All the news and happenings from the local golf clubs

BALLYCASTLE

Saturday saw the last of the major cup and medal competitions for the season at Ballycastle with the September Medal.

It was Willis McWhirter (22) who picked up the first prize with a super net 65 ahead of Robert O’Connell second on 68. The Section Prizes were won by Francis McGinn 68, Dennis Allen 70 and Paul Devlin also with a 70. Michael Dallat jnr and Owen Kennedy took the two gross prizes with 76’s.

Saturday also saw the completion of the Golfer of the Year competition. Eddie McMullan led the way going into the last day having won the Atlantic Cup the previous Sunday to add to his Glandore at the start of the season. However, John Armstrong the winner of the Valencia Cup earlier in the season, emerged from the chasing pack to pip Eddie and lift the GOTY title on 86 points. Roland Kearns was third on 80 points.

On Sunday the father and son combination of Desmond and Stuart Nevin overcame the other father and son, Liam and Rory Gallagher to lift the Silver Mounted Trophy for the first time. Congratulations to all the winners.

The presentation of trophies will take place at the Club AGM on Friday 26th September and all winners are expected to attend.

Jubilation for Lee At Gracehill

Lee Munnis spread-eagle the field with a stunning 43pts to win the Bass Trophy.

This 17 handicapper got off to the perfect start with three pars, and even a couple of double bogeys couldn’t halt his progress as he closed out the front 9 with three more pars and a birdie!

His back nine was adventurous with everything from a 3 to a 7, but with still plenty of fuel left in the tank he ran out a worthy winner. Jonathan Kyle playing off 20 was runner-up with 41 points.

With the composed, relentless, incessant appetite for perfection running through his veins over every shot and that eternal quest for self-actualisation Jonathan just came up against the better man on the day.

Bert Dobbin (13) was third with 39 points. Ian Morrison won the gross prize with a 74.

In the Monthly Medal Brian Munnis playing off 10 won Division 1 with a nett 67. While Mickey Connor playing off 21 won Division 2 with a nett 72.

Andrew runner up in Irish Youths Golf

Andrew Mulholland of Castlerock golf club finished runner up in the Irish Youths Amateur Championship at Ardglass last week.

In testing conditions for all four rounds Andrew was pipped to the title by one shot by Kyle McCarron of Northwest Golf Club.

Alan Lowry was three shots further back on third. Tied for the lead with seven holes to go McCarron covered the closing holes in two under for a best of the day 69 to Mulhollands 71 to win by one.

Portrush junior Peter Kerr finished tied fifth.

Portstewart Ladies

Captain’s Away Day

Lady Captain Rosie Millar and 61 ladies from Portstewart had a great day away at Greencastle on August 8th.

The weather wasn’t perfect but the rest of the day was. We had a good days golf and the welcome and hospitality from Greencastle could not have been better.

The lucky winners on the day were:- Overall winner Irene Murray, Section A Anne Barr and Section B Kay Simpson. Well done Lady Captain and all the winners.

The next big day was Good Cause day on the 13th of August. This was a team event on the Strand and also an 18 hole competition on the Riverside course.

There were many sponsors of this event with the main sponsor being Daniel Henry, thank you to everyone for their kind support. The day was organised by Susan Morgan , Clare Johnston and Lady Captain. The day was excellent and a big thank you to the organisers and sponsors.

The Good Cause Day chosen charity was the locally based Cancer Focus NI.

The winners were Strand course: Rae Kernahan, Sheelagh Duffy & Corinna O’Neill. Riverside Course: Overall winner Pat Lowe.

HARRY HANGS IN FOR CUP WIN

The Bamford Cup was being fought for at Bushfoot Golf Club on Saturday and Harry Hughes popped up with 43 points to take the silverware home.

He was trotting along nicely on his opening nine when he hit trouble with a double bogey six on the fifth but Harry hit back with a good two on seven to help him on to 22 points for his front nine.

Harry’s back nine was similar, just no more birdies, and he pulled 21 points from it to push his card on to 43 points for the win.

Gilbert Bowman was lurking behind Harry, just a point back, on 42. He started seven, five but regained his composure to lose just four more to par for 21 points out.

Ten took two off Gilbert but again he settled to get another 21 for his card and stayed four in front of the third placed man who was David Cartmill on 38 points.

He too had a bad start, blanking the second and taking six on the third but regained his composure with a birdy three on the fourth.

That start limited his points for the outward nine to 16 but better was ahead of him and he produced a steady nine holes for 22 points to take third place.

Bryan McNeill produce a round of 76, six over par, to take the Best Gross prize. His opening seven was not the norm for Bryan and he proved this by getting to the turn with a birdie on the par four third and a bogey on the fifth along with six pars.

That gave him a half time score of three over 33. The back nine started shakily too with two shots going west on ten but another steadying of nerves clicked in and Bryan lost very few shots from there, in fact he picked another up on the last with his birdie three to see him home in another three over par 33 for his gross of 76.

RUNAWAY WIN FOR PAUL AT RATHMORE

A wonderful 45 points put Paul Rohdich at the top of the Dowds Stableford (week 2) event at Rathmore on Sunday.

The five handicapper opened his card with a nice birdy three which was evened out by him getting his first bogey on the par four fifth.

Paul’s two on the short sixth put him back under par where he stayed until the turn for home.

The long thirteenth gave up a four to Paul and the par four fourteenth a three to see him on three under par gross at that point.

The score stayed there to the end where he rolled in a putt for a two to end the round on four under par 66. This translates to 45 Stableford points and put Paul three clear of the nearest rival.

This was Mark McClelland on 42 points. Mark plays off five as well and gathered two birdies, a four on four and a three on the fifth to get nine played in level par 35 for 20 points out.

The par five tenth put Mark under par with a birdy four as did the next par five, the thirteenth, so with just a single bogey five hindering him on sixteen Mark added 22 points with his one under par back nine of 34.

Yet another five man took third place as Harry Moon carded 40 points. He birdied five of the first nine holes, a three on the second followed by a trio, 4-3-2, from the fourth and a final three on nine.

Some shots were lost as well and he turned on two under par 33 with 22 points claimed. His two on eleven was the only sub par score coming back and helped Harry to a handicap matching 18 points for his 40 total.

Two players tied on 39 points each, Derek McAleese and Stephen Murdock, with Derek getting the nod in the countback.

This was a two round series and second placed Mark actually won the overall event as he had already lodged 36 points from last week.

This got him on to 78 aggregate with Harry Moon (38 and 40) but the countback system eased Harry into runners up spot. Rory Houston, who also won the Hat Series, took third place in the Dowds Cup with a two round points tally of 73 (36 and 37) in a three way tie break with Bill Clarke and Ian Kettyle.

PORTRUSH MEDAL WIN FOR IAN

Ian Dowds captured the September monthly Medal at Royal Portrush on Saturday with a net 69.

He was in a “birdie free zone” for the front nine and had dropped shots on four, seven and eight and got to the half way points in 40 shots, four over par.

A steady back eight for the eleven handicapper was boosted at the death by a birdie three on eighteen to see another 40 on to the card for a gross of 80 which netted down to Ian’s winning 69.

That proved to be one better than Silver Medallist Mark Henry’s 70. A shot further back was Clyde Shanks to take the Bronze Medal with his net 71.

In the Gross stakes it was John Turner jnr who came up with the best round which was a level par 72.

He took two birdies from the first nine, a four on the long second and a three on the par four seventh, to be one over par after nine.

Coming back John birdied the tenth in four and got threes on fifteen and eighteen for a back nine of one under par 35.

That took him to his level par 72 and the Best Gross prize.