Headfort fall at penultimate hurdle in Westport
Headfort Golf Club’s Jimmy Bruen Shield team agonisingly lost 2-3 to Gowran Park GC in the AIG All-Ireland semi-final in Westport on Thursday.
Played in perfect conditions the Kells side won two of their matches on the 14th green when Joe Hannigan and Philip Stanley and Ciaran Buggle and Martin Redmond proved very impressive.
Match three, involving Paul Coll and Mark Howlin went down 5&3 against very stiff opposition.
The two remaining matches both went down the 19th hole, with Vino Keating and Terry Murphy coming back from 1 down walking off the 17th to win the 18th with a bogey.
Unfortunately Gowran proved too strong on the 19th to leave the overall match 4-4.
In the remaining match Kenny Smyth and Kevin Fagan were also 1 down walking off 17 and miraculously won the 18th with a par 5 when Smyth nailed a 5 foot downhill putt to tremendous Kells cheers.
Again on the 19th the Kilkenny side peppered the pin with their approach shot and took the spoils with a solid par.
The format for the tournament was five matches of foursomes golf. The team, co-managed by Donal Mitchell and Tom Carroll, had performed impressively to reach the finals with victories over Forest Little, St Margaret’s, Castleknock, Portmarnock before taking on and defeating Beaverstown in Beaverstown in the North Leinster region final by a 3-2 margin with the final match going down the 19th hole where Joe Hannigan and Philip Stanley turned on the style with a tap-in par for victory.
Headfort’s All-Ireland quarter-final saw them beat Cairndhu Golf Club (Larne) in another pulsating 3-2 win where the pairing of Kenny Smyth and Kevin Fagan showed great resolve, having been 3 up to be brought back to all square and turn the table again to finish 2 up through 17 and secure the trip to Westport.
Headfort last contested the Jimmy Bruen All-Ireland semi-final in 1995 but lost out that year.
Headfort - Vino Keating & Terry Murphy; Joe Hannigan & Philip Stanley; Mark Howlin & Paul Coll; Ciaran Buggle & Martin Redmond; Kenny Smyth & Kevin Fagan. Managers - Donie Mitchell and Tom Carroll.