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Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland's most famous golfing dynasty continues as O'Connor wins Connacht title
Cian O'Connor continued a rich family dynasty as he won the Connacht Men's Open Stroke Play Championship on Saturday. O'Connor, a relative of the great Christy O'Connor Snr and Christy O'Connor Jnr, shot a closing round of 65 to finish on three-under-par, one shot clear of Castleknock's David Reddan. The victory was all the more poignant for Roscommon golfer Cian O'Connor as it arrived at the course where his famous uncles grew up playing the sport. Cian told Golf Ireland: 'It is special. This is where golf started. My family, my great uncle and great great uncle, all played here and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. It's just a good place to win. 'They definitely were big inspirations for me. Growing up and getting into golf and looking up to them and wanting to be like them definitely pushed me on and gave me something to work towards. They're still doing that because I have a long way to go. 'We stayed with my auntie and uncle last night which was handy. I didn't have to drive as far and then my sister was down this morning and my dad came up then and my grandparents as well. 'Big, big crowd for support and I appreciate them.' O'Connor, who has just returned following his junior year at University of Memphis, said: 'This is one of my best days on the golf course.' Knocknacarra man Christy O'Connor Snr (1924-2016) was one of the leading golfers of his generation, winning over 60 professional events and coming close to winning the Open Championship on numerous occasions. The O'Connor golfing heritage continued through Christy O'Connor Jnr (1948-2016), who was the nephew of Christy Snr. O'Connor Jnr had a successful career on the European Tour for many years and is best known for beating Fred Couples at the 1989 Ryder Cup. O'Connor's two-iron into the final hole at the Belfry that skipped to within four feet of the hole is one of the most famous shots in the history of the competition. Now Cian O'Connor looks to have inherited the talents of his famous uncles as he begins to make his own mark on the game.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irishman heading for 500 golf courses but found calling for very important cause
Rory Fitzgerald, who has notched up 483 golf courses and is planning his next round, reflects on his journey from a 37-year tenure at Ulster Bank to providing vital emotional support with Samaritans Ireland since his retirement in 2010. Golf Ireland recently named the charity as their new community partner for mental wellbeing, a move that Fitzgerald, an avid golfer and supporter of mental health initiatives, finds particularly fulfilling. "I would have two passions, it ticks two boxes for me so I'm very hopeful that we can make this a very strong and worthwhile relationship," said Fitzgerald. "When I retired from the bank at the young enough age of 54 I was looking around and I wanted to do something because through my working life I couldn't give time to things like that. "I saw an ad for Samaritans in the local paper and it appealed to me, it was a large organisation, you were part of a group of people again which I had been all my working life in the bank, and I joined as a volunteer. "I have no regrets, I've got a lot out of it; it's a fantastic organisation, the people in it are great. I ended up being the Regional Director for the Republic of Ireland in 2020, which was a full-time unpaid job for two years, but very engaging. "It's a great organisation and we've a lot of volunteers who work full-time and they still give their time to do duties every week and it is important that we're there for people who need us. "Particularly at the dark of night, I think we're the only organisation that's available 24/7. At nighttime people are at a low ebb. It's dark, there's nobody around and they can pick the phone up and talk to us. "That's very helpful for them." Limerick-born Fitzgerald, who was introduced to golf by his mother Claire, an accomplished player herself with a single-figure handicap, started swinging clubs at the tender age of seven. It wasn't until he was about 10 or 11, when a