Delgany to celebrate Bradshaw's 100th birthday

Delgany Golf Club will mark the 100th birthday of its celebrated former club pro, the late Harry Bradshaw, with a special charity PGA in Ireland Pro-Am Fourball tournament on Friday August 16.

The club, whose head pro is current PGA board member, Gavin Kavanagh, will also open a Ryder Cup bar on the same evening to commemorate its three other players to have contested the famous gold trophy – Eamonn Darcy, John O’Leary and Jimmy Martin.

In addition an invitation fourball has been scheduled on Thursday, August 15 to accommodate as many participants as possible in the celebrations.

The charity tournament will raise monies for the Down Syndrome Centre, which Kavanagh has supported over many years, with Etihad Airways sponsoring the event.

Bradshaw, known as The Brad, was born in Delgany and was the son of the Delgany professional golfer Ned Bradshaw and he and his two brothers Jimmy and Eddie all became professionals at Delgany.

He won the Irish PGA Championship 10 times between 1941 and 1957. He was also the Irish Open champion in 1947 and 1949. He teamed with Christy O'Connor to win the Canada Cup (World Cup) for Ireland in Mexico in 1958, finishing second in the individual section of the event.

Ryder Cup appearances came in 1953, 1955 and 1957 and he was twice Dunlop Masters champion, in 1953 and 1955.

In 1949 he lost the Open Championship following a playoff against Bobby Locke at Royal St George's, after an extraordinary incident in the second round when his drive at the fifth hole came to rest against broken glass from a beer bottle on the fairway.

Bradshaw elected to play the ball as it lay, but was only able to move it slightly forward. The setback resulted in his tying with Locke. However he lost the playoff to Locke. Arguably the incident with the bottle cost him the tournament.

The new Ryder Cup bar celebrates the appearances of Bradshaw, Darcy, O’Leary and Martin in nine teams between 1953 and 1987.

Darcy was also born in Delgany and became the professional at the club where he was made an Honorary Life Member in 1987.

O'Leary turned professional in 1970 and remained the last Irishman to win the Irish Open for 25 years until Pádraig Harrington claimed the title in 2007. In 1975 he was selected for the GB & I Ryder Cup team.

Martin (1924–2000) enjoyed three victories on the British circuit in the 1960s, including the Piccadilly Medal in 1964 and the Carroll's International in 1968. He was selected to represent Ireland at five World Cups between 1962 and 1970, and played in the Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale in 1965.

The amateur cost of entry to the Pro-Am Fourball tournament is €100 per person.

The cost of entry to the invitation Fourball is €30 per person, which will include a dinner ticket to the Friday night celebrations. 

There are also opportunities to become a Sponsor for the event, donate Prizes for the raffle or sponsor a hole.

Anyone interested in participating or in sponsoring the event please contact Delgany’s head professional, Gavin Kavanagh, on 01-2874697 or gavin.kavanagh@gmail.com