

LEINSTER won the Boys Inter-Provincial Championship at Ballinrobe Golf Club for the third time in four years.
It was a solid performance by Leinster as they beat Munster 6.5/3.5,Connacht 6-4 and a half match against Ulster,5-5.

Ulster beat Connacht 6.5-1.5 in the opening game but were disappointed when they lost to Munster 6-4.They needed to beat Leinster to win the title.

The morning foursomes were halved with 1.5 points each.Ulster got the best start to the singles matches when they had wins from Matthew McKnight,Dermot McElroy and Chris Selfridge,with the only defeat coming when Leinster's Ulster Boys' Champion, Jack Hume defeated Cormac Sharvin 3/2.

The title seemed to be going North when Ryan McKinstry got a vital half point to leave Ulster 2 points clear with only 2 games left on the course.When Adam Brown lost to Conor Glynn,all attention turned to Portrush lad Jamie Richardson.He was 1 up on Adam Hanley playing the 17th.Hanley won the 17th with a par and the tide turned for Ulster when Hanley holed a 30 foot putt on the final green to win his game 1 up,giving Leinster a vital half match against Ulster to clinch the title.

ULSTER TEAM.
--------------
ALASDAIR GIBSON.CAPTAIN.

CHRIS SELFRIDGE (MOYOLA PARK)
MATTHEW MC KNIGHT (LISBURN)
DERMOT MC ELROY (BALLYMENA)
CORMAC SHARVIN (ARDGLASS)
JAMIE RICHARDSON (ROYAL PORTRUSH)
RYAN MC KINSTRY (CAIRNDHU)
ADAM BROWN (TANDRAGEE)

MCGRANE SHOWS HIS CLASS IN DERRY PRO AM.

European Tour player,Damien McGrane,missed the qualifing for the Open Championship,so he took up an invite to play in the 36 hole McCambridge-Duffy PGA Pro Am around the City of Derry course and came away the easy winner with scores of 67,67,64 for a 15 under par total and a 4 shot win from Ex Tour player David Higgins.

McGrane is presently 57th on the "Race to Dubai" table on the European tour with earnings of €318,038 this year.He can add the £2,000 he won in Derry after his closing 7 birdie round of 64.This topped Higgins who was leading by 2 shots overnight.Higgins extended his lead at the top of the "Race to Mount Juliet" table with a cheque for £1,600 for 2nd place.

Another European player,Simon Thornton was 3rd and won £1,300 with scores of 67,72,66 to finish -8.Local Challenge Tour player Michael Mc Geady was 4th with rounds of 69,67,70, -7 to win £1,200 and Europro player Barrie Trainor was 5th on -6 after rounds of 68,69,70 which won him £1,000.

Killymoon Professional Gary Chambers won a trip abroad,with his winning team in the Quinn Insurance Pro Am last month.He has now won yet another trip to Spain with his team of Tony Mc Cann,Barney Mc Daid and Martin Doherty,all City of Derry members who made great use of their local knowledge to return a massive 278 points for the three rounds.

MC CAMBRIDGE-DUFFY CITY OF DERRY PRO AM.
-----------------------------------------

WINNER:DAMIEN MC GRANE (UNATTACHED) 67,67,64 -15.
2ND:DAVID HIGGINS (WATERVILLE) 68,64,70 -11.
3RD:SIMON THORNTON (TEAM IRELAND) 67,72,66 -8.
4TH:MICHAEL MC GEADY (NORTH WEST) 69,67,70 -7.
5TH:BARRIE TRAINOR (TEAM IRELAND) 68,69,70 -6.
6TH:JOHN KELLY (ST.MARGARETS) 69,70,70 -4.
EAMON BRADY (CLONTARF) 68,69,72 -4.
8TH:PETER MARTIN (RIVERSIDE)72,71,68 -2.
DONAL GLEESON (OLD CONNA) 71,71,69 -2.
DAVID MORTIMER (FOREIRELAND.COM) 68,73,70 -2.
PHILIP WALTON (FOREIRELAND.COM) 73,73,65 -2.
EAMON LOGUE (HILTON TEMPLEPATRICK) 73,72,66 -2.

2002 IRISH AMATEUR CHAMPION WINS OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP.

27 year old Louis Oosthuizen achieved his first Major win in Ireland as an amateur.The then 19 year old won the Irish Amateur Open stroke play tournament at Royal Dublin,in 2002.

He won his first European tournament earlier this year at the Andalucia Open but other than that he didn't show any real signs that he was ready to win a major.In fact,in his previous 8 majors he only made one cut and in that one,at the USPGA Championship in 2008,he finished last of the qualifiers.

Louis played exceptional golf all week.He got the wrong side of the draw in the first round but still knocked it home in 65 blows and only 2 behind Rory McIlroy who shot a record 63 in calm conditions.McIlroy was still in bed when Oosthuizen caught up with his score of -9,after playing 5 holes of the second round in calm conditions.He went on to score a 67 for a clubhouse total of 132,-12.

As the afternoon starters were getting their rounds underway,the gusting winds got up to as high as 40 MPH speeds.Play was stopped for one hour but the players weren't happy as,when play resumed,the wind was as bad as it was,before play was suspended.

The overnight leader McIlroy had a disaster.Including a four putt double bogey he had 6 other bogies for a round of 80 to slip well down the field on -1.Rory showed his enormous potential when he closed with rounds of 69 and 68 to grab a share of 3rd place on -8 alongside paul Casey and Henrik Stenson.

World No3 Lee Westwood claimed 2nd place with steady rounds of 67,71,71,70 -9.Lee was also second to Stewart Cink in last year's, Open and runner-up to Phil Mickleson in the Masters this year.

Oosthuizen led for the last 48 holes as he played perfect golf over the weekend.He hit a 69 in the 3rd round and during the final round,the closest anyone got to him was when he dropped a shot at the 8th and Paul Casey closed the gap to two shots.It was short lived as Louis drove the par 4,9th and holed a 30 foot putt for an eagle.

It was all over at the 12th when Casey drove into gorse and took a triple bogey 7,while Oosthuizen made a birdie to open up a 9 shot lead.He went on to win by 7 shots ahead of Westwood who was on -9 .It was the biggest winning margin since Tiger Woods won by 8 shots when he lifted the trophy in 2000 on the same course.

It will be a whole new world for Oosthuizen as he has now jumped from 54th to 15th in the World Rankings.He can play in the Open until he is 60!He has a 5 year exemption for the Masters,US Open and USPGA and no doubt more sponsors and invites will come forward.

