Walsh wins dundalk scratch cup at first attempt

James Walsh from Kinsale became the first Munster winner of the One Finance Dundalk Scratch Cup when he pipped defending championship Caolan Rafferty by two shots to lift the prestigious Carroll Cup.
A third-year student at Maynooth University where he is a Harrington scholar, Walsh was on his first ever visit to the Dundalk course and instantly fell in love with it.
He opened with six under par 66 to lead by three strokes from Rafferty and West of Ireland runner-up Colm Campbell from Warrenpoint.
Starting at the ninth hole due to the 9am shotgun start, he opened with a par and then turned on the gas down the back nine as he birdied the 10th, 13th, 15th and 16th. Birdies at the second and third brought him six under and although he handed one shot back when he bogeyed the fourth, his 14th hole, a birdie at the par five sixth got him back to six under as he signed for a 66.
Rafferty and Campbell were paired together and began off the first tee with a birdie on the opening hole allowing Rafferty to turn in one under par. Further birdies at the 10th, 13thand 16th got him to four under par but he finished with a bogey five at the last to sign for a three under par 69, three shots behind Walsh.
Campbell, who was part of Warrenpoint’s Irish Senior Cup winning team last month, also shot a first round 69. He went out in three under thanks to birdies at the first, fifth and sixth and got to four under with a birdie on the short par four 14th but then dropped a shot the 16th.
Rafferty’s hopes of hunting down Walsh in the second round weren’t helped by dropped shots at the first and fourth and while he did birdie the sixth he was one over for his round and two under for the tournament at the turn. His playing partner Campbell also fell back to two under after eight pars and a bogey on the par three fifth.
Walsh showed great composure over the opening nine holes of his second round as he once again started on the ninth with a par. Birdies followed at the 10th and 14th to take him to eight under although he gave those shots back with bogeys at the 15th and 18th.
With six holes to go Rafferty and Campbell had moved to four under and closed the gap to two shots with birdies at the 10th and 12th, but Rafferty lost momentum when he bogeyed the short par four 14th while Walsh moved to seven under with a birdie at the sixth, his 16th hole.
Campbell couldn’t find any more birdies until the 18th and that came after a bogey four on the par three 17th as he signed for a one under par 71 to finish on four under while Rafferty birdied the final two holes for a 70 to finish on five under.
Walsh safely parred seven and eight, his final two holes, to finish on seven under and secure his first senior trophy as he joins the likes of Rafferty, Campbell, Padraig Harrington and JB Carr on an impressive roll of honour that stretches back to 1963.
Mark Cadden of Roganstown shot a four under par 68 in the second round to climb through the field and finish in fourth after an opening 73 while Athenry’s David Kitt was fifth after rounds of 70 and 71 with 2023 winner Eoin Murphy in sixth on one under after rounds of 72 and 71.
At the prize-giving ceremony there was a special presentation to the 1988 winner Peter Rogers to mark his 50th appearance in the Dundalk Scratch Cup. Rogers, who is one of the best golfers to come out of Dundalk, was also the first Dundalk winner of the competition.
Sunday, September 20 – Dundalk Scratch Cup sponsored by One Finance – Òverall: 137 – James Walsh (Kinsale) 66, 71. 139 – Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) 69, 70. 140 – Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) 69, 71. 141 – Mark Cadden (Roganstown) 73, 68; Daid Kitt (Athenry) 70, 71. 143 – Eoin Murphy (Dundalk) 72, 71. Round 1 Gross: Padraig Curry (Millicent) 71. Round 2 Gross: Evan Farrell (County Louth) 70. Overall Nett: Sean Ryan (+1.0, Warrenpoint) 144 (71, 73).