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PITCH & PUTT
ALL eyes will be on Seapoint Pitch and Putt Club next week as it hosts the Irish Life-sponsored 2018 Irish International Pitch and Putt Open.
The competition was inaugurated in 2009 at the Royal Meath Pitch & Putt Club in Clonee after the country was recognised as a ‘hotbed’ for the sport, and indeed Ireland are currently in possession of both the European and World Cup titles.
Entries have come from numerous countries over the years - Great Britain, Holland, Catalonia and even Australia - and the competition is generally held over 54 holes - 36 on the Saturday and 18 on Sunday.
The first staging saw dual Mens and Ladies events, with Deerpark’s Damien Fleming the inaugural winner of the Men’s event as Chrissie Byrne of Kildare won the Ladies. Byrne won the second Ladies event in RGSC, Dublin in 2010, while the Men’s title was captured by Frank Dineen of St Annes in Cork, and Dineen and Fleming have both become multiple winners. This year will be the sixth staging of the Irish Open and the introduction of an U-16 section adds a new dimension. Close to 150 players will head to Termonfeckin as Seapoint becomes the first North East venue to play host to the competition.
More than 30 international players, mainly from Iberian countries along with the Netherlands, are among the entrants, while the Seapoint club itself has a similar number and there are further entries from fellow Louth clubs Cement, Channonrock, Collon and MacBride.
Just under 20 women are entered, with seven of those coming from the host club in Noeleen Bedford, Christina Carroll, Mary Coyle, Marlo Everitt, Bridie Hanratty, Concepta Maddick and Ann Ward.
The entry of current Irish Ladies Matchplay and Strokeplay holder Ger Ward of Portmarnock is likely to garner interest, as will that of inaugural winner Christie Byrne and also a former National Strokeplay winner in her clubmate Sheelagh Elmes.
Leading the international challenge for the Ladies event will be Holland native Esther De Schiffart, along with Catalonia’s Abby Nachshon, while Munster Senior Strokeplay winner Mary Murray of Rocklodge in Cork is also entered.
The first-ever Juvenile event has nine entries, headed by National Strokeplay and Matchplay winner Evan Carry of Castletown who is captain of the Irish U-16 team that will play Catalonia in an International Challenge the Tuesday following the event. Seapoint are represented by brothers Luke and Eoin Murphy.
In the Men’s event the only three players to ever win the event are all entered in Deerpark’s Damien Fleming, St Annes’ Frank Dineen and Castletown’s Eamon Gibney. However, the local challenge is also likely to be strong. Seapoints’ Pat Greene has won three National 0-55s Senior titles and his local knowledge could well be a big factor in his favour as Mark Millar of Cement joins the aforementioned Murphy and Walsh as a former Irish Senior Strokeplay and Matchplay winner.
Ian Donnelly is a former Leinster champion and George Beardsley from MacBride is also likely to be a contender along with his clubmates Sean Goggin - a former National Matchplay finalist - and Padraic Sarsfield as well as Bellewstown’s Ian Farrelly.