One for two at Royal Tara

When European captain Nick Faldo sat down to pick his wild cards for the Ryder Cup in Valhalla a brief moment of lunacy could have been forgiven for entering the minds of Royal Tara members Martin Casey and Sean Brennan after both men each achieved a hole-in-one when playing in the same fourball during a club competition on Saturday, 23rd August. Scoring an ace in golf is a very rare feat and even more unusual on the local scene, so for two players from the same fourball within 12 holes of each other is a remarkable achievement. Casey, who won several All-Irelands as a talented pitch & putt player, has been playing the longer game for almost 30 years and chose the occasion of his 40th birthday to score his first hole-in-one. The seven handicapper teed-up at the 150-metre par three fourth and hit a seven iron that dropped about 10 feet short. However, the greens at the Bellinter course are in top condition and Casey"s shot travelled the additional distance before dropping to the hole. The feat sparked huge celebrations on the tee box and Casey looked forward to a free round at the bar. However, he didn"t have it all his own way. On the 16th hole, Brennan, an 18 handicapper, hit his five iron a foot beyond the flag, but he had sufficient spin to drag the ball back and into the hole to complete an amazing round for the pair. 'We both saw our shots drop into the hole and that was great. There was plenty of cheering after it and I had my 40th birthday that weekend so it was a great week for me,' quipped Casey.