2024 National Ladies Strokeplay Championship Preview

By Declan Sheedy

Stackallen in County Meath plays host to the 2024 National Ladies Strokeplay Championships this Saturday and Sunday. The format for this weekend sees the reintroduction of a 54 holes championship which is viewed by many as the best format for these very prestigious titles. A twist on this however is that the Ladies Intermediate & Junior Championship will take place on Saturday with all players playing 36 holes with the top 8 players at the end of Saturdays play to return on Sunday for the final 18-hole play-offs. The Senior ladies compete their full championship on Sunday, with the top 8 after the 36 holes making the final 18-hole play-off on Sunday afternoon. 

With the reintroduction of the 54-hole championship has come a very strong entry across all grades which is fantastic to see.  With 26 entrants in the Senior Championship, 43 in the Intermediate and 31 in the Junior Championship we are set up for three brilliant championships on an excellent Stackallen championship course this year.

With the championship weekend upon us we take a preview of each of the three championships and who may be expected to put in a major challenge for the title. While there may be some more fancied players in the field, these championships never fail to disappoint, and it would be no surprise to see new names and faces in the prize-winners podium come Sunday evening.

 

Intermediate Ladies Championship – Saturday Morning

Margaret Conneely (Trim) has the honour of pitching the first ball in the 2024 National Ladies Strokeplay Championship on Saturday at 10.00.  An experienced player playing in her home county, don’t be surprised to see Margaret feature again in the playoffs come Sunday. Bridget Shelly (Lakeside) is also in the first grouping and has tasted success twice in this National Strokeplay championship thus has all the experience needed to repeat this year. Bridget is joined by several other seasoned Tipperary players who have all won at National level across the various National championships events and will know what it takes to get over the line, notably Margaret Hennessey (Riverdale), Frances Ryan (Lakeside), Margaret Forde (Riverdale), Liz Forde (Riverdale) the 2024 Munster Intermediate Strokeplay champion, Shula McCarthy (Hillview) and Elaine Quinn (Lakeside).  It would be a surprise not to see at least two of the Tipperary challengers make the playoffs. Home county advantage is always important in such championships and along with Margaret Connelly, Meath clubs are very well represented with Paula Weldon (Trim), Geraldine Brannigan (Royal Meath), Ursula Dowd (Navan), Veronica O’Neill (Ratoath), home players Phyllis Reilly, Ann Moran & Mary Kelly (Stackallen) and Teresa Fagan (Royal Meath). One can expect a strong challenge to come from the Meath players and it may be no surprise to see at least one of the medals staying in the Royal County.  Runner up in the 2024 Leinster Strokeplay, Marion Gannon Kelly (Mc Donagh) will hope to perform well again this weekend and add more medals to her collection where she is joined in the field by her Kildare teammates Mairead O’Toole (St. Budget) who is another experienced player at National level and Laura Fogarty (Athgarvan).  Only two months after her excellent performance in the World Strokeplay Ailish Sexton (Fermoy) will be one of the favourites for this weekends title.  No stranger to championship action Ailish starts her challenge early Saturday alongside another player who will be expected to feature strongly, that being Kathleen Carton (Kilbeggan).  Both ladies will be focused on making it at least through to Sunday and this promises to be a well matched group.  Paula Nolan (Rocklodge) is certainly a player to watch for over the weekend. A Cork Intercounty player and if she can bring her game to Stackallen will be in with a big chance. Dublin clubs are well represented this year in this grade. Lucan’s Barbara Furlong and Irene Reid from Portmarnock who claimed third spot in 2024 Leinster Strokeplay being just two of the Dublin players expected to go well this weekend. Audrey Donnelly (McBride) has won several National & Provincial titles at Junior level and she will hope to add Intermediate success to her collection this weekend. She is joined from the LDM region by Barbara Murphy (Seapoint) who is expected to feature strongly and Maria Cranney (Cloghogue), Valerie Rodgers (Cloghogue) and Frances Farrell (Kilineer). With a large field of 43 this is a very open championship and all 43 ladies taking to the tee genuinely have a chance.  Nothing will be won come end of play on Saturday but the players will be hoping to make the cut for Sunday and if they can be within 3-4 shots of the leader will know it is all still to play for.

