Dundalk Golf Club’s bid to win a second national title came up short over the weekend when they were beaten in the All-Ireland Junior Cup semi-final by the eventual winners Athenry.
 
Athlone Golf Club on the banks of Lough Ree was the venue for the All-Ireland finals with the eigh men’s and women’s regional qualifiers from across Ireland arriving in search of this year’s green pennant.
 
Dundalk faced Monaghan’s Rossmore in the quarter-final on Friday and the Ulster South champions showed that their regional final win over Royal County Down was no fluke as the match was only decided on the 18th hole of the final match.
 
At that stage the teams were level at 2-2. Teenager Odhran MacShane secured Dundalk’s first point with an emphatic 5&4 win over Dermot McCrystal having led from the opening hole.
 
Behind him, player-manager Brian Og Renaghan also got his nose in front at the first and never looked back, eventually winning 6&4 against Ashley White.
 
The loss of five consecutive holes from the ninth proved to be Conor Murphy’s undoing as he lost 5&4 to Eoin McGinnity while Gerard Carroll lost 2&1 after being two up at the turn against Darren McQuaid.
 
It all came down to the final match between Clem Walshe and Daniel McCrossan. There was never more than one hole between them and they were all square when they stood on the 18th tee.
 
Both found the fairway with McCrossan enjoying a slice of luck when his drive ricocheted off the trees on the left into the middle of the fairway. Walshe pulled his approach left of the green while McCrossan went right into the trees and could only chip out. He then failed to find the green with his next two attempts and when his sixth shot failed to get close to the pin he conceded the hole and the match.  
 
The win earned Dundalk a Saturday morning semi-final against Athenry who had beaten Masserene 3.5 to 1.5 in their quarter-final.
                                                          
There was one personnel change to Friday’s team with Ciaran Traynor coming in for Carroll while Renaghan took over the number one spot with Murphy moving to three.
 
After eight holes it was looking good for Dundalk. Renaghan was two up against Fergal Coyle, MacShane was  six up against Jamie Holland, Murphy was one up against Ciaran Coughlan, and Walshe was one up against Brendan Dunne while Traynor, in match four, was three down against Nathan Mullins.
 
However, by the time MacShane closed out his match on the 13th hole for a superb 6&5 win, Traynor was heading for a 6&4 defeat while the other three matches were now all square.
 
In the top match Renaghan lost three successive holes from the 15th to lose 3&1 while Walshe lost 16 and 17 to lose 2&1. Murphy and Coughlan were all square going down the 20th when they were called in.
 
It was a narrow defeat for Dundalk but there was some consolation later in the day when Athenry brushed aside Abbeyleix in the final winning 4-1 with two of the matches called in.   
 
Friday, September 6 and Saturday, September 7 - All-Ireland Junior Cup Finals – Quarter-Finals: Athenry 3.5 Monkstown 1.5, Dundalk 3 Rossmore 2, Castletroy 2 Monkstown 3, Castle 1 Abbeyleix 4. Semi-Finals: Athenry 3.5 Dundalk 1.5, Monkstown 2 Abbeyleix 3. Final: Athenry 4 Abbeyleix 1.
  

​Our Junior Cup team have reached the All-Ireland semi-final after a 3-2 win over Rossmore in today’s quarter-final in Athlone Golf Club.
There were wins for Odhran MacShane, Brian Og Renaghan and Clem Walsh.
The team will now face Athenry in the semi-final tomorrow morning at 8.45pm.
Monkstown and Abbeyleix will meet the other semi-final with the final taking place at 2.15pm.
Congratulations to the team managers, players, and caddies on a great win today and good luck tomorrow.

With a round that included three birdies and eleven pars Maurice Soraghan (10), with 45 points, emerged the winner of the weekend 18 holes Single Stableford competition.
 
He put together a solid outward nine, parring the opening par four first hole for three points, tagged on three pointers with a par at the par four fourth hole and a birdie two at the fifth to add to a string of two pointers at the other holes as he reached the turn with 21 points.
 
Maurice surged on the closing nine, birding the par five 12th and par four 15th for four pointers. He boosted his score further with three pointers at the par four 12th and 18th holes and delivered two points at each of the remaining holes to come home in 24 points.
 
Runner up Gordon Corry (19), on 44 points, produced a memorable front nine of 26 points that included two four pointers and four three pointers. His back nine proved more of a struggle but was highlighted with four three pointers.
 
