Dundalk Golf Club's Brian Crombie crowned IJM Golfer of the Year

Dundalk Golf Club's Brian Crombie has been crowned IJM Golfer of the Year for the third time in five years.

Having won previously the Club’s Order of Merit in 2021 and 2023, Crombie made it a hat-trick of wins this year when he posted a scoring average of 71.29 off a total of 499 for his seven counting rounds over the 10 Golfer of the Year competitions.

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That gave him a two-shot winning margin over Conal Murdock and Brendan Rogers, who finished on 501 with last year’s Golfer of the Year, Frank Byrne, a shot further back in fourth on 502, followed by John Paul Casey, Neal MacKell and Cormac Malone on 503.

The top four in each of the four handicap categories (Senior, Junior, Intermediate and Minor) will be invited to take part in the IJM Scratch Matchplay Finals, which will take place over the weekend of September 20 and 21, with the semi-finals from 9am on the Saturday and finals from 10.30am on the Sunday.

Unavailable qualifiers will be replaced by the next best placed player in the standings. Crombie shot a 73 nett in the final Golfer of the Year event, The Knights of Malta Cup, which was won by John McEneaney (25) with an excellent score of 67 nett.

His round included five pars at the second, fifth, sixth, 13th and 14th as he went out in 32 nett and came home in 35 nett from a gross score of 92. He took overall victory on countback from Conor Marron (20), whose 67 nett secured him the Division 3 honours.

The in-form Cormac Malone (12) won Division 1 with a 68 nett while Robert Lynch (14) needed countback to edge out Sean Hession (14) in Division 2 after both shot 69 nett.

Niall Kearney won the final round of the Callaway Chrome Tour Open Series, which was played in Dundalk last week.

His first round score of seven-under par proved decisive when the competition was shortened after torrential rain on Wednesday morning forced the cancellation of the second round of the 36-hole event.

Ardee, Rockmount, Grange and Dooks will be returning to Dundalk on Friday, September 26, for the semi-finals of the Flogas Irish Mixed Foursomes after last Saturday’s thrilling quarter-finals.

Tubbercurry, Belvoir Park, Rathfarnham and Gowran Park will be back for the semi-finals of the Irish Mixed Fourball on the same date, with the finals scheduled for Saturday, September 27.

Hard luck to the managers, players and caddies of the Women's Junior Cup team who were beaten in the All-Ireland semi-finals last Saturday after a thrilling quarter-final win over Galway on Friday. 

Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31 - Knights of Malta Cup – Singles Stroke - GOY 10 – Overall: John McEneaney (25) 67. Division 1: Cormac Malone (12) 68, Niall McCaul (10) 69. Division 2: Robert Lynch (17) 69, Sean Hession (14) 69. Division 3: Conor Marron (20) 67, Paul Morgan (19) 68. Gross: Caolan Rafferty 70.