Historic win for Ballyheigue in JB Carr Trophy

FOR the first time since the club’s foundation in 1996, Ballyheigue Golf Club entered a team in the Joe Carr Diamond Trophy this year and first time out defeated Tralee in the second round (Ballyheigue had a bye in round one)on Saturday last at Ballyheigue.

The trophy, named in honour of arguably Ireland’s greatest ever amateur golfer, was inaugurated in 1996 by Woodenbridge Golf Club in County Wicklow and although not an official GUI-run event, is no less considered very prestigious indeed as an All-Ireland competition.

Tralee have been the specialists in Kerry over the years in this event contesting the Irish semi-finals on a number of occasions and actually winning the title in 2008.

The men from Barrow had already defeated Ceann Sibeal in the first round but reputations count for nothing in golf and Ballyheigue were more than determined to put one over on their near neighbours in what turned out to be a cracking match, full of thrills and spills.

James McGrath & John Pierce put the first points on the board for the home side with a whopping 6/5 win over the experienced Denis Mannix & Richard Rafferty in match one.

Tralee were soon level however as Paudie Nolan & Pat Kennealy ousted Mike Hayes & John Barrett by a similar margin.

The visitors showed why they are so good at this level by taking the third match to edge ahead as Seán McGrath & John Herlihy beat James O’Sullivan & Ronan Gilhooly by 2/1.

So, Tralee are 2-1 ahead and then the real drama began. In match four the Ballyheigue pair of Joseph O’Connor & Tim Joe Griffin are on the final green fifty odd feet from the pin in four shots while Liam Hussey & Dermot Walsh are through the back in two.

Ballyheigue are the furthest away and so Joseph O’Connor has the honour and rolls in the fifty-footer for a five and when Tralee fail to get up and down for the win, the match goes down the nineteenth.

The Tralee men find bunker trouble on the first extra hole leaving club Captain Tim Joe Griffin with a three-footer for the match, which he calmly holes, to level matters overall at two matches a piece.

All the focus was now on the final match where Ballyheigue’s Eamon Stack & John Dineen were all-square playing the last with Joe McCarthy & Michael Murphy.

The eighteenth was halved and so another match goes down the nineteenth which was also halved before Tralee missed a short putt for a half at the twentieth to hand a historic first victory to Ballyheigue on their debut in the event.

In the next round, Ballyheigue await the winners of the Waterville versus Killarney match. Waterville have already defeated Dooks while Killarney had a bye.

Elsewhere, there was another surprise as Ballybunion under the new management of Noel Morkan, were defeated at home by Kenmare.

The South Kerry men will now take on Killorglin who defeated Castlegregory to complete the matches in the Kerry are of the event.