Dundalk have reached the final of the Barton Cup after a brilliant 4-1 victory over Dublin club Old Conna in the semi-final this afternoon.
With Old Conna hosting three of the five matches it was always going to be a tough test for the team managed by Derek Murdock and Mickey Coburn but they rose to it in some style after seeing Maurice Soraghan & Conor Murray beaten as Old Conna put an early first point on the board.
Aidan Thonton and John McKeever won 5&4 to level the scores and then Conall Murdock & Adrian Kenny won 3&2 to put Dundalk ahead before ther victory was rounded off by a 4&3 win for Conor Murphy & Gary Lennon and a one hole victory for Dennis Cunningham and John Paul Casey.
Dundalk will now face either Portarlington in the two legged final with the first leg scheduled for Saturday, September 5 and the second leg two weeks later on Saturday, September 19.  
Portarlington won 4-1 after taking their two home matches and the top match away with the other two matches called in. 

Visitor Maurice Patterson from Rockmount Golf Club outside Belfast won Wednesday’s Open Singles Stableford with an excellent score of 46pts off a playing handicap of 33. His club colleague Michael Coyle (23) won Division 3 with 42pts while Ciaran Sheridan (7) with 43pts was the Division 1 winner and Gerry O’Keeffe (14) with 41pts took Division 2.  
Wednesday, August 12 – Open Singles Stableford – Maurice Patterson (33, Rockmount) 46pts. Division 1: Ciaran Sheridan (7) 43pts. Division 2: Gerard O'Keeffe (14) 41pts (Last Nine). Division 3: Michael Coyle (23) Rockmount) 42pts (Last Nine). Gross Recognition: Ciaran Sheridan 36pts.

It’s been a good few weeks for the Smith family. Dad Graeme won the 2026 Laytown & Bettystown Junior Scratch Cup over the August Bank Holiday weekend with a gross score of 73. Son Lewis followed that by winning the Junior Opens at Laytown & Bettystown and County Louth and has now reduced his handicap to 6.5.

Frank O’Hagan produced a round to remember when he shot a remarkable 47pts to win the Singles Stableford competition sponsored by E-Power which took place over the weekend of August 8 and 9.
Playing off 23 he scorched over the front nine in 26pts to lay the foundation for a win by four points from Mark Baillie (35) in second place.
His round began with a birdie three for four points at the first and he also picked up four points for pars at the third and fourth where he had two shots.  He also added three-point pars at the fifth and ninth and a three-point bogey at the seventh.
His back nine was also impressive as he came home in 21pts having started with a two point bogey at the 10th. That was followed by four successive three-point holes and he also managed another three points for a par at the par three 17th.
Baillie took second overall with 43pts after edging out Conor Smyth Redmond (27) on countback with Smyth Redmond winning Division 3 by one point from Conor McDonnell.
Ross Quigley (11) shot 42pts to pip Eddie Rogers (9) by one point for Division 1 honours while Division 2 saw Jim McEneaney (15) come out on top with his 42pts one better than Jack Duffy (18).
Clem Walshe recorded the best gross with a score of 39pts which included an eagle two at the eighth and birdies at the ninth and 18th.
Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9 – Singles Stableford sponsored by E-Power – Overall: Frank O'Hagan (23) 47pts, Mark Baillie (35) 43pts (Last Nine). Division 1: Ross Quigley (11) 42pts, Edward Rogers (9) 41pts (Last Nine). Division 2: Jim McEneaney (15) 42pts, Jack Duffy (18) 41pts (Last Nine). Division 3: Conor Smyth Redmond (27) 43pts, Conor McDonnell (24) 42pts (Last Six). Gross Recognition: Clem Walshe 39pts.

bThe evergreen Dessie Corbett (30) won the Open Singles Stableford held on bank Holiday Monday with a score of 42pts.
Five bogeys and four doubles saw him cover the opening nine in 20pts and he came home in 22pts courtesy of a three-point par at the 14th, five bogeys and three double bogeys.
Niall Martin (7) with 35pts won Division 1 while Mark O’Sullivan (17) with 36pts claimed Division 2 and David Corrigan (34) with 38pts was the Division 3 winner.
Play in Pink on Friday evening with Cillian Shield (10) two points further back  in second.
Monday, August 4 - Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Dessie Corbett (30) 42pts. Division 1: Niall Martin (7) 35pts. Division 2: Mark O'Sullivan (17) 36pts. Division 3: David Corrigan (34) 38pts.
 
