Golf Club Focus - Athlone

Club History

In 1892 the first Athlone golf course was laid out on the undulating terrain of the Batteries, a raised area west of the Shannon. It was the 'Athlone Garrison Golf Club' and during the early years it was mainly British army officers and R.I.C. personnel who were members of this nine hole course.

Soon, leading businessmen and professional people of the town began to take an interest in golf and in 1904 a new constitution was adopted and the club was renamed Athlone Golf Club. Those who played an important role in the development of the club at this time were P.V.C. Murtagh, J. Lyster, Dr. C. J. McCormack, J.J. Coen and P.B. Bingham.

Athlone Golf Club moved from the Batteries to Garnafailagh in 1920 because of the encroachment of urban development. The Batteries course however, left its mark on the history of Irish golf. Club member, John Dillon McCormack, won three Amateur Close Championships and represented Ireland twenty-four times. In 1924 he was selected on the Walker Cup team but could not play for personal reasons. It was almost eighty years later that a club member did play on the Walker Cup team, Colm Moriarty played at Ganton Golf Club in 2003.

Golf continued at Garnafailagh until 1938 when the move was made to Hodson Bay. This course was designed by Mr. J. McAllister and was officially opened on the 19th June of that year. The clubhouse, a pavilion style building, was situated beside the lake, close to the present sixteenth tee.

Down through the years a number of development programmes have been carried out. In 1972 the present clubhouse was opened, with Hawtree & Co., Course Architects, having advised on the new lay-out of the course to suit the location of the clubhouse.

On the advise of course architects, Mr. Eddie Hackett, improvements were made to the course in the eighties and in the early nineties the par 4 fifth hole and the par 3 sixth hole were both extended to par 5 holes.

In 2003 a three year course redevelopment programme commenced under Mr. Eddie Connaughton, Course Design Ltd. The work was carried out by S.O.L. Golf Construction Ltd. The redesign and construction of sand-based greens to USGA standards, the introduction of water features and the construction of the new par 3 sixth hole have further enhanced Athlone Golf Club, a club which has hosted many provincial and national championships, including the All-Ireland Cups and Shields Finals in 1998.

Also, in 2007, the All Ireland Mixed and All Ireland Ladies Championships were held in Athlone.

Club Honours

Barton Shield

All-Ireland - 1959

Connacht Winners - 1954, 56, 59, 65, 68, 73, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 94, 2004, 08

Senior Cup

Connacht Winners - 1954, 1956, 1968, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 2003

Junior Cup

All-Ireland Finalists - 1900, 1983, 1988

Connacht Winners - 1900, 06, 59, 62, 69, 70, 76, 81, 83, 86, 86, 87, 88, 89, 95

Irish Mixed Fursomes

All-Ireland Winners - 1976

Connacht Winners - 1976, 1986, 2001

Pierce Purcell Shield

Connacht Winners - 1977

Connacht Shield Winners - 1955, 1976, 1980

Jack O'Sullivan Trophy Winners - 1994

Fred Daly Trophy

All-Ireland Finalists - 2004

Connacht Winners - 1994, 2004

Cecil Ewing Shield Winners - 1996, 2001, 2008

Jimmy Bruen Trophy

All-Ireland Finalists - 1997, 1999

Connacht Winners - 1995, 1997, 1999

Senior Inter Club Winners - 2009

www.athlonegolfclub.ie

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McGee Steady at Q School

European Tour

Ruaidhri McGee proved consistent with a third round 67 at Las Colinas Golf and Country Club on Monday to retain a share 5th place going into the final round of European Tour Qualifying School Stage Two.

Four birdies without loss from the Rosapenna golfer ensured he stayed well inside the mark to ensure progress to the final stage next week at PGA Catalunya.

England’s James Heath will take a seven stroke lead into the final round following a seven under par 64 in Spain. Heath posted seven birdies to move to 19 under par and extend his advantage over the field, with Welshman Liam Bond (67) and South African Brandon Stone (68) joint second on 12 under par.

There are 17 spots in the Qualifying School Final Stage available from La Colinas, with seven players currently tied in the 17th and final position.

Niall Kearney is four places off the mark and just one stroke away after his two under round of 69 fell a bit short short, carding just two birdies on the day in a blemish free round.

Damian Mooney eagled his ninth and eleventh holes to finish in a share of 40th after a round of 70, suffering a double bogey on the par 5 third hole. His hopes of progressing further this year are still in the mix as the Q School veteran is currently just four off 17th place with a round to play.

