The Irish Golf Club Gazette: Cassidy's Golf

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10/14/2013

McGeady Wins Irish PGA

Michael McGeady secured the Cassidy Golf 103rd €30,000 PGA Irish Championship at Roganstown on Sunday in a tight finish with Damian Mooney and Cian McNamara.

McGeady posted rounds of 66, 72, 70 and 67 for a nine-under-par winning 275, one stroke ahead of Mooney and McNamara, after the leadership changed hands a few times during the day.

As well as the silverware, the winner also collected the top prize of €3,500 while Mooney and McNamara earned €2,125 each and Mooney moves up to second in the 2013 end-of-season Order of Merit with €26,217 points, less than 90 behind winner John Kelly, who withdrew from the championship because of family commitments.

“Winning the Irish Championship is a fantastic boost heading for the Europro finals,” enthused the 35-year-old as his victory began to sink in.

“It would be a great double to add my Challenge Tour card to my Irish Championship title.

“This win is amazing for me as I have struggled recently. It is only my second time to play in the Irish Championship, maybe the third, but that is all. It is really a great boost to my game.”

McGeady posted rounds of 66, 72, 70 and 67 for a nine-under-par winning 275, one stroke ahead of Mooney and McNamara, after the leadership changed hands a few times during the day.

Mark Staunton and Michael McDermott led overnight at six-under with McGeady, Mooney and McNamara a stroke behind but it didn’t take long for the leaderboard to change, once the final round began.

Staunton had a horror front nine as he began with a double-bogey and made only one par to the turn. He had four bogeys and three birdies to drop to four-under for the tournament and he could never get back into the pack, finishing tied fifth. The best McDermott could do was level par for the day to finish in fourth place.

Mooney raced to the turn in two-under with a hat-trick of birdies, 4-4-2, from the fourth hole and he eagled the long 10th to move top of the leaderboard at nine-under-par.

McNamara was creeping up, as well, helped by an eagle at the fourth and birdies at the first and 10th to be one shot behind Mooney, along with McGeady who had pencilled in birdie fours at the fourth, fifth and 10th holes.

An unfortunate three-stab on the 15th green cost Mooney the outright lead as he went back to eight-under. McGeady, who bogeyed the 12th from sand, rolled in an uphill 12-footer for birdie on 14 to draw level and when McNamara, who had bogeyed 11, sank a birdie putt on 16 it was a three-way tie heading to the tape.

It was then that McGeady’s resolve shone as he had the scent of victory in his nostrils. He rolled in a steel-nerved five-footer for par at 17and snatched victory from Mooney and McNamara on the home green with birdie four.

“I birdied all the long holes and didn’t have a five on my card. At the last, I fired a sand wedge at the flag from 76 yards and the ball settled five feet below the hole. I was delighted to see the putt dropping – it was an amazing way to win the championship,” smiled a delighted McGeady, who headed off to Derry to see his folks before flying from Belfast this morning.

Brian McElhinney, finished tied 12th at Roganstown, which just secured him enough points to claim third place on the Order of Merit – four ahead of Staunton – and a place in next month’s Titleist PGA Play-Offs.

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10/13/2013

Staunton Storms Leaderboard

European Tour

Mark Staunton stormed up the leader board on the back nine, during the third round of the Cassidy Golf Irish PGA Championship, at Roganstown, as Michael McDermott came tumbling down with the two players colliding at six-under-par 207 and sharing the lead, going into today’s final action.

Over the front nine yesterday, McDermott, who set a course record 65 in his opening salvo on Thursday, skated to a tournament nine-under with a quad of birdies from the second hole and he pencilled in another at the long 10th to be well clear of the field but then the wheels came off.

The Leopardstown player bogeyed 14 and 16 and lost two strokes at the last for a round of 69 and a total of 207.

Meanwhile, Ballinasloe pro Staunton produced steady stuff to cover the outward run in regulation 35 and then turned on the powerplay on the way home. Birdies at 10 and 11 sent him to six under and he swapped bogey five at 13 for birdie four at 18 to leap into a share of the overnight lead with McDermott.

Three players are biting at the heels of the leaders with Damian Mooney, Cian McNamara and Michael McGeady sharing 208, just a stroke back.

Mooney began the day at level 142 but sparkled with birdies at three, four, seven and eight for a four-under-31 to the turn. He added other birdies at 10 and 18 but dropped a shot at 17 for a round of 66, the best of the day.

McNamara also sped up the leaderboard with a four-birdie, one-bogey 68 while McGeady made it a threesome, one stroke behind the leaders, with a three-birdie, two-bogey 70.

A shootout today to decide the title, vacated by 2012 winner David Higgins, looks a distinct possibility.