British Amateur Champion,20 year old Jin Jeong from Korea,lifted the silver medal as leading amateur.He finished joint 14th after a closing 72 left him on -4.Jeong will turn Professional after the Masters tournament next April.

US Open Champion,Graeme Mc Dowell had a good tournament.He closed with a 2 under par 70 for a share of 23rd place alongside World No1 Tiger Woods.

Colm Moriarty,a regular on the Challenge Tour,took a step up in class and didn't disappoint.He shared 37th place alongside Shane Lowry on -1 to win €26,188.Darren Clarke had a poor 3rd round but recovered with a closing 71 to share 44th place on level par,288.

Padraig Harrington and Gareth Maybin were blown away in the winds of the second round and they missed the +2 cut mark.(Maybin +4 and Harrington +6.)

DAVID MORTIMER WINS DUNDRUM PRO AM.

Former Irish PGA Champion David Mortimer made it a hat trick of victories when he won the 36 hole Dundrum House Pro Am in Tipperary.He had already won the Castlewarden Pro Am and was joint winner of the one day sprint event at Lisburn along with Barrie Trainor.

In fact it was Barrie Trainor who led after a first round with a one under par 71 in trying conditions but when he faded in the second round to a 77,Mortimer came through to claim the first prize with scores of 72/71(-1).He was the only one in the field to finish under par,such was the difficulty of the conditions.

This win leaves Mortimer in second place on the"Race To Mount Juliet"table behind David Higgins.Higgins,along with Mark Staunton and Jimmy Bolger,were joint 2nd on level par 144.

DUNDRUM HOUSE PRO AM.CO TIPPERARY GOLF CLUB.

WINNER:DAVID MORTIMER (FOREIRELAND.COM) 143 -1.
2ND:MARK STAUNTON (FOREIRELAND.COM) 144.
DAVID HIGGINS (WATERVILLE) 144.
JIMMY BOLGER (KILKENNY) 144.
5TH:BRENDAN MC GOVERN(HEADFORT) 145
6TH:GLEN ROBERTSON (ST.HELENS BAY) 146.
CIAN MCNAMARA (LIMERICK) 146.
8TH:EDDIE DOYLE (HERITAGE) 147.
PETER MARTIN (RIVERSIDE G A) 147.
BRIAN KERLEY (GREENLIFE) 147.
11TH:PHILIP WALTON (FOREIRELAND.COM) 148.
BARRIE TRAINOR (TEAM IRELAND) 148.
DAVID RYAN (CAHIR PARK) 148.
SIMON THORNTON (TEAM IRELAND) 148.

ANOTHER TITLE FOR THE GRANT GIRLS FROM LISBURN.

Weeks after 16 year old Paula Grant won the Ulster Ladies title at Clandeboye,sister Laura claimed her own title when she won the IRISH GIRLS CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP at The Grange Golf Club in Dublin.

Amy Farrell(Moate)was the leading qualifier with rounds of 75/79 around the tree-lined Grange course.She went on to beat the holder,Emma O Driscoll(Ballybunion)by two holes in the semi-final.

Laura Grant looked to be in trouble in the other semi-final when she lost the first three holes to Sinead Sexton(Lahinch).Laura fought back bravely,picking up holes until she nosed in front playing the 18th but there was a setback as Sexton made a good par to send the game into extra time.It was only a temporary setback for Laura as she made a par at the 19th for a fine victory,while Sinead three putted for a bogey.

During the final,Laura got a good start,winning two holes early on against Amy Farrell.She turned for home two up,went three up with a win at the 13th,only to lose the 14th to a birdie from Amy.A par at the 16th was good enough to send another trophy back to the Grant household in Lisburn,with Laura crowned Irish Girls Close Champion.

Amy Chambers (Dunfanaghy) bt Jenny Hennessy (Ennis)in the final of the Plate competition in a tight game that went to the last hole.

MATTHEW EVANS WINS EUROPRO EVENT IN BRISTOL.

MATTHEW Evans(23) from Rotherham has claimed his first PGA EuroPro Tour victory after edging out Martin Sell in a two hole play-off to win the World Snooker Golf Tournament.This took place at The Players Club,in Bristol.

The golfers had to endure three days of strong winds and rain.As a result it was only the winner,Evans and Martin Sell,who finished under par.They returned one under par totals of 209.

Eight Irish players made the journey to Bristol.With the exception of the Curragh's Paul O Hanlon,they all missed the 36 hole cut.O Hanlon returned scores of 74,72 to make the +8 cut by two shots.The weather conditions for the final round didn't get any better and he finished 14 over par after a 78.He was well down in 44th place and won £222.

Neil O Briain,Mark Campbell and Brendan Mc Carroll missed out on the final round as they were +10.Tim Rice +14,Michael Lavelle +15,Noel Fox +16 and David Rawluk +21 were well off the +8 cut mark.

WORLD RANKINGS AFTER THE IRISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP.

The World Rankings has been running for the last 24 years.Tiger Woods has been World Number One for the last 269 weeks(Over 5 years)and for a total of 611 weeks(nearly 12 years.)in his career.

Phil Mickelson has been No2 for most of the time that Tiger has been No1,but has never made it to the top.Lee Westwood looks the most likely to topple Tiger,as he has slowly closed the gap on Mickelson this year.

Ireland have 3 players in the Top 17 with Rory McIlroy (8th),US Open Champion,Graeme McDowell (11th) and Padraig Harrington (15th).

The other players who have held the honour in the last 14 years are :GREG NORMAN (331 weeks),NICK FALDO (97 weeks),SEVE BALLESTEROS (61 weeks),IAN WOOSNAM (50 weeks),NICK PRICE (44 weeks),VIJAY SINGH (32 weeks),FRED COUPLES (16 weeks),DAVID DUVAL (15 weeks),ERNIE ELS (9 weeks),BERNHARD LANGER (3 weeks)and TOM LEHMAN (1 week).



1 Tiger Woods.
2 Phil Mickelson.
3 Lee Westwood.
4 Steve Stricker.
5 Jim Furyk.
6 Ernie Els.
7 Luke Donald.
8 RORY MCILROY.
9 Paul Casey.
10 Ian Poulter.
11 GRAEME MC DOWELL.
12 Anthony Kim.
13 Martin Kaymer.
14 Robert Allenby.
15 PADRAIG HARRINGTON.
16 Louis Oosthuizen.
17 Retief Goosen.
18 Edoardo Molinari.
19 Justin Rose.
20 Ross Fisher.