Stephen Grant however is out of the race after a third round 70 mixed birdies and bogeys on Monday leaving the former Shamrock Rovers player in a share of 50th place.

Brendan McCarroll finished one over par and is T69 ahead of Tuesday’s final round with the dreams of further qualifying now put aside on this occasion.

David Rawluk did not complete the third round.

At Campo de Golf El Saler, Spaniard Carlos Del Moral and Italian Niccolo Quintarelli both posted rounds of 72 to share the lead on seven under par, with Scotland’s Neil Fenwick two shots back on five under par following a 73.

Kevin Phelan peppered his card with red and blue to finish with a 74 for share of 16th place – one inside the minimum to see more action next week. The Walker Cup man needs more than two over par in the final round to be safe. 

Colm Moriarty dropped four strokes by the turn yet managed to finish level on the back nine to keep the damage at a four over par 76. Although placed 31st overnight a three shot swing sees the Glasson professional back in the mix and through to the next stage.

Alan Dunbar finished round three carding 73 and shares 61st place and off the pace needed at this level.

John Daniel Guiney signed for a 78 and the Ballybunion man well out of this event since the first day 82, which all but ended his hopes this year.

There are 17 spots available from El Saler.

At Lumine Golf & Beach Club, England’s Chris Hanson has a two stroke lead heading into the final round following a four under par round 67 for a 12 under total of 201.

Hanson has fellow Englishman Daniel Gavins on his tail on five under par, with the pair hoping to seal among the 17 player to progress to the Final Stage in two weeks. Currently, nine players are in a tied for 16th position on six under par, including English pair Zane Scotland and Tom Murray, son of former European Tour winner Andrew.

Dermot McElroy signed for a 69 after three birdies sent him into 25th place – and just one stroke off a share of 16th. So fortune will favour the brave on Tuesday and a place in the Final stage next week may still beckon. 

At Valle Romano play was suspended due to high winds, with 14 groups still yet to start their third rounds.

Play will resume at 9am on Tuesday morning with round four now schedule to get underway on Wednesday, with 18 spots at Final Stage available.

Gareth Shaw is 46st overnight and five shots off the group on T16, the minimum requirement needed. But with two rounds still left to play there are 36 holes of golf to help him move up the leader board.

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Irish Dozen in School Chase

Photo: Gordon McCadden 

In Early November European Tour Qualifying School Stage will start on four courses in the south of Spain with twelve Irish candidates battling through the halfway stage to earn a chance to play in the final stage a few days later. Where the first twenty five places offer a one season playing category for the 2014 Season.

Gareth Shaw returns once more in pursuit of that elusive playing card after winning the AlpsTour order of merit last year to regain his Challenge Tour for 2013. The Team Ireland golfer will be the only Irish entry at Valle Romano Golf & Resort near Estepona on November 2nd. 

Colm Moriarty is another veteran of Q School and this season will complete his twelfth visit when he tees off at El Saler in Valencia. The Glasson professional is part of a group that includes Walker Cup player Kevin Phelan, Alan Dunbar and Ballybunion's John Daniel Guiney

Las Colinas in Alicante will welcome one time League of  Ireland professional Stephen Grant, Brendan McCarroll and David Rawluk, all now experienced with the qualifying routine. The winner of Stage 1 at Wychwood Park last month Ruairdhri McGee also joins them.

Niall Kearney returns looking to improve on his 67th place in Catalunya two seasons ago at Stage 3 and to better his disappointment at the Asian Tour Q School in January. 

Damian Mooney, a close contender for the Irish PGA Championship this year, hoping to improve on his 123rd finish in 2010. All on the basis that Stage 2 does not become the impassible hurdle it proved for so many Irish players last year.

Dermot McElroy is drawn at Lumine Golf Club in Tarragona with the Ballymena talemt yet to fulfil his promise. 

The European Tour Qualifying School Schedule will once again reach its exciting conclusion at PGA Catalunya Resort, where the Final Stage will be played for the sixth consecutive season from November 10th -15th.

Last season, John Parry won by four strokes with a 19 under par total en route to regaining his European Tour card, having lost his playing privileges a little over a year after picking up a maiden title at the 2010 Vivendi Cup.

The Englishman was one of 28 golfers who qualified from the six round event, which every year tests the field’s skills, as well as their stamina, under the most intense pressure following a long, hard season.

Based ten miles south of Girona in the north east of Spain, the 36-hole resort boasts two championship layouts alongside state of the art practice facilities, and is part of the European Tour Properties Network.