The divisional winners were Fergal Harte (5), Peter O’Brien (18) and Michael Noone (23).
 
A display of solid, consistent scoring on both nines saw Paul O’Hare (36) with a final tally of 46 points emerge as the clear winner of the midweek Open Singles Stableford sponsored by McKenna Man.
 
Paul opened on the par four first and second holes with three pointers, tagged on another three points at the index one fourth hole before adding a brace of four pointers with pars at the par three fifth and ninth holes to turn in 23 points.
 
He maintained his consistent run of scoring on the closing nine, with five three pointers and a run of two pointers to come home with another 23 points.
The Divisional 1 winner and gross recognition honours went to Joseph Laverty (1)
with 40 points. The other divisional winners were R McKeag (16) and Declan Conlon
(23).

It was a particularly memorable day for Frank P Byrne (12) who had a hole in one on
the par three ninth hole.
 
Saturday, 31 August and Sunday, 1 September - 18 holes Singles Stableford – Overall: Maurice Soraghan (10) 45pts, Gordon Corry (19) 44pts. Division 1: Fergal Harte (5) 41 pts, Colin Roche (2) 39pts. Division 2: Peter O’Brien (18) 43pts, Ollie Reilly (15) 40pts. Division 3: Michael Noone (23) 42 pts, Conor Murphy (25) 39pts. Gross: Colin Roche (2) 37pts.

Wednesday, 4 September - McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Paul O’Hare (36) 46pts. Runner-up: Padraig Hassett (14) 42pts. Division 1: Joseph Laverty (1) 40 pts. Division 2: R McKeag (16, Portadown) 40pts. Division 3: Declan Conlon (23) 40pts. Gross Recognition: Joseph Laverty 39pts.

Twenty years after winning our first and only national title, Dundalk Golf Club will be bidding to land a second green pennant when we head to Athlone for the All-Ireland Junior Cup Finals on September 6 and 7.
Dundalk beat holders The Island to land the Leinster North Junior Cup title at the beginning of August in Greenore and will now face Ulster South champions Rossmore in the quarter-finals on Friday, September 6.
The Monaghan men caused a huge upset when they beat Royal County Down in the Ulster South final so the Dundalk lads will face a formidable test in their bid to earn a semi-final showdown with either Athenry or Masserene on Saturday morning.
Should they get through that they will face either Abbeyleix, Castle, Monkstown or Castletroy in the decider on Saturday afternoon.
After a bye in the first round, Dundalk opened their campaign with a 3.5 to 1.5 victory over Ardee and then beat Kilcock 3-2 in the next round.
That earned them a quarter-final tie against Beaverstown which they also won 3-2 before beating Corballis 4-1 in the semi-final.
The Leinster North final against The Island pitted the 2002 winners against the 2003 winners and in a nail-biting encounter Dundalk prevailed by the narrowest of margins, winning 3-2 with two of their wins coming on the 19th hole.
Player manager Brian Óg Renaghan feels that the manner of that victory will definitely stand to his team when they head to Athlone.
“It was a fantastic performance. There was nothing between the two teams and we showed great character to hang in when things weren’t going our way and eventually managed to get the three wins we needed,” said Renaghan.
Dundalk have an 11 strong panel from which eight will be selected for the finals series with five playing in each match. Assistant manager Des McKeown admits that the prospect of three matches in two days means the strength in depth of the squad will be severely tested.
“If we are going to win it, we will probably need all eight players at some stage. Obviously our focus is on Rossmore because we know what a difficult match that is going to be. Athlone is an undulating course which will be physically sapping so we will probably need to freshen things up on the Saturday if we make it that far,” said McKeown.
Dundalk’s only green pennant, which hangs proudly in the Clubhouse in Blackrock, was captured in September 2004 when they beat Kilkeel in Shannon to lift the Jimmy Bruen Shield with the experienced Fergal Harte the only link between then and now.
Captain Ultan Herr is hoping that the 20 year wait for a second national title will end this year. “We’ve come close over the past 20 years to winning a second green pennant so hopefully we can go the whole way this year. The Junior Cup team has done the Club proud all year and I know they will give it their very best in Athlone this weekend.” 
Schedule: Friday, September 6 - Quarter-final: Dundalk v Rossmore, 12:30pm. Saturday, September 7 – Semi-final: Dundalk or Rossmore v Athenry or Masserene, 8.45pm. Final: 2.15pm.  All matches in Athlone Golf Club.