OTHER IRISH.
---------------
80 Shane Lowry.
99 Darren Clarke.
135 Gareth Maybin.
159 Peter Lawrie.
168 Damien McGrane.
262 Michael Hoey.
349 Paul McGinley.
471 Simon Thornton.

RYDER CUP RANKINGS AFTER IRISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP.

The European Ryder Cup Team Qualification for The 2010 Ryder Cup will be as follows.
The leading four players on The Ryder Cup World Points List after the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles on August 29,followed by the top five from the Race to Dubai on the same day.Team Captain Colin Montgomery will then make his three picks

WORLD LIST
-----------------
1ST:LEE WESTWOOD.
2ND:RORY MCILROY.
3RD:GRAEME MC DOWELL.
4TH:LUKE DONALD.
5TH:EDOARDO MOLINARI.
6TH:IAN POULTER.
7TH:PADRAIG HARRINGTON.
8TH:JUSTIN ROSE.
9TH:MARTIN KAYMER
10TH:FRANCESCO MOLINARI.

OTHER IRISH.
------------
26TH:DARREN CLARKE.
40TH:SHANE LOWRY.
46TH:GARETH MAYBIN.
54TH:PETER LAWRIE.
56TH:DAMIEN MC GRANE.
87TH:MICHAEL HOEY.
102TH:PAUL MC GINLEY.
128TH:SIMON THORNTON.
143RD:GARY MURPHY.

EUROPEAN TOUR LIST.
------------------
1ST:LEE WESTWOOD.
2ND:GRAEME MC DOWELL.
3RD:IAN POULTER.
4TH:RORY MCILROY.
5TH:ROSS FISHER.
6TH:MARTIN KAYMER.
7TH:FRANCESCO MOLINARI.
8TH:MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ.
9TH:PADRAIG HARRINGTON.
10TH:ROSS MC GOWAN.


OTHER IRISH.
-------------
20TH:DARREN CLARKE.
39TH:GARETH MAYBIN.
49TH:SHANE LOWRY.
50TH:DAMIEN MC GRANE
55TH:PETER LAWRIE.
73RD:MICHAEL HOEY.
79TH:PAUL MC GINLEY.
112TH:GARY MURPHY.
119TH:SIMON THORNTON.

CHALLENGE TOUR RANKINGS.

At the end off the Challenge Tour the top 20 gain promotion to the main European Tour for 2011.The only Irish player close to the top 20 is Colm Moriarty.He lies in 40th place with earnings of €19,104.

1:ROBERT DINWIDDIE €79,210
2:THORBJORN OLESEN €69,603
3:FLORIS DE VRIES €59,003
4:BERND WIESBERGER €53,504
5:GEORGE MURRAY €51,080
6:JULIO ZAPATA €50,101
7:CHARLIE FORD €39,115
8:LEE SLATTERY €41,226
9:MATT HAINES €40,538
10:ALVARO VELASCO €39,671
11:JOEL SJOHOLM €38,731
12:OSCAR FLOREN €37,402
13:ALEXANDRE KALEKA €35,553
14:ALESSANDRO TADINI €34,999
15:DAVID VANEGAS €34,548
16:MATTHEW ZIONS €33,266
17:MARIUS THORPE €32,012
18:PETER GUSTAFSSON €31,567
19:JAMIE ELSON €30,110
20:PELLE EDBERG €30,110


OTHER IRISH
------------
40:Colm MORIARTY €19,104
86:Jonathan CALDWELL €10,145
112:Michael McGEADY €7,135
137:Gareth SHAW €5,001
259:Niall KEARNEY €420.

EUROPEAN TOUR RACE TO DUBAI AFTER IRISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP.

The second Dubai World Championship,will be played from November 25-28 at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.It will again feature the top 60 players on The Race to Dubai league table at the end of the 2010 season.The tournament is run over 48 competitions in 27 different countries.There are still 16 tournaments left before the 25th November start.

Lee Westwood was the first winner last year when he pipped our own Rory McIlroy with four fantastic rounds of golf.They will be going head to head again this year as Westwood is in second place behind US Open Champion,Graeme Mc Dowell.McIlroy who is dividing his time between the European Tour and the US PGA Tour is 20th on the list a over a million Euros behind Westwood.

As well as McDowell & McIlroy,Ireland have Harrington,Maybin,Lowry and McGrane in the top 60,with Peter Lawrie just outside in 72nd place.



1:GRAEME MC DOWELL €1,998,631.
2:LEE WESTWOOD €1,822,738.
3:ERNIE ELS €1,651,159.
4:CHARL SCHWARTZEL €1,596,316.
5:LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN €1,578,203.
6:IAN POULTER €1,444,869
7:PAUL CASEY €1,278,271
8:MARTIN KAYMER €1,170,143
9:EDOARDO MOLINARI €1,166,973.
10:MIGUEL A JIMENEZ €1,128,385
11:LUKE DONALD €1,102,895
12:RHYS DAVIES €1,080,147
13:ALVARO QUIROS €1,047,664
14:ROSS FISHER €1,035,894.
15:FRANCESCO MOLINARI €919,565.
16:PADRAIG HARRINGTON €884,462.
17:SIMON KHAN €853,203.
18:FREDRIK ANDERSSON HED €831,511.
19:GREGORY HAVRET €800,874.
20:RORY MCILROY €755,705.

OTHER IRISH
----------

44:GARETH MAYBIN €431,736.
45:SHANE LOWRY €402,522.
50:DAMIEN MC GRANE €375,584.
72:PETER LAWRIE €286,795
86:MICHAEL HOEY €230,064.
131:PAUL MC GINLEY €104,565.
138:SIMON THORNTON €89,801.
189:COLM MORIARTY €43,770.
261:GARY MURPHY €12,469

DANIELLE MC VEIGH WINS SPORTSWOMEN AWARD FOR JUNE.

Kilkeel's Danielle McVeigh has been named The Irish Times/Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Month for June.Danielle,a 22-year-old,was the oldest member of the Curtis Cup team.She has had a memorable golfing year so far, winning the Scottish Stroke Play Championships in April to add to her British and Welsh titles from last year.

Although the United States team triumphed at the Curtis Cup last month, McVeigh enhanced her reputation with her performance for the Britain and Ireland team.