 
  
 
 
 

Liam McGailey came through the field to win Michael O’Sullivan’s Captain’s Prize and capture the MJ Spillane Cup for the third time having previously lifted the club’s biggest major in 1994 and 1998.
He won by one shot from Paul O’Reilly with 12-year-old junior member Sean Tuite third, followed by Tommy Lennon and Noel McGuinness. Clem Walsh marked a significant birthday by taking the gross prize while Ollie McDermott claimed the veteran’s prize.
A first round score of 72 nett had left McGailey in 47th place, eight shots off the lead, and well outside the top 30 players who were given designated late tee-times for the second round.
But as the wind picked up in the afternoon McGailey’s early morning start delivered him better conditions to post a score and he shot a 66 nett to post the clubhouse lead at 138.
Playing off 16, McGailey shot 88 gross in the first round with three of his four pars coming in the opening seven holes and the other on the par five 10th. Apart from double bogeys at the fourth and 16th the rest of his scores were single bogeys as he went out in 43 gross and home in 45 gross for that nett 72.
A week later he started his second round with a par at the opening hole which was followed by back-to-back bogeys and a double bogey at the fourth. After parring the fifth, he bogeyed six and double bogeyed seven before finishing the front nine with successive pars for an outward nine of 43 gross, the same score as in his first round.
But, unlike his opening round, he burned up the back nine covering it in six less shots than the previous weekend. He opened with a par at the 10th and then had a birdie three at the 11th before embarking on a run of five consecutive pars. A triple bogey six at the par three 17th and a bogey at the last saw him cover the back nine in 39 gross and sign for 82 gross which off 16 was a 66 nett.
McGailey finished almost five hours before the leaders were due to tee off but he had set a formidable target because as the day went on, with the greens running at a speedy 12.5 on the stimpmeter and the wind strengthening, the challengers fell by the wayside.
Paul O’Reilly (19) who had started in 15th place after a first round 70 nett came closest as he posted a 69 nett to finish on 139 and was left to rue double bogeys at the 17th and 18th in a round that included a birdie at the first and six pars.
Tommy Lennon (30), who was playing the final group after a first round 65, finished with a 74 nett. A bogey five at the last would have given him the win but he ran into bunker trouble at the green and carded a treble bogey seven to finish fourth overall.
Twelve-year-old Sean Tuite (16) finished third overall after nett rounds of 66 and 70 and his overall score of 136 was the lowest over the two rounds. His status as a junior golfer meant he couldn’t quality for the first two overall places but he is certainly a name to watch out for in the years ahead.   
Kenneth Cairns (13) who had led the way after a first round 64 finished with a 78 nett but took the overall prize for Sunday, July 26 with Colm McCourt (37) taking the overall prize for Sunday, July 25 and John Morrison (19) winning the overall prize for Sunday, August 2.  
The prizes were presented on Sunday night in a packed Clubhouse with many tributes paid to Captain Michael O’Sullivan for his excellent leadership during the year while tenor David Martin entertained the crowd as the Tournament Committee finalised the results.  
Saturday, July 25, Sunday, July 26 and Sunday, August 2 - Michael O’Sullivan’s Captain’s Prize – Overall: 138 - Liam McGailey (16, 72/66), 139 – Paul O’Reilly (19, 70/69). 136 – Sean Tuite (Junior) (16, 66/70), 139 – Tommy Lennon (30, 65/74), 141 – Noel McGuinness (24, 68/73). Gross: 149 - Clem Walsh (75/77). Veteran: 140 – Oliver McDermott (20, 69/71). Division 1: 142 - Dennis Cunningham (10, 67/75). Division 2: 142 - Gareth Halpin (13, 70/72). Division 3: 142 - Trevor Singleton (28) 67/75. Saturday, July 25 – Overall: Colm McCourt (37) 67 (Back Nine). Division 1: Nicholas MacShane (12) 70 (Back Nine). Division 2: Brian McDonnell (15) 67. Division 3: Terry McCann (32) 70. Gross: Ben Cahill 72. Sunday, July 26 - Overall: Kenneth Cairns (13) 64. Division 1: Austin Shaw (10) 71. Division 2: Robert Lynch (14) 68. Division 3: Noel Sweeney (33) 70. Gross: Emmet McCabe Savage 70. Sunday, August 2 – Overall: John Morrison (19) 68 (Back Nine), Ciaran Daly 70. Division 1: Peter Durnin (3) 71 (Back Nine), Maurice Soraghan (11) 71 (Back Nine). Division 2: Eamon McEneaney (15) 68, Frank Byrne (14) 70. Division 3: Gavin McDonnell (25) 69, Cathal Lyons (20) 70.