group of four other lads took up the sport, that golf really became his passion. "My mother used to bring me out when I was younger and then that grew and at around 10 or 11, there was four other lads who started at the same time and that helped," Fitzgerald recalled. He noted how back in the day, golf wasn't as popular: "Because golf wasn't a popular sport in those days, you wouldn't be seen walking down the street with a set of golf clubs, people would look as if you had three heads. Whereas now golf is all-encompassing, which is great." Fitzgerald's education at Crescent College included playing rugby, but a bizarre injury on the golf course ended his rugby pursuits. The incident occurred in 1976 during the Thurles Scratch Cup when Fitzgerald, then 19, suffered a collapsed lung right on the green. "I missed a short putt on the tenth, and I said to the guy: 'I'm dying of a pain in my chest,' and he thought I was just overreacting to missing a short putt," Fitzgerald recounted. "I was tall and thin, and it's tall, thin athletic people when they're young they can get that. It was all good afterwards but you wouldn't be playing physical contact sport after having something like that happen." Despite this setback, Fitzgerald went on to shine on the golf course, with his amateur career peaking when he reached the quarter-finals of the AIG Irish Men's Amateur Close at Royal Portrush, defeating future Ryder Cup star Paul McGinley in the process. His golfing career also saw him represent six different clubs in the AIG Barton Shield and Senior Cup, including Clonmel, Wexford, Mallow, Limerick, Tramore and West Waterford. Fitzgerald even had the chance to play alongside a young Seamus Power for West Waterford during the 2006 AIG Barton Shield. "I got dropped from Tramore and I went and joined West Waterford and played a couple of years with them with Senior Cup and Barton Shield," said Fitzgerald. "We played a match which we unfortunately lost in Tipperary on the 18th, but Seamus is a fantastic guy and he was a seriously good player. He used to go around West Watford regularly at -6, -7, -8. "It's always hard to know if they will make it. I mean, what defines how a player will make the grade? You just don't know. He was a very good player at that level and obviously he went to the States then to college and developed from there but it's very hard to pick a guy at a young age and say he's going to be very good. "They're ten a penny when they get out and on the mini tours but he's done well. It's great to see." Fitzgerald now plays off 6.8 and while his quest to play 500 different golf clubs continues he can look forward to celebrating his 45th wedding anniversary with his wife, Anne, next month. And while, she and his three children Ruth, Jody and Lisa are his greatest achievements, he knows that volunteering for Samaritans Ireland has also provided him with some of the most rewarding years of his life. "We're very privileged when people pick up the phone to us because they're telling us their innermost thoughts and what's going on in their lives and it gives you a very broad picture of what goes on in Irish society," said Fitzgerald. With 24 locations Samaritans answers over 1,500 calls for help every day across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Golf has more than just physical benefits, with golfers able to avail of reduced stress, improved concentration and meaningful social connections. Golf clubs can also provide a sense of belonging, offering a welcoming and supportive environment. This is a natural fit with Samaritans' mission to ensure people have somewhere to turn to and for support. The collaboration with Golf Ireland also helps to raise further awareness around the 24-hour helpline, 116 123. "You're not going to get everyone right and if the caller doesn't like the sound of your voice or they don't feel like there's a bit of chemistry they can hang up and ring again," said Fitzgerald. "We're privileged to take that call. My experience and all the volunteers' experience are that we certainly do help people, and you might start off a call with somebody who's in a very, very bad place, and by the end of the call, they might say to you, look, I feel better now, thanks for being there and listening. I'm okay."