History-maker Hazel Kavanagh (Carr Golf Services), the first woman to make the cut, kept the female flag flying high as she posted a one-over-par 72, yesterday, to move up the leader board, after making the cut on the margin on Friday evening.

Her score would have been much better yesterday, too, had she not pencilled in a triple-bogey six at the ninth hole. She birdied the par four third and long holes 10 and 18 but also dropped a shot at par four 11 to card a one-over-72, leaving her at 11-over after 54 holes.

10/11/2013

Staunton Joins PGA Leaders

Getty Images

Hazel Kavanagh made history by becoming the first woman to make the cut at the Cassidy Golf 103rd Irish PGA Championship, at Roganstown.

The Spawell Golf Centre pro, and former LET member edged into the reminder of the tournament right on the mark of ten-over-par on 152, posting rounds of 78 and 74.

“It is nice to make a bit of history but I didn’t think that I would qualify after that first round 78.”

Overnight leader Michael McDermott, who opened with a course record 65, saw his dreams of a repeat score fade early after a bogeys on the first, second and fourth. The collapse continued however, the more trouble at 10 and 11 before birdies at 14 and 18 - to sign for a round of 73 and retain share of the lead.

Michael McGeady was another who failed to match his opening round with a double-bogey on the par four 11th, and then dropping shots at both the 13th and 16th holes. The Derry man then covered the front nine in regulation 35 to sign for a round of 72.

Mark Staunton, the Ballinasloe club pro, steadily climbed the leader board with a six-birdie 68 to be one-under-par and in mix as joint leader going into the final 36 holes. The former Ulster champion, began on the 10th tee but, despite three back nine birdies, was only one-under as he turned for home.

Staunton then laid the foundations with birdie threes at the first and third holes and a four at the long 5th to be five-under-par but a blip at the short ninth denied him of the outright halfway lead.

Niall Kearney posted a disappointing 74 on Thursday but carded an equal best-of-the-day 67 to lurch up the leader board, as did playing partner Peter Martin who also added a 67 to his first round 74.

They both started at the 10th tee with Kearney pencilling in eagle three with a drive and six iron to 10 feet. He added a birdie four at 18, despite driving into rough, to turn three-under.

“I got off to a bad start in the first round when I putt a ball out-of-bounds at the first hole and it’s not an easy course to get shots back from. Being favourite didn’t unease me,” said Ulster champion Kearney.

Martin’s putting was exceptionally good. For his birdie four at 10 he holed a 15 feet putt downhill and made birdie three at 13 uphill from 20 feet. Ironically, he three-stabbed the 14th green but got the shot back with another 20-footer on 16.

Again from 20 feet he made birdie three at the fifth hole, missed the green to drop a shot at seven before finishing birdie-birdie with putts of 15 and 30 feet.

“Yes, the putting was good and the iron play was not bad either. I missed the cut last year by a stroke so I’ve done better, so far, this time,” reflected the Belfast man who was out of golf for a month after cracking his ribs in a football game.

McDermott Leads Irish PGA

Irish PGA

Michael McDermott set the pace at the Cassidy Golf 103rd PGA Irish Region Championship at Roganstown on Thursday to lead after the first round of the €30,000 tournament.

The Leopardstown pro shot a 65 course record to push early clubhouse leader Michael McGeady off the top of the leaderboard by one stroke, when it looked as if the latter was set for the overnight lead.

“I shot a three-under-par in the pro-am and that was good practice for me before the championship,” said McDermott.

“I am hitting the ball very well and I was pleased with the way I controlled the flight of the ball in the breezy conditions. It’s a good start but there are still three rounds to go and anything can happen.”

The leader explained that he is just getting used to a new set of PING clubs, particularly the irons and he feels the clubs are really suiting him. They have improved his iron play tremendously, he says.

On Thursday McDermott hit all but two greens in regulation and, after starting at 10, covered the back nine in four-under-par without loss. He was on in two at the long 10th and steered a six iron to 20 feet and then holed for birdie three at 11. Another birdie three at 13 got him to the turn in 32.

Michael McGeady’s was also in excellent form as he carded a mid-day 66.

“It is quite a few years since I played in the Irish Championship,” he reflected, “and this is a promising start. It leaves me in a nice position to make a challenge for the title but, of course, there is a long way to go.”

He disclosed that since taking a new putter out of the bag, his game has improved immensely. He used it first in the PGA Ulster Championship, at The Hilton, and Roganston was only his fifth round using the club.

“I’m just getting used to it but it seems to be working well. The shaft is a bit longer, but it’s not a broom handled putter, with a little more weight at the top and it feels good,” McGeady enthused.

Former championship winner David Mortimer posted a 69 in the evening to take third place overnight. Playing the back nine first, he birdied the par four 15th and short 17th but gave a shot back at long 18. However, he regained the lost ground with birdie three at the first hole before finishing with eight pars.