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Irish Examiner
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Irish amateurs suffer heartbreak in Killarney
Ireland suffered a dramatic and heartbreaking defeat in the semi-finals of the European Amateur Team Championship at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club. Having not featured in the final since 2014, the Irish had taken a 2-0 lead after the morning foursomes but their Danish counterparts bounced back in the singles. Despite another brilliant point from John Doyle (Fota Island), Ireland came out on the wrong side of an agonising 4-3 scoreline, with Kristian Hjort Bressum draining the winning putt on the 20th hole of his match against Thomas Higgins (Roscommon). 'Brilliant all week, very proud of them, very proud of the performance. They gave it a real go today,' said Ireland Captain Damien Coyne. 'We got off to a great start and gave ourselves every opportunity. We just got done by some really, really good golf on behalf of the Danish guys, and especially in Thomas' match, to finish with four straight birdies. He had six really good putts in the last six holes of the match, which is very impressive. 'I'm sure it'll sting this one, for an hour or so, but once we've mentioned that we're playing England in the morning, the lads will have no difficulty in getting themselves up for that, and we'll be ready to go again, and it's just try our best to get something out of the week and get a medal would be really, really good.' Stuart Grehan (County Louth) and Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) secured the first point of the morning foursomes with a 3&1 win over Mads Heller and Mads Viemose Larsen. Doyle's 35-foot putt on 18 wrapped up a 2-hole win for him and Matt McClean (Malone) over Hjort Bressum and Oscar Valdemar Holm Bredkjaer. Doyle sealed another precious point in the afternoon singles but the Danes came roaring back, with Heller and Holm Bredkjaer winning their matches against Grehan and Gavin Tiernan (County Louth) respectively. Andreas Trym Dam Fogth defeated McClean and then Hjort Bressum got the better of Higgins when he rolled in his putt on the 20th hole. 'It was a really tough match. The Irish guys are a really good team and we are sorry to beat them on home soil. They were really strong in the morning, in the foursomes, they won the two first matches,' said Denmark Captain, Peter Jespersen. 'After the foursomes they (Denmark) were not too happy. They thought it would be a really tough afternoon but we had to remember we only played for two points in the morning out of seven, so we still had five points out in the afternoon. 'It was important we got some points in the beginning because of course we were underdogs after the morning so it was really important that we got two points fairly quick but still it was the last match on hole 20, that made the difference.' The win earns Denmark their place in the decider alongside Italy, who shocked England in the other semi-final in Flight A. The morning foursomes were halved before Italy took control in the singles with Riccardo Fantinelli, Giovanni Binaghi, Biagio Andrea Gagliardi and Filippo Ponzano all winning their matches. That was enough for a big 5.5 to 1.5 win for the Italians. Ireland will face now England for the bronze medal.
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Best golf courses in Co Louth: Bucket list courses and hidden gems from Baltray to Ardee
Bucket Lists The drive from Drogheda along the River Boyne to the village of Baltray is one which heightens expectations of what awaits at the mouth of the river. County Louth Golf Club – a fine, traditional links – has earned its place among the top courses in the country . Originally designed in the 1890s by a Scottish professional with the wonderful name of Mr Snowball, the man most responsible for leaving his imprint on this seaside course – where Shane Lowry won the Irish Open as an amateur in 2009 – was the noted golf course architect Tom Simpson and his assistant Molly Gourlay. [ Fairways to Heaven - Ireland's Ultimate Golf Guide Opens in new window ] The links itself is a true test from start-to-finish, as it weaves its way in different directions but still consists of two loops. The most dramatic run of holes comes on the back nine, with the run from the 10th to 13th comprising arguably the best sequence of four successive par-fours anywhere. The 14th is the shortest of the par-fours but one of the best, playing from the elevated tee with the final destination of a green planted into the sand hills. In every sense, Baltray – the traditional home of the men's East of Ireland championship – is a links that will reward and captivate, while being at all times challenging. Its clever design, utilising the terrain that is primarily flat before delving into the sand hills from the 12th to the 14th, entices and demands attention on every shot. READ MORE The 17th hole prior to the Irish Legends 2023 at Seapoint Golf Club in 2023. Photograph:As part of the bucket list, it is worth factoring in a round at the adjacent Seapoint links – designed by Des Smyth and Declan Branigan – which has matured wonderfully, especially the back nine which