Danielle's father Thomas(53)and No1 fan,passed away less than a month before the Curtis Cup game after a short illness. Mary McKenna,captain of the Curtis Cup team,described McVeigh as a 'tower of strength',to her younger colleagues.

McVeigh finished the competition with two and a half points which included a comprehensive 3 and 2 win in the singles against the US Amateur champion Jennifer Song, who has since turned professional.

This is McVeigh's first time to win the Sportswoman of the Month award and she will battle it out with other monthly winners in January 2011 to be named Sportswoman of the Year.

NORTH OF IRELAND CHAMPIONSHIP.

The North of Ireland Championship got under way with a 36 hole qualifing,18 holes over the famous Dunluce course at Royal Portrush and 18 holes over the adjoining Valley course at Rathmore.

Gerard Kelly(Co.Louth and UCD)was the surprise leading qualifer after a best of the day 69 on a windswept Dunluce course.His first round of 67 on the Valley gave him a two round total of 136,one clear from Castlerock man Aaron Kearney. The 62 top scores qualified for matchplay,with the cut coming at 147.They were joined by Paul Cutler(Portstewart)and Alan Dunbar(Rathmore) who were exempt from qualifing as they were on International duty.

The big shock from the first round of matchplay was the holder,Wayne Telford,going out to Jonathan Feenan(Ardglass)on the final green.Richard O'Donovan (Lucan)beat Paul Cutler,the pre-tournament favorite,by 2 holes in the second round.Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin)beat West of Ireland holder,Rory Leonard(Banbridge)3/1 also in round two.

New favorite,20 year old local,Alan Dunbar,got a scare when he had to go to the 20th hole before beating Barry Anderson (Co.Sligo)in the 3rd round.He made no mistakes in the afternoon beating Jonathan Feenan 4/3 to book his semi-final place.Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin) beat James Fox (Portmarnock)on the 19th hole to book a semi-final game against Dunbar.

Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)ended the hopes of leading qualifier Gerard Kelly 2/1 in the quarter finals,while Connor Doran (Banbridge)made a great comeback from 3 down with 4 to go,to beat Aaron Kearney by 1 hole.This led to a semi-final match against McElroy.

In the first semi-final,teenager Dermot McElroy beat International Connor Doran on the 17th green,while local Alan Dunbar kept his nose in front to beat Sean Ryan on the final green.

Dunbar got a fast start in the final when he birdied the long 2nd and short 3rd for a two hole advantage.McElroy cut the advantage to one with a par at the difficult 7th and they were back level after the 10th following a McElroy birdie.Local man Dunbar took hold of the title with back to back wins at the 13th & 14th to go 2 up and he finished the game with another win on the long 17th to claim his first matchplay title.He is already the holder of the Irish Amateur Open and Ulster Youths Champion.

Dunbar admitted to being nervous in front of the large home crowd who had come out to support him.He is delighted that his home club of Rathmore can hold the trophy for another year,as clubmate Wayne Telford was the winner last year.

QUALIFING SCORES
----------------
136 G Kelly ( Co. Louth/UCD) 67 69
137 A Kearney (Castlerock) 64 73
139 M Sinclair (Knock) 67 72, C Selfridge ( Moyola Park) 66 73
140 I Brennan (Greenore) 70 70, D McElroy (Ballymena) 69 71, D Crowe (Dunmurry) 68 72, W Telford (Rathmore) 65 75
141 B Anderson (Co. Sligo) 72 69, D Beattie (Castlerock) 70 71, H Diamond ( Belvoir Park) 68 73
142 C Doran (Banbridge) 70 72, J Baker (Royal Norwich) 70 72, J Monaghan (The Island) 68 74, J Turner (Royal Portrush) 68 74, D Coghlan (Royal Dublin) 67 75

143 C Martin (Kilkenny) 73 70, G McDermott (Co. Sligo) 72 71, A Morris ( Belvoir Park) 69 74, N Murray (Dunmurry) 67 76, C Campbell (Warrenpoint) 66 77, R Cannon (Laytown/B) 66 77

144 G Morrow (Lisburn) 74 70, R Leonard (Banbridge) 73 71, R Whitson (Mourne) 73 71, K Lovelock (Hindhead) 70 74, R Gribben (Warrenpoint) 70 74, R O Donovan (Lucan) 70 74, P McCrudden (Royal Portrush) 69 75, R McCarthy (The Island) 68 76, S Ryan (Royal Dublin) 67 77

145 M O'Donovan (Castlerock) 75 70, I Ross (Whitehead) 72 73, S Miskelly (Knock) 72 73, D Vaughan (Ardglass) 71 74, B Best (Rathmore) 71 74, F O'Donoghue ( Belvoir Park) 71 74, D Reilly (Westmanstown) 70 75, J Fox (Portmarnock) 69 76, D Sutton (Lurgan) 68 77, D Mallon (Dungannon) 66 79, G McGrane (Royal Dublin) 65 80

146 D Downie (Sutton) 74 72, T O'Regan (Carton House) 74 72, S Boles (Bangor) 74 72, M Judge (Stackstown) 73 73, R McNamara (Headfort) 72 74, J Lyons (Galway) 72 74, J Ward (Banbridge) 71 75, K McDonagh (Athlone/NUIM) 71 75, P O'Leary (Lucan) 71 75, D McKenna (Foyle) 71 75, A Hogan (Newlands) 71 75, B Cashman (Belvoir Park) 71 75, E Heywood (City of Derry) 70 76, N Grant (Knock) 70 76, J Feenan (Ardglass) 69 77, G Lynas (Shandon Park) 68 78

147 D Holland (Castle) 73 74, M Durcan (Co. Sligo) 73 74, C McIlroy (Holywood) 72 75, R McKinstry (Cairndhu) 72 75, J Greene (Carlow) 70 77

FAILED TO QUALIFY on 147.
-----------------
G Thacker (Kedleston) 70 77, G McDowell (Rathmore) 70 77, R Knightly (Royal Dublin) 70 77, R Guilfoyle (Kilkenny) 69 78

