LADIES NATIONAL STROKEPLAY REVIEW

LADIES NATIONAL STROKEPLAY REVIEW image

NATIONAL LADIES STROKEPLAY STATS 2024

Chrissie Sheedy wins the National Ladies Strokeplay championship for the fifth time.

That moves Chrissie level with Margaret Hogan, in joint third place on the all-time Roll of Honour behind Ger Ward (12) and Clare Keating (6).

With her six National Matchplay victories, Chrissie’s total of main national individual successes stands at 11, augmenting her third place on the all-time list behind Ger Ward (24) and Clare Keating (14).

With a 2013 victory at neighbouring Navan, Chrissie has now won the National Ladies Strokeplay championship twice in Co. Meath. She has also won twice in Co. Cork.

For the first time, Chrissie was National Strokeplay champion on a course where she had been a National Matchplay runner-up (beaten by Ger Ward in the 2007 Matchplay final at Stackallen).

Mary Murray becomes the 13th player in history to be a multiple runner-up in the National Ladies Strokeplay championship.

Mary is the fourth player ever to be runner-up in successive years, emulating Margaret Hogan (1980, 1981, 1982), Geraldine Ward (2005, 2006) and Chrissie Sheedy (2017, 2018, 2019).

With plenty of time to put matters right, Mary is currently one of four multiple runners-up to not win the trophy. Mrs D.J. Coghlan, Jean Cooney and Tara Dillon are the others.

Chrissie Sheedy and Mary Murray finished in the top two of a National Ladies individual championship for the second time. The pair faced off in the 2019 Matchplay final at Rocklodge, which Mary won.

Marian Courtney finished third in the National Ladies Strokeplay championship for the fourth time.

Marian finished third and Chrissie was champion – the same positions they filled when Chrissie first lifted the Cup – at Douglas nineteen years ago.

Marian and Chrissie joined each other on the same 1-2-3 podium for the fifth time at the National Strokeplay championship.

Breda White claimed fourth place for the second time in 54-hole stagings of the championship.

Valerie Rogers becomes the second player in history from the Cloghogue club to win the National Ladies Intermediate Strokeplay championship. Bernie Somers triumphed at Cunnigar in 2010.

Valerie becomes the third winner (after Esther Martin and Bernie Dunne) of the All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Strokeplay to also hold a National Over-55s Intermediate Strokeplay championship silver medal.

Valerie Rogers won the third play-off in the history of the championship and the first since millennium year. Ailish Sexton and Margaret Hennessy joined Valerie in the first three-way play-off in the event’s history.

2012 National Junior Strokeplay winner Ailish Sexton recorded her seventh top six finish in the National Intermediate Strokeplay championship, adding a runners-up placing to her three bronze medals.

For the second successive year, a former National Ladies Junior Strokeplay champion claimed second spot in the Intermediate championship. Ailish Sexton is the sixth player in history to achieve that particular feat.

The three round tally of 160 to make the play-off ties the low winning 54-hole aggregate in the event’s history – Mary Donnelly at Fermoy ten years ago.

Margaret Hennessy put up a valiant defence of her title and is the first All-Ireland Ladies Matcjhlay Nett Cup winner to capture a bronze medal at the National Ladies Intermediate Strokeplay championship

Inaugural All Ireland Ladies Matchplay Nett Cup winner Elaine Quinn is obviously the first player ever to secure the Best Last 18 prize in the National Ladies Intermediate Strokeplay championship.

Ashlene McKevitt is the first player from Cloghogue to win the National Ladies Junior Strokeplay championship.

By coincidence, Ashlene McKevitt’s winning junior score of 169 matches Sarah O’Neill’s at Fermoy in 2014. 169 is the third lowest 54-hole winning aggregate in the event’s history.

Karen McVerry is the first player to finish second to a clubmate in the National Ladies Junior Strokeplay championship since Corinne Magee in 2010.

Christina Foley is the second All-Ireland Ladies Matchplay Nett Cup runner-up to clinch a bronze medal in the National Ladies Junior Strokeplay championship (Patsy O’Donovan of Collins achieved the feat in reverse order).

Junior Best Final 18 winner Angela Connolly is the first player ever from the Eden club to achieve a podium finish in any National Ladies Strokeplay championship

Cloghogue is the first club to achieve the National Ladies Intermediate/Junior Strokeplay championship double since Patricia McLoughlin (intermediate) and Mary Fullam (junior) scored for Shandon at Portmarnock in 2006.

Cloghogue players have now won all three National Ladies Strokeplay championships (Marina O’Rourke, senior 1997, 2000, Bernie Somers, intermediate, 2010 in addition to Valerie Rogers and Ashlene McKevitt in 2024).

Stackallen hosted the National Ladies Strokeplay championship for the third time. Chrissie Sheedy ensured Leinster domination of the senior championship at the venue continued – there were Co. Meath winners (Maureen Rusk and Pauline Whelan) in 1974 and 1984.