*Áine Donegan.
Áine Donegan has qualified for the Women’s US Open to be held at Pebble Beach from July 5 to 9 this year.
Áine qualified on Tuesday in a competition held at Peninsula Golf club in New York. This is a monumental achivement for the young Ennis woman, a member of both Woodstock and Lahinch Golf Clubs.
Currently a student at Louisiana State University, she finished second with a 36-hole total of 145 at Peninsula to secure her place in the third major championship of the women’s golf calendar.
This result continues a fine stretch of form for Áine as she adds this to her impressive 5 top 15 finishes in 7 events in America. She is one of two Irish players in the field, alongside Leona Maguire.
Woodstock Golf Club:
Winners of the ladies Australian Spoons greensomes competition at Woodstock were Eilis Neville and Kathleen McEnery 42 points from Mary Gleeson and Mariann Hintz with 37 points.
In the May medal, Niamh O’Regan won the silver section (0-20) with 73 nett while Mary Morgn with 60 nett won the bronze section (handicap 20 +). The June medal will be played for on Tuesday June 18.
The President’s (Ollie McNamara) prize to the ladies will be played for on Sunday June 18. The format will be 18 hole v par and the tee will be available from 12.40 to 1.40p.m.
The men’s club singles last weekend was won by Denis Ryan (21) with 46 points. He had two to spare over Sean Howard (18) with third place filled by Henry Butler (18) who also had 44 points.
Brian Gilligan (2) won the gross with 38 points. Category 1 was won by Andrew Mason (10) with 40 points, category 2 by Cathal O’Sullivan (12) with 42 points and category 3 by David McNamara (19) with 44 points.
In the club modified fourball better ball the winners were Ray Casey (5) and Frank McEnery (19) with 62 from Steve Lahiffe (16) and Liam O’Connor (17) with 61
The open singles continues on Wednesdays and Thursdays while there will be a club singles this weekend.
The HolmPatrick Cup Qualifier Fourball Better Ball takes place this weekend and the winning pair will advance to the Regional Final for Munster at Blarney G.C. on Tuesday August 29. This is for the National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI).
Entries are been taken for the Westgate Motor Factors Scotch Foursomes Matchplay 2023 and the closing date is 5p.m. on thi Friday, June 9.
Woodstock have advanced to the last sixteen in the junior cup as a result of their victory over Doneraile last week. The Pierce Purcell team have also progressed thanks to a 3-2 victory over neighbours Ennis at the weekend.
Ennis Golf Club:
Captain Peter Quinn’s prize to the ladies at Ennis Golf Club was won by Bridie Keane (34) with 63 from Helen Gallery (23) with 68. Flor Coffey (28) was third with 68 followed by Ann Marie Darmody (29) with 70 with Bridget Hoey (26) in fifth place with 70. The gross was won by Ann O’Loughlin (17) with 87.
In the 3 T’s competition Bridget Hoey (27) was the overall winner with 41 points. Peg Hanrahan (29) won category 1 and Ruth Nihillk (26) won category 2 and they both had 41 points while Patricia O’Reilly (41) won category 3 with 40 points.
Margaret Flanagan (18) was the overall winner in the 9 hole competition with 23 points. Division 1 was won by Mary Nagle (13) with 16 points. Bridie Keane (17) won division 2 with 20 points while Claire Kenneally (21) won category 3 with 19 points.
Winners of the senior ladies outing at Ennis last week were Ann White, Claire Kennelly and Mary McMahon.
The previous week’s winners were Mary Murray, Jean Molony and Bernie Brooks from Brid Cunningham, Eileen Daly and Maeve O’Grady.
There will be ladies open days on Wednesday June 14 in aid of Clare Motor Neurone Awareness 2023 while the Play in Pink day will be on July 12.
The Men’s scratch cups (intermediate and minor) will be played for this weekend while on the following weekend the competition will be for the senior and junior scratch cups.
Kilrush Golf Club:
The men’s competition at Kilrush at the weekend was the Shannonside team of three which was won by Pat Mulcahy, Geremiah Brennan and Brian Scanlan with 90 points. They had one to spare over Alan F Howard, George Nolan and Thomas Downes who were followed by Anthony Gilmartin, John M Cuggeran and Michael Miniter with 88 points.
Fourth place was filled by David Keane, Michael Meehan and John O Donnell with 87 points which was the same total returned by Mark Shannon, John McGrath and Noel Kilkenny.
The all ladies team winners were Geraldine Burke, Mary Nolan and Ailish Lorigan with 85 points, two ahead of Anne Cooper, Kathleen Haugh and Honor Kyne.
East Clare Golf Club:
The winners of the men’s open at East Clare last week was Sean McCarthy with Kieran Fox in second place.