FIRST ROUND MATCHPLAY.
---------------------
Craig Martin (Kilkenny)beat Frank O'Donoghue (Belvoir Park)7/6
Andrew Hogan (Newlands)beat Barry Cashman (BelvoirPark)3/1
Ben Best(Rathmore) beat Andrew Morris (Belvoir Park)3/2
Gerard Kelly (Co.Louth/UCD)beat Ernie Heywood(City of Derry) 2/1
Stephen Boles(Bangor)beat Ian Brennan (Greenore)4/2
Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)beat Marc Judge(Stackstown) 6/5
Richard Donovan (Lucan)beat Patrick McCrudden 3/2
Paul Cutler (Portstewart)beat John Greene(Carlow) 1up
David Sutton (Lurgan)beat Jon Baker(Royal Norwich) 2/1
Kelan McDonagh (Athlone/NUIM)beat Darren Crowe (Dunmurry) 2/1
Ian Ross (Whitehead) beat Gary Morrow (Lisburn)3/2
Connor Doran (Banbridge)beat Daniel Holland (Castle) 7/6
Harry Diamond (Belvoir Park)beat Dwayne Mallon (Dungannon) 3/2
Aaron Kearney (Castlerock)beat Johnny Ward (Banbridge) 3/2
Reeve Whitson (Mourne)beat Michael O'Donovan (Castlerock) 7/6
Michael Durcan (Co.Sligo)beat Michael Sinclair (Knock)2/1

Darragh Coghlan (Royal Dublin)beat David Reilly (Westmanstown) 2/1
Chris Selfridge (Moyola Park)beat Damien McKenna (Foyle)5/3
Noel Murray (Dunmurry)beat Daniel Vaughan (Ardglass)4/3
Jonathan Feenan Ardglass)beat Wayne Telford (Rathmore) 2 Holes
Barry Anderson (Co.Sligo)beat Derek Downie (Sutton) 2/1
Gary McDermott (Co. Sligo)beat Rory McNamara (Headfort) 1 Hole
Robert McCarthy (The Island)beat Ryan Gribben (Warrenpoint) 1 Hole
Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)beat Ryan McKinstry (Cairndhu) 7/5
James Fox (Portmarnock)beat John Turner (Royal Portrush) 1 Hole
Pio O'Leary (Lucan)beat Nicholas Grant (Knock) 19th
Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint)beat Simon Miskelly (Knock) 3/2
Gary Lynas (ShandonPark)beat Robbie Cannon(Laytown&Bettystown)2/1
Gary McGrane(Royal Dublin)beat Daniel Beattie(Castlerock)1Hole
James Monaghan (The Island)beat Joe Lyons (Galway)19th
Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin)beat Kieran Lovelock (Hindhead)1Hole
Rory Leonard (Banbridge)beat Colm McIlroy (Holywood) 4/3

SECOND ROUND
----------------
Andrew Hogan (Newlands)beat Craig Martin (Kilkenny)2 holes
Gerard Kelly (Co.Louth/UCD) beat Ben Best (Rathmore) 1 holes
Dermot McElroy (Ballymena) beat Stephen Boles (Bangor)3/1 hole
Richard O'Donovan (Lucan)beat Paul Cutler (Portstewart)2 holes
David Sutton (Lurgan)beat Kelan McDonagh (Athlone/NUIM) 1 hole
Connor Doran (Banbridge)beat Ian Ross (Whitehead) 3/2
Aaron Kearney (Castlerock)beat Harry Diamond (Belvoir Park) 1up
Reeve Whitson (Mourne)beat Michael Durcan (Co.Sligo) 1 hole

Darragh Coghlan (Royal Dublin)beat Chris Selfridge (Moyola Park)2 holes
Jonathan Feenan (Ardglass)beat Noel Murray (Dunmurry) 1 hole
Barry Anderson (Co.Sligo)beat Gary McDermott (Co. Sligo) 4/3
Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)beat Robert McCarthy (The Island) 5/3
James Fox (Portmarnock) beat Pio O'Leary (Lucan)4/3
Gary Lynas (Shandon Park)beat Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint)2 holes
James Monaghan (The Island)beat Gary McGrane (Royal Dublin)1 hole
Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin)beat Rory Leonard (Banbridge)3/1

THIRD ROUND.
--------------
Gerard Kelly (Co.Louth/UCD)beat Andrew Hogan (Newlands) 3/2
Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)beat Richard O'Donovan (Lucan) 4/3
Connor Doran (Banbridge)beat David Sutton (Lurgan) 3/2
Aaron Kearney (Castlerock)beat Reeve Whitson (Mourne) 2/1
Jonathan Feenan (Ardglass)beat Darragh Coghlan (Royal Dublin) 2/1
Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)beat Barry Anderson (Co.Sligo) 20th
James Fox (Portmarnock)beat Gary Lynas (Shandon Park) 3/2
Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin)beat James Monaghan (The Island) 1 hole

QUARTER FINALS.
---------------
Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)beat Gerard Kelly(Co.Louth/UCD)2/1
Connor Doran (Banbridge)beat Aaron Kearney (Castlerock) 1 hole
Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)beat Jonathan Feenan (Ardglass) 4/3
Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin) beat James Fox (Portmarnock) 19 hole

SEMI FINALS.
-----------
Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)beat Connor Doran (Banbridge) 2/1
Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)beat Sean Ryan (Royal Dublin) 1 hole

FINAL.
------
Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)beat Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)3/1

2010 EUROPRO ORDER OF MERIT.

The top five at the end of the year from the Europro Tour gain a full Challenge Tour card for 2011.The tour finishes on October 2nd with the Tour Championship.The order of merit leader Daniel Guant won a Challenge tour event.As a result he has an exemption for next year.That means there is an extra spot for the 6th person this year.49 year old Gary Wolstenholme is in line for one of those cards after his brilliant victory at the Stoke-by-Nayland championship takes him to 4th place.

The Europro Tour has been a spring-board for a lot of young Professionals not least the Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen.He played on the 2002/2003 seasons without recording a win.Graeme Storm played in 2003 along with Oosthuizen.Former Irish Open winner,Richard Finch played alongside Marc Warren in 2004 and Ross Fisher the recent winner of the Irish Open was on the Europro Tour in 2005.

The top Irishman so far is Brendan Mc Carroll.He has put in some fine performances and sits in 18th place.

