Hot off the heels of Damien Fleming winning another National Mens Senior Strokeplay title the previous weekend, another National Singles title came the county’s way last Sunday as Tralee’s Charlotte Blake bridged a 26-year gap for the county in the Women’s game.
Charlotte was crowned National Junior Ladies Strokeplay champion with a 54-hole total of +18 giving her a two-shot victory at the McDonagh course in the Curragh, Co Kildare. The Tralee player had been in a share of the lead with Bronagh Crilly from the Cloghogue club in Newry, Co Down after the first 36 holes on Saturday as both players were tied on +15. There was still no separating them on Sunday in the final round with nine holes to play until the final two holes proved decisive for Charlotte.
Trailing by one on the 17th hole, she birdied from off the green as a bogey for Crilly now meant Charlotte led by one ahead of the final hole. Off the green again she claimed a par to secure victory as another bogey for Crilly saw her miss out by two. Charlotte’s win is the first by a Kerry player in a National Ladies Singles Strokeplay since Deerpark’s Margaret C Looney won the Intermediate grade back in 1998 and continues Charlotte’s steady progress in the game. While Deerpark’s Eileen McCarthy finished fifth in the Intermediate event last weekend, the weekend itself belonged to Charlotte’s family.
Brother Jamie won the Castleisland Senior Mens Scratch Cup on Saturday after a three hole playoff when both Darragh Roche and himself initially finished on 21 under par after 54 holes. Another Tralee player Darren Goodall was third on 20 under par while Barry Morrissey won the Senior Final 18 prize with seven under. Also in Castleisland the Intermediate and Junior Mens events were more clear cut in terms of the winners. Mike Farrell from Limerick was a five stroke winner from Tralee’s Reece Sugrue in the Intermediate on 22 under with John Fitzgerald from the host club winning the Final 18 in this section on two under par.
The Junior saw a home winner in Castleisland as Bernard Tangney had eight shots to spare over club-mate John Clifton on nine under par. Bobby Ryan from Limerick won the Final 18 prize here as the two Ladies prizes were won by Catriona O’Connor (Gross) and Bernadette O’Regan (Nett) of Tralee respectively. This weekend is another double fixture as Listowel host their two Scratch Cup events while the county’s U16’s head to Bagenalstown in Carlow for the National Strokeplay & Inter-County Championships.
Listowel host a Scotch Foursomes Scratch Cup on Saturday in memory of Mick Barry while the Single Scratch Cup event on Sunday is in memory of the recently deceased Kevin McCarron. We encourage all players in the county to do their best to support both events.
At the U16 event meanwhile Kerry will have two teams competing in the Inter-County event once more as we wish them a safe journey and the best of luck along with the Kerry players playing individually in the Singles Championships.