Irish Independent
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Dundalk Golf Club rename 18th hole after Padraig Harrington as 2025 Scratch Cup launched
The announcement was made last Wednesday evening at a reception to mark the 120th anniversary of Dundalk Golf Club and the launch of the 2025 Scratch Cup. It was also announced that Golf Ireland has awarded Dundalk the All-Ireland Mixed Fourball and Mixed Foursomes finals which will be held in September while the PGA are to stage the final round of the Callaway Chrome Tour PGA Open Series in Dundalk the same month. Among those in attendance at the reception were Michael Evans, President, Golf Ireland; Harry McAlinden, Chairperson, Leinster Golf; Conor Dillon, Manager, The PGA in Ireland; and Cllr Sean Kelly, Cathaoirleach, Dundalk Municipal District, along with past captains, lady captains, presidents and lady presidents of Dundalk Golf Club. Dundalk Captain Gerry McDermott said that renaming the hole was a fitting way to mark Harrington's achievements in the game. 'It is a source of great pride to everybody in our club that Padraig Harrington is a former winner of our Senior Scratch Cup. Those who were there in 1995 still talk of how he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on the eighteenth hole in the final round. 'But few remember how he bogeyed the eighteenth in 1990 to lose the Irish Youths Championship by one shot and don't realise the lesson he learned that day would eventually help him to win his first Open title at Carnoustie in 2007.' Harrington's Dundalk story will be put on display in the Clubhouse and on the club's website whilst a sign will be erected on the eighteenth tee box to mark its change of name from Ceann Scribe or 'Journey's End' to 'Harrington's Challenge'. Lady Captain Sally McDonnell said: 'Padraig Harrington has been a wonderful inspiration to everybody in Irish golf so it is nice to mark the special association he has with Dundalk Golf Club. Hopefully the story behind 'Harrington's Challenge' will inspire future generations.' In a message, which was read out at the launch, Padraig Harrington said he was honoured that the 18th hole has been named after him. He said: 'I am delighted to be associated with the renaming of the eighteenth hole at Dundalk Golf Club, which was the setting for a milestone in my golfing career, one that was pivotal in helping shape my mindset by encouraging me to start working with a sports psychologist, Aidan Moran. The eighteenth hole showed me very distinctly the highs and lows of golf, how shots can be assessed internally, but judged completely differently by the outside world.' The 63rd Dundalk Senior Scratch sponsored by One Finance will take place on Sunday, May 18, having moved from the September date it has occupied for the last few years. It remains a 36-hole event with a shotgun start for both rounds at 9am and 2pm. Defending champion Caolan Rafferty will go in search of a sixth title on home turf and a second back-to-back triumph having successfully defended the title back in 2019. Rafferty, who will defend his East of Ireland title over the June Bank Holiday weekend, said he was looking forward to the challenge of mounting a successful defence of the Carroll Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the Scratch Cup. 'A lot of lads will be looking for a good competitive golf test, especially with the East taking place a few weeks later. It was great to win it again last year and I want to keep on winning it for as long as I can,' said Rafferty, who was on the GB&I Walker Cup team in 2019. Martin McDonnell, Managing Director of One Finance, said they were delighted to continue their sponsorship of the Dundalk Scratch Cup: 'This is the ninth year we have been associated with the Scratch Cup and we hope those taking part will take inspiration from following in the footsteps of Padraig Harrington who won it 30 years ago.' Entries are now being accepted for the Dundalk Scratch Cup through the Pro Shop which can be contacted at teetimes@ or 042-9322102. The Entry fee is €50 which includes soup and sandwiches between rounds and the handicap limit is three. '2025 is going to be a busy year for Dundalk Club,' said Manager Leslie Walker. 'The staging of the Golf Ireland finals and the PGA event in September is recognition of the standard of our course and our facilities and we will be doing our very best to make those events, and the Scratch Cup, memorable occasions for everybody involved.'
