Success for Cork golfers Bernie McGrath and Shannon Burke

Macroom’s Bernie McGrath won the Munster Women’s Senior Championship in Shannon last week. 

McGrath scored 42 points to finish two clear of the field. 

The 16 handicapper went out with 22 points, thanks in part to two four pointers on the 4th and 5th holes. 

McGrath had another two 4 pointers on the back nine that helped her to a back nine score of 20 points. 

She had just two one pointers in the 18 holes which helped her to the winning score. 

Sylvie Kenneally from Kinsale was second on 40 points and Shannon’s Jean Murphy was third with 38 points. 

Rose Beamish from Fota Island took the over 65 prize with 37 points.

Douglas golfer Shannon Burke got her 2025 season underway in style as the Ballinrobe golfer claimed the Leinster Over 18 Women’s Championship with a commanding three-shot victory.

Burke arrived hoping to carry the momentum from her strong team performances at the end of last season into 2025 and it looked as though she would do that early on, a birdie on the par-five second helping to set the 29-year-old on her way.

Another birdie would follow on six before a double on eight threatened to throw Burke off course, however she steadied the ship with a par on nine before carding three more birdies across a bogey free back nine. 

A final score of 73 secured the Mayo native a -2 total and a three-shot win over her Douglas teammate Karen O’Neill. 

“Really great day out there, super weather, real gem of a golf course so really nice day out there”, said Burke following her win.

“I doubled eight from kind of nowhere and then picked up three birdies on the way in, decent back nine.” 

Much of Burke’s recent success has come from her massive contribution to the AIG Senior Cup winning Douglas team and as part of the Bronze Medal winning European Mid-Amateur Irish team with those performances helping pave the way to solo success.

“I think it is never easy to win, whether it’s 18 holes or 54 or 72, whatever it is, so it is nice to get the win early on and build a bit of momentum going forward,” said Burke. 

The busy women’s schedule will see many of the field from Leinster head to Lahinch Scratch Cup this week and Burke is looking forward to the next event as her season builds. 

“Going to go for Lahinch next week and then we have Woodbrook the week after I think so that sets us up rightly going into the championship season.” 

Douglas ended up with three golfers in the top ten. Karen O’Neill was second after shooting a one over par 76 and Clodagh Coughlan was tied for 8th.

There was plenty of Cork interest at the West of Ireland over the weekend as eight Cork golfers made the matchplay stages in Co Sligo Golf Club. The west is the traditional opener to the championship season and once again it served up a challenge to the participants.

With over a dozen golfers in the championship field it was the strongest Cork representation in many years. 

David Howard, Sean Desmond and Darren Kelleher all qualified for the matchplay but lost in the first round. 

Greg O’Mahony made the championship as the final qualifier from Wednesday’s preliminary round, and he also made the matchplay stage as the last qualifier. 

Just to keep that trend going, Greg took his first round match to the 19th before beating the leading qualifier Rob Abernethy. O’Mahony did go out in the second round, losing to Dylan Holmes.

Jordan Boles and Robert Walsh both qualified and both won their first round matches. Unfortunately they both lost in the second round. James Walsh has been playing some fine golf in the R&A Student Series, and he continued that in Co Sligo. 

He qualified in 57th place and won his first two matches to gain a place in the last 16. He was up against the holder Keith Egan and unfortunately for Walsh the 2024 winner got the better of him on the 17th green. 

Attention will now turn to the Munster Stroke Play which takes place in Cork Golf Club next weekend.