Mourne Golf Club News

May 13, 2024

By Conor Keenan

Both Senior Cup and Junior Cowdy teams fell to battling defeats on Sunday to Warrenpoint GC and Cloverhill GC respectively.

The Senior Cup squad made the short trip to a pristine Kilkeel Golf Club for the Ulster semi-final to take on a strong Warrenpoint side. Despite strong performances from all five men, Mourne would fall to a 4.5-0.5 defeat.

Out first for Mourne was Stephen Barker, who was met with a barrage of birdies against Irish International Colm Campbell on the front nine and failed to conquer the early deficit. Barker rallied all the way to the 14th hole before falling to defeat against Campbell, who was four under par for his round.

In the two anchor matches, Mark Feenan and James Maginn could not match the fast starts of their opponents and found themselves behind the eight ball from the get-go. Against an experienced Warrenpoint side that didn’t look like making a mistake all afternoon, defeat to Vincy Toner and Steven Coulter meant Warrenpoint reached the three-point mark to secure victory.

Second out was Noel Crawford, who fought tooth and nail against Rian Carvill to a tie match. Crawford took a 1up lead down the last before Carvill played a wonderfully delicate chip from the back of the 18th green before tapping in for birdie. Crawford would miss a 12ft birdie putt of his own for the win before Carvill marched towards the 1st tee for the playoff hole. The duo were halfway down the first extra hole before they were called in.

Third out, Niall Doran fought back from an early deficit to take his match against Harry McArdle down the final hole one down, but the match was also called in after Warrenpoint wrapped up the final two points needed from the final two matches.

It was a bitterly disappointing end to a fantastic campaign for team captain Paul Gallagher’s men who will, without doubt, dust themselves off and go again next year after a successful run this season.

After a 2-2 draw at Royal County Down last week to Cloverhill in the first leg, the Junior Cowdy team made the trip to Newry for the away leg.

Team Captain Michael Keane’s men fell to a 3.5-0.5 defeat, with opening duo Marty Cromie and John Cunnigham falling to a 3&2 defeat.

Gerard Milligan and Stephan Cousins couldn’t fight off the Cloverhill wave, succumbing 5&4 on enemy territory. The match was then decided when Gerry and Seamus Boden fell 2&1 in the second to last match.

In the final game, Paddy Keenan and Aaron King were intent on preventing a clean sweep victory for the Newry men, and scrapped out a half match in the anchor match.

Like the Senior Cup side, it was a valiant campaign from Michael Keane’s side who can take great pride in getting to the latter stages of the competition.

Meanwhile, in the Thursday 18 hole stableford, Andy Downey secured victory with a score of 27 points in some of the most difficult conditions seen at the Championship Links at Royal County Down so far this summer. Consistent 40mph winds blew from the south as Downey strolled to victory in a round that included seven pars – which felt like birdies in the conditions.

The golf rolls on at the Mourne Golf Club this coming week with our traditional 18 hole stableford competition on Thursday afternoon before the PGA Tankard on Sunday morning.