Dundalk Golf Club notes

Barry Grennan led home the qualifiers in the Carolan Cup at Dundalk Golf Club over the Easter weekend which was the first Golfer of the Year competition of the season.

Playing off 16, Grennan went out in 44 gross which was a nett 36 as pars at the third, fifth and seventh were balanced by dropped shots at the fourth, sixth and ninth.

But there were no mistakes down the back nine as he parred the 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 17th and 18th to come home in 39 gross for a nett 31.

READ NEXT: Louth's Brennan full of belief ahead of Leinster final

That left him on 67 nett which was one ahead of Ned Lawrence (18) who shot a 68 nett and had to settle for winning Division 3 ahead of Pat Davis (21).

Shaun Callan (12) won Division1  on countback from Jack McCaughey (11) after both shot 70 nett while Division 2 saw Matthew McCaughey (13) win by one shot from Laurence O’Hanlon (16).

Ben Cahill is very much the in-form player in the club at present and he claimed another gross prize thanks to a super round of 67 which featured seven birdies.

He went out in 36 with birdies at the seventh and ninth being cancelled out by bogeys at the third and eighth.

However, he was magnificent down the home straight where a birdie at the 10th was followed by four successive birdies from the 15th to the 18th as he came home in 31.

Greenan’s reward for leading home the qualifiers is a first round tie against Larence O’Hanlon while Lawrence will start his campaign against Peter McCaughey and Cahill will take on Conor Curran.

The cut for matchplay stages of the Carolan Cup was 71/35. The closing date for the Gents Foursomes and Mixed Foursomes is Monday, 5 May.

Ciaran Flanagan (17) shot 40pts on the Easter Bank Holiday Monday to win the Open Singles Stableford. His round included a four point birdie at the sixth and six three point pars.

Division honours went to Ciaran Traynor (5), Martin Cairns (18) and Ben O’Connor (21) while Ben Cahill’s 35pts was the best gross score of the day.

The Wednesday Open sponsored by McKenna Man was won by Aaron Hoey (14) with 42pts.

His round saw him record six pars on the opening nine, five of which were three-pointers, while on the back nine he had a four-point birdie at the 15th, a three-point par at the 17th and two two-point pars at the 13th and 14th.

Divisional winners were Derek Cahill (8), Ross Kehoe (15) and Patrick Mulroy (37) while Paul Murphy recorded the best gross with 36pts.

The Irish Mixed Foursomes team has a great first round win over Laytown and Bettystown on Sunday.

There were wins in Dundalk for Judy McDonagh and Brian Og Renaghan and Maeve Ahern and Neal MacKell and after Bernie McGuinness and Conall Murdock were beaten on the 17th it was left to Brid Rocks and Mark Gorham to secure the place in the next round by winning on the 18th.

The Junior Cup team fell at the first hurdle in the defence of their Leinster North title on Saturday going down 3-2 to Sutton in the first round.

Ciaran Traynor and Peter Durnin won their matches in Dundalk but there was no joy in Dublin as Ken Norton, John Sharkey and Clem Walshe were edged out.

The JB Carr team were also narrowly beaten in the Louth semi-final against Seapoint on Saturday where all five matches were played over the Termonfeckian links.

Although Gerry Murray and John McLaughlin and Conor Byrne and Eamonn McEneaney were beaten, wins for Jim Dwyer and Gerry McDermott and Dennis Cunningham and Barry Grennan left the match delicately poised at 2-2.

All eyes swung to the match involving Mickey Coburn and Tommy Renaghan, who had come from three down to finish all square after 18, but unfortunately they were beaten on the first tie hole.   

Saturday, 19 April and Sunday, 20 April - Carolan Cup Qualifier Singles Stroke - GOY 1 -  Overall: Barry Grennan (16) 67. Gross: Ben Cahill 67. Division 1: Shaun Callan (12) 70 70/32.0. Jack McCaughey (11) 70/32.5. Division 2: Matthew McCaughey (13) 69, Laurence O'Hanlon (16) 70. Division 3: Edward Lawrence (18) 68. Patrick Davis (21) 69.

Monday, 21 April - Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Ciaran Flanagan (17) 40pts. Division 1: Ciaran Traynor (5) 38pts. Division 2 : Martin Cairns (18) 38pts. Division 3: Ben O'Connor (21) 38pts. Gross Recognition: Ben Cahill 35pts.

Wednesday, 23 April - McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Aaron Hoey (14) 42pts. Division 1: Derek Cahill (8) 40pts. Division 2: Ross Kehoe (15) 38pts. Division 3: Patrick Mulroy (37) 38pts. Gross Recognition Paul Murphy 36pts.

Harry Walsh Cup Matchplay 2025 – First Round Draw - Joe Garvey v Brian Crombie, John Oakes v Ciarán Corbett, Ross Timmons v Mark Baillie, Jack Lynch v Anthony McGuinness, John McKenna v Paul Martin, Dylan Reilly v Conor McDonnell, Peter McGuinness v Hugh Reilly, Alan Joynt v Kieran McCann. First Round to be completed by June 9. Green Tees/Handicap on the Day.

Carolan Cup Matchplay 2025 – First Round Draw – Ben Cahill v Conor Curran, Stephen English v Paul Murphy, Derek Cahill v Neal Mackell, Jack McCaughey v Shaun Callan, Laurence O’Hanlon v Barry Grennan, Brian Crombie v Niall Rafferty, Edward Lawrence v Peter McCaughey, Matthew McCaughey v Pat Davis. First Round to be completed by June 9. White Tees/Handicap on the Day.