ORDER OF MERIT.
--------------
1 Daniel Gaunt £24,700.00
2 Craig Lee £15,511.67
3 Ian Keenan £14,556.67
4 Gary Wolstenholme £13,679.17
5 Nick McCarthy £13,295.00
6 James N. Hepworth £13,081.67
7 Matthew Evans £12,319.00
8 Stuart Archibald £12,038.00
9 Robert Steele £11,598.33
10 Matt Allen £9,066.67
11 James Busby £8,483.81
12 Sean Doherty £7,326.67
13 Scott Henry £6,864.50
14 Martin Sell £6,803.00
15 Andrew Johnston £6,416.67
16 Steve Uzzell £6,407.50
17 Justin Evans £6,153.00
18 BRENDAN MC CARROLL £5,160.71
19 Daniel Belch £5,119.50
20 Graeme Clark £4,697.83

1 OTHER IRISH.
22 Paul o Hanlon £4,509.16
24 Michael Collins £3,566.16
30 Tim Rice £2,835.33
32 Brian McElhinney £2,649.17
34 Gareth Shaw £2,231.67
40 Neil O Briain £1,717.14
56 Michael Mc Geady £1,244.64
60 David Rawluk £1,143.33
62 Ruaidhri McGee £1,125.00
67 Noel J. Fox £1,045.00
68 Michael J. Lavelle £1,023.75
71 Jonathan Caldwell £987.50
84 Jonathon Mallon £768.33
91 Barrie P. Trainor £715.00
97 Mark Staunton £646.67
110 Cian D. McNamara £558.33
158 Shane R. Franklin £202.50
163 Damian Mooney £195.00
168 Mark J. Campbell £182.50.

EDOARDO MOLINARI WINS SCOTTISH OPEN.

Italian Edoardo Molinari joined his brother Francesco as a European Tour winner at The Scottish Open at wet and windy Loch Lomond.Francesco playing in the same group finished joint 4th,while Darren Clarke,the 3rd member of the same group,who took three shots to get out of water at the 3rd,held on to finish second,three shots behind Edoardo on nine under par.

Edoardo,took the €601,599 first prize,while the compensation for runner-up Clarke was that, with Molinari already exempt for the Open Championship, he took the one St Andrews spot up for grabs.

Edoardo, who first hit the headlines by winning the US Amateur Championship title five years ago, is up from 11th to 6th on the world list for Ryder Cup selection,while Francesco, who lost a play-off for the Alstom Open de France to Miguel Angel Jiménez, moves up from 8th to 5th in the European points race.They would make a good pair on Colin Montgomery's team,as they won the World Championship together at the end of last year.No brothers have played together in The Ryder Cup since Bernard and Geoffrey Hunt in 1963.

For Darren it was a good week.He had already won the JP McManus Pro Am at Adare Manor on Monday and Tuesday from a world class field that included Tiger Woods,then at Loch Lomond he opened with rounds of 65,67,67 to sit only one shot behind Edoardo heading into the last round.He was under intense pressure,not only to win the tournament,but also to qualify for the Open.

A poor start of par,bogey and double bogey left Clarke five shots behind Molinari,but he held on bravely for a 76 to claim the runner-up prize of €401,063 and a place at St Andrews by one shot from Raphael Jacquelin who finished with a best of the day 68.The prize lifts Clarke into 17th on the Race to Dubai table and he is back in contention for a Ryder Cup spot in 22nd place.

It was a also a good week for Irish Open champion Shane Lowry.Lowry finished off with a birdie to claim 7th place with rounds of 68,73,66,71 for a 6 under par total.The prize was worth a massive €108,288,the biggest cheque that Shane has earned as a Professional.

Damien Mc Grane picked up €48,730 for a share of 16th on -1,while US Open Champion Graeme Mc Dowell and Peter Lawrie were 21st on +1.They went home with €39,706 each. Gareth Maybin, playing in the worst of the weather, was down in 45th place on +6.He was still rewarded with a cheque for €18,770.

The 36 hole cut came at +2 and thus,Michael Hoey 74/73 and Paul Mc Ginley 74/74 both had the weekend off.

ULSTER TEAM FOR INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPION

The team to represent Ulster in the Interprovincial Championship at Ballinrobe Golf Club between Tuesday 20 & Thursday 22 July 2010


Team Captain : Gerry McAleese

Team Manager : Aidan Doran

Team
------

Stephen Crowe (Dunmurry)

Paul Cutler (Portstewart)

Connor Doran (Banbridge)

Alan Dunbar (Rathmore)

David Kernohan (Galgorm Castle)

Luke Lennox (Moyola Park)

Rory Leonard (Banbridge)

Michael Sinclair (Knock)


Non Travelling Reserve

Paul O’Kane (Moyola Park)

Boys Interprovincial Championship 2010
The Ulster Team for the Boys Interprovincial Championship at Ballinrobe Golf Club on 20-22 July 2010 has been selected

Team Captain : Alasdair Gibson

Team Manager : John McKinstry

Team
-----

Adam Brown (Tandragee)

Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)

Ryan McKinstry (Cairndhu)

Matthew McKnight (Lisburn)

Jamie Richardson (Royal Portrush)

Cormac Sharvin (Ardglass)

Chris Selfridge (Moyola Park)

Non Travelling Reserve

Matthew McClean (Balmoral)

BELFAST AND DISTRICT CUP.

(HOLDERS) DUNMURRY BEAT DOWNPATRICK.

MALONE BEAT LURGAN.

ARDGLASS BEAT BANBRIDGE.

CAIRNDHU BEAT BALLYCLARE.

GALGORM CASTLE BEAT DONAGHADEE.

SCRABO BEAT KNOCK.

BELVIOR PARK BEAT SHANDON PARK.

CLANDEBOYE BEAT PORTADOWN.

QUARTER FINALS.

DUNMURRY BEAT MALONE.

CAIRNDHU BEAT ARDGLASS.

GALGORM CASTLE BEAT SCRABO.

CLANDEBOYE BEAT BELVIOR PARK.

JACK HUME WINS ULSTER BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP.

Jack Hume from Rathsallagh was crowned Ulster boy's champion at Co.Armagh golf club when he produced four rounds in two over par 282 in difficult conditions.After hitting three rounds of 69,Hume was struggling in the last round and was caught by Cormac Sharvin from Ardglass playing the 72nd hole.Sharvin got caught in the trees and was unable to reach the green in two,while Hume played a great second shot into 15 feet which he calmly holed for a birdie three and a two shot victory.

Conor Glynn(Carton House) won the under 17 title on 290 and William Russell(Clandeboye) was crowned the under 15 winner on 293.

Alan Lowry(Esker Hills),brother of Irish champion Shane made a hole in one at the 3rd hole with an 8 iron,while Luke Woods(Tandragee)holed in one at the 9th hole with a 5 iron.Armagh Golf Club's captain,Michael Grant presented both boys with club shirts to mark their achievment.

