Rafferty wins north to complete historic provincial slam

Caolan Rafferty cemented his name among the legends of Irish golf when he won the North of Ireland Amateur Championship at Portstewart to become the first player to win the North, South, East and West titles.
The 32-year-old Dundalk player held his nerve over the final nine on a tough Portstewart course to complete a post to post victory having led the tournament from start to finish.
“I’m delighted to be the first to do it. I couldn’t believe nobody had done it before so it’s a great feeling to have all four of them,” said Rafferty who returned to a hero’s welcome in Dundalk Golf Club on Friday evening hours after he had cliched his place in history.
Rafferty’s grand slam began in 2018 when he won the South of Ireland in Lahinch and he followed that up in 2019 by winning the West in Rosses Point to seal his place on the 2019 Walker Cup team.
Covid wrecked his plans to turn professional in 2020 and, after graduating from Maynooth University where he was on a Harrington scholarship, he became a part-time golfer but still retained his place as one of the top amateurs in Ireland.
In June 2024 he finally managed to win the East of Ireland in Baltray after several near misses and he completed the provincial slam with last week’s win in the North.
Rafferty had gone into the North as one of nine players who had won three of the four provincial titles.  Baltray’s Barry Reddan and Mark Gannon and the legendary Joe Carr from Sutton had failed to win the North while the West eluded Major winner and former Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke. David Long and Hugh Foley missed out on the East while the great Garth McGimpsey and Arthur Pierce failed to win the South.
Rafferty’s road to the slam saw him open the tournament with a three under par 68 that featured six birdies and he followed that up with a one-over par 72 in the second round to share the lead at the halfway stage alongside Cathal MacCanna of Carton House.
The final two rounds were played on Friday and in the morning Rafferty, who started on the 10th, got off to a flying start with three birdies in his first six holes. However, he signed for a level par 71 after three bogeys at the 17th, 18th and 6th but was still one clear of Lahinch’s Jonathon Keane who had pipped him on the final hole of the South of Ireland in August and had carded a third round 66.   
In the final round Rafferty started well with a birdie on the fourth taking him to three under and three shots clear of the field but, as history beckoned, the tension began to ramp up.
“I don’t think I was ever as nervous on a golf course as I was down the back nine,” he admitted afterwards as he saw England’s Ben Willis and Castlerock’s Andrew Mulholland draw level with him on two under after he failed to get up and down from a bunker on the par three 15th.  
Willis and Mulholland were playing ahead of Rafferty so he knew he needed a birdie over the final three holes to clinch the title and, after a great drive on 17, he took the advice of his caddy and cousin, Kyle, to hit a six rather than the seven iron he was thinking of. It proved to be a shrewd call and a fabulous approach shot set up the birdie he was looking for with a par at the last sealing his one shot win.
“It was stressful, it wasn’t easy, it was never going to be easy. But I made it a little bit tricky on myself with a couple of silly shots at the wrong time. I was just delighted to get over the line,” said Rafferty.
Dundalk Golf Club Captain Gerry McDermott paid tribute to Rafferty and said his victory and place in history was fully deserved. “Caolan is a fabulous ambassador for Dundalk Golf Club and we are very proud of this and all his other achievements. Becoming the first player to win the four provincial titles cements his place among the greats of Irish golf. His family deserve a lot of credit for the tremendous support they have given him over the years while Greenore Golf Club, where he learned the game and had his raw talent nurtured, also played an important part in making this happen.”
Rafferty’s next major assignment will be a first appearance for Ireland in the Eisenhower Trophy in Singapore next month. The Eisenhower is the World Amateur Team Championship and Rafferty’s selection means he has completed another slam as he has made every team he is eligible play on for club, province, country, and continent.