Christy Ward won the Singles Stableford competition held over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Playing off 8 he shot a super score of 43pts that included four birdies, including three-in-a-row from the turn for home.
Having taken a couple of holes to settle in after one-pointers at the two opening holes, Ward then reeled off three consecutive pars for six points before holing his first birdie of the day for three points at the par five sixth. Three more pars for a further eight points followed as he reached the turn in 21pts.
He began the back nine with a bang as he birdied 10, 11 and 12 for 11pts to reach 32pts with six to go and three pars and three bogeys on te way home added another 11pts as he came home in 22pts for an overall score of 43pts.
That was one point ahead of Ciaran Flanagan (17) who shot 42pts in winning Division 2 while Kyle Rowland (9) had 38pts to win Division 1. The Division 3 winner was Ben O’Connor (21) with 39pts.
Saturday, August 1 – Singles Stableford - Overall: Christy Ward (8) 43pts. Division 1: Kyle Rowland (9) 38pts. Division 2: Ciaran Flanagan (17) 42pts. Division 3: Ben O'Connor (21) 39pts.

The weekly Wednesday Open was won by Kieran Dunne (20) with an impressive score of 40pts while the divisional winners were Richard Newell (3), Eamon McEneaney (15) and Kieran Lally (24).
Wednesday, July 29 – Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Kieran Dunne (20) 43pts. Division 1: Richard Newell (3) 40pts. Division 2: Eamon McEneaney (15) 42pts. Division 3: Kieran Lally (24) 39pts.

Kenneth Cairns leads the way after the first round of Michael O’Sullivan’s Captain’s Prize as 35 players went under par despite the strong winds and dry fairways on the long championship course.
Playing off 13, Cairns shot a nett 64 to lead by one om Tommy Lennon (30) with Sean Tuite (16) a shot further back on 66 nett.
Cairns opened his round with a bogey at the first which was followed by two successive pars. Two more bogeys followed at the fourth and fifth before a burst of three pars before a bogey four at the par three ninth.
That saw him complete the opening nine in 40 gross  nett and after a bogey at the 10th three more pars followed at the 11th, 12th and 13th before a birdie three at the short par four 14th.
A bogey at 15 and another par at the long 16th kept Cairns moving nicely and birdie at the par three 17th got his gross score for the inward nine to level par and a five at the last saw him home in 37 for a gross score of 77 and a nett score of 64.
 Lennon shot a 95 gross for a nett score of 65 and his round was greatly helped by four pars at the first, fourth, fifth and eighth as he went out in 44 gross and came home in 51 gross.
Emmet McCabe Savage has been in good form in recent weeks and it showed again as he shot the best gross score of the first round with a two over par 74 that included three birdies at the second, sixth, seventh and sixteenth as well as 12 pars. What was remarkable about his round was that there were no single or double bogeys only two gut-wrenching tripe bogeys at the par three ninth and par four 11th.
180 players qualified for the second round with the cut mark falling on 78 nett and the top 30 have been handed designated starting times for this Sunday’s final round.  

CAPTAIN'S PRIZE LEADERBOARD (after Round 1)
64 – Kenneth Cairns (13)
65 – Tommy Lennon (30)
66 – Sean Tuite (16)
67 - ColmMcCourt (37), Trevor Singleton (28), Dennis Cunningham (13), Brian McDonnell (15).
68 – Alan Joynt (14), Robert Lynch (14), Noel McGuinness (24) 68, Edward Lawrence (18).
69 – Chris Connolly (14), Oliver McDermott (20), Brendan McDonnell (17).
70 – Paul O'Reilly (19), Noel Sweeney (33), Nicholas MacShane (12), John Mulligan (14),  Terry McCann (32), David Smyth (15), Brendan Tinnelly (20), Gareth Halpin (13), Emmet McCabe-Savage (4), Patrick Donaghy (18), Flyn Kiernan (11), George Rogers (30).
71 – Austin Shaw (10), Jack Reid (11), Clem Walshe (4), Vincent Jackson (17), Daragh Farrelly (18), Ciaran Dunne (14), Turlach King (11), Kenneth Lynch (18), Brendan McElarney (37).

The Barton Cup team are into the Leinster semi-finals after a brilliant 3.5 to 1.5 victory over St Anne’s. There were wins for Conall Murdock & Adrian Kenny, Maurice Soraghan & Conor Murray and Dennis Cunningham & JP Casey. Dundalk will now play Old Conna in the semi-final.
The Junior Cup team’s bid to reach a third Leinster North final in five years came up short when they lost 3-2. There were wins for Conor Murphy and Eoghan McKenna but Clem Walshe, Ciaran Traynor and Mario Gatzambide were unable to get the additional point needed for victory. Clontarf now progress to the final which will be in Dundalk on August 15.