Pitch & Putt Ireland2023 National Strokeplay Championship Build-Up: Day One
Junior Mens Events at Lakeside
John Manning begins our look ahead to this weekend’s seven events with a preview of the Junior Mens events.
Lakeside will host the National Junior Strokeplay championship for the second time in its history. Noel Leahy was victorious back in 2000 but the host club is not represented in the championship on this occasion.
Junior A
With seven standard bearers, hopes will still be high of a Premier County success, which would be a first since Lakeside’s Brian Cahill triumphed at Tralee fourteen years ago. 2022 Munster Strokeplay champion Conor Cleary (Riverdale) will be the first of the 54 players to swing into action.
Tom Hogan (Larkspur Park) won the John Shoer Memorial Junior Scratch Cup in April. Michael O’Donoghue (Tipperary Hills) was runner-up to Conor Cleary at Bruff last year and 2017 Tipperary County Strokeplay champion. He helped Tipperary to Inter-County glory in 2019.
Hillview’s Sean O’Connor and Tommy Kiely played (along with Michael O’Donoghue) on the Tipperary team that finished second to Limerick in last year’s Munster Junior Inter-County Championship. Mark O’Keeffe (Raffeen Creek) was third in June’s Cork Strokeplay championship at Douglas.
Ger Dinan (ESB) was runner-up in the 2023 Munster Strokeplay championship and reached the provincial Matchplay semi-finals. David Holland (Gowran) won the 2022 Leinster Matchplay championship at St. Bridget’s while Loughlinstown’s James Fagan was runner-up.
Alan Gilmartin (Lucan) was crowned Dublin Junior Matchplay champion at Glenville in 2021. Martin O’Sullivan (St Annes) is the reigning Munster Strokeplay champion. Nicky Byrne (Collins) is presented with an opportunity for a quick double having lifted the All Ireland O55’s Junior grade Strokeplay title at Glenville last month.
2022 Limerick Strokeplay champion Peadar McCarthy (Bruff) qualified for the final round last year and finished eighth. He was a member of the Limerick team that claimed National Junior Inter-County honours last November.
Paddy Noonan twice won the National Mixed Team Event with Cunnigar and has also been Munster Mixed Foursomes runner-up. Dave Towler (St. Stephen’s) is a former National Mixed Foursomes victor and was crowned 2018 Cork Matchplay champion.
John Peare (St. Patrick’s) was 2023 Leinster Strokeplay runner-up while club-mate Jack Kirwan reached the 2023 Leinster Matchplay final. Sean Kennedy (Bellewstown) was a Session prize winner at the 2022 National Non-Mixed Scotch Foursomes while Trevor Cummins (Trim) was a podium finisher at last year’s Leinster Mixed Foursomes.
Michael Cunningham (Kilbeggan) has guided Westmeath to much success in his capacity as juvenile coach. He was a Carrolls Club Tournament runner-up with Kilbeggan in 1991, a feat he replicated in the 2007 National Mixed Team Event.
Derick Seery (Bellewstown) won the inaugural National Non Mixed Scotch Foursomes in 2019. Michael Leech (Killineer) helped Louth to the 2022 Leinster Junior Inter-County title. David Hobbert (Tralee) was a mainstay of Kerry’s Munster Junior Inter-County winning side in 2017, the year he finished third in the Munster Strokeplay.
Twelve players will make the 36-hole cut.
Junior B
Eighteen hopefuls will face the starter in the inaugural National Junior B Strokeplay championship at Lakeside.
Some of the players are of a relatively unknown quantity but the first man out; Seamus Gleeson (Riverdale) has plenty of form at national level. Just a month or so ago, Seamus claimed second place in the National Gents O55 Junior B Grade Strokeplay championship 18 years since he was third in the second-ever Junior event at Shandon. Seamus can also boast a podium finish with Riverdale in the 2016 National Mixed Team Event.
Seamus Gleeson is joined by Riverdale club-mates Noel Clarke along with the father and son duo Brian Bergin and Cillian Bergin. The home county line-up is completed by Hillview men Alfie Kelly and Con Lucey.
Gerard Lee (Tralee) was runner-up in the Junior B category at the 2023 Limerick Masters in Bruff.
Paddy Bird (Laytown) was narrowly beaten in a play-off for the first-ever Leinster Junior B Strokeplay championship while Alan Devaney (Lough Owel) finished third.
Steven Hanley (Bruff) was an impressive winner of the inaugural Munster Junior B Strokeplay championship at Fermoy recently. Joseph Deegan (Ryston) meanwhile played on the Kildare team that finished third in the 2018 Leinster Junior Inter-County championship. In contrast to the other gents’ championships, the Junior B event will be contested over 36 holes.
However, the regulation two rounds may not be sufficient as evidenced by the recent Leinster Junior B tournament, which was won by Bojidar Stepjanovic (MacBride) from Laytown’s Paddy Bird at the 46th hole (1st sudden death hole after a nine-hole playoff) at Seapoint.
Tomorrow: We look at the three Ladies events this weekend
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