Matchplay Finals 2010 - Results & Reports

Saturday 4^th of September was Matchplay Finals day at Co. Cavan Golf Club with eight Cups up for decision on the day. Of the eight finals seven were singles events (Member’s Cup, Dr. F.P.E. Smith Scratch Cup, Phil Lawlor Cup, O’Hanlon Cup, Seniors Matchplay, Coleman Cup & Young Cup) and one mixed  foursomes event (Farnham Cup). Unfortunately due to some participants qualifying for 2 finals we were unable to schedule either the Brian Murphy Memorial Fourball or the Myxo Cup finals on Saturday.

Captain, Mr. Tom Downes, was on the 1^st tee throughout the day to see off each of the finalists and he was still standing at the end of the day to present the cups to all the winners.  

Thankfully the majority of the matches commenced in the warm sunshine of the early afternoon however the early starters were not as lucky and played in almost constant rain for the duration of their rounds.

We must sincerely thank Sean Dunne, the green-keeping staff and all the volunteers for their work on the course and in particular on the eleven greens which had been hollow tined during the week and which putted very well on the day as a result of their efforts.  

Results:

Member’s Cup (36 Holes): Thomas McKenna  v  Padraig McEntee.

Determined to go one better than 2009 when he was a beaten finalist Padraig got off to a fast start by winning each of the first 8 holes of their morning round. As they headed for the clubhouse to dry out after 18 holes Padraig had stretched his lead to 9up. Thomas made a bit of a comeback early in the second round however Padraig held on to win on the 33^rd.

Winner: Padraig McEntee on 33^rd Hole.

Dr. F.P.E. Smith Scratch Cup: Stephen McCabe  v  Frank Crowe.

Frank took an early lead in this match and was 2up after 8 holes. Stephen then won the 9^th to turn only 1 down. The turning point came on the par 3 10^th hole where Stephen had hit the green with his tee shot and Frank was not on in 2 shots. Frank, however, got up and down for bogey but amazingly Stephen 4 putted to go back to 2 down when it had looked more likely that he would be going to the 11^th tee all square. By the time they reached the 15^th tee Frank had extended his lead to 4up. Stephen won the 15^th & 16^th to keep the match alive but a scrambling par 5 by Frank on the 17^th was enough to halve the hole and seal the win.

Winner: Frank Crowe on 17^th Hole.

Phil Lawlor Cup:  Darren Greene  v  Ed Kellett.

Ed had the unwanted record of being Phil Lawlor runner up in both 2008 & 2009 and was anxious not to make it a hat-trick. Helped by a hot putter on the front 9 Ed was 4 up after 11 holes. Darren then turned it around and had reduced the deficit to just 1 down after 14 holes. Halves on the 15^th and 16^th kept the match alive. Darren was then very unlucky to find the drain on the 17^th and Ed used his experience to close out the match.

Winner: Ed Kellett on 17^th Hole.

O’Hanlon Cup: David Greene  v  Brendan Smith.

David got ahead early in this final and despite his best efforts Brendan could not make any inroads into his lead. Aided by a recently acquired new driver David was always in control and he finished the match off on the par 3 13^th hole.

Winner: David Greene won on 13^th Hole.

Seniors Matchplay: Tommy Kenny  v  Tony McLaughlin.

Buoyed by his semi-final win over P.J. Dolan where he had been 3 down with 4 to play Tommy came out on top in his final against Tony. Tony had taken an early lead by winning the 1^st but Tommy played the steadier golf from there on and eventually won on the 15^th.

Winner: Tommy Kenny won on 15^th Hole.

Farnham Cup: Valerie & Michael Hanley  v  Maura & Fergal Dunne.

The Hanleys took the early initiative in this final and were 3up after 3 holes. 2 wins each from the 4^th to the 9^th meant they retained their advantage to the turn. The Dunnes got it back to 2 down with a win on the 12^th but then lost the 14^th to go to the 15^th tee again 3 down. A par 4 on the 15^th for the Dunnes followed by some ‘tree trouble’ on both the 16^th and 17^th for the Hanleys meant they reached the 18^th all square. Both sides had their chance for glory on 18 but could not take advantage. The Hanleys were then extremely unlucky to find the trees off the 19^th tee and from there they could not recover to extend the match.

Winners: Maura & Fergal Dunne won on 19^th Hole.

Coleman Cup: Shane McDermott  v  Shane Fortune.

This was the first match of the day with an 8.15 tee off and was played in the most part in horrendous weather conditions. This was a tight struggle throughout with neither Shane allowing the other to gain a significant lead at any stage. In the end it was Shane Fortune who came out on top on the 18^th hole.

Winner: Shane Fortune won on 18^th Hole.

Young Cup: Eoin Donohoe  v  Jamie Hughes.

The final of this most aptly named Cup turned out to be a real epic encounter. Again played in the torrential rain of the early morning these boys were not going to be put off and played golf of a very high standard considering the conditions. After a tight tussle they remained all square after 18 and headed for extra holes. Eventually it took a par 3 on the 22^nd (4^th)hole to separate these two finalists who will undoubtedly contest many finals in the years to come.

Winner: Eoin Donohoe on 22^nd Hole.  

06.09.2010. 00:56