Hat trick of Munster titles for Cork's pitch and putt teams
IT was a worthwhile trip to Lakeside this weekend for Cork with all three teams Juniors, Ladies and Gents emerging triumphant in the Munster Inter County Championships. Due to the pace of play and with the scoring updates it proved impossible to provide the normal regular features hence this review of all three competitions.
The Junior Inter County was first on the agenda and after the Scotch Foursomes Cork showed they meant business and aided by a 44 from Chris O'Sullivan and Shane Murphy raced into a 3 shot lead with a score of -15, in second place were Tipperary with -12 followed by Kerry with -6. In the singles all the Cork players were at level par or better with Barry Madden shooting an excellent 47 to assist the Cork team to a total score of -33, with an excellent singles round Kerry managed to claw back Tipperary‚s lead and garnered second place on the back 9 with an overall total of +1.
Next out were the ladies and again Cork had an excellent Scotch Foursomes result with - 15 aided by an outstanding - 7 from Vera McCarthy and Linda O Donovan, in second place were Tipperary on -2 and Clare were third on +16. In the singles Tipperary proved very strong over the front 9 and had reduced the deficit to 3 shots but Cork dug deep aided by an excellent -1 from Linda O Donovan (the only sub par singles round) and drew away again to emerge victorious on a figure of level par and victorious by 9 shots over Tipperary with Clare in third spot.
In the Gents competition Tipperary were leaders on -30 after the Scotch Foursomes, with Kerry second on -28, Limerick third on - 26 and Cork were a lowly fourth on -23. With the singles came a crushing Cork response with all six players producing sub 50 rounds including three 46s from John Cahill, Ray Murphy and Thomas Lynch and a total of -64. It was a pace that proved too hot for the earlier leaders and one by one they fell away before Tipperary on a score of -50 garnered the runner-up spot by virtue of their better back 9 scores from a gallant Kerry. It was an outstanding performance from Cork and their score of -64 was compiled from a bedrock of consistency.
