O’Donovan extends Royal Dublin streak to 49 years
THEY say golf is a game for life and Royal Dublin’s Gerry O’Donovan proved it on Sunday when he captured the club foursomes championship for the third time — 49 years after his first win.
The former Senior Cup player is still a very useful single-figure handicapper, and he showed it at the famous old links when partnering Dermot Curtain to victory in the prestigious Dudley Cup.
A long-serving member and current Vice-President of Royal Dublin, Gerry and Dermot beat Greg Howard and Seamus McCarville in the final of the foursomes strokes event on Royal Dublin’s Match Play Finals day.
The Dudley Cup was presented to the club in 1906 by Lord Dudley, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, arrived in Dublin in August 1902 and was such a keen golfer and later that year it was reported he was playing Royal Dublin professional Tom Hood off scratch.
Before his departure from Ireland in January 1906 — he is immortalised in James Joyce’s description of his Vice-Regal progress through Dublin in Ulysses — he presented Royal Dublin with the trophy.
The original trophy was lost in the fire which destroyed the old clubhouse in August 1943 and replaced with the current version in the early 1950s.
Other winners on Sunday included West of Ireland champion Barry Anderson in the scratch singles (Ashbourne Cup), David Foley (Healy Cup), Shaun Hayden (Dollymount Junior Cup), Alan Rowden (Centenary Trophy), David Petherbridge (Five Day Matchplay), David O’Beirne and Robert O’Beirne (Bull Cup), Paul D. O’Halloran and Phillip Derby (Buff’s Prizes) and Kieran Mulcahy and Jody Toner (Tommy O’Reilly Memorial).
Barry Dillon was named Golfer of the Year.