Glenville hosts the National Strokeplay championships for the third time in the illustrious history of the famed Old Bawn, Tallaght layout nestled in the foothills of the Dublin mountains.

First-off are millennium year National Matchplay quarter-finalist Andrew Lowe (Old County), the first of the eleven present or past National Senior Strokeplay champions into action, John Cahill (Fermoy) and recent Irish Open hero William Fitzgerald (Ryston). 

Three successive early groups will include four former National Intermediate Strokeplay champions, Prosperous man Justin McKeon, who won in 2021, who plays with 2006 kingpin Eoin Shannon (Collins), Majestic’s Trevor O’Donovan (2009) and Lucan’s Damien Creevey (2015). Creevey’s top quality threesome also includes 2024 Leinster Strokeplay runner-up Ian Dillon (St. Bridget’s) and recent National Matchplay semi-finalist Paudie O’Sullivan (Majestic), who finished fourth in the Strokeplay at Rocklodge in 2013.

Twice champion and four-time runner-up John Walsh (Collins) is another one of the early starters. Walsh plays with Inter-County stars Darren Keogh (Ryston) and Tom O’Reilly (Old County).

Multiple Dublin champion Chris Gallagher (Lucan) has helped Dublin to Inter-County championships, provincially and nationally. His best National Strokeplay championship finish is fifth (in 2015) and he will hope to be inspired by Sean Goggin (MacBride), the champion of two years ago and Declan Freeman (Majestic), who was narrowly defeated in a play-off for the All Ireland Over-55 title at St. Stephen’s last month. Freeman was third at Glenville last year in the National Over-55 championship.

Following close behind will be Gallagher’s Dublin colleague Stephen Murray (Old County), who won the Leinster Strokeplay so impressively at Ierne recently and three-time Irish individual champion Mark Millar (Killineer).

2020 National Matchplay champion Kieran Earls (Bruff) has been fourth three times in the All Ireland Strokeplay.

With 2022 champion Killian O’Gorman (Listowel), 2020 winner Michael Conway (Tralee) and 2011 victor Declan McCarron (Listowel), Kerry supply three of the eleven former intermediate winners on view.

McCarron has been drawn with 2019 Nett winner Martin Keohane (Bruff) and 2023 National Mixed Foursomes winner Padraic Sarsfield (MacBride). Conway was Senior Best Nett winner at Ring Commons.

Anchoring the early morning wave will be 2002, 2014 and 2016 winner and second place finisher in the 2014 Irish Open at Glenville, Liam O'Donovan (Bruff).

Winner of the All Ireland Matchplay at Glenville in 1998, Ray Murphy (St. Anne’s) features in an eye-catching threeball, which also includes 2020 Irish Open champion Pat Malone (Custume) and Gary Healy (Loughlinstown), who was runner-up in this championship two years ago. Murphy seeks a record extending fifth title.

2008 Dublin Intermediate Strokeplay champion Julian Kelly represents the host club. Westmeath Inter-County player Mark Newman (Rochfortbridge) has been in outstanding 2024 form, claiming the Lough Owel Scratch Cup and the Meath Masters.

Last year’s third place finisher David Sexton (Fermoy) will make his 2024 title push in the 11.54 group. That’s with Lough Owel’s Niall McAteer and Paddy O’Connor (R.G.S.C.), a three-time final eighteen qualifier during his Fairview CY days.

Holder Stephen Shoer (Riverdale) will have Inter-County winner Eoin Mithen (Loughinstown) and 1983 National Matchplay champion John O’Leary (Douglas) in his threeball

Three years on from his intermediate podium placing, Evan Ganly (Trim) will link up with his fellow Scratch Cup winner from last weekend, Anthony Galvin (Tullamore), the 2022 Irish Senior Open victor. 

European Team championship winner James Cleary boasts past second and third places finishes. Is 2024 the year that the Larkspur Park man finally lands an Irish Strokeplay title?

Cleary’s international colleague Eamon Gibney (Castletown) will have happy memories of an unseasonably cold May weekend ten years ago.  Gibney claimed the 2014 Irish Open title at Glenville. The World Cup and European Team winner with Ireland is also the reigning Leinster Matchplay champion having been provincial Strokeplay runner-up in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Ultimate winner Stephen Shoer and 2023 National Matchplay champion Stephen O’Reilly (Hillview) battled it out for last month’s Munster Strokeplay championship in Ardnacrusha. Both are sure to be involved in the shake-up again at Glenville.

2018 National Matchplay semi-finalist John McGrath (Deerpark) is one of fifteen of last year’s final eighteen qualifiers to make it through to the 2024 opening 36 holes.

Three of the five main protagonists from six years ago are in the field. Two of them are past National Strokeplay champions.

Winner at Glenville in 2018, Damien Fleming (Deerpark) will have 1991 Intermediate Strokeplay victor Hubert Kelly (Loughlinstown) and last year’s fourth place finisher Sean Crowe (Riverdale) for company.

John Ross Crangle (Loughlinstown) chased Damien Fleming all the way home at Glenville in 2018 before lifting the Donnelly Cup at Ryston twelve months later. Crangle will go into battle alongside 2008 champion Frank Dineen (St. Anne’s), who is also a three-time runner-up.

First off in the second session is Joe Joyce (Glenville), who claimed fourth place six years ago at the 2024 venue. Joyce is partnered by 1987 National Intermediate Strokeplay winner and reigning National Intermediate Matchplay champion John Looney (Collins).

Five more players from the 2018 top 20 (Gallagher 6th, Gibney 7th, Sarsfield 8th, Freeman 10th and Dineen 12th) face the 2024 starter.

Three of last seven champions have represented Co. Louth club s and bidding to continue that trend alongside Sean Goggin and Mark Millar will be George Beardsley (MacBride), three-time National Over-55 victor Pat Greene (Seapoint,) Darren McKenna (Killineer), Padraic Sarsfield and 2023 Leinster Strokeplay champion Darren Fagan (Seapoint).

Beardsley plays with former Leinster Matchplay champion Dean Grannell (St. Patrick’s), who reached the last four at Larkspur Park in June.

2018 Leinster Matchplay champion Aongus Coughlan (Erry) lines up alongside millennium Munster Strokeplay kingpin Jason O’Regan (Tralee).

Other former provincial champions in the field are Keith Redmond (Lucan), European championship gold medallist Tommy Hanley (Bruff) and Darren Goodall (Tralee) who excelled in Munster as a juvenile.

Final player into action is National Matchplay runner-up D.J.  Lynch (Tipperary Hills), accompanied by the last of the former winners to tee-off, William Buckley Junior (Erry) , the 2003 champion at Tullamore and Ian Farrelly (Bellewstown), the 2011 European Strokeplay champion.

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