ULSTER BOYS OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP:CO ARMAGH GOLF CLUB.

282 J Hume (Rathsallagh) 69 69 69 75(WINNER)
284 C Sharvin (Ardglass) 72 71 72 69
285 A Hanley (Corrstown) 73 73 71 68
289 A Brown (Tandragee) 73 73 69 74
G Donohoe (Enniscorthy) 72 73 72 72
J Richardson (RoyalPortrush) 71 74 71 73
290 S Devey (Skerries) 71 72 71 76
C Glynn (Carton House) 68 77 73 72(Under 17 winner)
291 M McKnight (Lisburn) 72 74 76 69
R Murray (Dunmurry) 72 70 75 74
293 W Russell (Clandeboye) 77 73 72 71(Under 15 winner)
C Geraghty (Carton House) 75 74 74 70
G Moynihan(Donabate) 72 73 71 77
A Lowry (Esker Hills) 69 78 74 72(Hole in one)
294 S Grehan (Tullamore) 76 69 73 76
296 T Lindsay (Fortwilliam) 75 75 76 70
M Abram (Cairndhu) 74 74 71 77
297 G Dunne (Greystones) 77 73 75 72
H Orr (Royal Portrush) 75 78 73 71
J Dillon (Headfort) 74 72 73 78
H McHugh (Skerries) 73 78 72 74
M McClean (Balmoral) 71 78 74 74
L Connolly(Malahide) 71 77 73 76
J Stothers (Tandragee) 71 75 74 77
298 L Woods (Banbridge) 74 76 77 71(Hole in one)
B O'Reilly (Athenry) 74 73 74 77
C Rafferty (Greenore) 72 76 74 76
299 J Galbraith (Whitehead) 77 72 72 78
300 D Shaw (Belvoir Park) 77 78 76 69
C Crowley (Woodbrook) 76 76 78 70
J Maguire (Co. Armagh)75 76 76 73
T Jordan (Dungannon) 74 75 72 79
301 P Campbell (Co. Armagh) 81 72 76 72
T McLarnon (Massereene) 78 71 73 79
J Quigg (MoyolaPark) 76 76 75 74
A Millar (Ardglass) 74 80 75 72
302 J Webster (Castle) 75 75 76 76
S Gracey (Dunmurry) 74 80 71 77
303 A Duff (The Island) 83 72 75 73
R McKinstry (Cairndhu) 71 81 80 71
304 E Griffin (Waterford) 80 73 76 75
J Keenan (Old Conna) 75 78 72 79
J Hickey (Cork) 72 80 73 79
305 J Hewitt (Tandragee) 80 77 74 74
M Reid (Galgorm Castle) 77 78 78 72
306 M McCann (Warrenpoint) 81 73 75 77
307 A Cochrane (Balmoral) 82 74 77 74
N McKinstry (Cairndhu) 81 75 74 77
309 T O'Brien (Castle) 79 78 71 81
312 S Mernagh (Enniscorthy) 82 79 74 77
313 N Worth (The Island) 80 84 75 74
315 C Woodroofe (Blainroe) 85 78 77 75
319 H Bradshaw (Donabate) 82 86 73 78
321 J Millar (Belvoir Park) 86 85 71 79

ANYONE REMEMBER MAURICE FLITCROFT ?

Maurice Flitcroft fell in love with golf in 1974 after watching it on television. As a crane driver he was in no position to join a golf club in his home town of Barrow-in-Furness. Instead he sent off for a set of mail order golf clubs and taught himself from books in the library. As he couldn't afford to play on a golf course he practised on the local beach, football and cricket pitches.

In one of the library books he found the address of the R&A who ran the British Open. As it was "Open" Flitcroft couldn't see why he couldn't enter. As an amateur he would have needed proof of his handicap, but as a Professional there were no requirements.

July 2nd 1976 at Formby Golf Club, was the day that Maurice Flitcroft stood on the first tee for his first ever round of golf. He made history by recording the highest ever score( 121, 49 over par! )recorded in the British Open qualifing in its 116 year history.

Keith Mackenzie, Secretary of the R&A was not happy with Flitcroft and as he had entered as a Professional, he would make sure that Flitcroft would never be able to play amateur golf.

Undeterred, Flitcroft entered in 1977 under the name of James Vangene but was unable to play due to his fibrositis. In 1978 he entered under the name of Gene Pacecki. He spent months growing a handlebar moustache as a disguise, but was asked to leave after four holes as his poor golf was affecting the other competitiors' chances.

Arriving in Gullane for the 1980 qualifing in the dark, he pitched his tent on a fairway by mistake and when caught the next morning, never got to hit a shot. Flitcroft entered as Gene Pacecki the following year, but his application was returned with a nasty letter.

His last effort was in 1983 when he entered as Swiss Professional, Gerald Hoppy and even though he got to start, he was again escorted off the course after a few holes.

Maurice Flitcroft became a household name around the world for making a fool of the R&A. Unfortunately he passed away in 2007, but you can read his full story in a new book written by Scott Murray and Simon Farnaby from his unpublished memoirs.

The book is called "Phantom of the Open" and it was released last month.

ROSE IS BLOOMING AFTER SECOND PGA WIN.

Justin Rose captured his second PGA Tour win inside a month in America when he won the AT&T National at Aronimina Golf club in Pennsylvania on Independance day,to add to his first ever PGA win at the Memorial event at the start of June.

It could have easily been three in a row as he had led the Travelers Championship the previous week by three shots going into the final round.He lost his putting stroke on the back nine,finishing down in 9th with a 75 behind left hander Bubba Watson.

He found himself in the same position in this AT&T tournament with a three shot lead and extended it to five with a brilliant second shot to the long 9th hole for an easy eagle three.Even though he hit all nine greens on the back nine,he three putted the 10th and 11th.Rose held his nerve to par the last seven holes to win by only one shot from Ryan Moore who had eight putts over the last eight holes for a closing 65.

It has been quite a month for Rose.His win was worth $1,116 Million to add to the $1,080 Million from the Memorial. He has now moved into second position in the FEDEX CUP rankings behind Ernie Els and has won a place at St Andrews for the Open Championship.

It was at the 1998 Open at Birkdale that Rose made himself known.He was a 17 year old amateur who played fantastic golf,including a 50 yard approach shot into the hole at the 18th for a share of 4th place.He turned Professional the next day and had to wait until his 22nd tournament before he made a halfway cut and a cheque.

