Latest news with #IrishMen'sAmateurCloseChampionship
The 42
18 hours ago
- Sport
- The 42
County Louth duo selected on Walker Cup team that includes Ian Poulter's son
TWO IRISH GOLFERS have been selected to play in the 50th Walker Cup next month as part of the Great Britain and Ireland side that will take on the USA. The GB & Ireland team will face the USA selection in California at Cypress Point on the Monterey Peninsula on the weekend of 6-7 September. The County Louth GC pair of Stuart Grehan and Gavin Tiernan have both been picked while Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) will be first reserve for the biennial match. Advertisement Grehan was successful at Westport this weekend as he won the Irish Men's Amateur Close Championship, following up his Irish Men's Amateur Open Championship success from Seapoint earlier this summer. Tiernan has also had a phenomenal season with the highlight coming at Royal St George's when he made it all the way to the final of the 130th R&A Amateur Championship before losing to American Ethan Fang, who will be part of the USA outfit. Gavin Tiernan. Grehan and Tiernan's team-mates in the 10-man squad will include Luke Poulter, son of Ryder Cup player Ian, and Scottish player Niall Shiels Donegan who reached the semi-finals of the US Amateur over the weekend. Amazing news!! Huge congratulations to Stuart and Gavin 👏👏👏 — County Louth GC (@CountyLouthGC) August 18, 2025 GB & Ireland Walker Cup Team
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
McCormack scratches his 20-year McIlroy itch with first Irish Close Championship
Eddie McCormack (Galway Bay) claimed his first Irish Senior Men's Amateur Close Championship in emphatic style at Nenagh Golf Club on Friday afternoon, twenty years after losing the final of the Irish Men's Amateur Close Championship to a young Rory McIlroy. Deirdre Smith also walked away with silverware, as the County Louth golfer overturned the disappointment of losing last year's decider in Kilkeel to claim a dramatic Irish Senior Women's Amateur Close Championship win on the 19th hole of her playoff against Sinead Benedetti (Roscommon). Karl Bornemann (Douglas) retained his Irish Veteran Men's Amateur Close Championship, and it was Fionnuala Halpin (Dun Laoghaire) who claimed the Irish Senior Women's Amateur Close Plate. The Senior Men's final would be a battle of two champions, as reigning Irish Senior Men's Close Stroke Play champion McCormack took on Irish Senior Men's Open Champion, Andrew Morris (Royal Portrush) in the final, after the pair battled past Pat Murray (Adare Manor) and David Hunt (Nenagh) in the morning semi-finals. McCormack would get in front early and, by his own admission, kept 'the foot to the floor' as he made the turn, 6up thru nine, before sealing his 7&6 victory on the 12th hole to become the first player to win both the Irish Close Stroke Play and Match Play in the same season. 'Delighted to be champion, played very, very well today, especially this afternoon,' said McCormack 'I felt as if I couldn't give him (Morris) breathing space at all because he is such a good player.' 'Any win is a nice win. It's nice to win an Irish title, it's another one to relish.' Reminiscing on his match against McIlroy in the final of the Men's Close at Westport two decades ago, McCormack smiled at the memory. 'He was phenomenal, so he was, I was afraid of him that day,' said McCormack. 'I didn't win the close 20 years ago but I won it today so it's brilliant.' SMOOTH EXIT: Deirdre Smith who won the Irish Senior Men's & Women's Close Championships, Nenagh, Tipperary Pic: INPHO/Leah Scholes Leading qualifier Smith advanced to the final of the Irish Senior Women's Amateur Close thanks to a 5&3 win against Maria O'Reilly (Headfort) while Benedetti had a 3&1 victory over Tracy Eakin (Dooks). It was an enthralling final and when Smith got up and down from a greenside bunker on 18 to force a playoff, she had the momentum behind her and won with a par on the first extra hole. 'I lost it in pretty poor fashion last year and I was really disappointed, so I set out to exorcise those demons today,' said Smith. 'Anytime you win an Irish championship it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication and a lot of soul searching at times and to be proud of that is good. They are the really important things; the trophy is not really what it's all about it's all the other stuff that people don't see.' At the R&A Boys' Amateur at County Louth, there was disappointment for John Doyle, who lost on the 20th in his quarter-final to Spaniard Yago Horno. The Fota Island teenager was 2up with four holes to play, but Horno won 15 and 16, and then took the match on the second extra hole. Doyle's defeat ended Irish hopes of a first win since 1986. Horno defeated Sweden's Oscar Stendahl by two holes in the semi-final and will play the Netherlands' Guus Lafeber, son of former European Tour player Maarten, in the final.
