Brady comes home to win Moran Cup
EAMONN Brady made a little golfing history on Friday when he became the first Clontarf professional to win the Moran Cup.
An outstanding amateur with Royal Dublin, the two-time West of Ireland Amateur champion enjoyed a triumphant return to the Dollymount links when he shot a superb, six-under par 66 to win the Michael “Dyke” Moran 100th Anniversary Pro-Am.
Despite playing in heavy rain for 17 holes, he won by three strokes from Grange’s Michael McDermott and Royal Dublin assistant professional Brian McCormack to join an illustrious list of winners that includes Ryder Cup players Christy O’Connor, Harry Bradshaw, Des Smyth, Jimmy Martin and Philip Walton and great names of Irish golf such as Paddy Mahon, Paddy Skerrit, Christy Greene and Jimmy Kinsella.
Joe Craddock, who was appointed as professional at Clontarf in 1968, won the trophy as the Foxrock professional in 1964, beating Jimmy Martin 2 and 1 at Hermitage in what was then a matchplay event.
But Brady is the first current Clontarf professional to win an event that was inaugurated by the Southern Branch of the Irish PGA in 1920 to commemorate Moran’s remarkable career.
Born in 1886 in a cottage located between Royal Dublin’s third and 13th holes, Moran was an assistant to Tom Hood and served as professional at Dundalk (1907) and Galway (1908) before returning to Royal Dublin as playing professional in 1909.
He was elected the first chairman of Irish PGA in 1907 and won the Irish Professional Championship for five consecutive years from 1909 to 1913, a feat which has never been equalled.
Having tied for third place with Harry Vardon in The Open at Hoylake in 1913, becoming the first Irishman to win prize money at The Open, he left Dollymount for Seaham Harbour Golf Club in County Durham in 1914. He never returned.