He has come a long way since that,and who would bet against him at St Andrews ?

46 YEAR OLD JIMENEZ WINS IN FRANCE.

46 year old Miguel Angel Jiménez became the oldest-ever winner of continental Europe's oldest golf title in Paris in the same week as another,"oldie" 49 year old Gary Wolstenholme won his first Professional tournament on the Europro tour.

The Spaniard captured the Alstom Open de France at Le Golf National by beating compatriot Alejandro Cañizares and Italian Francesco Molinari in sudden death after his second shot found water.This was unfortunate as he was two shots clear on the final hole of regulation play.

Jiménez had his second chance when Cañizares went into the same lake twice at the first extra hole and Molinari,found the bunker off the tee.Molinari was then forced to lay up on the par four and found the greenside bunker with his approach.His bunker shot finished 20 feet past the flag but he amazingly holed it for a bogey 5.Jiménez still had work to do when he missed the green, but a 15 footer for par gave him the title and the first prize of €500,000.

The first prize lifts the Malaga golfer all the way from 17th to 5th in The Ryder Cup race and brings his worldwide wins to 20.

It was another good tournament for World No10 Rory McIlroy.He came up only one shot short of the play off after a 7 birdie finishing round of 66.His 10 under par finish left him in 4th place and earned him €150,000.

Michael Hoey matched McIlroy's final round of 66,which moved him up into a share of 11th on 6 under par and level with Damien Mc Grane.The pair collected €49,020 each.

Gareth Maybin made a great comeback after he opened with a first round of 3 over par 74.He hit back with scores of 69,70,69 to finish 32nd on 2 under par and was rewarded with €22,312.

Peter Lawrie completed his four rounds on level par 284.He won €17,400 for a share of 42nd.

ALSTOM OPEN DE FRANCE.

WINNER: MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ 71,69,66,67 273 -11 €500,000.

2ND: ALEJANDNO CANIZARES 66,66,73,68 273 -11 €260,565.
FRANCESCO MOLINARI 69,69,68,67 273 -11 €260,565.

IRISH SCORES.

4TH: RORY MCILROY 68,71,69,66 274 -10 €150,000.

11TH: MICHAEL HOEY 69,74,69,66 278 -6 €49,020.
DAMIEN MC GRANE 68,71,67,72 278 -6 €49,020.

32ND: GARETH MAYBIN 74,69,70,69 282 -2 €22,312.

42ND: PETER LAWRIE 71,67,75,71 282 PAR €17,400.

MISSED CUT +1 143.

SHANE LOWRY 73,71 +2.
DARREN CLARKE 75,69 +2.

PAUL MC GINLEY 75,70 +3.

SIMON THORNTON 72,76 +6.

CALDWELL FADES AWAY IN SWEDEN AFTER GREAT START.

Johnny Caldwell led after the first round of The Princess Tournament in Sweden on the Challenge Tour with a fantastic 7 under par round of 64,but it was all downhill after that.He tumbled down the field following rounds of 75,72 and 76 to finish in 59th place on 3 over par and won €458.

In this tournament,Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen captured his maiden European Challenge Tour title and the €24,000 first prize.A one under par 70 in the final round left him two shots clear of Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and Swede Peter Gustafsson.

Olesen, 20, playing his first full season on the Challenge Tour, took a three shot lead into the final day and held off the challenge of his rivals with three birdies and two bogeys to add to rounds of 69, 66 and 65 at Båstad Golf Club in southern Sweden.He is now in 4th place in the order of merit table and in a good position to win one of the 20 cards available for the main European Tour next year.

Lurgan's Gareth Shaw closed off with a superb round of 67 to finish in 28th place on 3 under par and collect €1,230,while Michael Mc Geady was 54th on one over par 285 for a pay day of €578.

GARY WOLSTENHOLME WINS HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENT.

Gary Wolstenholme is a legend in the amateur game having won 11 major titles worldwide including the Amateur Championship twice in 1991 and 2003.He has lifted majors in China,United Arab Emirates and in South Africa.Gary has been capped for England 218 times and has played on 6 Walker Cup teams.He was part of the GB&I team that won the World Championship in Chile in 1998 with Paddy Gribben,Luke Donald and Lorne Kelly.

He surprised everyone when he turned Professional in 2008 at the ripe old age of 48 in anticipation of joining the Seniors tour in August this year when he turns 50.Now he has other options,after using all his experience to win THE STOKE BY NAYLAND CHAMPIONSHIP on the Europro tour against guys less than half his age.He produced fantastic scores of 69,63,69 for a 15 under par total.The £10,000 first prize lifts Wolstenholme into 3rd place in the order of merit.(The top 5 gain promotion onto the Challenge tour next year.)

Wolstenholme was trailing the leader,Derry man Brendan Mc Carroll,by 2 shots going into the final round.They were level at the turn as Wolstenholme was one under,while Mc Carroll was one over.They stayed that way until Wolstenholme used all his experience to birdie the 14th and 15th to move two clear.In the end he emerged a 4 stroke winner as Mc Carroll lost shots at the final two holes.

Mc Carroll finished on 11 under par and shared second place with James Busby.They take home £3,750 each which leaves Mc Carroll the top Irishman on the order of merit in 14th place.

It was another good tournament for Michael Collins.He finished with a share of 16th on 4 under par.Paul o Hanlon was 23rd on 2 under par while Michael Lavelle fell back to 29th with a final round of 74 leaving him only 1 under par.

Brian Mc Elhinney was 38th on +1,while Neil o Briain finished level par in 33rd and Jonathon Mallon was 44th on +3.

THE STOKE BY NAYLAND CHAMPIONSHIP.

WINNER GARY WOLSTENHOLME 69,63,69 -15. £10,000.

2ND BRENDAN MC CARROLL 67,63,75 -11. £3,750.
JAMES BUSBY 67,69,69 -11. £3,750.

OTHER IRISH SCORES.

16TH MICHAEL COLLINS 68,72,72 -4 £458.

23RD PAUL O HANLON 73,69,72 -2 £345.

29TH MICHAEL LAVELLE 71,70,74 -1 £298.

33RD NEIL O BRIAIN 72,71,73 PAR £275.

38TH BRIAN MC ELHINNEY 73,72,72 +1 £250.

44TH JONATHON MALLON 73,72,74 +3 £222.

MISSED CUT +1.

MARK STAUNTON 72,78 +6.

ROSS OLIVER 75,75 +6.

NOEL FOX 79,72 +7.