takes in views of the Irish Sea from a number of vantage points. The best is probably left to last at Seapoint. The 18th hole running along the coastline back to the clubhouse where the spirit of the 19th hole welcome is very much in play. Co Louth Golf Club, Baltray, Drogheda, Co Louth, A92 HK03; 041-9881530 Seapoint Golf Club, Termonfeckin, Co Louth; 041-9822333; email: ed@ Hidden Gem Greenore is a long established course dating back to the 1890s but remains one of those hidden gems, primarily because its location on the Cooley peninsula overlooking Carlingford Lough ... but it is very much worth discovering as a fine test of golf in a wonderful setting with views across to the Mournes. Wind, given its location, is invariably a factor but the layout is open with the challenge set before the player off the tee with no hidden surprises. Although flat, the loughside course has its challenges with tidal water in play, most notably on the sixth and seventh holes. The tee to the Par 3 sixth is located on a disused railway line and plays downhill to the green, while it is followed by a demanding Par 4 with a tee shot over water. Greenore Golf Club, Greenore, Dundalk; 042-9373212 Honourable Mentions Dundalk Golf Club is a classic parkland course with a reputation for its wonderful greens. Located above the picturesque village of Blackrock, the treelined course has three distinct segments with an opening stretch of four tough Par 4s, then a stretch to the 12th that includes four Par 5s and a tough finishing run all the way to the 18th which is known as 'Harrington's Challenge,' in honour of three-time Major champion Pádraig Harrington who won the Dundalk Scratch Cup in 1995. Dundalk Golf Club, Blackrock, Dundalk, County Louth; 042-9321731; email: manager@ Ardee Golf Club has matured into a lovely tree-lined course and, with the Tain Trail part of the local history, has connections with Cuchulainn in the names of the 1st (Cuchulainn's Crown) and the seventh (Ferdia). The stretch of holes from the 11th to the 14th is very demanding, with the short 13th that has water in play from tee to green showcasing the picturesque nature of the entire layout. Ardee Golf Club, Townparks, Ardee, Co Louth; 041-6853227; email: office@
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
American Wins Amateur in England
American Wins Amateur in England originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Winning a 72-hole stroke-play event is hard, but winning a major amateur championship seems even more daunting with two rounds of qualifying and then six rounds of match play. Advertisement Ethan Fang of Oklahoma State University accomplished the overwhelming by defeating Ireland's Gavin Tiernan 1-up in The Amateur Championship in a 36-hole final on Saturday at Royal St. George's The 130th edition of the oldest amateur championship didn't disappoint, with a match on paper that seemed to be one-sided; Fang is seventh in the World Amateur Rankings, while Tiernan is 1,340th in the world. Through the 32nd hole, neither Fang nor Tiernan had a lead larger than 1-up, but when the Irishman from County Louth bogeyed the 33rd hole, the par-4 15th at Royal St. George's, the OSU Cowboy had a 2-up lead with only three holes remaining. That is when the East Tennessee State University golfer turned it on, making long birdie putts on the 34th and 35th holes to erase the 2-down deficit, making the 36th the pivotal hole of the match. After losing the lead, Fang didn't disappoint, winning the match with a birdie at the last to be the first American to take the oldest amateur title since Drew Weaver in 2007. Ethan Fang hits his opening drive in The 130th Amateur Championship Final, where he played for his place in The 153rd Open of the R&A 'I was hitting it well all day and I knew if I just stayed in it, some putts would drop, kind of have him work for it, and it ended up working out,' Fang said of his strategy. 'It's probably the most consistent golf I've played in my life. It's a super-long championship, it and just feels really good to finally get it done.' Advertisement Fang worked hard to get into the finals, winning his first match 1-up over Englishman Jamie Van Wyk, and then taking 20 holes to close out Scotland's Connor Graham in the round of 16. After an easy 5-and-4 victory in the round of 8, Fang had to go to the 18th hole again, winning 2-up over Callixte Alzas of France. Fang made the semifinals an easy springboard to the finals with a 5-and-4 win over Finland's Veikka Viskari. The win will propel Fang in the world rankings and open the door to the Masters, U.S. Open and the Open Championship at Royal Portrush next month. 'The Masters, The Open, I'm just glad it's all done now and I can just take a second to think about everything I did this week and just kind of enjoy it,' Fang said. Advertisement Related: Heartbreak for Tommy Fleetwood After Travelers Championship Disaster on 72nd Hole Related: Phil Mickelson Sends Message to Keegan Bradley After Dramatic Travelers Championship Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Irish Independent
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Rory McIlroy eager for birdie mode at Travelers after finding a ‘feeling' off the tee at Oakmont
