Pitch & Putt Ireland2025 U16 National Strokeplay Preview
2025 U16 National Strokeplay Preview by John Manning
A heartening field of over 70 boys will contest the National Juvenile Strokeplay championship at Bagenalstown on Sunday.
Gowran’s Jack McShane, who won the Leinster Strokeplay championship so impressively at Rochfortbridge at few weeks ago, is in the second threeball of the day, partnered by clubmate and 2024 National Matchplay championship Plate winner Eoghan Morrissey together with reigning Leinster Juvenile Matchplay Plate champ Brad Meehan (Bagenalstown). Jack will be attempting to win the Eugene McCarthy trophy for the second time, having triumphed at Seapoint two years ago. The 2022 Under-13 kingpin was narrowly denied in the four-way play-off for overall honours last year when he also reached the All-Ireland Matchplay final.
That powerful threeball will be immediately preceded by Bagenalston’s Jason Kelly, who was second to Jack McShane at Rochfortbridge, 2024 Leinster Juvenile Strokeplay champion and last year’s 10-13 winner at national level, Harry Concannon (Gowran), along with Adam Walsh (Bagenalstown). Jason’s performance at Rochfortbridge secured his second successive silver provincial Strokeplay medal and he also helped Carlow to a first-ever Leinster Inter-County victory last month.
Aidan O’Connell (Gowran) was a National Juvenile Inter-County runner-up with Kilkenny last year.
2023 Munster Strokeplay champion Ben Franklin (Hillview) will swing into action alongside Daniel Collins (Bagenalstown), who has seen much success in the Carlow Inter-County colours and 2025 Munster Strokeplay runner-up Nicholas O’Toole (Larkspur Park)
Charlie Taylor (Tipperary Hills) will hope to carry his 2025 Munster Strokeplay winning form into the Bagenalstown championship.
Glenville’s Shane Murphy is the reigning Leinster Matchplay champion.
Portmarnock trio Enda Hayden, Cian Foran and Max Guyot were colleagues of Shane Murphy’s on the Dublin team that finished second to Carlow in the Leinster Inter-County.
Hugh O’Brien (Bagenalstown) shared in that Carlow victory with Brad Meehan, Jason Kelly and Daniel Collins.
The youthful Fionn McMonagle (Deerpark) has already bagged a winners’ (2024) and a runners-up prize (2025) at the Munster Strokeplay championship. Fionn is drawn with 2025 Munster Inter-County winner Leon Hogan (Fermoy) and Listowel’s Mason Sheehy Elston. Leon Hogan’s fellow Fermoy members and successful Cork Inter-County Teammates County Matchplay champion Cillian Corcoran and Conor Ronan feature in the next two groups.
The fourth member of Cork’s 2025 successful provincial Inter-County side, Benjamin Dunlea (Fermoy) plays with Bishopstown’s Mark Boundy and 2025 Leinster Matchplay finalist Max Guyot (Portmarnock).
2025 Dublin Under-13 Strokeplay champion Hugo Gibbons (Portmarnock) claimed a bronze medal in the 2024 Leinster Strokeplay championship.
Sean Condron (Kilbeggan) reached the recent Leinster Matchplay championship Plate final having also contested the National Matchplay championship Plate decider last year.
James Keogh (Ryston) was a Leinster Inter-County winner in 2022 with Kildare at Seapoint.
Aodhan O’Halloran (Deerpark) placed third in the 2024 Munster Strokeplay championship and recently won E.S.B.’s innovative Juvenile Scratch Cup.
Molly O’Toole (Ryston) will defend the Girls title she claimed last year at Hillview. Molly will play in the first girls’ grouping at 11.30am in the company of the 2024 runner-up Sarah Ryan (Tipperary Hills). Sarah, who finished third in 2022 and 2023 will be bidding to finally add the Strokeplay championship to her National Matchplay success at St. Bridget’s last year.
Last year’s third-place finisher Pippa Cuffe (Kilbeggan) will be the last player into action on Sunday as she seeks to land the provincial/national double having scored an impressive 107 to claim the 2025 Leinster Strokeplay championship ahead of Molly O’Toole, just a matter of weeks ago at Rochfortbridge.
Portmarnock’s Gemma Hayden came second in the 2025 Dublin Strokeplay championship and will try to get into the mix as will Sophie Doyle (Fermoy), Hannah Daly (Lough Owel) and Cliona Curran (Glenville).
Kerry have been the recent kingpins in National Juvenile Inter-County Pitch and Putt and the players in the green and gold will seek a sixth title in a row at Bagenalstown. Munster champions Cork have been showing signs of a resurgence and are sure to contend as will home county and Leinster champions Carlow, Tipperary, Dublin, Kildare and Kilkenny.
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