Over the first four rounds, both the Stadium and Tour courses will play host to a field comprising of golfers at either end of the spectrum, with young up and comers and experienced pros alike teeing it up having made it through the previous two qualifying stages, or having narrowly missed out on a European Tour card through the Race to Dubai or Challenge Tour Rankings.

The course was co-designed by European Tour Champions and members of the Board of Directors, Neil Coles MBE - who announced earlier this year that he was stepping down as Chairman after 38 years in the position - and Vice Chairman Angel Gallardo, Vice Chairman.

As a further measure of the resort’s quality, the Stadium layout has also been included in Golf World magazine’s ‘Top 100 Courses in the World’, as well as Golf Monthly magazine’s ‘Top 50 Courses in Continental Europe’ in recent years.

Mike Stewart, Qualifying School Director, is particularly excited to be returning to PGA Catalunya Resort once again in 2013.

“PGA Catalunya is an excellent facility that year-on-year has welcomed the Qualifying School back with open arms, and this season promises to be yet another thrilling conclusion to the process as some of the newest and the most experienced players battle it out for their European Tour cards.

“Knowing that the players will be greeted by some of the best practice facilities around, as well as two stunning championship layouts, will no doubt help them get through what is bound to be a long and stressful week.”

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No Irish Challenge in Dubai Final

After 24 tournaments in 20 countries across the globe, the 2013 European Challenge Tour season will finally reach its climax at this week’s Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club. Alarmingly for the second successive year the Grand Final includes no Irish players. The last being Simon Thornton in 2011. 

On that occasion Thornton finished tied 6th after a final round 64 in Puglia. This season Thornton became a European Tour winner after securing the Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open presented by Neuflize OBC title in Saint Omer in June.

Colm Moriarty was a Grand Finalist in 20101 but finished 31st and outside the top fifteen who get European Tour playing cards.

This year the Challenge Tour finale enters a new era as it moves to the United Arab Emirates city for the first time, and the Al Badia Golf Club will provide a fitting backdrop for the drama that is sure to follow this week.

Italian Andrea Pavan, a former winner of the Grand Final, sits atop the Rankings heading into the season-ender, but he will not be sitting easy as a number of ambitious young guns and experienced older heads attempt to steal his thunder and finish top of the pile.

While the race for the prestigious title of Challenge Tour Number One might catch many an eye, there is a lot more at stake for the majority of the field at the Dubai Festival City venue this week.

At the beginning of the season, every Challenge Tour player tees it up with one dream in mind – claiming one of the prized 15 cards for The European Tour. Now, it all boils down to one week and who has the guts, the unyielding ambition and the game to seal the deal when it matters most.

Nacho Elvira, winner of The Foshan Open in China two weeks ago, lies in 15th place on €72,830 and with a winner’s prize of €56,650 on offer this week, every player down to 45th placed Julien Guerrier (currently on €36,110) knows a win would be enough to fulfil their European Tour dream.

Every man has a chance and that point was emphasised in dramatic fashion last season when Englishman James Busby arrived to the Grand Final as the last man in the field, in 45th spot.

He launched a late assault on the leaderboard and in one afternoon, his career was turned upside down as a tied runner-up finish earned him an unlikely rookie season on The European Tour.

The winner of last week’s National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, Rooke Kakko, also proved what can be achieved as his first victory as a first professional (his previous Challenge Tour win coming as an amateur) earned him a guaranteed place in the top 15 of the Rankings – moving to sixth from 17th - and a return to the top tier.

Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard was the only player to leap into the all-important top 45 at last week’s penultimate event in Oman, thanks to a runner-up finish, and the 22 year old will be hoping to complete an incredible two weeks by making another climb into the top 15 with a big performance in Dubai.

The inaugural Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club provides a fitting end to celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the Challenge Tour this year.

The tour has grown in strength and stature every year since its inception and to finish the 2013 campaign at such a spectacular venue as Dubai Festival City and Al Badia indicates how far it has come.

The event will also mark the beginning of a ‘Festival of Golf’ in the city as The European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship, Dubai hosts some of the world’s greatest players in two weeks’ time, before the emirate also hosts the final tournament of the Ladies European Tour season in December.

The Challenge Tour Grand Final has proven a real breeding ground for some of the world’s best golfers, with Thomas Björn, Nicolas Colsaerts, Martin Kaymer, Edoardo Molinari, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson having all played in the event before going on to worldwide fame.

Indeed, current Race to Dubai leader and World Number Four Stenson is a former winner of the event, his victory in Cuba in 2000 proving enough to secure the title of Challenge Tour Number One that season.

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