Mourne Golf Club News

23.09.24

By Conor Keenan

Royal County Down returned to peaceful tranquility following the drama of the Irish Open, but Eugene Valentine achieved a feat none of the 156 professional players could manage last week – a hole in one on the Championship Links.

Valentine notched the eighth hole in one of his career on the fourth hole during last Thursday’s 18 hole Stableford competition, which was won by Gerry Vaughan’s stunning round of 43 points, that included five birdies.

A long, downhill par three that typically plays into the breeze caused havoc for the pros last week, but the fourth was no such problem for Valentine.

“I had 186 yards and hit a six iron,” Valentine said. “I actually thought I’d hit it into the bunker! Mark Guinness, one of my playing partners, corrected me by saying it was rolling into the hole instead – I couldn’t see because of the sun!”

Elsewhere there were no aces on Mark Feenan’s card last Sunday, but five birdies including three on the final three holes gave the Senior Cup man a fabulous victory in the September Medal. There was only one bogey on the card for Feenan at the 13th, who fired an impressive four-under-par 67 to defeat fellow Senior Cup teammate Noel Crawford (gross 70) by a single stroke.

Crawford broke par on a course in excellent condition just one week after the Amgen Irish Open and a day after Royal County Down Captain’s Day, shooting a one-under-par 70 which included birdies on nine, 11, 12 and 16. Eoghan Simons rounded off the top three by carding a one-over-par 72 to finish two back from Crawford on a nett score of 69.

Colm Kearney (nett 71) overcame Sean O’Neil (nett 72) by a single stroke in Division Two, while Seamus Boden’s (nett 75) and superior back nine score was enough to pip former Captain Shaun Killough (nett 75) in Division Three.

Mourne’s Sam Rutherford team also made the trip to County Tyrone to face Omagh Golf Club in the first leg of the final. Emlyn Williamson’s side overcame Down Royal GC  in the semi-final, but it proved to be a difficult day against a strong Omagh outfit. The team made up of John Murray, Sean Paul Murray, Sean O’Higgins, Stephen Burns, Michael Hawkins, Daryl Northrup, Michael McKenna and Jerome Keenan need to overcome a 19-hole deficit in the home leg on October 6.

The competition scoring is based on the aggregate of holes won unlike a traditional matchplay format, but home advantage for the Mourne men in the second leg means the tie is far from over.