Irish Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Major opportunity beckons for Leona Maguire at Chevron Championship
Leona Maguire is the sole Irish player in the field at this week's Chevron Championship at The Woodlands in Texas, the first of five Major championships on the LPGA Tour where world number one Nelly Korda is the defending champion. Maguire hasn't missed a cut in eight starts so far in what has been a season of consistency without ever contending. Her best finish came in the season-opening HGV Tournament of Champions where the Co Cavan-born player finished ninth. Her latest outing saw Maguire finish tied-37th in the JM Eagle LA Championship where her $18,695 pay-day brought her season's winnings to over $168,000. The Chevron returns to the Jack Nicklaus signature design at The Woodlands for a stellar field with a purse of $7.9 million, with $1.2m going to the winner. READ MORE On the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy returns to action for the first time since completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters when he again partners Shane Lowry in the defence of their two-man Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Shane Lowry celebrates with the Claret Jug after winning The Open Championship 2019 at Royal Portrush Golf Club. The Open returns to the Antrim venue this year. Photograph: David Davies/PA Claret Jug's Irish tour proves popular Golf Ireland has hailed the reaction to the recent Claret Jug tour of Ireland as 'phenomenal,' after some 23 clubs – north, south, east and west – got to host the most famous trophy in golf. The tour, arranged in conjunction with the R&A who run The Open, golf's oldest championship, covered 2,479 kilometres over a two-week period in raising awareness in advance of the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush in July. The tour took in 23 golf clubs in total: Skerries, Edenderry, Athlone, Grange, Greystones, St Helen's Bay, West Waterford, Kanturk, Killarney, Cork, Clonmel, Ballyneety, Portumna, Athenry, Westport, Tandragee, Lurgan, Greenisland, Portadown, Bushfoot, Rosapenna, Letterkenny and Cushendall. 'Seeing so many communities engage with the trophy demonstrates how much golf means to people across Ireland. It also highlights the important role our clubs play, not just in sport, but in bringing people together,' said Golf Ireland chief executive Mark Kennelly. By the Numbers: 1 Conor Purcell is – again – the lone Irish player in the field for a DP World Tour event this week. The 27-year-old Dubliner had a season's best 15th place finish in the Volvo China Open – ending a run of three missed cuts – to move to 149th on the updated Race to Dubai order of merit and remains in China for the Hainan Classic at Mission Hills. Word of Mouth 'You should never not expect it, right? But obviously got it done in a couple of starts. Just kind of crazy' – Swedish golfer Ingrid Lindblad , a former world number one amateur, on winning the JM Eagle LA Championship in just her third start on the LPGA Tour. Steve Elkington: came from seven shots behind to earn a breakthrough win in 1990 at the Greater Greensboro Open (now the Wyndham). Photograph: Jamie Squire/All Sport On this day: April 22nd, 1990 Steve Elkington had walked in the shadows of fellow Aussie Greg Norman for his early years on the PGA Tour before finally finding the spotlight with a breakthrough win in the Greater Greensboro Open (now the Wyndham) where a final round 66 for six-under-par 282 enabled him to overcome a seven shots deficit. Mike 'Radar' Reid was the fall-guy, as he suffered a string of bogeys on the homeward run in posting a 75 that left him tied for second with Jeff Sluman. Elkington hadn't missed a cut in 11 starts on the US circuit before finding a route to victory: 'I think everybody all over the world holds a player up a little different until he's won. I think winning is very big out here, extremely big.' The Elk became the second player of the 1990 season to go into the final round seven shots adrift and win. The other? Why, Greg Norman of course, a couple of weeks earlier at Doral! Social Swing What a championship performance! Take a bow Roisin Scanlon – winner of the 2025 Helen Holm Scottish Women's Open Championship. On her rookie appearance and with mum Taneisha following every shot and dad Anthony on the bag, @GolfIreland ace Roisin showed nerve AND skill. A five shot win over England's Jess Hall was richly deserved. The teenager even had time to plane spot coming down 18th. What a week at @RoyalTroonGC – great venue producing a worthy champion – Scottish Golf 's social media post of the Irish teenager's win at Troon. Scanlon became the first Irish winner since Olivia Mehaffey in 2015. So close to my 1st hole in one of my career on the PGA Tour. Decent week of golf. Game is not far away. Keep grinding until my run comes. Thank you @RBC_Heritage for a great week. One of the best weeks all year. Crowds were amazing this week. Maybe the biggest I've ever seen at this event – Billy Horschel on his near ace. In the Bag: Justin Thomas at RBC Heritage Classic Driver: Titleist GT2 (10 degrees) 3-wood: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees) 5-wood: Titleist 915 Fd (18 degrees) Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist (6-9) Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (46, 52, 56 and 60 degrees) Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 5 Tour Prototype Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Know the Rules Q: In a singles match, a player concedes their opponent's next stroke, picks up the opponent's ball and rolls it to them along the putting surface. The player did so out of courtesy, for the purpose of returning the ball to their opponent. What is the ruling? A: As the player's action was not for the purpose of testing the putting green, there is no penalty for testing under Rule 13.1e.
