Connolly wins knights of malta cup

A scorching display of high-quality scoring on the outward nine set Chris Connolly (15) well on his way to winning, by three shots with a nett 62, the weekend Knights of Malta Cup 18 hole stroke play competition.
His front nine laid the foundations for his victory with five pars, a birdie on the one of the toughest holes, the water protected par five seventh hole, and three one overs to reach the turn on nett 30. He held his nerve on the back nine, carding a string of back-to-back pars from the 10th to 12th holes, pars at the par four 15th and par three 17th holes, and boosted his score further with a birdie at the par four 16th hole to come home in nett 32.
The divisional winners were John Neary (8), Frank P Byrne (12) and Alan Uzell (21). The gross winner was Conall Murdock, playing off two, with a nett 69 (71 gross).
The competition proved to be the crowning glory for Frank P Byrne (12) whose tremendous score of 66 nett took him over the finishing line to capture the 2024 Golfer of the Year prize by three shots. With the best seven scores over ten competitions counting,
Frank shot a total nett score of 485 which equates to an average of slightly over 69, reflecting a great consistency of solid scoring over the full year.
Gerry Farrell (30) with 41 points emerged as the winner of the mid-week 18 hole Open Singles Stableford competition sponsored by McKenna Man. He produced a round of consistent scoring, kicking off with a three pointer at the opening par four hole and built on that with back-to-back three pointers at the par four eighth and par three ninth holes to reach the turn in 20 points. His closing nine included three pointers at the par five 10th, par four 14th and 18th holes as well as a birdie two at the 17th to come home with 21 points.
The divisional winners were Eugene J Hanratty, Declan Conlon and Ronan Dennedy.
Saturday, 7 September and Sunday 8 September - Knights of Malta Cup Stroke Play - Overall: Chris Connolly (15) 62. Gross: Conall Murdock (2) 69. Division 1: John Neary (8) 69, Malcolm Drake (12) 69. Division 2: Frank P Byrne (12) 66, Dennis Cunningham (13) 66. Division 3: Alan Uzell (21) 65, Paul Culligan (25) 66.
Wednesday, 11 September - McKenna Man Open Singles Stableford – Overall: Gerry Farrell (30) 41 pts. Division 1: Eugene J Hanratty (10) 39pts. Division 2: Declan Conlon (22) 3 pts. Division 3: Ronan Dennedy (28) 38pts. Gross Recognition: Ben Cahill 38pts.