 A strong finish with straight pars on the final three closing holes saw Conor Murray
(13) with a nett 68 just edge out close competition to win President Gerry Campbell’s
prize in the weekend 18 holes stroke play competition.
 
Conor set out his intentions early with birdies at the par four first and par five seventh holes while sprinkling his outward nine with pars at the third, fifth and ninth holes to reach the turn in nett 35.
 
On the back nine, after parring the par five 10th and 12th holes he added another par at the 14th  before finishing in style with straight pars at the par four 16th and 18th holes and par three 17th hole to come home in nett 33.
 
His strong finish just edged out Seanan Duffy (10) who had to settle for the runner-up
position after carding nett 34’s on both nines to also finish on nett 68. His round was
highlighted with birdies at the par five sixth and 10th holes and par three 13th.
 
A clear indication of the intensity of competition over the two days was evident from
the fact that the three divisional winners, Edward Rogers (5), Neil Smyth (15) and
Alan Uzell (22), as well as Veterans prize winner Austin Shaw (7), all finished on nett
69.
 
A memorable back nine surge of a birdie and eight pars propelled Shane McMahon
(7) from Warrenpoint Golf Club to victory in the mid-week Open Singles Stableford
Competition sponsored by McKenna Man with 43 points.
 
Shane started his outward nine in impressive style with three straight pars before
adding a birdie four at the sixth hole and tagged on straight pars from the seventh to the ninth holes to reach the turn on 21 points.
 
He maintained his solid, consistent scoring on the closing nine, birding the par five 10th hole for three points and adding a combination of three pointers and two pointers with pars on the remaining eight holes to come home in 22 points.
 
Runner up Christy Ward (9), with 42 points, parred the first hole for three points and
added a run of three pointers from the sixth to the eighth holes to turn on 21 points. His 21 points on the back nine included three pointers at the 11th, 12th, 15th and 16th  holes.
 
The divisional winners were Gerard Brennan (5) 40pts, Patrick Gray (21) 42pts and
Derek Williams (23) 39pts.
 
Saturday, 24 August and Sunday, 25 August - President’s Prize 18 Hole Stroke
Play – Overall: Conor Murray (13) 68/32.5, Senan Duffy (10) 68/34.  Gross: Mark Gorham 70. Veteran: Austin Shaw (7) 69/32.5. Division 1: Edward Rogers (5) 69/35.5, Cameron Kilcoyne (6) 70, Vincent Conlon (10) 71. Division 2: Neil Smyth (15) 69/33.5, Kenneth Lynch (16) 69/34, Kieran Arthurs (14) 69/36. Division 3: Alan Uzell (22) 69/34, Derek Williams (23) 69/34.5, Sean Ward (28) 70.
 
Wednesday, 28 August - McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Shane McMahon (7) 43pts, Christy Ward (9) 42pts. Division 1: Gerard Brennan (5) 40 pts. Division 2: Patrick Gray (21) 42pts. Division 3: Derek Williams (23) 39pts. Gross Recognition: Joseph Laverty (1) 35pts.

Two early birdies at the par four first and fourth holes and a solid run of nett pars from the fifth to the ninth set Brian Fennelly (9) on his way to a convincing win in the weekend Jubilee Cup & 3T’s 18 holes stroke play competition. 

His impressive outward run saw him turn on nett 30 and he maintained his consistency for most of the back nine with straight pars on six holes and a birdie three at the par four 14th hole to come home in nett 33. His final tally of nett 63 saw him finish three shots ahead of his nearest contenders. 

The divisional winners were Rory Henry (7), Conor Monahan (18) and Colm Coburn (25). 
Back-to-back birdies for four pointers at the par four 14th and 15th holes proved to be decisive scores in Paul O’Reilly (20) emerging as the winner of the midweek McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford competition with an overall 42 points. 

After opening his round with a par four on the first hole for three points, he added a brace of three pointers with further pars at the par three fifth and par five sixth holes to reach the turn on 18 points.

On the closing nine he complimented his two birdies with three pointers at the par four 11th and 16th holes and par three 13th hole to boost his score to 24 points and a final tally of 42 points.

Paul’s better back nine edged out Conor Lynch (23) who also finished on 42 points and took the Division 2 honours. The other divisional winners were Colin Roche (3) and James Lawrence (30).
 