While he has been battling for motivation since winning the Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, he has also struggled to hit fairways until last week. Getting emotionally and physically ready for The Open at Royal Portrush is his next big goal, and after driving the ball well at Oakmont, he's looking forward to making birdies at TPC River Highlands. 'Definitely last week, I found a feeling, especially off the tee, that was repeatable, that was working well, and I led strokes gained off the tee last week, which was a big thing for me,' McIlroy said. Making birdies in Connecticut should help his mood. 'I think the weeks after Major championships in these events, sometimes when you are in contention and you are trying to win them, it can feel quite difficult to go play the next week,' added McIlroy, who shot a joint-best of the day 67 on Sunday to tie for 19th 'After a week like I had at Oakmont, where you are not quite in the mix but you might feel you find something in your game, you are excited to come back and play again. 'This is the perfect sort of chaser for what Oakmont was last week, and nice to get out on a golf course where you feel you can make quite a few birdies.' McIlroy is joined in the field by Shane Lowry, who missed the cut at Oakmont but plays his fourth event in a row in the knowledge that he tied for ninth behind Scottie Scheffler last year. 'There are a lot of guys in the field this week where this is their fourth tournament in a row, so they have been put through the wringer the last few weeks,' McIlroy said. 'This is a welcome setup where they feel like they can relax a little bit and not have to grind so much for your score.' McIlroy will play the first two rounds alongside US Ryder Keegan Bradley, who believes new US Open champion JJ Spaun will be a big asset to his team. ADVERTISEMENT 'I think going to a course like Bethpage Black, the people are really going to be behind a guy like JJ Spaun,' Bradley said. It's a major week for Leona Maguire, who will be trying to end a miserable run of form in the KPMG Women's PGA at 6,600-yard Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. The Cavan star arrives in Texas on the back of four successive missed cuts and faces tough conditions in 30c temperatures for her opening round alongside American Joanna Coe and Thailand's Patty Tavatanakit. There is no event on the DP World Tour this week, but Max Kennedy, Mark Power and Dermot McElroy are playing in the HotelPlanner Tour's Blot Play9 at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André in France. Meanwhile, County Louth's Gavin Tiernan was the only Irish player to get through the first round of the Amateur Championship at Royal St George's. He beat Scotland's Niall Shiels Donegan on the 18th to set up a last-32 clash with Belgium's Jarno Tollenaire. Galgorm's Joshua Hill lost 3&2 to Canada's Isaiah Ibit, while County Louth's Stuart Grehan fell 4&2 to Mexico's Rodrigo Vasquez. Leading qualifier Conor Graham of Scotland had to dig deep to see off Denmark's Mads Viernose Larsen on the 21st. Travelers Championship, 8pm
Irish Independent
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Stu-pendous home success for Grehan in Irish Amateur Championship at Seapoint
The 32-year-old former professional is a native of Offaly, but he now lives in Termonfeckin and that made the victory all the more special. He started the final round four shots in arrears after carding a level-par 72 on Saturday but saved his best until last, shooting a bogey-free 66 to take the championship to extra holes before he won it on the 10th green. Going into the final day, the defending champion Matt McClean from the Malone club was still in contention after opening with a course-record 64 and he went on to set a -13 total and assume the clubhouse lead after landing eight birdies in his last round. Marlborough's Hayward was also in the shake-up along with County Louth's Gerard Dunne, while Grehan started the final round four shots adrift in a tie for fourth place. He went on to put together an outstanding 18 holes, though, and when his approach landed on 18th green he had a real chance of posting an insurmountable lead. However, his eagle putt finished inches short and that left Hayward with a birdie chance to win, but he missed his chance and the tournament went to a play-off. The atmosphere became more tense when Grehan went over the 18th green on the second play-off hole, but Hayward missed his opportunity and Grehan made him pay after they returned to the 10th. As Grehan celebrated with his young family, he said he was 'absolutely thrilled', revealing that he regularly walks his dog around the Seapoint area. It was only last October that Grehan called time on his career as a touring professional to focus on his work as a financial consultant, expressing the wish that he could regain his amateur status and challenge for a place on Great Britain and Ireland's team for the 2026 Walker Cup in Lahinch. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Gerard Dunne eventually finished in a tie for fourth in Sunday's finale, with Dundalk's Caolan Rafferty tied for 15th and Seapoint's leading finisher Dylan Keating in 29th place.
