Pitch & Putt IrelandPreview - National Ladies Strokeplay - Intermediate
2025 Ladies National Strokeplay – Intermediate Preview by John Manning
Reigning National Junior Strokeplay champion Ashlene McKevitt (Cloghogue) will be one of the standout players in Saturday’s intermediate championship at McDonagh.
Athgarvan’s Christina Foley has been an All-Ireland Matchplay Nett Cup runner-up and a National Junior Strokeplay championship bronze medalist.
Former Dublin Junior Strokeplay and Matchplay champion Martina Tierney (Lucan) partners 2025 Kildare Intermediate Matchplay winner Laura Fogarty (Athgarvan).
Few players have a superior graded National Strokeplay pedigree than Bridget Shelley. The Lakeside lady was crowned All-Ireland Junior Strokeplay champion back in 1992 and has since followed-up with a brace of National Intermediate Strokeplay gold medals, secured at Ierne in 2012 and at St. Bridget’s in 2019.
Teresa Fagan (Royal Meath) was an impressive winner of the 2025 Leinster Matchplay championship at Navan.
A 2013 National Mixed Team Event winner with Ferbane at Douglas, Eileen Guerin has been prominent in recent Ladies Social tournaments. Eileen is drawn with Ryston's, Catherine Smith. Catherine was runner-up in the 2017 Leinster Intermediate Strokeplay championship at this weekend’s venue, McDonagh.
An all-Dublin pairing brings together the capital's 2021 Strokeplay champion Marie Dooley (R.G.S.C) and 2012 National bronze medallist Patricia McLoughlin (Shandon).
Barbara Furlong has been a runner-up at both senior level (in 2009) and in the intermediate grade (2020). The 2021 Senior Best Nett winner from Lucan will partner 2025 Munster Junior Strokeplay champion Gillian Morrissey (St. Anne’s).
Another high-quality pairing is that of Audrey Donnelly (MacBride) and Susan Ritchie (R.G.S.C.). 2023 and 2025 All-Ireland Ladies Matchplay Nett Cup winner Audrey Donnelly is a three-time Leinster Junior Matchplay champion while Susan Ritchie is the reigning provincial Strokeplay champion, having reached the 2025 Leinster Matchplay decider at Navan.
Another All-Ireland Ladies Matchplay Nett Cup winner (2024), Marion Gannon Kelly (McDonagh) will have home course advantage as she sets out with 2024 National Mixed Foursomes winner Eileen McCarthy (Deerpark). Marion was Junior champion at Lakeside two years ago while Eileen won two provincial Strokeplay championships as a juvenile.
Fresh from a third placing in the National Over-55s Intermediate Strokeplay championship last month, Margaret Forde (Riverdale) will bid to add intermediate laurels to her 2017 junior victory at Cement (now Killineer). The Nenagh lady has gone close before, second on home turf two years ago and third in the successive years of 2018 and 2019.
Mairead O’Toole (St. Bridget’s) could well be the player to watch in this championship. Winner in 2001 at Glenville, Mairead has since gone on to claim three All-Ireland Over-55 Strokeplay titles, two in the senior grade and, tellingly, the 2018 Intermediate crown at McDonagh.
2024 Leinster Junior Matchplay champion Maria Cranney (Cloghogue) will look to build on her 2022 runners-up performance in the National Over-55s Junior grade Strokeplay championship
Another former National Junior Strokeplay champion in the field is Mary Fullam (Shandon), who triumphed at Portmarnock in 2006 before being 2012 Intermediate runner-up to Bridget Shelley.
Four-time National Girls Matchplay semi-finalist Gemma Cuffe (Kilbeggan) has been a provincial Strokeplay and Matchplay champion at juvenile level. 2024 Munster Junior Matchplay champion Linda Griffin (Bishopstown) will partner Gemma.
The last four groups of the championship feature a host of potential contenders.
2019 National Over-55s Intermediate grade Strokeplay champion Frances Ryan (Lakeside) was runner-up in the recent 2025 renewal at Riverdale. Third in this championship two years ago, Frances tees up opposite 2023 National Over-55s Junior grade Strokeplay runner-up Nora O’Meara (Glenville). Frances collected a bronze medal at McDonagh in the 2019 National Over-55s Intermediate grade Strokeplay championship.
Three-time National and ten-time Munster Inter-County winner with Cork, Vera McCarthy (Collins) is drawn with inaugural All-Ireland Ladies Matchplay Nett Cup winner Elaine Quinn (Lakeside).
Riverdale’s Liz Forde will bring the experience of two bronze medals (one inter and one junior) in the National Over-55s Strokeplay championships into her twoball with 2018 Munster Junior Matchplay runner-up Michelle Flynn (Fermoy).
The final group of the championship features yet another National Junior Strokeplay champion in the shape of 2008 victor Mary Quinn (Lakeside) and 2023 National Over-55s Intermediate grade Strokeplay runner-up Joyce Keane (Glenville). Mary Quinn is another player with a very impressive record in the National Intermediate Strokeplay championship. Winner in 2015 at Ring Commons, Mary has been second twice. She was part of Tipperary’s successful 2019 Intr-County sextet at McDonagh. Megan Ahern (Collins) achieved royally as a juvenile and has already been making her presence felt in the adult ranks, claiming Cork Junior Matchplay laurels earlier in the season and reaching the Munster Matchplay final.