Murphy wins Faldo Series Ireland Championship
ROSSLARE’S Paul Murphy put in a classy performance to win the Faldo Series Ireland Championship by five shots at Mount Juliet.
Just a few days after losing to eventual champion Caolan Rafferty in the quarter-finals of the South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch, he fired rounds of 73, 68 and 70 to claim a place in the 22nd Faldo Series Grand Final in Abu Dhabi in November.
“I had a terrible start on round one with four-over through seven holes so had to really focus and keep going,” Murphy said.
“I’m familiar with the course and I made a small change to my setup which I think helped. My ball striking is going very well and people keep commenting on it. The Grand Final at Al Ain will be great fun.”
The players ran into some testing weather on the final day as rain and strong winds swept the course.
Murphy was relatively untroubled however and converted his overnight lead of two shots into a winning position, making an eagle at the 10th hole to ease clear.
Galway’s Liam Power represented the closest challenge five shots back but could not quite match Murphy’s scoring.
The Boys’ Under-18 division was claimed by Rosslare’s John Brady by five shots from Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy.
Brady started with a 75 before an impressive 69 put him into a two-shot lead. A strong front nine led to a solid 73 which sealed the win and with it a first Grand Final qualification.
The Boys’ Under-16 category was won by yet another five-shot margin. Elm Park’s Robert Galligan proved to be the most consistent in the division as he shot 74, 73 and 76 to hold off Faithlegg’s Rory Milne.
Milne produced a fine effort on the final day but the damage had already been done. Galligan tamed the White course and will be confident of putting in a good showing at the Grand Final.
Cork’s Rachel Thompson claimed the Girls’ category by a healthy six shots over Kilkenny’s Jan Browne.
Thompson had a very good round two including three successive birdies on the final three holes. She kept her composure and protected her lead on day three and will line up in her first Grand Final.
Today, 40 Faldo Series tournaments take place in 30-plus countries worldwide, touching thousands of golfers each year.
Past winners include Major Champions Tseng Ya-ni and Rory McIlroy, who took his tally of professional Major titles to four with his wins at the 2014 Open and US PGA Championship.
Faldo Series Ireland Championship, Mount Juliet Boys’ Under-21: 211 Paul Murphy 73-6870; 216 Liam Power 75-69-72. Boys’ Under-18: 217 John Brady 75-7973; 222 Max Kennedy 72-74-76. Boys’ Under-16: 223 Robert Galligan 7473-76; 228 Rory Milne 76-80-72. Girls’ Under-21: 234 Rachel Thompson; 240 Jan Browne 80-81-79.