WHILE it might be a second PJ Bell triumph for two of last Sunday’s winning trio from Cunnigar, it certainly doesn’t take away from the joy of winning it in a different format for Paddy Noonan. Along with Lorraine Troy, Paddy was a member of the winning team when it was held at the Co Waterford course a few years ago and played as a four person team event. Mary O’Neill and Martin Hayes were the other two members of that winning team but Jacinta O’Mahony was Paddy and Lorraine’s fellow partner in their most recent success in Douglas on Sunday.
Paddy was delighted for Jacinta as much as himself and Lorraine on Sunday. “I think winning a competition like this is a big source of encouragement for high handicapped women and shows them that there certainly are competitions out there that they can compete in,” he said. The winning trio were in the dark about their chances of winning. “We had no idea our nearest challengers were so close to us on the course. We still weren’t sure when we went into the clubhouse but in advance we hadn’t expected to be in contention. We went up there more with the intention of enjoying ourselves,” Paddy said. There was a period in their second round which Paddy felt was key to their success. “We’d come off a few bad holes and we said to ourselves that we needed to do better. We got a run of five birdies in-a-row after and I feel that’s probably what won it for us overall on the day,” he said.
The victory was also a bit of a surprise considering a few barren months on the playing front for the trio. “We missed about three months with the weather over the winter and our membership numbers have taken a bit of a hit so I think this is a good boost for the club in terms of the publicity it will generate locally. The club have won a lot of titles at Ladies and Mixed Foursomes level in recent years so this is another good addition to that collection. It makes you proud to be a part of a club like Cunnigar,” Paddy said.
Thoughts will turn to more immediate matters now for Paddy. “I’ve an Inter-Club game with the club this weekend so that’s where my focus is now! I have been playing the game for six years and I think Pitch & Putt is good exercise in general for all players.”