The men’s yellow stakes competition at the weekend was won by Brendan McGill with 68 from Ray McInerney with 70 while Eoin McGill won the gross with 71. In the men’s white stakes competition, the winner was Terry Coughlan with 63 from Seamus Mason with 69 while William O’Brien won the gross with 78.
The winners of the ladies Wednesday competition were Breda O Loghlin, Sue Whiting and Helen Conway from Evelyn Skehan, Breda Reid and Siobhan Tiernan with third place filled by Margaret O’Brien. Phil Burke, Trish Kerr and Mary Jo Minogue.
Friday evening’s scramble was won by Jimmy Nagle, John Duffy, Brid Gurnett and Carmel Lenihan from Eoghan Mannion, Brian Corry and Catherine Minogue with third spot filled by Siobhan Shanahan, Gearoid Mannion and Jim Greene.
The men’s open continues on Thursdays while the Friday evening scramble gets underway at 5.45 pm
Dromoland Golf Club:
The men’s competition at Dromoland last weekend was an 18 hole rumble which was won by Mark Reynolds and Gordan Daffy with 58 points from David O’Brien and Emmet Costigan with 55 points with third spot filled by Kyle Neylon and Conor Ryan with 52 points.
Category A of last week’s senior men’s competition was won by Alan Whit with 18 points from Barry Walsh with a similar score with third spot filled by Liam Moloney with 16 points.
Mark Skehan was the winner of category B with 18 points from George O’Carroll with 16 and Frank Travers with 14.
Fanny O’Dea’s society:
Portumna was the venue on Saturday last for the Fanny O’Deas society’s president’s (Noel Haier) prize which was won by Brian Kilker (19) with 40 points. He had two to spare over Niall Donegan and he won second prize on the back nine from Tony McMahon. Mark Cottam was fourth with 31 points followed by Paddy Corcoran, also with 31 points. Declan Conway won the nearest the pin prize while Paul Faughnan had the longest drive.
Support Clare football:
The annual United Metals sponsored Clare football golf classic will take place on Thursday June 22 and Friday June 23 at Woodstock Golf Club. This annual event raises funds for the development of Clare football. It’s a team of four competition (€300 per team which includes dinner) and entries can be given to any of the organising committee which includes Colm Collins, Kevin Callinan, Michael Clancy, Ciaran Browne, Tommy Tubridy, Mary Farrell-Keane, Niamh Madigan and Seamus Hayes. The timesheet is with Seamus Hayes (087-2186172).
Portumna Golf Club:
Liam Sammon’s president’s prize was played for at Portumna at the weekend when the ladies section was won by Georgina Chambers (25) with 106.3 In second place with 106.5 was Martina Harpur (19) followed by Rachel Madden (18) with 109, Inesa Gallagher (15) also with 109 and Mary Madden. The gross was won by Suzanne Corcoran (2) with 120.
P.J. Moylan (17) won the men’s section with 98.5 from David Craughwell (18) with 99 nett. They were followed by Stephen Moylan (16) with 101 nett, David Greenwood (13) with 103.5, Pat Quinlan (10) with 106 and Conor McNally (30) with 109. James P McLoughlin (+2) won the gross with 105 from Ger Lynch (2) with 116 while the leading qualifier was Padraic Cahalan. Gort Golf Club:
Tim Glynn (16) Athenry was the winner of the Glenn Cahill car sales sponsored 18 hole singles stableford competition at Gort at the weekend with 43 points, Ger Hogan (12) Galway Bay won category 1 with 40 points.
Category 2 was won by Chris Murphy (14) with 35 points and category 3 by Gary Killeen (26) with 41 points while the gross was won by Declan Glynn (6) Galway Bay with 33 points.
In the club’s summer classic last week, sponsored by Ecoaer, Gort the winners were John McGrath, Michael Killeen, David Cahill and Chris Fennessy with 111 points. In second place with 103 points were Pat Curtis, Martin Flaherty, Con O’Donoghue and John Kelleher followed by Gerry Dooley, Len Baker, Andy Murphy and Tony Moran with 102 points.
Fourth spot was filled by Joan Fogarty, Des O’Reilly, Teresa Kavanagh and Fran O’Reilly, also with 102 points followed by Ger and Noel Slater, Laurence and Donncha O’Loughlin with 101 points while sixth place was filled by John Commins, Robert and Peter Deegan and Kevin Roche, also with 101 points.
The gross was won by Enda Cradock, Robert McDonagh, Gavin Lally and Joe Moran with 76 points while the category for non handicap players was won by Aidan and Gavin Duffy, Ian Dervan and Piaras O’Dea with 79 points.