Saturday, 17 August and Sunday, 18 August - Jubilee Cup & 3T’s 18-hole Stroke Play – Overall: Brian Fennelly (9) 63. Division 1: Rory Henry (7) 66, Cameron Kilcoyne (7) 67. Division 2: Conor Monahan (18) 66, Roan Norton Quigley (13) 66. Division 3: Colm Coburn (25) 67, Conor Lynch (24) 68. Gross: Colin Roche 71. 
 
Wednesday, 21 August - McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Paul O’Reilly (20) 42pts. Division 1: Colin Roche (3) 39pts. Division 2: Conor Lynch (23) 42pts. Division 3: James Lawrence (30) 40pts. Gross Recognition: Neal Mackell 33pts. 

This Competition was very kindly sponsored by Blackrock Abbey Nursing Home in Blackrock.

Miriam Williams was the overall winner on the count back and will represent Dundalk Golf Club with Lady Captain Mags Coburn, Captain Ultan Herr, and the gent’s overall winner at a venue to be confirmed later this year.

Division 1:

Winner: Mary Sinton (26) 43 pts
Runner up: Mary Lou Grennan (23) 39 pts
Third: Bernie Prendergast (26) 38 pts

Division 2:

Winner: Geraldine Hoare (28) 42 pts
Runner up: Pat Cleary (28) 40 pts
Third: Geraldine Mohan (32) 40 pts

Division 3:
Winner: Miriam Williams (50) 43 pts
Runner up: Nora Donaghy (40) 40 pts
Third: Eva Beirne (36) 39 pts
​
9 Hole Competition:
Winner: Teresa Byrne (24) 22pts
Runner up: June Desmond (15) 20 pts

A back nine surge that included six three pointers and a birdie for four points saw Ciaran McAteer (20) emerge as clear winner of the weekend House Committee Cup Singles Stableford Competition with 45 points.

His outward nine started in spectacular fashion with an eagle two at the par four first hole for five points and he went on to score solidly with a three pointer at the par four fourth followed by a consistent run of two pointers from the fifth to the ninth to turn in 20 points.

Ciaran went on a scoring spree on the back nine, with four three pointers in a row from the 10th to the 13th holes before beefing up his score further with a birdie three at the 14th hole for four points and parring the 17th and 18th holes for three pointers to come home in 25 points.

The divisional winners were Paul Malone (12) 43pts, Ciaran Flanagan (18) 42pts and Paul Culligan (28) 43pts.

A run of consistent solid scoring on both nines was enough to secure overall victory for Frank O’Hagan (20) with 43 points in the midweek Open Singles Stableford Competition sponsored by McKenna Man.

Starting with a brace of two pointers on the opening two holes, Frank added back-to -back three pointers at the par four third and fourth holes and topped off a run of four two pointers with a par three at the ninth for three points to reach the turn in 21 points. His back nine included three pointers at the 11th, 13th and 14th holes and, after a slight dip, he finished strongly with pars at the par three 17th and par four 18th holes to come home in 22 points.

The divisional winners, all on 41 points, were Rory Henry (8), Paul Hanratty (22) and visitor Derek Byrne (38) from Balbriggan.

The competition turned out to be a particularly memorable day for Andrew Coburn (7) who had a hole in one at the par three fifth hole.

Saturday, 10 August, and Sunday, 11 August - House Committee Cup Singles Stableford – Overall: Ciaran McAteer (20) 45 pts. Division 1: Paul Malone (12) 43 pts, Brian Fennelly (9) 42 pts. Division 2: Ciaran Flanagan (18) 42pts, Alex Naylor (18) 42pts. Division 3: Paul Culligan (28) 43pts, Niall McErlean (21) 42pts. Overall Gross: Peter Rogers (3) 40pts.

Wednesday 14 August - McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Frank O’Hagan (20) 43pts. Division 1: Rory Henry (8) 41pts. Division 2: Paul Hanratty (22) 41pts. Division 3: Derek Byrne (Balbriggan) (38) 41pts. Gross Recognition: Ben Cahill (1) 39pts.

We have our 9 Hole Social on Friday 16 August and would love to see as many members up in the clubhouse afterwards.

The event is a 9 hole 4 person semi open team event with a shotgun start at 6pm. This will be followed by music by Mr Paddy Byrne.

The cost is €10 per person.

Alan has a fantastic "9 and Dine" menu available on the night and restaurant book is essential.