Eoin Murphy claims Club Championship trophy at Dundalk Golf Club

Eoin Murphy won the Club Championship at Dundalk Golf Club for the third time in five years on Saturday last after the event was reduced to 18 holes as thunder and lightning forced the cancellation of the second round.

Murphy won on countback from Conal Murdock after both had shot level par rounds of 72, with defending champion Caolan Rafferty a shot further back.

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Rafferty had got off to a great start with a birdie at the first, but then double bogeyed the second and bogeyed the sixth to find himself two over after six holes.

However, three successive birdies from the ninth got him back under par, but two more bogeys at the 12th and 14th saw him sign for a one-over par 73.

Murdock, who had finished second in the Golfer of the Year despite missing the final counting event, brought that form into the Club Championship and, after a bogey on the first, he produced birdies at the third, sixth, seventh and eighth to turn in three under par.

He was unable to find any more birdies on the home stretch, and bogeys at the 11th  and 12th meant he was level par when he stood on the 18th tee.

Murphy, who was playing alongside Rafferty, also struggled on the second and walked off with a bogey as the rain came down, but he recovered with birdies at the fourth, fifth and eighth to turn in two under par. He was still two under with six holes to go after a birdie at 12 balanced out a bogey at 10. However, three successive bogeys from the 14th saw him drop back to one over.

The 18th hole was recently renamed Harrington’s Challenge because of the impact it had on the career of three-time major winner Padraig Harrington. Once again, it proved to be the decisive hole in deciding the outcome of an event.

Playing in the first group, Murphy birdied the hole to come home in level par and leave Murdock, who was in the third group, needing just a four to post the best first round score, but he bogeyed it to also finish on level par.

At that stage, the players had only completed the first round of the 36 hole competition, and they were one third of the way through the second round when thunder and lightning in the area saw all players taken off the course and the second round cancelled.  

That resulted in the first round determining the outcome, and Murphy took the title on countback with his back nine of 38, bettering Murdock’s by one shot.

Ben Cahill has got off to a good start at Maynooth University with two excellent performances for the college’s golf team. He helped Maynooth University to victory in the Students' Sport Ireland Golf Championship in Bunclody.

Playing at Number 3, he was a 5&3 winner over Ryan McCarthy from University College Cork in the final, as he gave Maynooth their first point from the first three matches, and they won the last two to take the title.

Last week, he was the leading Maynooth player at the R&A Student Tour Series in Halmstad, Sweden. Rounds of 71, 74 and 76 gave him a three-round total of five over as he finished T10 for the tournament, which was won by Patrick Curran from the National College of Ireland.   

Johannes Steenvoorden’s excellent season has continued into September as he won the opening round in the Autumn Series sponsored by National Tile and Flooring. Playing off 22, he shot 40pts and edged out Brendan Reilly (17) on countback for the victory.

Steenvoorden went out in 17pts with his only three-pointer coming at the par five sixth, but it was a different story on the back nine, where a birdie at the par five 12th and pars at the 10th and 17th helped him come home in 23pts.

 Neal MacKell (0) took Division 1 with an excellent score of 39pts, which also earned him the Gross Recognition prize. Division 2 was won by Ciaran Dunne (16), who pipped Ollie Reilly (15) on countback after both had shot 39pts. Countback was also needed in Division 3 as Paul Heaney (20) took the honours ahead of Michael Begley (19).

It was a good week for Ciaran Dunne as he won the McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford on Wednesday after shooting 41pts off 16.

His round included six three-point pars and just one double bogey as he scored at every hole. Fearghal Duffy (13) took Division 1 with 40pts while Pat Donaghey (18) won Division 2 with 37pts.  Danny O’Neill from Mannan Castle shot 39pts in Division 3.

The Boys U13 team won the McCooey Cassidy Cup on Sunday in Greenore as they beat County Louth by three holes. The panel is Emmet Cronin, Cathal Lyons, Finn McDonnell, Alex Wilson, Aaron Martin and Cian McKinnon.

Good luck to the Golf Sixes team, who are in the All-Ireland Finals this Sunday, September 21, in The Grange. They head there as Leinster champions, having won the provincial title last month in Millicent.

 September 6 and September 7 - National Tile and Flooring Autumn Series – Singles Stableford – Overall: Johannes Steenvoorden (22) 40pts, Brendan Reilly (17) 40pts. Division 1: Neal Mackell (0) 39pts, Paul Murphy (3) 38pts. Division 2: Ciaran Dunne (16) 39pts, Ollie Reilly (15) 39pts. Division 3: Paul Heaney (20) 38pts, Michael Begley (19) 38pts. Gross Recognition: Neal Mackell 39pts

Wednesday, September 10 - McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Ciaran Dunne (16) 41pts.  Division 1: Fearghal Duffy (13) 40pts. Division 2: Patrick Donaghy (18) 37pts. Division 3: Danny O’Neill (27, Mannan Castle) 39pts.

Saturday, September 13 – Club Championship Singles Stroke Sponsored by Leslie Walker – Overall: Eoin Murphy 72/38, Conall Murdock 72/39, Caolan Rafferty 73.

Dundalk Golf Club Ladies

Saturday, 30 August and Monday, 1 September Ladies 18-hole Stableford very kindly sponsored by Gardiner Family Apothecary - Division 1: Winner: Mairead Garland (25) 39 pts; Runner up: Ann Hopper (18) 35 pts; Third: Fionnuala Dullaghan (21) 35 pts.

Division 2: Winner: Margaret McCourt (28) 36 pts; Runner up: Hermione Duffy (33) 34 pts; Third: Gillian Murphy (31) 34 pts.

Division 3: Winner: Joanne Lynch (35) 41 pts; Runner up: Mary Dwyer (45) 38 pts; Third: Oonagh Quinn (34) 35 pts.

9 Hole Competition: Winner: Siobhan Keane (19) 20 pts; Runner up: Nuala Henry (19) 19 pts.

Sunday, 7th September and Tuesday, 9th September - Ladies 18-Hole Stroke GOY 10 - Division 1: Winner: Ann Hopper (22) Score 64; Runner up: Fionnuala Dullaghan (23) Score 69; Third: Maureen Sheridan (20) Score 69.

Division 2: Winner: Angie O’Hara (30) Score 68; Runner up: Joyce Connolly (25) Score 69; Third: Joan McKenna (32) Score 69.

Division 3: Winner: Martina Byrne (36) Score 64; Runner up: Yvonne Bagnall (45) Score 68; Third: Rita Mulholland (40) Score 70

9 Hole Competition: Winner: Finola Oakes (25) Score 35; Runner up: Nuala Henry (18) Score 36.