Dundalk Golf Club win the home leg of Barton Cup final against Portlarington

Dundalk Golf Club Men's

Dundalk will carry a slender one-point lead into the second leg of the Barton Cup final against Portlarington after winning the home leg 3-2.

They survived a late comeback from the visitors with three of the five matches requiring tie-holes while another was decided on the 18th.

The top match was the only one that was clear-cut as Conor Murphy and Gary Lennon recovered from losing the opening against Iain MacDonald and Aidan Moore.

They took control around the turn, winning the eighth and ninth to go two up and then won the 11th and 12th to extend their lead to four holes before wrapping up a 5 and 4 victory on the 14th.

Elsewhere, things were much tighter, although Denis Cunningham and John Paul Casey looked to be coasting to victory over Bernard Scully and Craig Keenan when they won the 14th to go four up with four to play.

But the Portarlington duo suddenly burst into life and won the final four holes to force the match down the 19th. The Dundalk pairing were rocking at this stage, but they dug deep, found the green in regulation, and two-putted for par and the win.

There was never more than one hole between Conall Murdock and Adrian Kenny and Dylan Dunne and Colm Murphy in the second match, and the Dundalk pair were never behind until they missed a short par putt on the 17th to go one down with one to play.

However, they got up and down from the edge of the 18th green to win the hole and force the match into sudden death, with the Portarlington pairing parring the 20th to take the match.

The match between Dundalk’s Tony McGuinness and Conor Murray and Portarlington’s Jack Cole and Dermot Keenan was also close, with never more than a hole between the teams.

The home pair needed a win on the 18th to force sudden death, but the visitors took the 19th and a valuable point for their side.

With the first four matches decided and the score at 2-2, all eyes turned to the final match out on the course between Aidan Thornton and John McKeever and Niall Cooke and David Cosgrove.

The Dundalk pairing were never behind but kept getting pegged back every time they got their noses in front. However, when they won the 16th hole they went ahead for the third and final time and closed the match out by winning the 18th for a two-hole victory,

Dundalk now head to Portarlington on Saturday, September 19 for the second leg with a slender lead and will need to dig even deeper if they are to lift the Barton Cup for the fourth time.

The 2025 Golfer of the Year, Brian Crombie, was the winner of the Paddy Markey Cup played over the last weekend in August. Playing off 26, he shot 43pts to finish one point ahead of Niall McCaul (8).

A four-point par at the index one fourth helped Crombie cover the front nine in 20pts, while a haul of 10pts from pars at the 12th, 13th and 17th helped him to 23pts down the back nine for his final total of 43pts.

Austin Shaw, playing off seven, shot 39pts to win the Veterans Cup. He shot 14 pars as he went out 19pts and came home in 20pts. Aidan Lawless won the gross prize with a 73 for 35pts.

Maciek Dobros (10) won Division 1 with 41pts, while Fearghal Duffy shot the same score to win Division 2, and Noel Sweeney (30) also hit the 41pts mark as he won Division 3.

Gerard Brennan (6) was the winner of the first Wednesday Open of September with a fine score of 43pts.

After opening with three pars, he had back-to-back bogeys on four and five, but they were the last blemishes on his card as he didn’t drop a shot over the final 13 holes and rolled in birdies at the seventh, 14th and 15th for a 71 gross.

Bernard Laverty (9), Tiernan O’Brien (14) and Sean Dunne (20) took the division prizes, while Joseph Laverty with 39pts had the best gross score.

Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30 – Paddy Markey Cup: Overall: Brian Crombie (26) 43pts. Niall McCaul (8) 42pts. Veterans Cup: Austin Shaw (7) 38pts. Gross: Aidan Lawless (1) 35pts. Division 1: Maciek Dobros (10) 41pts, Aidan Thornton (5) 39pts. Division 2: Fearghal Duffy (15) 41pts, Paul Mellon (16) 39pts. Division 3: Noel Sweeney (30) 41pts, Gavin McDonnell (22) 40pts.

Wednesday, September 3 – Open Singles Stableford: Overall: Gerard Brennan (6) 43pts. Division 1: Bernard Laverty (9) 39pts. Division 2: Tiernan O’Brien (14) 39pts. Division 3: Sean Dunne (20) 41pts. Gross Recognition: Joseph Laverty 39pts.

Saturday, September 5 – Barton Cup Final First Leg: Dundalk 3 Portarlington 2 – Conor Murphy and Gary Lennon beat Iain MacDonald and Aidan Moore 5 and 4; Conall Murdock and Adrian Kenny lost to Dylan Dunne and Colm Murphy 20th hole; Tony McGuinness and Conor Murray lost to Jack Cole and Dermot Keenan 19th hole; Dennis Cunningham and John Paul Casey beat Bernard Scully and Craig Keenan 19th hole; Aidan Thornton and John McKeever beat Niall Cooke and David Cosgrove 2up.