John Walsh (Collins) will defend his Munster Strokeplay crown from the 09:35 grouping in which he will be joined by local man John McGrath and Eoghan Aylward (Larkspur Park).
The first of Walsh’s eight victories was in Co. Kerry (at Tralee) in 1994 and the Cork colossus has won the Munster Strokeplay in every county bar Limerick. He can also point to a Munster Matchplay win at Deerpark. That was in 2002.
McGrath will obviously know his way round the Deerpark track and helped Kerry to runners-up spot in the 2018 provincial Inter-County. Aylward was a Munster Schools’ tournament winner with his alma mater, High School (Clonmel), in millennium year, the same year that he won the Munster Inter-County with Tipperary juveniles, having been runner-up in 1999.
Five times a Munster Inter-County silver medallist in the blue and gold, Brian Webster (Larkspur Park) gets matters underway. Webster plays with Tralee’s Jason O’Regan (twice a provincial Inter- County winner with Kerry and twice a runner-up) along with the in-form David O’Leary (Douglas) who finished fourth in last year’s National Strokeplay championship. O’Leary was 2016 provincial Intermediate Strokeplay runner-up and won Raffeen Creek Scrtach Cup last week.
Jason O’Regan was a National Matchplay semi-finalist at Deerpark in 2004.
Recent two-time provincial Matchplay champion Jason Cregan (Tralee) is paired with 2006 and 2010 Munster Strokeplay champion and 2025 Munster Matchplay titleholder John Cahill (Fermoy) and 2001 runner-up James Cleary (Larkspur Park), crowned provincial Matchplay kingpin in 2004.
Stephen O’Reilly (Hillview) has been in excellent Scratch Cup form this season and will bid to improve on his 2024 silver medal performance. Another man in top form is Brinny’s Phillip Burns, the 2023 Munster Intermediate Matchplay winner.
Owen Shannon (Collins) was outstanding during May’s Munster Matchplay win at Fermoy and the double cannot be ruled out. Playing partner and darling of Deerpark Damien Fleming (the 2019 champion) will have something to say about that.
Kieran Earls (Bruff) was champion in 2018 while David Sexton held that honour in 2023. This pair play with LIstowel’s Declan McCarron, a colleague of John McGrath’s on the 2018 Kerry sextet.
That team also contained James Dignan (Castleisland) who posted an incredible 38 in the qualifying round at Castleisland. A provincial Inter-County winner with Limerick, Pacelli Darcy (Bruff) was a Munster Matchplay runner up, away back in 1985.
Recently-crowned (Over-55) World Pairs champion Frank Dineen (St. Anne’s) was Munster Strokeplay runner-up in 2017 Having claimed Matchplay laurels in 2008.
A heavy hitting threeball brings together 2024 champion Stephen Shoer (Riverdale), 1999 and 2001 winner Liam O’Donovan (Bruff) and two-time runner-up Paudie O’Sullivan (Fermoy)
Three-time champion Ray Murphy (St. Anne’s) plays with Larkspur Park’s Paul Sweeney (twice a provincial Inter-County winner with Tipperary) and Tralee’s Gavin Carroll, a 2014 Munster Intermediate Inter-County winner with Kerry.
Thomas Hanley (Bruff) won the 2015 Munster Matchplay championship.
2013 Munster Junior Strokeplay runner-up Conor McCarthy (Deerpark) will hope to take maximum advantage of his return to the Pitch and Putt circuit.
The much-decorated Chris Scannell (Collins) is a four-time Munster individual champion, two Matchplay and two Strokeplay.
Thomas Lynch (E.S.B.) and Tony Blake (Tralee) have won Munster Inter-County medals with Cork and Kerry respectively.
Pat Martin (Tipperary Hills) has been runner-up in both the Munster Strokeplay and Munster Matchplay chapionships.
Darren Goodall (Tralee) has been the Munster Juvenile Strokeplay champion (in 2004) and provincial Intermediate Strokeplay winner (2008).
Twice a Munster Mixed Foursomes champion Michael Fennell (Lakeside) helped Tipperary to Munster Inter-County glory in 2019 and 2022.
Bryan Delaney has been in rampant Scratch Cup form and reached the National Matchplay final. How the E.S.B. man would love to improve on his record of three Munster Strokeplay second place finishes!
A Munster Juvenile Inter-County winner with Cork in 1983, Declan Freeman (Kilworth) has two adult Munster Inter-County winners’ medals and claimed the provincial Matchplay crown in 2018.
Eoin Walsh (Collins) reached the 2025 Munster Matchplay final at Douglas and holds three Munster Inter-County winners medals, wearing the Rebel red.
2008 Munster Junior Strokeplay champion Brian Cahill (Lakeside) impressed in his run to the last four of the recent Munster Matchplay championship at Fermoy.
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