Pitch & Putt IrelandJuvenile stats following the U16 National Strokeplay
Juvenile stats following the U16 National Strokeplay by John Manning
Jason Kelly is the first Bagenalstown player (and the first from Co. Carlow) to win the National Boys’ Strokeplay championship.
Jason’s eight under par 100 proved to be the winning score for the fourth time in history. All four winning scores of 100 have been in the last ten years.
It will happen more often now with the format change but Jason Kelly is the 15th National Boys’ Strokeplay champion to help his county to an Inter-County win in the same year. Mark Somers, Alan Moore, Kieran Kearney, Michael O’Connell, Brian Webster, Damien Rafferty, Cathal Foley, Brian Allen, John O’Rourke, Chris O’Sullivan, Brian Maloney, A Jay Barrett, Charlie Morrissey and Ben Kelliher are the others.
Jason Kelly is the third Leinster Strokeplay runner-up to be National Boys’ Strokeplay champion in the same year.
Enda Hayden is the eighth player representing a Dublin club to claim second place in the National Boys’ Strokeplay championship.
Enda is the third Portmarnock member to be a silver medalist in the National Boys’ Strokeplay championship, matching Ciaran Gregan (2014) and Gerard O’Connor (1995).
Tommy Weir is the first player representing Kilbeggan to collect a bronze medal in the National Boys’ Strokeplay championship (since third place was first officially awarded in 1989).
Tommy is the second player from Westmeath (after Rochfortbridge’s Kevin Metcalfe) to be third in the National Boys’ Strokeplay championship.
Portmarnock becomes the seventh club to complete the set of all three medals in the National Boys’ Strokeplay championship. Deerpark, St. Anne’s, Castletown, Channonrock, Fermoy and Tralee are the others.
Jason Kelly’s win joins Ger Mara (runner-up on home turf in 1998) and Roy O’Neill’s third place performance at St. Bridget’s thirteen years ago.
Conor Ronan is the first player from Fermoy to claim National Boys’ Strokeplay championship Age 10-13 honors since William Cahill at Ballinlough in 1996.
Conor is the seventh Cork representative to win this particular category and the first since Claycastle’s Ross Bulman at Pfizer (now Raffeen Creek) in 2013.
Conor is the first Munster Strokeplay 10-13 champion to be national 10-13 champion in the same year.
Pippa Cuffe registered Kilbeggan’s fourth success in the National Girls’ Strokeplay championship. Laura Coffey won once (in 2010) and Sarah Coffey won twice (2001 and 2003).
Pippa delivered Co. Westmeath’s sixth win overall.
Pippa Cuffe ensured that her father Niall and Pippa are the first father and daughter to win the National Gents Strokeplay championship and National Girls Strokeplay championship respectively.
Pippa Cuffe continues the recent Leinster domination of the National Girls’ Strokeplay championship – her win is the eleventh in the last eleven stagings of the championship by a representative of the eastern province.
Pippa’s score of 115 constituted the winning aggregate for the second time. Margaret Keogh won with 115 at Irish Ropes (now Ryston) in 1988.
Pippa joins Sarah Cooney, Sophie Farnan, Aoife Mahon (twice), Amy Galvin, Clare Keating, Laura Coffey, Sarah Coffey, Tracey McGrath (twice), Bernadette Coffey (twice), Marian Marks and Denise Rusk as winners of the Leinster Girls Strokeplay and National Girls Strokeplay championships in the same year.
For third time ever, a Ryston/Irish Ropes member, took second place in the National Girls Strokeplay championship. Grainne Gill was runner-up in 1991 and in 1993.
Molly O’Toole is the seventh player in history to be Leinster Strokeplay runner-up and National Strokeplay runner-up in the same year.
For the eleventh time in history, the holder of the National Girls’ Strokeplay championship finished runner-up whilst defending the title the following year. Molly O’Toole (winner 2024 and runner-up in 2025) joins Amy Galvin (2012 and 2013), Clare Keatinge (2011 and 2012, 2009 and 2010) Valerie Leahy (2002 and 2003), Sarah Coffey (2001 and 2002), Bernadette Coffey (1993 and 1994) Marian Byrne (1991 and 1992), Margaret Byrne (1988 and 1989), Aideen Rogers (1985 and 1986) and Denise Rusk (1980 and 1981).
Molly O’Toole joins Grainne Gill (twice second), Marian Byrne (twice second), Margaret Byrne, Chrissie Byrne, Tara Dillon, Tracey Noone and Bernadette Coffey to record Kildare’s tenth runner-up finish in the National Girls Strokeplay championship.
2024 National Girls Matchplay champion Sarah Ryan finished in the top three of the National Girls Strokeplay championship for the fourth successive year. That puts Sarah in the same territory as Bernadette Coffey (1993 – 1996), Tracey McGrath (1996 to 1999) and Clare Keatinge (2009 to 2012).
Sarah ensured that a Co. Tipperary player finished third in the National Girls Strokeplay championship for the eighth time (since third place was first officially awarded in 1989).
Carlow won the Tommy Murphy Cup (silver symbol of supremacy in National Juvenile Inter-County Pitch and Putt) for the first time ever.
Cork finished National Juvenile Inter-County runners-up for the 13th time, extending their lead at the top of that particular list.
Dublin were bronze medalists in the National Juvenile Inter-County for the 5th time (since third place was first officially awarded in 1992). That’s one behind Louth and Westmeath, who both have six third places.