Mannan Castle Golf Club notes
News from Mannan Castle Golf Club
Weekend Singles Stableford 24th and 25th May - The unsettled weather returned this weekend with very challenging conditions across both days.
Leo Connolly was our overall winner with a brilliant score of 46pts. Dodging the worst of the weather, Leo produced great golf on Saturday morning.
Paul McVeigh won Division One with a score of 36pts. Paul played some brilliant golf in tough conditions on Sunday afternoon.
Michael Connolly won Division Two on a score of 39pts. A strong back nine of 22pts was just enough for Michael to win on the countback.
Martin McCaul won Division Three with a score of 41pts. Martin keeps moving in the right direction after another great score this weekend.
Kieran Grimes won Division Four with a score of 41pts. A great back five holes of 14pts was enough for Kieran to win by four shots.
Overall winner - Leo Connolly (PH.19) – 46pts; Division One – First: Paul McVeigh (PH.9) – 36pts; Division Two – First: Michael Connolly (PH.14) - 39pts c/b; Division Three – First: Martin McCaul (PH.19) – 41pts; Division Four – First: Kieran Grimes (PH.24) - 41pts.
Mannan Castle Seniors
Undeterred by the inclement weather on Tuesday last Mannan Castle seniors had a very competitive weekly competition. Played over a revised nine holes Finbar Boylan (PH20) headed the field with an excellent 21 points.
However, Finbar was deducted one point for a previous win leaving him tied with Fergus Lane (PH22) and Vincent Litchfield (PH19). But he managed to come out of the three-way tie as the overall winner on countback.
Fergus and Vincent were left competing for the Category Two prize with Fergus prevailing on countback.
The winner of Category One was Paddy Kingham (PH18) with a score of 18 points. He had a well-played final seven holes with four pars. His recovery from a disastrous start to his round was excellent.
Category Three saw another countback victory. Enda Clerkin (PH33) and Terry Doherty (PH29) were tied on 19 points but Enda took the honours thanks to steady scoring throughout his round.
9-Hole competition – Tuesday, 27th May
Overall - Finbar Boylan (20) 20pts c/b; Category One - Paddy Kingham (18) 18pts; Category Two - Fergus Lane (22) 20pts; Category Three - Enda Clerkin (33) 19pts.
Congratulations to our Sam Rutherford Team (Greensomes) who claimed victory last night against Concra Wood GC in the second leg of the Sam Rutherford.
The halftime result from Sam Rutherford Cup after the away leg was 6 holes down. Last night Mannan Castle won by 5 holes. This team now face Kilkeel GC.
All categories in the Peggy Nelson Trophy qualifier were hotly contested with the eventual winners all golfers that are showing good form at the moment and rising above the rest of the pack.
Half a dozen pars helped Marie Finnegan to the top in the lowest handicap category bracket. Another six pars for Jo Morris who had room to spare in category two.
The top score of the day came from in-form Marie McKeown breaking the 40 points barrier. Pauline Byrne topped the bonus category with another impressive score.
The first three category winners qualified as a team to represent Mannan Castle in the Peggy Nelson Trophy Final in Dunmurry GC on July 7th. Interesting fact, Marie and Jo also represented our club last year in this competition.
Peggy Nelson Trophy Qualifier 18-Hole Stableford 28th May - Category One: Marie Finnegan (10) 30 pts; Category Two: Jo Morris (19) 37 pts; Category Three: Marie McKeown (35) 41 pts; Category Four: Pauline Byrne (49) 34 pts.
We only had one winner in our Monday 9 Hole Competition, although I think that everyone who played in the rain on Monday deserves a medal.
9-Hole Competition 26th May - First Pauline McNally (24) 20pts
2025 President Tom McDermott's Prize
This weekend saw the thrilling competition for the 2025 President Tom McDermott's Prize unfold, bringing great excitement over the bank holiday weekend.
Over 210 members participated, battling their way to secure a spot in the 12-person playoff for the Presidents Cup. What a display of skill and determination, as it took an impressive 38 points to qualify for the playoff!
Congratulations to the twelve qualifiers who made Sunday evening’s playoff truly unforgettable: Marie McKeown, Barry Maguire, Andy Dolan, Trevor Markey, Donard McCabe, Jimmy McMahon, Eoin Morrissey, Jo Barry, Conor Donohue, Patrick Byrne, Eamon Sherry, and Paul Martin.
Staying composed during a playoff is no small feat, especially with a crowd of supporters watching closely, but these golfers showed great nerve and resilience throughout the evening.
Marie McKeown was the leading qualifier with a cracking 45 points going into the playoff with Barry Maguire 43 points and Andy Dolan 42 points hot on her heels. The playoff itself was a tense and thrilling battle.
In the end, Andy Dolan demonstrated exceptional composure to claim victory as the winner of the 2025 Presidents Cup.
His brilliant performance earned him a total of 62 points after 27 holes. Barry Maguire secured second place, edging past Marie McKeown on the countback, with both finishing on 61 points.
Presidents Prize 30th and 31st May/1st June – First: Andy Dolan (HC 24) – 62pts; Second: Barry Maguire (HC 16) – 61pts (cb); Third: Marie McKeown (HC 32) – 61pts; Gross: Mark Lambe (HC 0) – 72.
Ladies Prize – Jo Barry (HC 22) – 58pts (after 27 holes); 1st Other Categories – John Clarke (HC 10) – 37pts; 2nd Other Categories – Kieran Crozier (HC 18) – 36pts; Past President’s Prize – Jimmy McMahon (HC 21) – 55pts; Best Back 9 – Paul A Martin (HC 21) – 22pts; Visitors Prize - Brian Busby.
Congratulations to all the winners for their remarkable performances and a special thanks to everyone who came out to watch and support President Tom McDermott over the weekend.