Junior Ladies Championship – Saturday Afternoon

The 31 Junior ladies take to the stage starting at 13.00 on Saturday. No different to the Intermediate Championship the Junior Championship promises to be a very open championship, as it always is, and to try predicting a winner here would be very difficult on paper.  With the championship being played over 54 holes, experience, concentration, and course management will be the key to success here.  Making the final 18 will be everyone’s primary focus but to be successful in doing so it will be managing the pressure of the final 18 (having slept on it overnight) being the key, which many players will not yet have experienced. Success here may come down to championship experience and thus looking at the field one would see players such as Nuala McNamara (Collins), Hillary Walsh (Ashgrove), Josie McCormack (Lakeside), Veronica Anglim (Hillview), Ann Williams (Ryston), Catherine Fox (Glenville), Angella Connolly (Eden), Catherine Dillon (St. Bridget’s) and Margaret O’Donovan (Bruff). Christina Foley (Athgarvan) the current Leinster Junior Strokeplay champion will perhaps hold an advantage over some of the others in field simply based on regular championship experience at National and Provincial level.  Nuala Stafford, Jackie Crinon and Pauline Moran are the host clubs’ competitors and at this level home advantage regularly plays a very important part of course knowledge thus all three are players to watch out this weekend where the host club will be strongly behind them.  A quartet of players from Cloghogue make the trip to Stackallen. Karen McVerry, Bronagh Crilly, Ashlene McKevitt and Anne Jackson will each be hoping to put their stamp on the title charge. A very open championship awaits and very little separates many on paper.  Thus it will come down the weekend and how the players may handle the championship conditions.  An exciting championship grade in prospect.

 

Senior Ladies Championship – Sunday Morning

2022 champion Chrissie Sheedy (Ryston) will pitch the first ball in this year’s Senior Championship @ 10.00 and she is joined by Eleanor Walsh (Fermoy) who makes a welcome return to the National championships after a period away and can be strongly fancied to put in a serious challenge for the title this year. Irene’s Helen Greagsbey joins Chrissie and Eleanor in the first group. Next up sees record National Strokeplay holder and defending champion Ger Ward (Portmarnock) take to the tee alongside another multiple National Strokeplay champion in the form of Margaret Hogan (Tullamore). Having won the Leinster Senior Strokeplay championship last month, Ger will enter the weekend as a strong favourite and one to beat. Margaret Hogan can never be ruled out for another title either.  Margaret O’Reilly (Oldcastle) will join Ger and Margaret. Sarah O’Neill (Collins), Marie Dooley (RGSC) and Paula Lynch (Oldcastle) will be next up. Off the back of an brilliant 2023 season and a runner up spot in the 2024 National Matchplay, Paula will seek to add the National Strokeplay title to her cv on a course she will be very familiar with, while Sarah O’Neill is an ever consistent player in recent years and would be no surprise to see her at least make the final 18.  Amy Galvin (Tullamore) enters this weekend in brilliant form with some recent excellent Strokeplay scoring the scratch cups and opens in recent weeks. Having claimed the National Matchplay title in June, Amy will be heavily fancied to add the Strokeplay title this weekend in her quest to complete the double. Amy is joined by Siobhan Keely (Lucan) and the 2024 Munster Senior Strokeplay Champion, Breda While. Breda is ever present in these championships and will again be expected to challenge strongly for the title in Stackallen. Tracey Smith (Lucan), Ger Holland (RGSC) and Mary Murray (Rocklodge) will be next up with Mary being another player hoping she can add the Strokeplay title to the Matchplay title she won in Rocklodge in 2019. Maree O’Toole (Shandon), Pauline Balfe (Old County) and Tara Dillon (Ryston) will be the next three ball up. Tara enters in excellent form having won the ladies grade in the recent Irish Open in Ryston. Tara seeks a maiden National Strokeplay title but would be a surprise not to see her at least make the final 18 and another player one can expect to challenge strongly for a medal. Marina O’Rourke (Cloghogue) is making a very welcome return to the National Championship scene and has all the experience required to challenge strongly despite her time away. Marina is joined on the tee by Sheelagh Elmes (Portmarnock) and Bridie Cummins (Trim). Marian Courtney’s (Ryston) one win in this championship came 25 years ago in 1999 and many would believe well overdue her second which could come this weekend if she brings her A game. Marian is joined by Glenda Hoey (Lucan) who has an excellent record in recent years in Senior championships, in particular Strokeplay, and will be fancied to get into the playoff and is a medal contender. Marian and Glenda are joined by Kathleen Geraghty (Skryne) who will have home county advantage while the final pairing will be Lousie Grace (RGSC) and Mary Quinn (Lakeside) both who will be focused on a spot in the playoffs, at the very least.

A very strong field of players take to the tee on Sunday for the Senior Championship where scoring is expected to be low.  As with the other grades the first goal will be to make the playoff and remain in contention with the 36-hole leader(s). However, given the top-quality field this will prove extremely difficult

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